As a group of Jewish religious figures that flourished before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE (Gurtner 2008, 1465), the Pharisees numbered about 6,000 (cf. Ant. 13.10.6:298; 18.1.3:20; 17.2.4:42) during the time of Jesus of Nazareth’s ministry (Sanders 1985).

The origin of the Pharisees is uncertain, although they may have derived from a group affiliated with the Maccabean Revolt (167–160 BCE). Their name might come from the Hebrew term perûšîm, meaning “separated ones” (Gurtner 2008, 1465). According to the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37–100 CE), the group’s members came from all classes and professions and, as a collective, held some political influence (J.W. 2.8.14:162; 2.17.3:411; Life 20–23:5). 

Arguably the group’s primary characteristic was their legal tendency and emphasis based on their interpretation of the Law (J.W. 1.5.2:110; Life 191:38; cf. Acts 26:5; Phil. 3:5), which was nearly codified in the tradition of binding legal material, for which they received criticism (Ant. 13.10.6:297; Mark 7:6–13; cf. 1QH 4:10). They opposed the Maccabaeans because they believed their primary goal was no longer the carrying out of the Law but the maintenance and extension of political power. 

The Pharisees were considered pious by the common people, and even the Sadducees were prepared to regulate the exercise of their public activity in accordance with Pharisaic teaching (Ant. 13.288). Although often in strong disagreement over the forgiving of sins and breaking the Sabbath with the Pharisees in the gospels and vice versa, Jesus of Nazareth (6-4 BCE–c. 30 CE) also conceded that they “sit in the seat of Moses” (Matt. 23:2). 

Josephus claims he was among the Pharisees himself, therefore claiming firsthand knowledge of them (Life 10.12:2) and therefore having knowledge of several articles of Pharisaic beliefs:

Immortality of the Soul. According to Josephus, the Pharisees taught that “Every soul is imperishable, but that only those of the righteous pass into another body, while those of the wicked are, on the contrary, punished with eternal torment” (J. W. 2.8.14). Josephus continues,

“[T]hey hold the belief that an immortal strength belongs to souls, and that there are beneath the earth punishments and rewards for those who in life devoted themselves to virtue or vileness, and that eternal imprisonment is appointed for the latter, but the possibility of returning to life for the former” (Ant. 18.1.3).

What Josephus describes are the Jewish doctrines of retribution and resurrection (Dan. 12:2), affirmed by subsequent Jewish literature that was considered genuine Judaism.

God’s Providence and Limited Fate (Ant. 13.5.9:172; cf. 18.1.3). The Pharisees “make everything depend on fate and on God, and teach that the doing of good is indeed chiefly the affair of man, but that fate also cooperates in every transaction” (J.W. 2.8.14). “They assert that everything is accomplished by faith. They do not, however, deprive the human will of spontaneity, it having pleased God that there should be a mixture, and that to the will of fate should be added the human will with its virtue or baseness” (Ant. 18.1.3).

The Resurrection of the Righteous. “They also believe that souls have an immortal rigor in them, and that under the earth there will be rewards or punishments, according as they have lived virtuously or viciously in this life; and the latter are to be detained in an everlasting prison, but that the former shall have power to revive and live again” (Ant. 18.12).

Angels. According to the New Testament Acts of the Apostles (not Josephus), the Pharisees affirmed the existence of angels and spirits (whereas the Sadducees denied them) (23:8), therefore also representing the general standpoint of Jewish belief at the time.

Politically, the Pharisees of the first century CE were not a party or institution, although Jacob Neusner (1971) proposed that they were as such in the first century BCE, under Alexandra Salome (141–67 BCE). In his view, the Pharisees moved from active political involvement in Hasmonean times (140–37 BCE) to solely religious concerns under Hillel’s (d. 10 CE) leadership, then back to political involvement after 70 CE.

Their role was primarily religious, as they carried out the Law. They could be content with any government, as long as it did not interfere with their religious duties and practice of the Law in the way they desired.

To the best of their ability, Jews avoided all contact with pagans, lest they be defiled. Pharisees particularly avoided such contact and even avoided, as far as possible, contact with non-Pharisees. The New Testament synoptic gospels portray them as faulting Jesus for interacting with “tax-gatherers and sinners” and entering into their houses (Mark 2:14–17; Matt. 9:9–13; Luke 5:27–32). See this post for a fuller explanation of the interactions between the Pharisees and Jesus as described in the New Testament.

References and Resources 

Gurtner, Daniel M. 2008. “Pharisees.” In The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Historical Jesus, edited by Craig A. Evans, 1465–1470. London and New York: Routledge. (Apple Books pagination).

Livingstone, E. A. 2013. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (3 ed.). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press 

Neusner, Jacob. 1971. The Rabbinic Traditions About the Pharisees Before 70. Leiden, Netherlands: BRILL.

Sanders, E. P. 1985. Jesus and Judaism. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress.