7The influence of Julius Wellhausen (1844-1918) as Orientalist and biblical historian and critic is legendary. Wellhausen's sweeping knowledge of Eastern languages enabled his exhaustive studies of the history of Israel and of biblical literature. He is famed for his analysis of Old Testament texts. In Pharisees and Sadducees Wellhausen turned his attention to Jews at the turn of the era. In this little volume -- which he termed an "essay" -- Wellhausen provides a firm foundation for understanding Judaism's influential Pharisees and Sadducees and a keen analysis of their importance in the context of the beginnings of Christianity.