Reference: Pharisees
American
A numerous and dominant sect of the Jews, agreeing on some main points of doctrine and practice, but divided into different parties or schools on minor points; as for instance, the schools or followers of Hillel and Shammai, who were celebrated rabbins or teachers. The name is commonly derived from the Hebrew purash, to separate, as though they were distinguished form the rest of the nation by their superior wisdom and sanctity. They first appeared as a sect after the return of the Jews from captivity. In respect to their tenets, although they esteemed the written books of the old Testament as the sources of the Jewish religion, yet they also attributed great and equal authority to traditional precepts relating principally to external rites: as ablutions, fasting, long prayers, the distribution of alms, the avoiding of all intercourse with Gentiles and publicans, etc. See Mt 6:5; 9:11; 23:5; Mr 7:4; Lu 18:12. In superstitious and self-righteous formalism they strongly resembled the Romish church. They were rigid interpreters of the letter of the Mosaic law, but not infrequently violated the spirit of it by their traditional and philosophical interpretations. See Mt 5:31,43; 12:2; 19:3; 23:23. Their professed sanctity and close adherence to all the external forms of piety gave them great favor and influence with the common people, and especially among the female part of the community. They believed with the Stoics, that all things and events were controlled by fate yet not so absolutely as entirely to destroy the liberty of the human will. They considered the soul as immortal, and held the doctrine of a future resurrection of the body, Ac 23:8. It is also supposed by some that they admitted the doctrine of metempsychosis or the transmigration of souls; but no allusion is made to this in the New Testament, nor does Josephus assert it. In numerous cases Christ denounced the Pharisees for their pride and covetousness, their ostentation in prayers, alms, tithes, and facts, Mt 6:2,5; Lu 18:9, and their hypocrisy in employing the garb of religion to cover the profligacy of their dispositions and conduct; as Mt 23; Lu 16:14; Joh 7:48-49; 8:9. By his faithful reproofs he early incurred their hatred, Mt 12:14; they eagerly sought to destroy him, and his blood was upon them and their children. On the other hand, there appear to have been among them individuals of probity, and even of genuine piety; as in the case of Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, the aged Simeon, etc., Mt 27:57; Lu 2:25; Joh 3:1. Saul of Tarsus was a Pharisee of the strictest sect, Ac 26:5; Ga 1:14. The essential features of their character are still common in Christian lands, and are no less odious to Christ than of old.
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It hath been said, whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce.
You have heard that it hath been said, "you shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy:"
therefore, when you give alms, do not make a proclamation of it as the hypocrites do, in their publick assemblies by sound of trumpet, that they may have the applause of men. for I assure you, they have their reward.
And when you pray, be not as the hypocrites are: for they chuse to stand praying in publick places, and at the corners of the streets, to be observ'd by men. I assure you, they have their reward.
And when you pray, be not as the hypocrites are: for they chuse to stand praying in publick places, and at the corners of the streets, to be observ'd by men. I assure you, they have their reward.
which the Pharisees observing, why, said they to his disciples, is your master so familiar with publicans and such loose people?
the Pharisees seeing that, said to him, see, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath-day.
Upon this the Pharisees went out of the synagogue, and form'd a conspiracy against his life.
The Pharisees likewise came to him, and maliciously propos'd this question, may a man lawfully put away his wife at discretion?
their phylacterys are broader, and the fringes of their garments are larger than those of others:
wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cummin, but neglect those more important matters of the law, justice, mercy, and fidelity: these were the things ye ought to have practis'd, without neglecting however the other matters.
In the evening a rich man of Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself was Jesus's disciple,
nay, when they have been at any publick place, they never eat till they have washed. they observe besides several traditions, such as the washing of cups, pots, brass vessels, and beds.
At that time there dwelt at Jerusalem one Simeon, an honest, religious man, one who expected the appearance of the Messiah, and was endued with the spirit of prophecy.
The Pharisees too, who were noted for avarice, heard all this discourse, and treated him with derision.
