Digital Logos Edition
This work sketches the many portraits of the Pharisees that emerge from ancient sources. Based upon the Gospels, the writings of Paul, Josephus, the Mishnah, the Tosefta, and archeology, the volume profiles the Pharisees and explores the relationship between the Pharisees and the Judaic religious system foreshadowed by the Qumran library. A great virtue of this study is that no attempt is made to homogenize the distinct pictures or reconstruct a singular account of the Pharisee. Instead, by carefully considering the sources, the chapters allow different pictures of the Pharisees to stand side by side.
“Mark’s Pharisees are experts in the Law of Moses and they are very concerned about the proper fulfillment of Mosaic statutes. They show a special concern with the strict fulfillment of the Sabbath commandment, the maintenance of ritual purity, and the enforcement of Corban—all of which pertain to matters of piety toward God. It is here that Mark’s Pharisees place their religious emphasis.” (Pages 87–88)