Difference between revisions of "Pharisees" - New World Encyclopedia

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Around this time the [[Sadducees|Sadducee]]s emerged as the party of the priests and allied elites, taking their name, ''Sadducee'', from the ancient priest [[Zadok]] from whom their leader's claimed descent. The Pharisees party emerged out of the group of scribes and sages who objected to the Hasmonean monopoly on power, hoped for a Davidic Messiah, and criticized the growing corruption of the Hasmonean elites.
 
Around this time the [[Sadducees|Sadducee]]s emerged as the party of the priests and allied elites, taking their name, ''Sadducee'', from the ancient priest [[Zadok]] from whom their leader's claimed descent. The Pharisees party emerged out of the group of scribes and sages who objected to the Hasmonean monopoly on power, hoped for a Davidic Messiah, and criticized the growing corruption of the Hasmonean elites.
  
During the Hasmonean period, the Sadducees and Pharisees functioned primarily as political parties. According to Josephus, the Pharisees opposed the Hasmonean war against the [[Samaritan]]s and the forced conversion of the [[Idumeans]]. The political rift between became wider under the Hasmonean king [[Alexander Jannaeus]], who adopted Sadduceean rites in the Temple. A brief civil war that ended with a bloody repression of the Pharisees. Alexander was succeeded by his widow, [[Salome Alexandra]], who very favorably inclined toward the Pharisees, whose influence grew in the schools and synagogues, while the Sadducees continued to hold sway of the Temple and among the priestly elites.
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During the Hasmonean period, the Sadducees and Pharisees functioned primarily as political parties. According to Josephus, the Pharisees opposed the Hasmonean war against the [[Samaritan]]s and the forced conversion of the [[Idumeans]]. The political rift between became wider under the Hasmonean king [[Alexander Jannaeus]], who adopted Sadduceean rites in the Temple. A brief civil war that ended with a bloody repression of the Pharisees.
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 +
Alexander was succeeded by his widow, [[Salome Alexandra]], who favorably inclined toward the Pharisees. Alexandra installed as high priest her eldest son, the pro-Pharisee [[Hyrcanus II]], and the [[Sanhedrin]], or ruling council, was reorganized according that strengthened Pharisaic influence.  
  
 
[[Image:Pompée dans le Temple de Jérusalem.jpg|thumb|
 
[[Image:Pompée dans le Temple de Jérusalem.jpg|thumb|
 
200px|Pompey defiles the Temple.]]
 
200px|Pompey defiles the Temple.]]
  
Upon Salome's death, her elder son, another Hyrcanus, sought the Pharisees' support, while her younger son, [[Aristobulus]], sought the support of the Sadducees. The conflict between Hyrcanus and Aristobulus culminated in a civil war that ended when the [[Roman Republic|Roman]] general [[Pompey]] captured [[Jerusalem]] in 63 B.C.E. and inaugurated the Roman period of Jewish history. Echoing Jeremiah's attitude toward the Babylonian capture of Jerusaelm in 586 B.C.E., the Pharisees regarded Pompey’s defilement of the [[Temple in Jerusalem]] as a divine punishment of Sadducean misrule. They asked Pompey to restore the old priesthood and abolish the royalty of the Hasmoneans ("Ant." xiv. 3, § 2). Pompey ended the monarchy and named [[Hyrcanus II]] high priest and "ethnarch," a lesser title than "king." In 57 B.C.E. Hyrcanus was deprived of the remainder of political authority and ultimate jurisdiction was given to the Roman Proconsul of [[Syria]].
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Upon Alexandra's death, [[Hyrcanus II]] sought the Pharisees' support, while her younger son, [[Aristobulus]], sought the support of the Sadducees. The conflict between Hyrcanus and Aristobulus culminated in a civil war that ended when the [[Roman Republic|Roman]] general [[Pompey]] captured [[Jerusalem]] in 63 B.C.E. and inaugurated the Roman period of Jewish history. Echoing Jeremiah's attitude toward the Babylonian capture of Jerusaelm in 586 B.C.E., the Pharisees regarded Pompey’s defilement of the [[Temple in Jerusalem]] as a divine punishment of Sadducean abuse of the priesthood. They asked Pompey to abolish the royalty of the Hasmoneans ("Ant." xiv. 3, § 2). Pompey named [[Hyrcanus II]] high priest and "ethnarch," a lesser title than "king." In 57 B.C.E. Hyrcanus was deprived of the remainder of political authority and ultimate jurisdiction was given to the Roman Proconsul of [[Syria]].
  