Then he propos'd this parable, concerning those who had a great opinion of their own justice, and look'd with contempt upon others.
I fast twice a week, and I pay the tythe of all I possess.
Now one of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, was there, a ruler of the Jews:
have any of the rulers, or of the Pharisees believed on him? but the populace, who are ignorant of the law, are such wretches.
but they who heard that, being convicted by their own conscience, they all went old and young one after another, so that Jesus was left alone with the woman, who still kept her place.
for the Sadducees maintain, there is neither resurrection, nor angel, or spirit, whereas the Pharisees acknowledge both: the clamour was great,
they can testify, if they will, that I early profess'd myself a Pharisee, a member of the most rigorous sect of our religion:
and that I made a greater proficiency in Judaism than many my contemporaries of my own nation, being an extraordinary zealot for the traditions of my forefathers.
Easton
separatists (Heb persahin, from parash, "to separate"). They were probably the successors of the Assideans (i.e., the "pious"), a party that originated in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes in revolt against his heathenizing policy. The first mention of them is in a description by Josephus of the three sects or schools into which the Jews were divided (B.C. 145). The other two sects were the Essenes and the Sadducees. In the time of our Lord they were the popular party (Joh 7:48). They were extremely accurate and minute in all matters appertaining to the law of Moses (Mt 9:14; 23:15; Lu 11:39; 18:12). Paul, when brought before the council of Jerusalem, professed himself a Pharisee (Ac 23:6-8; 26:4-5).
There was much that was sound in their creed, yet their system of religion was a form and nothing more. Theirs was a very lax morality (Mt 5:20; 15:4,8; 23/3/type/mace'>23:3,14,23,25; Joh 8:7). On the first notice of them in the New Testament (Mt 3:7), they are ranked by our Lord with the Sadducees as a "generation of vipers." They were noted for their self-righteousness and their pride (Mt 9:11; Lu 7:39; 18:11-12). They were frequently rebuked by our Lord (Mt 12:39; 16:1-4).
From the very beginning of his ministry the Pharisees showed themselves bitter and persistent enemies of our Lord. They could not bear his doctrines, and they sought by every means to destroy his influence among the people.
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but when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadduces come to his baptism, he said to them, "Ye brood of vipers, who has warned you to fly from the wrath to come?
for I declare to you, that except your righteousness shall exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, ye shall not enter into the heavenly kingdom.
which the Pharisees observing, why, said they to his disciples, is your master so familiar with publicans and such loose people?
Then John's disciples came to him and said, why do the Pharisees, as well as we, observe so many fasts, and your disciples keep none?
but he answered them, this wicked degenerate race demand a miracle; but no other miracle shall they have, except that of the prophet Jonas.
for this is a commandment of God, "honour thy father and mother; and, he that curses father or mother, let him be punish'd with death."
"this people, says he, draw nigh to me, they honour me with their lips: while their hearts are far from me.
Then the Pharisees and the Sadducees came, with a captious design, and desired him to show them some miracle in the sky. but he answered them, in the evening you foretel fair weather: when the sky is of a bright red. read more. and in the morning, a foul day: when the sky is of a dusky red. hypocrites, can ye judge of the appearance of the sky, and yet not discern the signs of these times? a wicked degenerate race demand a miracle; but no miracle shall they have beside that of the prophet Jonas. and so leaving them, he went away.
therefore whatever moral precepts they bid you observe, those observe and practise; but don't follow their example: for they preach one thing, and practise another.
wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye not only refuse to go in your selves, but hinder those that would. wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who ransack sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is gain'd, ye make him deserve Gehenna much more than your selves.
wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cummin, but neglect those more important matters of the law, justice, mercy, and fidelity: these were the things ye ought to have practis'd, without neglecting however the other matters.
wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye clean the outside of the cup, and of the plate, but within they are full of rapine and impurity.
which the Pharisee, who had invited him, observing, he thus argued with himself, if this man were a prophet, he could not but know that the woman, who is so busy with him, is a person of a loose character.
upon which the Lord said to him, you Pharisees won't leave any filth upon the outside of a cup or a platter: while your consciences are abandon'd to rapine, and sensuality.
the Pharisee in a standing posture pray'd thus by himself, O God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men, a robber, a cheat, an adulterer, or like that Publican. I fast twice a week, and I pay the tythe of all I possess.
