The period between the Old and New Testaments lasted from about 430 B.C. until the time of Jesus. Ancient historian Flavius Josephus tells us that during that period, there were three Jewish "sects" or religious parties - the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the Essenes. We know quite a bit about the three sects from various ancient sources, including the New Testament, the aforementioned Josephus, Pliny the Elder, and Philo of Alexandria. The story of these three sects is presented in this book against the background of the Maccabean Revolt, the Hasmonean Dynasty and the Dead Sea Scrolls.