Bible Concepts

The Pharisees were an influential religious sect within Judaism at the time of Christ. They placed emphasis upon personal piety (the word Pharisee meant “separated”), and fully accepted oral tradition in addition to the written Law. They taught that all Jews should observe more than 600 laws from the Torah, including rituals for ceremonial purification.

The Pharisees were mostly middle-class people and synagogue leaders of the synagogues. Although they were a minority in the Sanhedrin, they controlled much of the decision-making because they had great popular support .

Pharisees were split between two schools of thought, one taught by rabbi, Shammai and and one by rabbi, Hillel. Shammai called for a strict, interpretation of the Law while Hillel taught a more liberal application. Followers of Shammai promoted hatred for anything Roman, including taxation, making Jews who served as tax collectors reviled. The Shammaites wanted to outlaw all communication and trade between Jews and Gentiles. The Hillelites took a more lenient approach and opposed complete exclusiveness. The two schools eventually grew so hostile to each other that they refused to worship together.

The Pharisees accepted the written Word as inspired by God. However, the Pharisees gave equal authority to oral tradition, claiming that the traditions went all the way back to Moses. Evolving over the centuries, the Pharisaic traditions had the effect of adding to God’s Word, which is forbidden (Deuteronomy 4:2). The Gospels have many examples of the Pharisees treating their traditions as equal to God’s Word (Matthew 9:14; 15:1–9; 23:5; 23:16; Luke 11:42). Jesus condemned this, saying, “Their teachings are merely human rules” (Mark 7:7).

The Pharisees taught these doctrines:

1. God controls all things, but decisions made by individuals also affect life’s course.

2. There will be a resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:6).

3. There is an afterlife, with reward and punishment on an individual basis.

4. The Messiah will set up His kingdom on earth.

5. The spiritual realm is real, and includes angels and demons (Acts 23:8).

In the Gospels, the Pharisees are often presented as hypocritical and proud opponents of Jesus. Jesus stated: “They do not practice what they preach” (Matthew 23:3). In general, the Pharisees were self-righteousness and smug, believing that they were pleasing to God because they "kept the Law." Jesus pointed out to them that however scrupulous they were in following the finer points of ritualism, they failed to measure up to God’s standard of holiness: “You have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness”.

The Pharisees were responsible for the compilation of the Mishnah, an important document needed for the continuation of Judaism beyond the destruction of the temple. Rabbinical Judaism and modern-day synagogues owe their existence to this work of the Pharisees.

Pharisees vs Saducees