I fast twice a week, and I pay the tythe of all I possess.
have any of the rulers, or of the Pharisees believed on him?
and as they pressed him to answer, he rais'd himself, and said to them, he that is without sin among you, let him be the first that throws a stone at her.
But as Paul knew that one part of the Sanhedrim were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out, my brethren, "I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, and I am now prosecuted for believing the resurrection of the dead." at these words the Pharisees and the Sadducees were all in confusion, the whole assembly being divided: read more. for the Sadducees maintain, there is neither resurrection, nor angel, or spirit, whereas the Pharisees acknowledge both: the clamour was great,
what course of life I led at Jerusalem, where I was brought up from my youth among those of my own nation, is known to all the Jews. they can testify, if they will, that I early profess'd myself a Pharisee, a member of the most rigorous sect of our religion:
Fausets
From perishin Aramaic, perashim, "separated." To which Paul alludes, Ro 1:1; Ga 1:15, "separated unto the gospel of God"; once "separated" unto legal self righteousness. In contrast to "mingling" with Grecian and other heathen customs, which Antiochus Epiphanes partially effected, breaking down the barrier of God's law which separated Israel from pagandom, however refined. The Pharisees were successors of the Assideans or Chasidim, i.e. godly men "voluntarily devoted unto the law." On the return from Babylon the Jews became more exclusive than ever. In Antiochus' time this narrowness became intensified in opposition to the rationalistic compromises of many. The Sadducees succeeded to the latter, the Pharisees to the former (1Ma 1:13-15; 1Ma 1:41-49; 1Ma 1:62-63; 1Ma 2:42; 1Ma 7:13-17; 2Ma 14:6-38). They "resolved fully not to eat any unclean thing, choosing rather to die that they might not be defiled: and profame the holy covenant." in opposition to the Hellenizing faction.
So the beginning of the Pharisees was patriotism and faithfulness to the covenant. Jesus, the meek and loving One, so wholly free from harsh judgments, denounces with unusual severity their hypocrisy as a class. (Mt 15:7-8; 23:5,13-33), their ostentatious phylacteries and hems, their real love of preeminence; their pretended long prayers, while covetously defrauding the widow. They by their "traditions" made God's word of none effect; opposed bitterly the Lord Jesus, compassed His death, provoking Him to some "hasty words" (apostomatizein) which they might catch at and accuse Him; and hired Judas to betray Him; "strained out gnats, while swallowing camels" (image from filtrating wine); painfully punctilious about legal trifles and casuistries, while reckless of truth, righteousness, and the fear of God; cleansing the exterior man while full of iniquity within, like "whited sepulchres" (Mr 7:6-13; Lu 11:42-44,53-54; 16:14-15); lading men with grievous burdens, while themselves not touching them with one of their fingers. (See CORBAN .)
Paul's remembrance of his former bondage as a rigid Pharisee produced that reaction in his mind, upon his embracing the gospel, that led to his uncompromising maintenance, under the Spirit of God, of Christian liberty and justification by faith only, in opposition to the yoke of ceremonialism and the righteousness which is of the law (Galatians 4; 5). The Mishna or "second law," the first portion of the Talmud, is a digest of Jewish traditions and ritual, put in writing by rabbi Jehudah the Holy in the second century. The Gemara is a "supplement," or commentary on it; it is twofold, that of Jerusalem not later than the first half of the fourth century, and that of Babylon A.D. 500. The Mishna has six divisions (on seeds, feasts, women's marriage, etc., decreases and compacts, holy things, clean and unclean), and an introduction on blessings. Hillel and Shammai were leaders of two schools of the Pharisees, differing on slight points; the Mishna refers to both (living before Christ) and to Hillel's grandson, Paul's' teacher, Gamaliel.
