{Jewish Sects and Orders}
THE PHARISEES. In opposition to the "mingling" of the Sadducees, arose the brotherhood of the "Distinct" or "Separatists" (perushim, whence comes the Greek form of the word "Pharisees." The name which they themselves assumed was Chaberim, or "Associates"). When or how the fraternity assumed its shape, we cannot accurately tell. The word "Pharisee" is not found in the Old Testament. Its earliest occurrence being in Josephus, in the annals of Jonathan the high priest (144 B.C.), and of John Hyrcanus (109 B.C.), when the body was already powerful and of great repute (Josephus, Ant. xiii. 5, secs. 9 and 10, 5.)
Two points were held by the Pharisees as of high importance, and on each of them a pledge was exacted as a condition of entrance into the community. One was the obligation to pay all tithes before the use or sale of any commodity, nothing being allowed to be eaten with regard to the tithing of which there was any doubt. The other point related to the avoidance of all uncleanness, in regard to which a multitude of rules were laid down, many of which were minute and puerile. To these two characteristics of Pharisaism Jesus alludes (Matthew 23:23,25). But the chief point of distinction lay in the regard paid by the Pharisees to the oral law, a series of unwritten interpretations of the Divine oracles handed down from doctor to doctor, and forming an elaborate system extending to every detail of worship and of life. The "traditions of the elders" thus spun around God's Word a web of intricate refinement; and while purporting to "fence the Law," or to lessen the risk of breaking it, these traditions became in the multiplicity of subtle distinctions and vexatious rules an oppression to the conscience. Formalism was substituted for spiritual religion, and the "separateness" of this fraternity, as evinced by their long robes with fringe and tassels, their broad phylacteries, their long prayers publicly recited by the highways at the customary hours, as well as by the casuistry of their teachings and the inconsistency of their lives, proved their piety to be in great measure an affectation. Very terrible is the indictment brought against the Pharisees by Jesus, as reported in Matthew 23; Mark 7; Luke 11. They were in fact the principal obstacle to the reception of Christ and His Gospel. It was impossible for them to accept the spirituality of His doctrines, or to descend to the humility of those who would follow Him. Their spirit was that of self-sufficiency and pride. When John the Baptist preached the baptism of repentance in the wilderness, the Pharisees for the most part (Luke 7:30), although not entirely (Matthew 3:7) held aloof. They thanked God that they were not "like other people" (Luke 18:11); yet while exalting themselves in their own esteem to heaven, they became "a son of hell" (Matthew 23:15).
Undoubtedly there was another side to the Pharisaic character. They held certain great doctrines, as that of a resurrection and future life, with a tenacity unknown to the people at large; while their strictness on points of religious observance served as an antidote to prevailing laxity. The Apostle Paul regarded it as a distinction among the professors of Judaism to be a Pharisee, the son of a Phariss (Acts 23:6; cf. Philippians 3:5). The best and the worst of the people were Pharisees; but in the best there was a narrowness and fanaticism, from which the inevitable reaction was shown in the worst.
Politically, the Pharisees were the national party, steadfastly maintaining the separateness and independence of the Jewish people, against all efforts to reduce them to Roman allegiance. They "considered themselves the guardians of the Divine Law and the ancestral customs, trusting implicitly that He who selected them to be His peculiar people, would protect and shield them and theirs from all outward dangers which threatened the state. They were firmly penetrated by the conviction that as long as they were faithful to their God, no power on Earth, however formidable, would be permitted successfully to ravish His holy heritage." Hence on the accession of Herod six thousand Pharisees refused to take the oath of allegiance, but "were put down with a strong hand"; and, so far as they dared, they remained opponents to the Roman rule. In this respect they contrasted favorably with the time-serving Sadducees, and were diametrically opposed to the Romanizing Herodians. That all three parties were united in their enmity to Christ shows effectively how the most diverse groups will converge in their opposition to a perceived threat.
The number of Pharisees was but small considering their great influence with the people. After the destruction of Jerusalem they disappear as a distinct sect, but their teachings and spirit have given the tone to modern Judaism.