Who were the Pharisees?
They were a grassroots movement within Second-Temple Judaism (c. 2nd century BCE to 1st century CE). They weren’t priests; they were mostly lay teachers, scribes, and householders who wanted ordinary life to be lived “as holy” before God.
Where did they came from?
They emerged in the Hasmonean era after the Maccabean crisis, when Jewish groups debated how best to keep the Law under foreign rule. Over time they formed a school of thought that prized Scripture plus an “oral law” (traditions) and had strong influence in synagogues and in everyday practice. [1]
Core beliefs and purpose (the “why”)
- Torah + Traditions. Alongside the written Law, they valued ancestral interpretations (“traditions of the elders”) as a practical guide for daily obedience. [2]
- Holiness in ordinary life. Extend priestly-style purity and integrity beyond the Temple into the home, table, and marketplace (“a fence around the Torah”). [3]
- Resurrection and angels. Unlike the Sadducees, they affirmed the resurrection of the dead, angels, and divine judgment. [4]
- Human responsibility under God’s rule. God is sovereign, yet people remain accountable; righteousness is expressed in justice, mercy, faithfulness, almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. [5]
What they did in the community (the “how”)
- Taught and interpreted. Acted as teachers and legal interpreters in synagogues and public forums.
- Set practical standards. Promoted tithing, Sabbath practice, food and hand-washing customs, and household purity.
- Advised local leadership. Some served on councils; many shaped communal norms even without holding Temple offices (which were dominated by Sadducees).
What they were known for
- Serious about obedience. Careful attention to detail, consistency, and community-level holiness.
- Popular influence. Significant credibility among the people, especially outside the priestly hierarchy. [6]
- A mixed reputation. Admired for devotion; criticized when devotion slid into performative religion or neglect of “weightier matters” like justice and mercy. [7]
Common ground with Jesus
- Shared convictions: authority of Scripture, moral seriousness, the coming judgment, resurrection, prayer, fasting, and giving to the poor. [4][5]
- Shared audience: both spoke to regular people in synagogues, homes, and streets rather than only to Temple elites.
Why Jesus clashed with many Pharisees
Two sides to a Coin... (Always look for coins in the Bible) What did Jesus have against the Pharisees? What did the Pharisees have against Jesus?
- Tradition vs. intent. Jesus argued some traditions obscured God’s intent (e.g., purity rules that sidelined mercy, or vow-workarounds that dodged love of neighbor). [8]
- Inside-out holiness. He pressed for integrity of heart over external performance and status. [7]
- Table fellowship. His welcome of sinners, tax collectors, and the ritually “messy” challenged boundary-making as a path to holiness. [9]
- Public critique. His strong, public warnings (“woes”) confronted hypocrisy and spiritual pride. [7]
- A suggested example of why they clashed with Jesus.
- What did Jesus have against them?
Their role in Jesus’ crucifixion
- Lead actors: the chief priests and Temple establishment (largely Sadducees) controlled arrest, hearings, and the handover to Pilate. [10]
- Pharisee involvement: some Pharisee leaders opposed Jesus and participated in efforts against him; John mentions officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees at the arrest. [11] Still, the Gospels distinguish between different groups and individuals, and not all Pharisees agreed. [12]
Did any Pharisees join “the Way”?
- Yes.
- Nicodemus (explicitly “a Pharisee”) sought Jesus and later assisted in his burial. [13]
- Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was a Pharisee who became an apostle of Jesus. [14]
- Gamaliel (a Pharisee) urged restraint toward the apostles; Acts also notes “believers from the party of the Pharisees.” [15]
- Acts mentions that many eventually joined the Way.
What eventually happened to them
- After 70 CE (Temple destroyed): the Temple-centered Sadducees faded. Pharisaic teaching and practice became the backbone of rabbinic Judaism, centered on Scripture, oral law, prayer, synagogues, and home-life holiness. Rabbinic Judaism continues on today. [16]
Footnotes (compact sources)
[1] Josephus, Antiquities 13.10; 18.1; War 2.8.
[2] Mark 7:1–13; Matthew 15:1–9 (traditions of the elders).
[3] Mishnah, Pirkei Avot 1:1 (“make a fence around the Torah”); cf. tractates on tithes and purity (Demai, Ma‘aserot, Tohorot).
[4] Acts 23:6–8 (Pharisees affirm resurrection and angels); Josephus, Antiquities 18.1.3.
[5] Matthew 6:1–18; Luke 11; general Jewish ethical teaching of the period.
[6] Josephus, Antiquities 13.10.5–6; 18.1.3 (popular esteem for Pharisees).
[7] Matthew 23; Luke 11:37–54 (critiques of hypocrisy vs. justice, mercy, faithfulness).
[8] Matthew 15:3–6; Mark 7:9–13 (tradition vs. command).
[9] Mark 2:15–17; Luke 7:34; Luke 15 (table fellowship and God’s welcome).
[10] Mark 14–15; Matthew 26–27; Luke 22–23; John 18–19 (chief priests/Temple leadership drive proceedings).
[11] John 18:3 (officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees at the arrest).
[12] Luke 13:31 (some Pharisees warn Jesus); John 7:50–51 (Nicodemus dissent).
[13] John 3:1–10; 7:50–51; 19:39–40.
[14] Acts 22:3; 23:6; Philippians 3:5 (Paul as a Pharisee).
[15] Acts 5:34 (Gamaliel); Acts 15:5 (“believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees”).
[16] Traditions about Yohanan ben Zakkai and the Yavneh academy; general scholarly consensus that Pharisaic/rabbinic stream shaped post-Temple Judaism (see also E. P. Sanders, Judaism: Practice and Belief 63 BCE–66 CE).
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