An undesigned coincidence confirming genuineness is the fact that throughout the Gospels hostility to Christianity shows itself mainly from the Pharisees; but throughout Acts from the Sadducees. Doubtless because after Christ's resurrection the resurrection of the dead was a leading doctrine of Christians, which it was not before (Mr 9:10; Ac 1:22; 2:32; 4:10; 5:31; 10:40). The Pharisees therefore regarded Christians in this as their allies against the Sadducees, and so the less opposed Christianity (Joh 11:57; 18:3; Ac 4:1; 5:17; 23:6-9). The Mishna lays down the fundamental principle of the Pharisees. "Moses received the oral law from Sinai, and delivered it to Joshua, and Joshua to the elders, and these to the prophets, and these to the men of the great synagogue" (Pirke Aboth ("The Sayings of the [Jewish] Fathers"), 1). The absence of directions for prayer, and of mention of a future life, in the Pentateuch probably gave a pretext for the figment of a traditional oral law.
The great synagogue said, "make a fence for the law," i.e. carry the prohibitions beyond the written law to protect men from temptations to sin; so Ex 23:19 was by oral law made further to mean that no flesh was to be mixed with milk for food. The oral law defined the time before which in the evening a Jew must repeat the Shema, i.e. "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord," etc. (De 6:4-9.) So it defines the kind of wick and oil to be used for lighting the lamps which every Jew must burn on the Sabbath eve. An egg laid on a festival may be eaten according to the school of Shammai, but not according to that of Hillel; for Jehovah says in Ex 16:5, "on the sixth day they shall prepare that which, they bring in," therefore one must not prepare for the Sabbath on a feast day nor for a feast day on the Sabbath. An egg laid on a feast following the Sabbath was "prepared" the day before, and so involves a breach of the Sabbath (!); and though all feasts do not immediately follow the Sabbath yet "as a fence to the law" an egg laid on any feast must not be eaten.
Contrast Mic 6:8. A member of the society of Pharisees was called chaber; those not members were called "the people of the land"; compare Joh 7:49, "this people who knoweth not the law are cursed"; also the Pharisee standing and praying with himself, self righteous and despising the publican (Lu 18:9-14). Isaiah (Isa 65:5) foretells their characteristic formalism, pride of sanctimony, and hypocritical exclusiveness (Jg 1:18). Their scrupulous tithing (Mt 23:23; Lu 18:12) was based on the Mishna, "he who undertakes to be trustworthy (a pharisaic phrase) tithes whatever he eats, sells, buys, and does not eat and drink with the people of the land." The produce (tithes) reserved for the Levites and priests was "holy," and for anyone. else to eat it was deadly sin. So the Pharisee took all pains to know that his purchases had been duly tithed, and therefore shrank from "eating with" (Mt 9:11) those whose food might not be so. The treatise Cholin in the Mishna lays down a regulation as to "clean and unclean" (Le 20:25; 22:4-7; Nu 19:20) which severs the Jews socially from other peoples; "anything slaughtered by a pagan is unfit to be eaten, like the carcass of an animal that died of itself, and pollutes him who carries it."
An orthodox Jew still may not eat meat of any animal unless killed by a Jewish butcher; the latter searches for a blemish, and attaches to the approved a leaden seal stamped kashar, "lawful." (Disraeli, Genius. of Judaism.) The Mishna abounds in precepts illustrating Col 2:21, "touch not, taste not, handle not" (contrast Mt 15:11). Also it (6:480) has a separate treatise on washing of hands (Yadayim). Translated Mr 7:8, "except they wash their hands with the fist" (pugmee); the Mishna ordaining to pour water over the dosed hands raised so that it should flow down to the elbows, and then over the arms so as to flow over the fingers. Jesus, to confute the notion of its having moral value, did not wash before eating (Lu 11:37-40). Josephus (Ant. 18:1, section 3, 13:10, section 5) says the Pharisees lived frugally, like the Stoics, and hence had so much weight with the multitude that if they said aught against the king or the high-priest it was immediately believed, whereas the Sadducees could gain only the rich.
