Enda80

Do we have any of their literature (that of the Pharisees and Saducees)? I am told that about 24 sects of Judaism existed back then. It would be interesting to see if these other sects of Judaism were as childish in their polemics as the Biblical Jesus was.

Diogenes the Cynic

I don't think they left any literature. What is known about them comes from Rabbinic writings and Josephus (as well as the NT, for whatever that's worth).

The Talmud itself could perhaps be argued as Pharisee literature in the sense that is allegedly contains the preserved oral law formulated by the Pharisees.

As far as I know, the Sadducees didn't hold to any sort of literature or law outside of the Pentateuch.

Anat

The Talmud is composed of 2 main elements: the Mishna and the Gemara. The Mishna is a compilation of oral law that was finalized by Rabbi Judah the Prince around 200 CE and includes opinions and quotes from Pharisee sages from the previous 3 centuries or so (for example, it quotes Shimeon ben Shatach who was the brother-in-law of Alexander Ianeus). Typically the Mishna is a listing of the laws, without the reasoning of how they were derived. If there are conflicting opinions both are quoted and it is mentioned which is the more authoritative (A says X, B says Y and the law is according to A). The Gemara includes the rabbinical discussions that explain the reasoning and deduction of additional laws from the original. In each page of the Talmud the Mishna is at the center, in larger print, and the discussions surround it. The discussions may include the supposed arguments of those who formulated the Mishna as well as later arguments. However, since the Talmud was compiled around 500 CE it is not clear (to me, at least) how accurate the report of those arguments is.

the relationship between Mishna and Talmud with some examples

Halakha/Aggadata/Midrash : examples of various forms of discussion that appear in the Talmud. Note the discussion of the Oven of Achnai. This is a key turning point, where it was determined that the law is decided according to the majority of the sages of the generation, even if God himself announces that it should be otherwise.

From Left to Right is a discussion from an Orthodox POV about the importance that the Tannaim gave to arriving at a single ruling, that they were willing to sacrifice truth on occasion to prevent anarchy, using the Achnai case as a central point.

THE DAY JUDAISM BECAME HUMANISM is a discussion of the Achnai case from a Humanistic Judaism POV. The thesis is that since the Achnai case the law is determined by men rather than God, thus there is room for a humanistic approach to Judaism. The article also warns against oppression that results from insistence on a single truth.

Ethics of the Fathers The 6 chapters of Pirkei Avot, a compilation of sayings from Mishna sages.

Jackalope

For a more general view of how the ancient schools of philosophy and some of the various sects viewed each other, you can try looking at Elaine Pagels' The Origins of Satan. She mostly traces how the essenes and then the budding christian movement took the notion of "satan" and made it into something new, but in doing so she has to talk about the other ancient sects views.