Pharisees

Pharisees were a Jewish religious group active during the late Second Temple period, roughly from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE. The name, from Hebrew perushim, is commonly rendered as “the separated ones,” though the exact etymology and social scope are debated. They formed one of several contemporary groups, alongside the Sadducees and, later, others such as the Essenes.

Beliefs and practices: Pharisees taught that the Torah consisted of written law and an authoritative Oral Law, which provided interpretations and extensions guiding daily life, ritual purity, tithes, Sabbath observance, and ethics. They emphasized study, discussion, and the use of local synagogues as centers of learning and worship. They believed in an afterlife, the resurrection of the dead, angels, and divine providence, and they entrusted authority to scholars and teachers who could render halakhic (legal) decisions.

Relations with other groups: The Pharisees differed from the Sadducees, who stressed the written Torah and rejected the oral tradition; and from other movements within Judaism of the period. They were diverse in social background, including lay adherents and professional scholars.

Legacy: After the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 CE, Pharisaic ideas and practices contributed significantly to Rabbinic Judaism. The later rabbinic movement, recorded in texts such as the Mishnah and the Talmud, built on Pharisaic methods of interpretation and the central role of study in community life. In historical sources, including Christian writings, Pharisees are depicted in varying lights, reflecting a range of positions within the group.