Excessive cultural diversity and the dissolution of the political structure of the small city-state gave rise to a lack of social community. Seeking to re-establish the traditional sense of unity, different cultures merged their religions in syncretism, generating new religions to share. The secrecy of these mystery religions allowed for the development of new ideas such as the Last Judgment and the sanctity of martyrdom, as well as offering a greater sense of certainty and confidence in life. These new ideas had lasting effects on Judaism and aided in the generation of three new sects, the law-bound Sadducees, the ritualistic Pharisees, and the mystical Essenes. Religion therefore played a fundamental role in the Hellenistic era