The Pharisees
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In order to gain a fully comprehensive insight into Jesus Christ, his person and his politics, one must delve deeper into the historical and social context of His time on earth. Most are aware of the general details; that he resided in the Galilee and Judea regions, that his birth determined the turn of the first century, and that he interacted with various cultural and social forces. The parties with which he was involved were depicted frequently throughout the bible — most notably the Jews, Gentiles, Sadducees, Romans, Zealots and Pharisees.
What most are unaware of is that the latter, the Pharisees, have been highly questioned and criticised due to the general – and often seen as subjective- depiction of them throughout the New Testament. Scholarly examination depicts this social group in several different lights, leading to the confusion of the masses and a common consensus on the group is found left wanting.
Who were these Pharisees? What did they believe in? Where did they come from? What really happened between their parties and Jesus? To attain a full appreciation of Jesus’ culture, a clearer perception of the Pharisees is required.
Historians and Theologians have had several inquiries in regards to the origin of the Pharisaic community. Scholastic investigator Solomon Zeitlin uses Jewish historian Josephus’ text, Antiquities to state that “The Pharisees existed as a distinct group as early as the beginning of the 4th century BCE.” (Zeitlin: )
Indeed, “the Pharisees appear in Hasmonaean times as part of the governing council in
coalition with the Sadducees.” (Schiffman, 1994: 76)This correlates with Josephus’ reference in relation to Jonathon the Hasmonaean, thereby tracing their origin as far as 444 BCE.
It was this time in which a group of Jews began following the lead of Ezra. “This Ezra was a scribe who was well versed in the Law of Moses, which the LORD, the God of Israel, had given to the people of Israel.” (Ezra 7: 6). Within the Jewish culture, the word scribe — derived from the Hebrew Sopherim — denotes an equivalent to a secretary of state within a theocracy. To be put plainly, these were the readers and writers of the divine law as communicated by God and revealed by Moses.
“In the Pharisaic tradition, Ezra was regarded as — after Moses — the real founder of Judaism; and his work is summed up in saying that he raised the Torah to the supreme place in Jewish life and thought.” (Landman, 1941: 474) In accordance, the Old Testament relays this theme where it states that Ezra “studied and taught the commands and decrees of the LORD to Israel.” (Ezra 7:11) The scribes of the Jews were collectively known as Men of the Great Synagogue, and were revered and followed within society.
The Pharisees, Ezra’s followers, found their name from the derivative of the Greek word Pharisaios, directly translating to the Aramaic word Parisha (or Hebrew Parush), with the root meaning of вЂ?to separate.’ The group was given this name by an opposing group, the Zadokites, on account of their strict separation from that of the ordinary Jewish culture. Derenbourg puts forward the view that the Pharisees “substituted for the sanctity of the priesthood, which their birth denied them, a greater severity in morals and conduct”.
Such severity was evident as the Pharisees adopted exceedingly strict lifestyles; mostly in regard to dietary laws, ritual purity and “as the root of all, conscious service of God Who had given the Torah.” (Landman, 1941: 474) This saw them separating themselves from the less observant portion of the population. They were believed to be “the strongest guardians of the religious vitality of the Jewish people. They had the deepest and clearest insight into the meaning of the religion which was based on the Torah, and they had the greatest influence in making that religion effective in the common life.” (Landman, 1941: 474)
Another way the Pharisees provoked their вЂ?separation’ is through their beliefs that God was not just an ethnic God, but was applicable for all people. This led to many, including scholar Geiger to attest to the Pharisees being “champions of freedom” in regards to spirituality.
They believed that their laws and spirituality should be a social force and thus were open to a doctrinal development of Traditions of the Fathers — “non-biblical laws and customs believed to have been passed down through the generations. These teachings supplemented the written Torah and were part of what the Rabbis later would call the Oral Law.” (Schiffman, 1994: 77)
They considered each of the laws and tradition which were canonized in Pentateuch (444BCE) to be capable of being expanded to address new circumstances — even going so far as to be reinterpreted to accord with uprising belief systems. New meanings would assure relevancy within society by allowing the Torah to be amended by this Oral Law, providing the Pharisees with the ability to adapt and develop in society, and become progressively popular and respected. They believed the Torah and their Tradition (Oral Law) to be of equal authority, and for any application of Oral Law to carry a binding force they must possess the same weight and fundamentals as the Torah. Simply put, it was the Torah “As interpreted through the oral law (tradition) which counted” (Aboth 3:12). This Tradition of The Fathers “allowed Judaism to adapt to the
new and varied circumstances it would face in Talmudic times and later. In time,
Pharisaism would become rabbinic Judaism — the basis for all subsequent Jewish
life and civilization.” (Schiffman, 1994: 78) Historian Donald Riddle goes as far as stating that “through the Pharisees, medieval and modern Judaism survived the break-up of the Jewish state.”
The Pharisee’s popularity was at a height during Jesus’ lifetime on earth. Ernest D. Burton writes, “It was the Pharisees who set the pattern of conduct in Jesus’ day, and it was their scribes who were looked upon as the moral and religious teachers of the nation.” Their renowned moralistic conduct led them to be held up in society, often looked to for guidance by the masses much like politicians. However, “the Pharisees were never a political party. [Rather],