who brought together the pious Jews, and of his son Judas Maccabeus, who restored the Temple and the Law. But shortly after, Josephus draws attention to different parties like the Pharisees, the Sadducees, then the Essenes, with deep-seated antagonisms, especially in connection with Scripture. The abrupt emergence of these divisions, without a definite cause, is not very understandable after the Hasmonaean normalization. As for the rabbinic tradition, which claimed that it was the main heir at the