The Proconsul Cabineus established five regional ''synhedria'' ([[Sanhedrin]]s, or councils) to regulate the internal affairs of the Jews. The Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem was a legislative council of 71 elders chaired by the high priest, which interpreted Jewish law and adjudicated appeals, especially in ritual matters. Its legislative powers varied, however, depending on Roman policy.
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The Proconsul Cabineus established five regional ''synhedria'' ([[Sanhedrin]]s, or councils) to regulate the internal affairs of the Jews, while the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem interpreted Jewish law and adjudicated appeals. Its legislative powers varied, however, depending on Roman policy.
  
In matters of state finance, administration, and military affairs, the Proconsul ruled through Hyrcanus's [[Idumaean]] associate [[Antipater the Idumaean|Antipater]].<ref>The Idumeans were the latter day Edomites, who had been forcibly converted to Judaism under John Hyrcanus.</ref> Later, Antipater's sons governed the northern and southern districts of the the former territory of Israel: [[Phasael]] administering [[Judea]], and [[Herod the Great|Herod]] ruling [[Galilee]]. In 40 B.C.E., however, Aristobulus's son [[Antigonus]] overthrew Hyrcanus and named himself both king and high priest.
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In matters of state finance, administration, and military affairs, the Proconsul ruled through Hyrcanus's [[Idumaean]] associate [[Antipater the Idumaean|Antipater]].<ref>The Idumeans were the latter day Edomites, who had been forcibly converted to Judaism under John Hyrcanus.</ref> Later, Antipater's sons governed the northern and southern districts of the the former territory of Israel: [[Phasael]] administering [[Judea]], and [[Herod the Great|Herod]] ruling [[Galilee]]. In 40 B.C.E., however, Aristobulus's son [[Antigonus]] overthrew Hyrcanus and named himself both king and high priest, placing the Pharisees once again at a disadvantage.
  
 
[[Image:Prise de Jérusalem par Hérode le Grand.jpg|thumb|250px|Herod enters Jerusalem.]]
 
[[Image:Prise de Jérusalem par Hérode le Grand.jpg|thumb|250px|Herod enters Jerusalem.]]
  
Herod fled to Rome where he sought the support of [[Mark Antony]] and [[Caesar Augustus|Octavian]] and secured recognition by the [[Roman Senate]]. He soon dislodged Antigonus and was installed as king, thus bringing and end to the Hasmonean dynasty. Sadducean opposition to Herod led him to treat the Pharisees favorably at first. His Idumean background and his close association with Rome, however, made him an unpopular ruler. Herod's massive restoration and expansion of the Second Temple may have been designed to gain support, but his notorious treatment of his family his ruthless suppression of the Hasmonaeans further eroded his popularity. His willingness to adorn the Temple with a Roman eagle was a particularly unpopular stance which alientated some of the Pharisees. Herod's paranoia toward any perceived threat to his throne also proved incompatible with the Pharisee's hope in the coming Davidic Messiah. In 6 B.C.E., Herod executed several Pharisaic leaders who had announced that the birth of the Messiah would mean the end of Herod's rule. Then, in 4 B.C.E., when young Torah-students smashed the golden Roman eagle over the main entrance of Herod's Temple, he had 40 of them along with two of their professors burned alive.("Ant." xvii. 2, § 4; 6, §§ 2-4). Meanwhile, Herod found willing allies among the Sadducees, who now re-emerged reclaim the high priesthood and challenge Pharisaic pre-eminence.
+
Herod fled to Rome where he sought the support of [[Mark Antony]] and [[Caesar Augustus|Octavian]] and secured recognition by the [[Roman Senate]]. He soon dislodged Antigonus and was installed as king, thus bringing and end to the Hasmonean dynasty. Sadducean opposition to Herod led him to treat the Pharisees favorably at first. His Idumean background and his close association with Rome, however, made him an unpopular ruler. Herod's massive restoration and expansion of the Second Temple may have been designed to gain support, but his notorious treatment of his family his ruthless suppression of the Hasmonaeans further eroded his popularity. His willingness to adorn the new Temple with a Roman eagle was a particularly unpopular stance which alientated the Pharisees, for whom resistance to [[Hellenization]] was a hallmark.
  
