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2 the Pharisees— Power and Purity

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2 the Pharisees— Power and Purity 2 the Pharisees— Power and Purity INTRODuCTION Pharisees were, it would be a gross simpli- Perhaps no other religious group played a fication, if not a distortion of the truth, to greater role in the life of Jesus and the early characterize Jesus’ ministry as simply “anti- 1 church than the Pharisees. some form of Pharisaic.” his vision and agenda cannot the word “Pharisee(s)” appears eighty-eight be defined as a simple counterpoint to the times in the Gospels, eight times in the book Pharisees. furthermore, leading Pharisees of of acts, and once in the epistles, making the time, such as Nicodemus and Gamaliel a total of ninety-seven occurrences in the (John 3:1–9; 7:50; 19:39; acts 5:34–39), did not New testament (UBs4). as prominent as the oppose Jesus, and other Pharisees came to identify with the early Christians (acts 15:5). During prayer Orthodox Jews wear traditional even so, key aspects of the gospel are set prayer shawls and tephillim, small boxes con- taining verses from Deuteronomy 6, tied to the forth in dialogue with the Pharisees. for forehead and hands. example, Jesus was frequently in conflict with some Pharisees concerning the proper inter- pretation of the law of moses (matt 15:1–21). even Jesus’ fundamental understanding of God appears radically at odds with that of many Pharisees (matt 16:6–12; luke 14:3–35, John 4:1; 11:46–57). such differences spill over into the birth and development of the early church as well. acts 15:1–5 indicates that the early church’s decision to welcome uncircumcised Gentiles as full members of the community was nearly overturned by some Pharisees. In one way or another, an intense concern with Jewish ethnicity and cultic ritual on the part of some Pharisees plagued the early church throughout the apostolic period (acts 11:1–3; 15:1–5; Gal. 2:1–15; Phil. 3:2–3). 1 E. P. Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism: A Comparison of Patterns of Religion (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1977), 44. 50 THE PHARISEES—POWER AND PURITY In the end, however, the course of the church to sift out of the Qumran literature, the only was not to be directed along Pharisaic lines sources we have concerning the Pharisees are (acts 15:13–29). those of Josephus, the writings of the New the extent to which the Pharisees defined testament, and the traditions of the rabbis.3 Judaism prior to 70 c.e. is a point of debate since the presentation of the Pharisees in each among scholars. the very survival of the of these sources is determined by its literary Pharisees after the destruction of the temple context, the scholar must proceed with cau- is also open to question, even though the early tion.4 the historical continuity between the rabbis claim the Pharisees as their progeni- sources is not completely demonstrable, and so tors and purport to preserve their teachings drawing direct parallels between the sources in the mishnah.2 since these teachings sur- raises questions. vive to this day and form an integral part of Perhaps the best way to proceed is along modern Judaism, the identity and influence phenomenological lines that seek to iden- of the Pharisees are a critical issue for both tify a common portrait arising out of sys- Jewish and Christian scholars. one cannot temic patterns inherent to the sources. the understand the person and work of Jesus, the maccabees, Josephus, the New testament, story of the early church, and the continued and the early rabbis speak of an identifiable development of torah Judaism without a group of Jews who are zealous for the written thorough knowledge of the Pharisees. torah and the “traditions of the fathers” and at times have considerable influence in the The Origin of the Pharisees religious and political affairs of the Jews (1 a critical question that has engaged scholars macc 2:27–30, 42–43; Ant. 13.297–298; mark of second temple Judaism and those studying 7:3–5; m. ’Abot 1:1–18). early Christianity concerns the precise identity at points in this long history, covering and origin of the Pharisees. when did this sig- 3 Josephus claims to have explored all three nificant group in Judaism arise, and what were major sects in Judaism (the Sadducees, the Phari- the factors that contributed to its emergence? sees, and the Essenes) and decided to become a Pharisee (Life 1.10–12). He mentions the Phari- the issue is fraught with problems because of sees twenty times, often in conjunction with the the nature of the sources. apart from a few chief priests and always as politically, socially, and allusions in maccabees and what we are able religiously influential. On the relationship of the Pharisees to the chief priests, see Urban C. Von 2 The order of reception as related by the early