One of the major religious groups of Jesus’ day were the Pharisees. Which were mainly dedicated to the study and observance of the mosaic law and its traditions, especially Saturday, ritual purity and tithes.
It is practically no secret to anyone that the Pharisees were staunch opponents of Jesus and his followers, and were the main culprits of his crucifixion. So, in this article we are going to study who its members were, their origin, teachings and dangers.
The Pharisees were a very religious group of Jews, members of a party formed among the Jews, who strictly upheld the observance of the law. The Pharisees represented one of the three groups of Jews, along with the Sadducees and the Essenes.
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What is it to be a Pharisee? Its meaning
It is difficult to know the correct meaning of the term Pharisee. The most probable interpretation is that this term derives from the Hebrew verb parashwhich means “to separate” or “to divide”.
If this is correct, then the term “Pharisee” means something like “separated people”, or “the separatists”.
However, although this is the meaning of Pharisee, it is not possible to say precisely what this “separation” refers to.
Some hold that it is a separation from worldly impurities and customs, others suggest that perhaps this meaning has a more historical application, such as a political position.
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The origin of the Pharisees
The origin of the Pharisees is also another hotly debated point about this group. There are many theories, but none is considered entirely correct. The main suggestions for the rise of the Pharisees are:
- The Pharisees may have arisen in the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, being those who rejected the pagan customs adopted by the Jews after the exile in Babylon.
- They may have arisen among the scribes who set out to continue the work of Ezra in the study of the Law, and among those who were devoted to its strict observance.
- It is possible that they have arisen in opposition to Hellenistic influence and the adoption of Greek customs at the time of the rule of Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
- There is also the possibility that they arose shortly after the recapture of the Temple, with the division among the Hasidim.
The most likely position is that the Pharisees arose in the period before the Maccabean War.with the aim of resisting and opposing the hellenistic customs through strict observance of the Law of Moses, making the “pious” Hasidim their forerunners.
In any case, the Pharisees appear for the first time with that name at the time of the government of John Hyrcanus, between 135 and 105 BC. Juan Hircano himself initially belonged to the party of the Pharisees, but later separated from them and became a follower of the Sadducees.
In a way, this triggered a kind of persecution of the Pharisees, especially in times of Alexander Jannaeusson of Juan Hircano, but shortly after his wife ended up favoring the Pharisees due to the great influence they had among the people.
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The teachings of the Pharisees
The Pharisees were known for their strict observance, not only of the written Law, but also of oral tradition.
For them, this oral Law, which according to them had been preserved by the important men of the synagogue, going back to Ezra, and before him by the prophets, the elders, Joshua, and finally going back to Moseshad to be strictly observed, and they did so, honoring it even more than the written Law.
The doctrine of the Pharisees considered the sovereignty of God in divine decrees, the moral responsibility of man, the immortality of the soul, the existence of spirits and the resurrection of the body.
They also believed in the doctrine of retribution, in which punishments and rewards were reserved for the future life based on the present life.
In addition, they also stressed to the fullest the importance of tithing and observance of the Sabbath laws. They were so strict about keeping the Sabbath that some claimed that if a person had a sore throat on the Sabbath, they could swallow vinegar, but not gargle, as this would characterize a type of work.
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Characteristics of the Pharisees
The Pharisees, although defenders of theocracy, were politically moderate in the face of Roman domination compared to the fanatical Zealots and Sadducees.
Compared to the Sadducees, the Pharisees were progressive in their religious beliefs:
- They believed in the existence of angels, in the resurrection, and in immortality (Matthew 22:23-33; Acts 23:6-10).
- They enjoyed great prestige and leadership among the people.
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Why did Jesus criticize the Pharisees?
Apparently, the party of the Pharisees at the time of Jesus did not have priests among its membersand perhaps its majority consisted of scribes.
The Pharisees are mentioned prominently in the New Testament, mostly in a negative way.
Jesus censured self-righteousness on several occasions because they externalized religion with their hypocrisy and pride, which simply translated into a type of exhibitionism and false holiness (Matthew 5:20; 16:6-12; 23:1-39; Luke 18: 9-14).
Although they were correct in many points of their doctrine, the Pharisees placed on the people a religious burden that even they were not capable of fulfilling, because, in fact, they had an erroneous understanding regarding justification by works.
The parable of the Pharisee and the publican expresses very well the error of the Pharisees (Luke 18:9-14).
That is why Jesus called the Pharisees “whitewashed sepulchres” (Matthew 23:27), sons of those who were responsible for the murder of the prophets and righteous from Abel until Zechariah (Matthew 23:29-36).
To the Lord Jesus, they were blind leading the blind (Matthew 15:14; 23:13-15). Even before Jesus, the prophet John the Baptist had also reproached the Pharisees and Sadducees by calling them “brood vipers» (Matthew 3:7).
It is also true that some Pharisees showed some respect for Jesus (Luke 7:36ff; 13:31ff). The best known case is that of the Pharisee Nicodemus, who probably became a follower of the Lord (John 3; 19:40). In general, however, the Pharisees took an active part in the conspiracy against the life of Jesus (Mark 3:6; John 11:47-57).
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Who was a Pharisee in the Bible? Were there classes?
The Talmud itself classifies the Pharisees into different classes.distinguishing between those who leaned on an appearance of false humility and strove to make men see their good works, and those who truly showed sincerity in their love for God.
In addition to Nicodemus, the Bible points to other notable members of this partylike the teacher Gamaliel and his own Paul of Tarsusbefore converting to Christianity (Acts 23:6; 26:5-7; Philippians 3:5).
The important Jewish historian and writer, Flavio Josefo, was also a Phariseeand in his writings we find valuable information about Pharisaism.
After the revolt against Rome and the consequent fall of Jerusalem in the year 70, groups such as the Sadducees, the Essenes and the Zealots disappeared, and the Pharisees became the highest expression of the Jewish religionso that over time Pharisaism became synonymous with Judaism itself.
We recommend the following video to further increase your knowledge about Pharisaism.