From this point onward, Joesphus' accounts are joined by other sources, including Talmudic references and early Christian writings such as the letters of Saint Paul (himself a former Pharisees, the Gospels, and the Book of Acts.
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Herod's paranoia toward any perceived threat to his throne also proved incompatible with the Pharisees' hope in the coming Davidic [[Messiah]]. In 6 B.C.E., Herod executed several Pharisaic leaders who had announced that the birth of the Messiah would mean the end of Herod's rule. Then, in 4 B.C.E., when young Torah-students smashed the golden Roman eagle over the main entrance of Herod's Temple, he had 40 of them along with two of their professors burned alive.("Ant." xvii. 2, § 4; 6, §§ 2-4). Meanwhile, Herod found willing allies among the Sadducees, who now re-emerged reclaim the high priesthood and challenge Pharisaic pre-eminence.
 +
 
 +
From this point onward, Joesphus' accounts are joined by other sources, including [[Talmud]]ic references and early Christian writings such as the letters of [[Saint Paul]] (himself a former Pharisees, the [[Gospels]], and the [[Book of Acts]].
  
 
====Theological characteristics====
 
====Theological characteristics====
During the Roman period the Pharisees were politically quiescent. Although popular and respected, they had little political power. Rather, they only had the power of persuasion. During this period the theological differences between the Sadducees and Pharisees intensified. The Pharisaic approach to Judaism was characterized by several distinctive attitudes:
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During the Roman period period the theological differences between the Sadducees and Pharisees intensified. The Pharisaic approach to Judaism was characterized by several distinctive attitudes:
  
 
First, Pharisees were a movement of [[popular piety]], rather than priestly elitism. They interpreted [[Exodus]] 19:4-5 literally: "If you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Moreover, the [[Torah]] already provided some ways for all Jews to lead a priestly life. The Pharisees believed that all Jews in their ordinary lives should observe rules and rituals concerning purification—indeed all 613 commandments which they discerned in the [[Law of Moses]].
 
First, Pharisees were a movement of [[popular piety]], rather than priestly elitism. They interpreted [[Exodus]] 19:4-5 literally: "If you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Moreover, the [[Torah]] already provided some ways for all Jews to lead a priestly life. The Pharisees believed that all Jews in their ordinary lives should observe rules and rituals concerning purification—indeed all 613 commandments which they discerned in the [[Law of Moses]].
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Fourth, the Pharisees placed a greater emphasis on the scripture authority of the prophets and other biblical writings than did the Sadducees, who tended to emphasize the Torah. (During this period, no authorized list of scriptures outside of the Torah yet existed.)
 
Fourth, the Pharisees placed a greater emphasis on the scripture authority of the prophets and other biblical writings than did the Sadducees, who tended to emphasize the Torah. (During this period, no authorized list of scriptures outside of the Torah yet existed.)
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 +
Finally, the Pharisees resisted Hellenization, viewing the Sadducees as generally corrputed by their association with Hasmonean and Roman rulers.
  
 
==Beit Hillel vs. Beit Shammai==
 
==Beit Hillel vs. Beit Shammai==

Revision as of 17:55, 28 August 2007

The Pharisee Nicodemus, a member of the Sandhedrin who defended Jesus of Nazareth

The word Pharisees comes from the Hebrew פרושים prushim from פרוש parush, meaning "separated" , that is, one who is separated for a life of purity. (Ernest Klein, Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language) The Pharisees were, depending on the time, a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews that flourished during the Second Temple Era (536 B.C.E.–70 C.E.). After the destruction of the Second Temple, the Pharisaic sect was re-established as Rabbinic Judaism — which ultimately produced normative, traditional Judaism, the basis for all contemporary forms of Judaism, with the possible exception of the Karaites.

Background

For the background of the Pharisees, historians are dependent nearly entirely on the account of Josephus, the Jewish of the late first century CE who was of Pharisaic lineage himself but collaborated with the Romans during the Jewish revolt of 66-70 C.E.