Wahlde, “The Relationships between Pharisees rabbis is as follows: God revealed the written and Chief Priests: Some Observations on the Texts and oral Torah to Moses. The oral teachings were in Matthew, John, and Josephus,” NTS 42 (1996): preserved by the “fathers” and inherited by the 506–22. Pharisees. After the destruction of the temple in 4 Among scholars who question the accounts 70 C.E., the traditions were preserved by the early of the Pharisees in Josephus, the New Testament, rabbis and finally codified in theM ishnah (ca. 200 and the rabbinic literature are E. P. Sanders, Jesus C.E.). The Babylonian and Palestinian Talmuds (ca. and Judaism (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1985); and J. 400–600 C.E.) are massive commentaries on earlier Sievers, “Who Were the Pharisees?” in Hillel and teachings of the rabbis found in the Mishnah. The Jesus: Comparative Studies of Two Major Religious self-designated successors of the Pharisees are Leaders (ed. James H. Charlesworth and Loren L. known as the Tannaim, and their writings are called Johns; Minneapolis: Fortress, 1997), 135–55. Among the Tannaitic literature. For detailed presentations those who express more confidence in the reports on the order of reception, see Samson H. Levey, of Josephus and the rabbis are Jacob Neusner, From “Neusner’s Purities—Monumental Masterpiece of Politics to Piety: The Emergence of Pharisaic Juda- Mishnaic Learning: An Essay-Review of Jacob Neus- ism (Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1973); ner’s A History of the Mishnaic Law of Purities (22 idem, The Rabbinic Traditions about the Pharisees Volumes),” Journal of the Academy of Religion 46 before 70 (3 vols.; Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1999); (1978): 338, 342; and Lawrence H. Schiffman, “New and Ellis Rivkin, A Hidden Revolution: The Phari- Light on the Pharisees: Insights from the Dead Sea sees’ Search for the Kingdom Within (Nashville: Scrolls,” BRev (1992): 30, 33. Abingdon, 1978), esp. 27. 51 PEOPLES OF THE NEW TESTAMENT WORLD more than three hundred years, these pious are set forth in 1 macc 2:24–26 (cf. also 3:1–9). are explicitly described as “Pharisees.” In here we read that these zealous Jews fought other places such persons are called the for their lives and the law (1 macc 3:21). hasidim (“pious ones”) or the haberim (“the like-minded hasidim were among those fellowship”). scholars are sharply divided who rallied to the maccabean cause (1 macc over whether all of these groups represent 2:27–30, 42–43). It is not impossible that the Pharisees, some stage in the development these hasidim were the precursors to the of the Pharisees, or distinct groups that have Pharisees. In Ant. 13.171 Josephus speaks of no inherent connection to each other. the Pharisees in conjunction with Jonathan despite the various expressions, a general the hasmonean (ca. 142 b.c.e.; cf. Ant. 13.166, profile seems to emerge that is compatible 174). he also talks of the “sect” (Gk. hairesis) with what we know of the Pharisees as set of the Pharisees and states that they existed forth in the New testament. It is suggest- by the time of hyrcanus (135–105 b.c.e.). he ed here that this common portrait of the records the conflict between the Pharisees Pharisees is derived from Judaism’s struggle and John hyrcanus wherein eleazar incited to preserve a single religious heritage in the Pharisees to force hyrcanus to give the midst of one national trauma after up the high priesthood (Ant. 13.288–300). another. for example, after the destruction In addition, if 4QpNah speaks against the of the temple, the rabbinic council at Yavneh Pharisees from a sadducean point of view, (70–125 c.e.) was dedicated to retrieving and then this would mean that both groups were consolidating the elements the participants well established during the hasmonean peri- felt best defined their vision of Judaism. In od.6 these texts show that the Pharisees were preserving the traditions of the Pharisees as in place during the time of the hasmoneans they saw it, the rabbis present a profile that and possibly as early as the maccabean is in many points complementary to what we revolt. find in the Gospels and Josephus. “Josephus, the emergence of such a major religious the New testament, and the tannaitic party within Israel probably did not occur literature, though focusing on the Pharisees overnight. Indeed, the religious, political, and with different lenses, were looking at the social factors that ultimately gave rise to the identical object.”5 whether they were in fact Pharisees may have already been in place as all looking at “the identical object” may be early as the Babylonian captivity. the threat questioned, but there is some consensus to Israel and her identity became most acute among these sources concerning the ideals during this period.
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