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EtymologySourcesHistoryFrom c. 600 BC – c. 160 BCEmergence of the PhariseesHasmonean periodRoman periodFrom Pharisees to rabbisPost-Temple developmentsBeliefsMonotheismWisdomFree will and predestinationAfterlifePracticesA kingdom of priestsOral TorahInnovators or preserversSignificance of debate and study of the lawRelations with ChristianitySee alsoNotesReferencesFurther readingExternal links

For the followers of the Vilna Gaon, see Perushim. For the followers of the Zoroastrian faith, see Parsi.

"Parush" redirects here. For places in Iran, see Parush, Iran.

The Pharisees (/ˈfærəsiːz/; Hebrew: פְּרוּשִׁים, romanized: Pərūšīm, lit.'separated ones') were a Jewish social movement and school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. Following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, Pharisaic beliefs became the foundational, liturgical, and ritualistic basis for Rabbinic Judaism. Although the group no longer exists, their traditions are of great importance for the manifold Jewish religious movements.

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Conflicts between Pharisees and Sadducees took place in the context of much broader and longstanding social and religious conflicts amongst Jews (exacerbated by the Roman conquest). One conflict was cultural, between those who favored Hellenization (the Sadducees) and those who resisted it (the Pharisees). Another was juridical-religious, between those who emphasized the importance of the Temple with its rites and services, and those who emphasized the importance of other Mosaic Laws. A specifically religious point of conflict involved different interpretations of the Torah and how to apply it to Jewish life, with Sadducees recognizing only the Written Torah (תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב‎, Tōrā šebbīḵṯāv, '"Written Law"') and rejecting Prophets, Writings, and doctrines such as the Oral Torah and the resurrection of the dead.

Contemporary Jewish historian Josephus, believed by many historians to have been a Pharisee, estimate there were around 6,000 adherents to the Pharisee movement before the fall of the Second Temple. He claims that Pharisee influence over the common people was so great that anything they said against the king or the high priest was believed, apparently in contrast to the more elite Sadducees, who were the upper class. Pharisees claimed Mosaic authority for their interpretation of Jewish religious law, while Sadducees represented the authority of the priestly privileges and prerogatives established since the days of Solomon, when Zadok, their ancestor, officiated as high priest.

Pharisees are notable by the numerous references to them in the New Testament. Although the stance of "the Pharisees" towards Jesus was antagonistic, individual Pharisees who believed in him or his merits or both include Nicodemus (who said it is known that Jesus is a teacher sent from God), Joseph of Arimathea, an unknown number of "those of the party of the Pharisees who believed," and the Apostle Paul, a student of Gamaliel who warned the Sanhedrin that opposing the disciples of Jesus could prove to be tantamount to opposing God.Further reading

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Pesher (/ˈpɛʃər/ ⓘ; Hebrew: פשר, pl. pesharim), from the Hebrew root meaning "interpretation," is a group of interpretive commentaries on scripture. These commentaries became known from the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The texts give a theory of scriptural interpretation of a number of biblical texts from the Hebrew Bible, such as Habakkuk and Psalms.

Pesher Habakkuk

The authors of the pesharim claimed that scripture is written in two levels; the surface level for ordinary readers with limited knowledge, and the concealed level for specialists with higher knowledge.[citation needed] For example, the Habakkuk Pesher (1QpHab) teaches that God has made known to the Teacher of Righteousness, a prominent figure in the history of the Essene community, "all the mysteries of his servants the prophets" (1QpHab VII:4–5).[non-primary source needed]