According to Josephus' accounts, the Pharisees emerged in opposition to the corruption of the Hasmonean dynasty of the second century B.C.E. The Hamoneans had assumed power in the wak of the successful revolt against the Seleucid Greeks. Led by Judah Maccabee the Jews had liberated Jerusalem in 165 B.C.E. and restored the its Temple, which had been defiled under the Antiochus IV. Judah's nephew John Hyrcanus established the Hasmonean dynasty, in which the priests held directly political power as well as religious authority. Although the Hasmoneans were heroes for resisting the Seleucids, their reign lacked the legitimacy conferred by descent from the Davidic dynasty of the First Temple Era.

Around this time the Sadducees emerged as the party of the priests and allied elites, taking their name, Sadducee, from the ancient priest Zadok from whom their leader's claimed descent. The Pharisees party emerged out of the group of scribes and sages who objected to the Hasmonean monopoly on power, hoped for a Davidic Messiah, and criticized the growing corruption of the Hasmonean elites.

During the Hasmonean period, the Sadducees and Pharisees functioned primarily as political parties. According to Josephus, the Pharisees opposed the Hasmonean war against the Samaritans and the forced conversion of the Idumeans. The political rift between became wider under the Hasmonean king Alexander Jannaeus, who adopted Sadduceean rites in the Temple. A brief civil war that ended with a bloody repression of the Pharisees.

Alexander was succeeded by his widow, Salome Alexandra, who favorably inclined toward the Pharisees. Alexandra installed as high priest her eldest son, the pro-Pharisee Hyrcanus II, and the Sanhedrin, or ruling council, was reorganized according that strengthened Pharisaic influence.

Pompey defiles the Temple.

Upon Alexandra's death, Hyrcanus II sought the Pharisees' support, while her younger son, Aristobulus, sought the support of the Sadducees. The conflict between Hyrcanus and Aristobulus culminated in a civil war that ended when the Roman general Pompey captured Jerusalem in 63 B.C.E. and inaugurated the Roman period of Jewish history. Echoing Jeremiah's attitude toward the Babylonian capture of Jerusaelm in 586 B.C.E., the Pharisees regarded Pompey’s defilement of the Temple in Jerusalem as a divine punishment of Sadducean abuse of the priesthood. They asked Pompey to abolish the royalty of the Hasmoneans ("Ant." xiv. 3, § 2). Pompey named Hyrcanus II high priest and "ethnarch," a lesser title than "king." In 57 B.C.E. Hyrcanus was deprived of the remainder of political authority and ultimate jurisdiction was given to the Roman Proconsul of Syria.

The Proconsul Cabineus established five regional synhedria (Sanhedrins, or councils) to regulate the internal affairs of the Jews, while the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem interpreted Jewish law and adjudicated appeals. Its legislative powers varied, however, depending on Roman policy.

In matters of state finance, administration, and military affairs, the Proconsul ruled through Hyrcanus's Idumaean associate Antipater.[1] Later, Antipater's sons governed the northern and southern districts of the the former territory of Israel: Phasael administering Judea, and Herod ruling Galilee. In 40 B.C.E., however, Aristobulus's son Antigonus overthrew Hyrcanus and named himself both king and high priest, placing the Pharisees once again at a disadvantage.

Herod enters Jerusalem.

Herod fled to Rome where he sought the support of Mark Antony and Octavian and secured recognition by the Roman Senate. He soon dislodged Antigonus and was installed as king, thus bringing and end to the Hasmonean dynasty. Sadducean opposition to Herod led him to treat the Pharisees favorably at first. His Idumean background and his close association with Rome, however, made him an unpopular ruler. Herod's massive restoration and expansion of the Second Temple may have been designed to gain support, but his notorious treatment of his family his ruthless suppression of the Hasmonaeans further eroded his popularity. His willingness to adorn the new Temple with a Roman eagle was a particularly unpopular stance which alientated the Pharisees, for whom resistance to Hellenization was a hallmark.

Herod's paranoia toward any perceived threat to his throne also proved incompatible with the Pharisees' hope in the coming Davidic Messiah. In 6 B.C.E., Herod executed several Pharisaic leaders who had announced that the birth of the Messiah would mean the end of Herod's rule. Then, in 4 B.C.E., when young Torah-students smashed the golden Roman eagle over the main entrance of Herod's Temple, he had 40 of them along with two of their professors burned alive.("Ant." xvii. 2, § 4; 6, §§ 2-4). Meanwhile, Herod found willing allies among the Sadducees, who now re-emerged reclaim the high priesthood and challenge Pharisaic pre-eminence.

