Pharisees, << FAR uh sees, >> were members of an ancient Jewish group that became an important political party in Palestine during the reign of Queen Alexandra (76-67 B.C.). The political role of the Pharisees ended under the reign of Herod the Great (37-4 B.C.).
The Pharisees developed a philosophy that attributed an important role to fate and to God. They believed that even though people have free will, fate or God will also play a role in people’s actions. The Pharisees also believed that a person’s soul is either rewarded or punished after death.
In the Gospels, the Pharisees were not politicians or philosophers, but Jews who stressed the laws of dietary purity. According to the Gospels, the Pharisees ate only with other “pure” Jews, while Jesus and His disciples ate with people who did not keep the law. Also, the Pharisees stressed the washing of hands, while the early Christians ignored this practice. Similarly, the Pharisees fasted, but Jesus and His disciples did not.
The Gospels often portrayed the Pharisees as the main Jewish opponents of Jesus, who easily overcame their opposition. In Matthew, Saint John the Baptist called them “a brood of vipers,” and in Luke, Jesus described them as hypocrites. These insults were directed at the Pharisees to contrast the ethical laws of Jesus with the purity laws and rituals of the group.
The Pharisees were often in conflict with another Jewish group called the Sadducees. Most of their disagreements revolved around issues of purity. The Pharisees believed that the purity laws should be kept by all Jews and were not limited to the priests and the area around the Temple in Jerusalem. The Pharisees believed that all Jews should eat as if they were priests presiding at the altar of the Temple.
