Pharisees - Revision history

פטר חמור at 08:35, 8 July 2022

2022-07-08T08:35:47Z

פטר חמור at 21:26, 13 August 2012

2012-08-13T21:26:47Z

WikSysop at 13:08, 21 August 2006

2006-08-21T13:08:26Z

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 The Pharisee ("separatist") party emerged largely out of the group of scribes and sages who harked back to Ezra and the Great Assembly. The meaning of the name is unclear; it may refer to their rejection of Hellenic culture or to their objection to the Hasmonean monopoly on power.  It is difficult to state at what time the Pharisees, as a party, arose. [[Josephus]] first mentions them in connection with Jonathan, the successor of [[Judas Maccabeus]] ("Ant." xiii. 5, § 9).  One of the factors that distinguished the Pharisees from other groups prior to the destruction of the Temple was their belief that all Jews had to observe the purity laws (which applied to the Temple service) ''outside'' the Temple. The  major difference, however, was the continued adherence of the Pharisees to the laws and traditions of the Jewish people in the face of assimilation. As Josephus noted, the Pharisees were considered the most expert and accurate expositors of Jewish law.
-During the Hasmonean period, the Saducees and Pharisees functioned primarily as political parties. Although the Pharisees had opposed the wars of expansion of the Hasmoneans and the forced conversions of the Idumeans, the political rift between them became wider when Pharisees demanded that the Hasmonean king [[Alexander Jannaeus]] choose between being king and being High Priest.  In response, Alexander Jannai openly sided with the Sadducees by adopting their rites in the Temple. His actions caused a riot in the Temple and led to a brief civil war that ended with a bloody repression of the Pharisees, although at his deathbed the king called for a reconciliation between the two parties.  Alexander was succeeded by his widow, [[Salome Alexandra]], whose brother was Shimon ben Shetach, a leading Pharisee.  Upon her death her elder son, [[Hyrcanus]], sought Pharisee support, and 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 BCE|63 BCE]] and inaugurated the Roman period of Jewish history.
+During the Hasmonean period, the Saducees and Pharisees functioned primarily as political parties. Although the Pharisees had opposed the wars of expansion of the Hasmoneans and the forced conversions of the Idumeans, the political rift between them became wider when Pharisees demanded that the Hasmonean king [[Alexander Jannaeus]] choose between being king and being High Priest.  In response, Alexander Jannai openly sided with the Sadducees by adopting their rites in the Temple. His actions caused a riot in the Temple and led to a brief civil war that ended with a bloody repression of the Pharisees, although at his deathbed the king called for a reconciliation between the two parties.  Alexander was succeeded by his widow, [[Salome Alexandra]], whose brother was [[Shimon ben Shetach]] , a leading Pharisee.  Upon her death her elder son, [[Hyrcanus]], sought Pharisee support, and 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 BCE|63 BCE]] and inaugurated the Roman period of Jewish history.
 Josephus attests that [[Salome Alexandra]] was very favorably inclined toward the Pharisees and that their political influence grew tremendously under her reign, especially in the institution known as the [[Sanhedrin]]. Later texts like the [[Mishnah]] and the [[Talmud]] record a host of rulings ascribed to the Pharisees concerning sacrifices and other ritual practices in the Temple, torts, criminal law, and governance. The influence of the Pharisees over the lives of the common people remained strong and their rulings on Jewish law were deemed authoritative by many. Although these texts were written long after these periods, many scholars have said that they are a fairly reliable account of history during the Second Temple era.

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−	The '''Pharisees''' (from the [[Hebrew language\|Hebrew]] ''perushim'', from ''parash'', meaning "to separate") 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 ([[530s BCE\|536 BCE]]–[[70\|70 CE]]). 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~~]]. The relationship between the Pharisees and Rabbinic Judaism (exemplified by the [[Talmud]]) is so close that many do not distinguish between the two. Nevertheless, the social standing and beliefs of the Pharisees changed over time, as political and social conditions in Judea changed.	+	The '''Pharisees''' (from the [[Hebrew language\|Hebrew]] ''perushim'', from ''parash'', meaning "to separate") 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 ([[530s BCE\|536 BCE]]–[[70\|70 CE]]). 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 [[Karaite Judaism]] which began as a sect of [[Karaism]]. The relationship between the Pharisees and Rabbinic Judaism (exemplified by the [[Talmud]]) is so close that many do not distinguish between the two. Nevertheless, the social standing and beliefs of the Pharisees changed over time, as political and social conditions in Judea changed.

	More specifically, the Pharisees were one of the successor groups of the Hasidim (the "pious"), an anti-Hellenic Jewish movement that formed in the time of the [[Seleucid]] king, [[Antiochus IV Epiphanes\|Antiochus Epiphanes]] ([[175 BCE\|175]]–[[163 BCE]]). (This group is distinct from the [[Hasidism]] established in 18th century [[Europe]].) The first mention of the Pharisees is by the Jewish-Roman historian [[Josephus]], in a description of the four "schools of thought" (that is, social groups or movements) into which the Jews were divided in the [[1st century]] [[Common Era \| CE]]. The other schools were the [[Essenes]], revolutionaries, and the [[Sadducees]]. The Essenes were apolitical; the revolutionaries, such as the [[Sicarii]] and the [[Zealots]], emerged specifically to resist the [[Roman Empire]]. Other sects emerged at this time, such as the [[Christianity\|Christians]] in [[Judea]] and the [[Therapeutae]] in [[Egypt]]. The Sadducees and Pharisees began earlier, as political factions in the [[Hellenistic]] [[Hasmonean]] period of the Second Temple era. At no time did any of these sects constitute a majority; most Jews were non-sectarian. However, Josephus indicates that the Pharisees received the backing and good-will of the common people. Nevertheless, these sects are emblematic of the different responses of Jews to the political, economic, and cultural forces that characterized the Second Temple era.		More specifically, the Pharisees were one of the successor groups of the Hasidim (the "pious"), an anti-Hellenic Jewish movement that formed in the time of the [[Seleucid]] king, [[Antiochus IV Epiphanes\|Antiochus Epiphanes]] ([[175 BCE\|175]]–[[163 BCE]]). (This group is distinct from the [[Hasidism]] established in 18th century [[Europe]].) The first mention of the Pharisees is by the Jewish-Roman historian [[Josephus]], in a description of the four "schools of thought" (that is, social groups or movements) into which the Jews were divided in the [[1st century]] [[Common Era \| CE]]. The other schools were the [[Essenes]], revolutionaries, and the [[Sadducees]]. The Essenes were apolitical; the revolutionaries, such as the [[Sicarii]] and the [[Zealots]], emerged specifically to resist the [[Roman Empire]]. Other sects emerged at this time, such as the [[Christianity\|Christians]] in [[Judea]] and the [[Therapeutae]] in [[Egypt]]. The Sadducees and Pharisees began earlier, as political factions in the [[Hellenistic]] [[Hasmonean]] period of the Second Temple era. At no time did any of these sects constitute a majority; most Jews were non-sectarian. However, Josephus indicates that the Pharisees received the backing and good-will of the common people. Nevertheless, these sects are emblematic of the different responses of Jews to the political, economic, and cultural forces that characterized the Second Temple era.