From this point onward, Joesphus' accounts are joined by other sources, including Talmudic references and early Christian writings such as the letters of Saint Paul (himself a former Pharisees, the Gospels, and the Book of Acts.

Theological characteristics

During the Roman period period the theological differences between the Sadducees and Pharisees intensified. The Pharisaic approach to Judaism was characterized by several distinctive attitudes:

First, Pharisees were a movement of popular piety, rather than priestly elitism. They interpreted Exodus 19:4-5 literally: "If you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." Moreover, the Torah already provided some ways for all Jews to lead a priestly life. The Pharisees believed that all Jews in their ordinary lives should observe rules and rituals concerning purification—indeed all 613 commandments which they discerned in the Law of Moses.

Open Torah scroll. The Pharisees believed in an Oral Torah as well as the written one.

Second, the Pharisees believed in an Oral Law as well as a Written Law. In addition to the Torah recognized by both the Sadducees and Pharisees, the Pharisees held that God had also reveal to Moses an Oral Torah that functioned to elaborate and explicate what was written. Therefore, the Law did not end with what was written in the Torah scrolls, but was also revealed orally by Moses and his successors into the prestent age. It was the function of the prophets and sages to explicate the Oral Torah and clarify its application in contemporary cirumstances.

Third, the Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead in a future age which would be ushered in by the Messiah, in whom their earnestly hoped.

Fourth, the Pharisees placed a greater emphasis on the scripture authority of the prophets and other biblical writings than did the Sadducees, who tended to emphasize the Torah. (During this period, no authorized list of scriptures outside of the Torah yet existed.)

Finally, the Pharisees resisted Hellenization, viewing the Sadducees as generally corrputed by their association with Hasmonean and Roman rulers.

Beit Hillel vs. Beit Shammai

Two great Pharisaic teachers emerged during this period: Hillel and Shammai. Their two schools of Pharisaism would shape an internal debate within the movement that had a crucial impact on the Jewish history.

Jesus and the "teachers of the Law." Both Hillel and Shammai were active in Jerusalem during the early life of Jesus.

Shammai was the stricter of the two sages, insisting on a narrow interpretation of the Torah on most issues, while Hillel was the more liberal. A famous story characterizing them tells of a time when a Gentile came to first to Shammai and asked to be converted to Judaism, upon the condition that Shammai summarize the entire Torah while standing on one leg. Shammai took offense at the request, and he drove the applicant away with his measuring stick. Hillel, on the other hand, did as the seeker requested, standing on one leg and declaring: "What is hateful to you, do not unto your neighbor. This is the Law on the Prophets, the rest is commentary. Now, go and study." (Shabbat, 31a).

Each of the two teachers served in turn as the leading figure of the Sanhedrin, and debates raged far and wide among their disciples. In the years following their death, this disputations increased to such an extent as to give rise to the saying, "The one Law has become two laws" (Tosef., Hag. 2:9; Sanh. 88b; Sotah 47b).

The Shammaites were said to have inherited the stern and unbending character of their founder. They were also intensely patriotic, refusing to submit to foreign rule, and theyu opposed all friendly relations with the Romans. The House of Shammai particularly abhorred both the Roman tax system and the Jewish collaborators who served as tax collectors. Under the leadership of Zealot Judas the Galilean and a Shammaite named Zadok (Tosef., Eduy. ii. 2; Yeb. 15b), a popular political movement arose to oppose, even violently, the practice of the Roman laws.

The Hillelites, animated by a more tolerant and peaceful spirit, consequently lost influence. Feelings between the two schools grew so hostile that they even refused to worship together. As the struggle intensified, the Shammaites attempted to prevent all communication between Jews and Gentiles, prohibiting Jews even from buying food from their Gentile neighbors. The Hillelites opposed such extreme exclusiveness. However, in the Sanhedrin, the Shammaites, together with the Zealots, carried the day.

The destruction of the Temple==

Image from the Triumphal Arch of Titus shows Roman soliders carrying off the sacred artifacts of the Temple of Jerusalem.

