Pharisees
Origins and History
The Pharisees emerged as a distinct group during the second century BC, likely growing out of the Hasidim (the "pious ones") who supported the Maccabean revolt against the Hellenizing policies of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Their name probably derives from the Hebrew word perushim, meaning "separated ones," referring to their commitment to ritual purity and separation from what they considered unclean.
Josephus first mentions the Pharisees in connection with the Hasmonean ruler Jonathan (around 150 BC). They initially supported the Hasmonean dynasty but later broke with it, particularly under John Hyrcanus and Alexander Jannaeus, who treated them harshly. Under Queen Alexandra Salome (76-67 BC), the Pharisees gained significant political influence. By the time of Jesus, they were the most respected and influential religious party among the Jewish people, numbering approximately 6,000 according to Josephus.
Core Beliefs and Practices
The Pharisees held several distinctive theological convictions that set them apart from other Jewish groups, particularly the Sadducees. They believed in the resurrection of the dead, the existence of angels and spirits, and divine providence working alongside human free will (Acts 23:8; Josephus, Antiquities 18.1.3). The Sadducees denied all of these.
Most importantly, the Pharisees upheld the authority of the oral tradition alongside the written Torah. They believed that Moses received not only the written Law at Sinai but also an oral law that was passed down through successive generations of scholars. This "tradition of the elders" (Mark 7:3) provided detailed interpretations and applications of the Torah for daily life. These oral traditions were eventually codified in the Mishnah (around 200 AD) and the Talmud.
Pharisaic piety centered on Sabbath observance, tithing, dietary laws, and ritual purity. They extended priestly purity regulations beyond the Temple to everyday life, eating their ordinary meals in a state of ritual cleanness. They tithed meticulously, even on herbs like mint, dill, and cumin (Matthew 23:23).
The Pharisees and Jesus
The relationship between Jesus and the Pharisees was complex. On one hand, Jesus shared important convictions with them: belief in the resurrection, the authority of Scripture, the importance of personal piety, and expectation of God's kingdom. Pharisees sometimes invited Jesus to meals (Luke 7:36; 11:37; 14:1), and Nicodemus, a Pharisee, came to Jesus seeking understanding (John 3:1-2). Joseph of Arimathea, likely sympathetic to Pharisaic views, provided Jesus' burial tomb.
On the other hand, Jesus' sharpest conflicts were with the Pharisees. He challenged their oral traditions, declaring that they nullified God's word for the sake of their own traditions (Mark 7:8-13). He rejected their purity boundaries by eating with tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:15-17). He healed on the Sabbath, provoking outrage (Mark 3:1-6). Most devastatingly, in Matthew 23, Jesus pronounced a series of "woes" against the scribes and Pharisees, calling them "hypocrites" and "blind guides" who outwardly appeared righteous but inwardly were full of greed and self-indulgence (Matthew 23:25-28).
Jesus' Critique in Context
Jesus' critique of the Pharisees must be understood carefully. He did not reject their teaching wholesale: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do" (Matthew 23:2-3). His primary objection was not to their theology but to the disconnect between their profession and their practice. He condemned those who "preach, but do not practice" (Matthew 23:3) and who prioritized external observance over the weightier matters of the law: "justice and mercy and faithfulness" (Matthew 23:23).
It is important to note that the Talmud itself contains remarkably similar critiques. The Talmud identifies seven types of Pharisees, most of them negative, including those who act out of fear or self-interest rather than love for God. Jesus' critique was thus an internal Jewish prophetic challenge, not an external attack on Judaism.
The Pharisees After Jesus
After the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, the Pharisees became the dominant force in shaping Judaism's future. With the Temple gone, the Pharisaic emphasis on Torah study, synagogue worship, prayer, and moral living provided a framework for Jewish life without sacrificial worship. Rabbinic Judaism, which produced the Mishnah and Talmud, is essentially the heir of the Pharisaic movement.
Several early Christians had Pharisaic backgrounds, most notably Paul, who described himself as "a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees" (Acts 23:6; Philippians 3:5). The book of Acts records Pharisees who had become believers (Acts 15:5). The Pharisaic legacy of passionate devotion to Scripture, belief in resurrection, and commitment to holiness found new expression in the Christian movement, even as Christians rejected the binding authority of the oral tradition.
Biblical Context
The Pharisees appear throughout the Gospels as a major group interacting with Jesus. Key passages include Mark 2-3 (Sabbath and purity controversies), Mark 7:1-23 (tradition of the elders), Matthew 23 (the seven woes), Luke 7:36-50 (Simon the Pharisee), Luke 15 (parables prompted by Pharisaic criticism), John 3 (Nicodemus), and John 9 (healing of the blind man). In Acts, Pharisees appear as both opponents (Acts 5:34-39) and converts (Acts 15:5; 23:6-9).
Theological Significance
The Pharisees illustrate both the value and the danger of religious devotion. Their commitment to Scripture, resurrection, and holiness was genuine and important. Yet Jesus taught that external conformity without internal transformation misses the heart of God's law. The Pharisees serve as a permanent warning against reducing faith to rule-keeping while neglecting love, mercy, and humble dependence on God's grace.
Historical Background
Josephus is the primary extrabiblical source on the Pharisees, describing them in his Antiquities and Jewish War. The Dead Sea Scrolls may contain polemic against the Pharisees (possibly referred to as "seekers of smooth things"). Archaeological evidence for Pharisaic practices includes ritual baths (mikva'ot) and stone vessels found in Jerusalem homes, consistent with their purity concerns. The Mishnah and Talmud preserve Pharisaic legal traditions, though filtered through later rabbinic perspectives.