Israelites, Pharisees & Sadducees In The 21st Century Church

III. Pharisees
The Pharisees (/ˈfærəˌsiːz/) were a social movement and a school of thought in the
Holy Land during the time of Second Temple Judaism. After the destruction of the
Second Temple in 70 CE, Pharisaic beliefs became the foundational, liturgical and
ritualistic basis for Rabbinic Judaism.
Conflicts between Pharisees and Sadducees took place in the context of much broader
and longstanding social and religious conflicts among Jews, made worse by the Roman
conquest. Another conflict was cultural, between those who favored Hellenization (the
Sadducees) and those who resisted it (the Pharisees). A third was juridico-religious,
between those who emphasized the importance of the Second Temple with its rites and
services, and those who emphasized the importance of other Mosaic Laws. A fourth
point of conflict, specifically religious, involved different interpretations of the Torah and
how to apply it to current Jewish life, with Sadducees recognizing only the Written Torah
(with Greek philosophy) and rejecting doctrines such as the Oral Torah, the Prophets,
the Writings, and the resurrection of the dead.
Josephus (37 – c. 100 CE), believed by many historians to be a Pharisee, estimated the
total Pharisee population before the fall of the Second Temple to be around 6,000.
Josephus claimed that Pharisees received the full support and goodwill of the common
people, apparently in contrast to the more elite Sadducees, who were the upper class.
Pharisees claimed Mosaic authority for their interpretation of Jewish Laws, while
Sadducees represented the authority of the priestly privileges and prerogatives
established since the days of Solomon, when Zadok, their ancestor, officiated as High
Priest. The phrase "common people" in Josephus' writings suggests that most Jews
were "just Jewish people", distinguishing them from the main liturgical groups.
Outside Jewish history and literature, Pharisees have been made notable by references
in the New Testament to conflicts with John the Baptist and with Jesus. There are also
several references in the New Testament to the Apostle Paul being a Pharisee. The
relationship between Early Christianity and the Pharisees depended on the individual;
while numerous nameless Pharisees were portrayed as hostile, New Testament writings
make mention of several Pharisees, including Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus and
Gamaliel, who are sympathetic to Jesus and Christians.
Etymology
"Pharisee" is derived from Ancient Greek Pharisaios (Φαρισαῖος), from Aramaic Pərīšā
(Hebrew: ישָׁ‏ א ‏,(פְּרִ‏ plural Pərīšayyā (Hebrew: ישַׁ‏ יָׁא ‏,(פְּרִ‏ meaning "set apart, separated",
related to Hebrew pārûš (Hebrew: ‏,(פָׁרּוש plural pĕrûšîm (Hebrew: ים ‏,(פְּרּושִ‏ the Qal
‏.(פָׁ‏ רַׁ‏ ש (Hebrew: passive participle of the verb pāraš
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