By 66 C.E. Jewish discontent with Rome had escalated beyond the point of no retun, and Jewish Revolt broke out in full force. The Romans did not succeed in controling Jerusalm until 70 C.E. when they destoryed the Temple of Jerusalem and broke the back of the revolt, although pockets of resistance remained. The event was a profoundly traumatic experience for the Jews that marked the end of an era. Ironically, however, it would place the Pharisees in a position of unrivalled leadership, since the priesthood and its affiliated Sadduceean party was left without a base, the Temple having been destroyed.

The House of Shammai and the House of Hillel continued their disputes even after the demise of the Temple, probably until the reorganization of the Sanhedrin under the presidency of Gamaliel II around 80 C.E. By that time, however, all hopes for victory over Rome had been lost for the time being, and the House of Shammai was obliged to take a subservient role. Formerly disputed legal points were brought up for review, and in nearly every case the opinion of the Hillelites prevailed (Tosef., Yeb. i. 13; Yer. Ber. i. 3b). Henceforth, the House of Hillel would be the leading voice of Pharisaism, and Pharsaism would be the leading voice of Judaism.

From Pharisees to rabbis

Revolutionaries like the Zealots had been crushed by the Romans, and had little credibility (the last Zealots died at Masada in 73 C.E.). Similarly, the Sadducees, whose teachings were so closely connected to the Temple cult, disappeared. The Essenes too disappeared, perhaps because their teachings so diverged from the concerns of the times.

Of all the major Second Temple sects, only the Pharisees remained, poised with teachings directed to all Jews that could replace Temple worship. Such teachings extended beyond ritual practices.

Rabbi Akiva, a leading Pharisee of the second century C.E. and primary spiritual supporter of the Bar Kochba revolt

Following the destruction of the Temple, Rome governed Judea through a Procurator at Caesarea and a Jewish Patriarch. Yohanan ben Zakkai, a leading Pharisee, was appointed the first Patriarch (the Hebrew word, Nasi, also means prince, or president), and he reestablished the Sanhedrin at Yavneh under Pharisee control. Instead of giving tithes to the priests and sacrificing offerings at the Temple, the rabbis instructed Jews to give money to charities. Moreover, they argued that all Jews should study in local synagogues, because Torah is "the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob" (Deut. 33: 4).

When the Emperor Hadrian threatened to rebuild Jerusalem as a pagan city dedicated to Jupiter, in 132 C.E., some of the leading sages of the Sanhedrin supported a rebellion led by Simon Bar Koziba, who established a short-lived independent state that was conquered by the Romans in 135 C.E. According to a midrash, in addition to Bar Kochba the Romans executed ten leading members of the Sanhedrin: the high priest, R. Ishmael; the president of the Sanhedrin, R. Shimon ben Gamaliel; R. Akiba; R. Hanania ben Teradion; the interpreter of the Sanhedrin, R. Huspith; R. Eliezer ben Shamua; R. Hanina ben Hakinai; the secretary of the Sanhedrin, R. Yeshevav; R. Yehuda ben Dama; and R. Yehuda ben Baba. The Rabbinic account describes agonizing tortures: R. Akiba was flayed, and R. Hanania was burned at a stake, with wet wool held by a Torah scroll wrapped around his body to prolong his death.

Romans forbade Jews to enter Jerusalem and forbade any plan to rebuild the Temple. Instead, it took over the Province of Judea directly, and renamed Jerusalem Aelia Capitolina. Romans did eventually reconstitute the Sanhedrin under the leadership of Judah haNasi (who claimed to be a descendant of King David). They conferred the title of "Nasi" as hereditary, and Judah's sons served both as Patriarch and as heads of the Sanhedrin.

"Pharisees" and Christianity

An important binary in the New Testament is the opposition between law and love. Accordingly, the New Testament presents the Pharisees as obsessed with man-made rules (especially concerning purity) whereas Jesus is more concerned with God’s love; the Pharisees scorn sinners whereas Jesus seeks them out. Because of the New Testament's frequent depictions of Pharisees as self-righteous rule-followers, the word "pharisee" (and its derivatives: "pharisaical," etc.) has come into semi-common usage in English to describe a hypocritical and arrogant person who places the letter of the law above its spirit. Jews today (who subscribe to Pharisaic Judaism) typically find this insulting if not anti-Semitic.