The defect in the Pharisees which Christ stigmatized by the parable of the two debtors was not immorality but want of love, from unconsciousness of forgiveness or of the need of it. Christ recognizes Simon's superiority to the woman in the relative amounts of sin needing forgiveness, but shows both were on a level in inability to cancel their sin as a debt. Had he realized this, he would not have thought Jesus no prophet for suffering her to touch Him with her kisses of adoring love for His forgiveness of her, realized by her (Lu 7:36-50; 15:2). Tradition set aside moral duties, as a child's to his parents by" Corban"; a debtor's to his creditors by the Mishna treatise, Avodah Zarah (1:1) which forbade payment to a pagan three days before any pagan fest
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Ye have heard that it has been said to the antients, "Thou shalt not kill: and whosoever shall kill, shall be punish'd by the tribunal." but I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be punish'd by the tribunal: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be punish'd by the Sanhedrim: but whosoever shall say, thou fool, shall be punish'd by the fire of Gehenna.
Ye have heard that it was said, "Thou shalt not commit adultery,"
It hath been said, whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce. but I say unto you, whoever shall put away his wife, except in the case of adultery, is the occasion of her being an adulteress, and he that shall marry her is an adulterer.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth."
I therefore direct you, not to be sollicitous, with regard to life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor with regard to the body, what clothes ye shall wear: Is not life it self a greater gift than food; and the body a greater gift than rayment? consider the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor lay up any stores; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye of much greater value than they? read more. who by all his sollicitude can add one moment to his age? And as for rayment, why should that give you pain? consider the lillies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. and yet I tell you, even Solomon with all his magnificence, was not arrayed like one of these. now if God thus adorns the flower of the field, which thriving to day, is to morrow thrown into the oven, how much more shall he provide for you, if you have any degree of faith? therefore make no such sollicitous enquiries, as what shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or how shall we be clothed? things which the Gentiles are so thoughtful about, and which your heavenly Father knows that you want. but first seek the kingdom of God, and that righteousness which leads to it, and all these things shall be superadded. be not therefore sollicitous about the morrow: for the morrow shall be taken up with the cares of the morrow, the trouble of the day is sufficient for one day.
which the Pharisees observing, why, said they to his disciples, is your master so familiar with publicans and such loose people?
are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? yet not one of them shall lose its life independently of your father, by whom the very hairs of your head are all numbred:
and said to his servants, this is John the baptist, he is risen from the dead, and consequently is invested with miraculous power.
the prophecy of Esaias exactly suits such hypocrites as you; "this people, says he, draw nigh to me, they honour me with their lips: while their hearts are far from me.
that which entereth by the mouth is not what defiles a man: but what defiles the man is that which is discharged by the mouth.
said, the Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses's chair. therefore whatever moral precepts they bid you observe, those observe and practise; but don't follow their example: for they preach one thing, and practise another.
their phylacterys are broader, and the fringes of their garments are larger than those of others:
Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who prey upon the estates of widows, under the pretext of making long prayers; therefore ye shall be punish'd with the greater severity. wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye not only refuse to go in your selves, but hinder those that would. read more. wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who ransack sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is gain'd, ye make him deserve Gehenna much more than your selves.
wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who ransack sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is gain'd, ye make him deserve Gehenna much more than your selves. wo unto you, ye blind guides, who say, if any man swear by the temple he is under no obligation: but if he swear by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath. read more. ye blind fools, which is most sacred, the treasure of the temple, or the temple that makes the treasure sacred? again, if any one swear by the altar he is under no engagement but if he swear by the gift that is upon it, he is bound thereby. ye blind fools, which is most sacred, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? whoever swears by the altar, swears not only by the altar, but by every thing upon it. and whoever swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. and he that swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cummin, but neglect those more important matters of the law, justice, mercy, and fidelity: these were the things ye ought to have practis'd, without neglecting however the other matters.
wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cummin, but neglect those more important matters of the law, justice, mercy, and fidelity: these were the things ye ought to have practis'd, without neglecting however the other matters. ye blind guides, who strain your liquor for a gnat, and swallow a beetle. read more. wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye clean the outside of the cup, and of the plate, but within they are full of rapine and impurity. thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and plate, that the outside may be likewise clean. wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye are like whited sepulchres, which to outward appearance are fine. but within are full of dead mens bones, and all sort of filth. just so ye put on an air of probity in the sight of men, but within are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the just, and say, if we had liv'd in the time of our forefathers, we would not have been accessory with them in shedding the blood of the prophets. whereby you yourselves own that ye are indeed the children of those who killed the prophets, children that can't fail to fill up the measure of your fathers iniquities. ye serpents, ye brood of vipers, how can ye escape the punishment of Gehenna?
Jesus answered, to such hypocrites as you may well be applied those words of the prophet Esaias, "this people honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the institutions of men." read more. for laying aside what is of divine appointment, you stick to their human traditions, about the washing of pots, and cups, and many other the like practices.
for laying aside what is of divine appointment, you stick to their human traditions, about the washing of pots, and cups, and many other the like practices. You are in the right, said he, to abolish the laws of God, to make way for such traditions. read more. Moses said, "honour thy father and thy mother;" and, if any one speak contemptibly of his father, or his mother, let him be put to death. but your doctrine is this, if any one shall tell his father or his mother, that what he could bestow for their relief, is corban, that is, to be given to the temple; you discharge him from the obligation of doing any thing for his father or his mother. by such traditions, and such a number of practices, as you have settled, the word of God is stript of all its authority.
an expression which they dwelt upon, asking one another the meaning of "till he was raised from the dead."
but shall receive at present in this age, what will be a hundred times better to him, than houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, tho' with persecution: and in the age to come eternal life.
Jesus being invited to dinner at a certain Pharisee's house, he went home with him, and sat down to table. when a woman of that city, one that had led a loose life, knowing that Jesus was at table in the Pharisee's house, came in with a vial of odoriferous liquor, read more. and stood behind at his feet weeping, bath'd them with her tears, wiped them with her hair, kissed his feet, and poured the perfume upon them. which the Pharisee, who had invited him, observing, he thus argued with himself, if this man were a prophet, he could not but know that the woman, who is so busy with him, is a person of a loose character. in answer to his doubts, Jesus said, Simon, I have something to say to you. master, said he, lets hear it. A certain creditor had two debtors, the one owed five hundred denarys, and the other fifty. having not wherewithal to pay it, he freely discharged them both of the debt. tell me now, which of the two will love him most? I think, said Simon, he that had the greatest debt remitted to him. you are in the right, said Jesus. and turning to the woman, he said to Simon, do you observe this woman? though I am a guest in your house, you never offer'd me any water for my feet: but she has bath'd my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head. you did not salute me, but this woman, since she came in, has been continually kissing my feet. you did not bestow any oil upon my head; but she has poured her rich perfume upon my feet. wherefore, I tell you, her sins, which are numerous, are forgiven; and that is the reason of all this love: but his love is less, to whom less is forgiven. then he said to her, your sins are forgiven. but they who sat at table with him, began to ask one another, who is this, that pretends even to forgive sins? but he said to the woman, your faith hath saved you: go in peace.
he replied, 'tis thus, "thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength, and with all thy understanding; and thy neighbour as thy self." you have answered well, replied Jesus, do this, and you shall live. read more. but he being desirous to clear himself, said to Jesus, but what is meant by our neighbour?
While he was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine his house, where he went, and sat down at table. but the Pharisee was surprized to see that he did not wash before dinner. read more. upon which the Lord said to him, you Pharisees won't leave any filth upon the outside of a cup or a platter: while your consciences are abandon'd to rapine, and sensuality. do you stupidly imagine that he, who made the outward man, did not make the inward too?
but wo unto you Pharisees: for you will pay the tythes of mint, and rue, and all sorts of herbs, but as for justice and true piety, those you neglect. these you ought to have practised, without omitting however the other. wo unto you Pharisees, for you affect to have the first rank in the synagogue, and to be complimented in publick places. read more. wo unto you: for you resemble subterraneous monuments, which men walk over, without perceiving them.