Many non-Christians object that the four Gospels, which were canonized after Christianity had separated from Judaism (and after Pharisaism emerged as the dominant form of Judaism), are likely a very biased source concerning the conduct of the Pharisees. Some have argued that Jesus was himself a Pharisee, and that his arguments with Pharisees is a sign of inclusion rather than fundamental conflict (disputation is the dominant narrative mode in the Talmud).[citation needed] Jesus' emphasis on loving one's neighbor, for example, echoes the teaching of the school of Hillel (Jesus' views of divorce, however, are closer to those of the school of Shammai, another Pharisee). Others have argued that the portrait of the Pharisees in the New Testament is an anachronistic caricature. For example, when Jesus declares the sins of a paralytic man forgiven, the New Testament has the Pharisees criticizing Jesus' blasphemy. But Jewish sources from the time commonly associate illness with sin and healing with forgiveness, and there is no actual Rabbinic source that questions or criticizes this practice. Although the New Testament presents the Pharisees as obsessed with avoiding impurity, Rabbinic texts reveal that the Pharisees were concerned merely with offering means for removing impurities, so that a person could again participate in the community. According to the New Testament, Pharisees wanted to punish Jesus for healing a man's withered hand on the Sabbath, but there is no Rabbinic rule according to which Jesus had violated the Sabbath. According to the New Testament the Pharisees objected to Jesus's mission to outcast groups such as beggars and tax-collectors, but Rabbinic texts actually emphasize the availability of forgiveness to all. Indeed, much of Jesus' teaching, for example the Sermon on the Mount, is consistent with that of the Pharisees.

Some scholars believe that those passages of the New Testament that present a caricature of the Pharisees were written sometime after the destruction of Herod's Temple in 70 C.E. [citation needed], at a time when it had become clear that most Jews did not consider Jesus to be the messiah. At this time Christians sought most new converts from among the gentiles. They thus would have presented a story of Jesus that was more sympathetic to Romans than to Jews. It was only after 70 C.E. that Phariseeism emerged as the dominant form of Judaism.

The Apostle Paul of Tarsus, who authored much of the New Testament, spoke positively of being a Pharisee. Acts 23:6 records Paul on trial in the Temple Courts. He apologized for speaking against a priest without knowing who he insulted, and then claimed his belief in the resurrection was based on his doctrinal beliefs as a Pharisee. Paul emphasized the disagreements between Pharisees and Sadducees for his own benefit, resulting in his release. As F.F. Bruce notes in a commentary on Acts, "A Sadducee could not become a Christian without abandoning a distinctive theological tenet of his party; a Pharisee could become a Christian and remain a Pharisee—in the apostolic age, at least." (F.F. Bruce, The Book of Acts, p. 428).

In the event known as the Council of Jerusalem, Paul argued strenuously that the ritual requirements of Judaism do not apply to Gentile Christians (Acts 15:1-29). In his writings to the church in Philippi, Paul referred to his strict Jewish credentials as a cause for boasting (Philippians 3:4-6), but then stated his belief in Christ Jesus was more glorious.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Boccaccini, Gabriele 2002 Roots of Rabbinic Judaism ISBN 0-8028-4361-1
  • Bruce, F.F., The Book of Acts, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1988)
  • Cohen, Shaye J.D. 1988 From the Maccabees to the Mishnah ISBN 0-664-25017-3
  • Fredriksen, Paula 1988 From Jesus to Christ ISBN 0-300-04864-5
  • Neusner, Jacob Torah From our Sages: Pirke Avot ISBN 0-940646-05-6
  • Neusner, Jacob Invitation to the Talmud: a Teaching Book (1998) ISBN 1-59244-155-6
  • Roth, Cecil A History of the Jews: From Earliest Times Through the Six Day War 1970 ISBN 0-8052-0009-6
  • Schwartz, Leo, ed. Great Ages and Ideas of the Jewish People ISBN 0-394-60413-X
  • Halevi, Yitzchak Isaac "Dorot Ha'Rishonim" (Heb.)
  • Baron, Salo W. "A Social and Religious History of the Jews" Vol 2.

External links

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  1. The Idumeans were the latter day Edomites, who had been forcibly converted to Judaism under John Hyrcanus.