As he was pursuing his discourse, the Scribes and Pharisees passionately urg'd him with many captious questions, in order to ensnare him, and draw something from his own mouth, that might be brought as evidence against him.
at which the Pharisees and Scribes murmured, saying, this man gives access to men of bad character, and eats with them.
The Pharisees too, who were noted for avarice, heard all this discourse, and treated him with derision. but he said to them, you pretend to piety before men, which, however they may admire, is an abomination to God, who knows your real temper.
Then he propos'd this parable, concerning those who had a great opinion of their own justice, and look'd with contempt upon others. two men went to the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, the other a Publican. read more. the Pharisee in a standing posture pray'd thus by himself, O God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men, a robber, a cheat, an adulterer, or like that Publican. I fast twice a week, and I pay the tythe of all I possess.
I fast twice a week, and I pay the tythe of all I possess. but the Publican, who stood a good way lower, not daring to lift up even his eyes to heaven, only smote his breast, and said, O God, be merciful to me, who am a sinner. read more. I tell you this man went home approv'd as just, and not the other. for whoever exalteth himself shall be humbled, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
who shall not receive abundantly more even in this age, and everlasting life in the age to come.
but the populace, who are ignorant of the law, are such wretches.
and his disciples propos'd to him this question, master, was it for his own sins, or for the sins of his parents, that he was born blind?
they answered, you were a vicious fellow from your very birth, and do you pretend to preach to us? and then they excommunicated him.
now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had publish'd an order, that if any man knew where he was, he should give information in order to have him seized.
nevertheless there were many even among the chief rulers, who believed on him; but they did not own it publickly for fear the Pharisees should excommunicate them.
Judas then having got a company of soldiers, and officers, by order of the chief priests and Pharisees, came thither with lanterns, torches, and with arms.
from his baptism by John, to the day of his assumption, we should chuse one to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
'tis this Jesus whom God hath raised up, of which we all are witnesses.
While they were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadduces came upon them,
and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you entirely recover'd.
Then the high priest, and all that accompanied him, who were of the sect of the Sadducees, being filled with indignation,
him hath God rais'd by his power to be the author of salvation, by giving repentance to Israel, and the remission of their sins.
but God raised him up the third day, and shewed him openly,
but some of the sect of the Pharisees who had embraced the faith, started up, pretending that the Gentiles ought to be circumcised, and observe the law of Moses.
But as Paul knew that one part of the Sanhedrim were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out, my brethren, "I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, and I am now prosecuted for believing the resurrection of the dead."
But as Paul knew that one part of the Sanhedrim were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out, my brethren, "I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, and I am now prosecuted for believing the resurrection of the dead." at these words the Pharisees and the Sadducees were all in confusion, the whole assembly being divided:
at these words the Pharisees and the Sadducees were all in confusion, the whole assembly being divided: for the Sadducees maintain, there is neither resurrection, nor angel, or spirit, whereas the Pharisees acknowledge both: the clamour was great,
for the Sadducees maintain, there is neither resurrection, nor angel, or spirit, whereas the Pharisees acknowledge both: the clamour was great, and the Scribes taking part with the Pharisees, grew warm in the debate, and said, "we find no harm in this man; perhaps a spirit or an angel has spoke to him."
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, chosen to declare the gospel dispensation,
but when it pleased God, who ordained me from my birth, and called me by his especial favour, to reveal his son to me,
"don't eat this, don't taste that, nor touch it:"
Hastings
A study of the four centuries before Christ supplies a striking illustration of the law that the deepest movements of history advance without the men, who in God's plan are their agents, being clearly aware of what is going on. The answer to the question
See Verses Found in Dictionary
but when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadduces come to his baptism, he said to them, "Ye brood of vipers, who has warned you to fly from the wrath to come?
Then Jesus addressing himself to the people, and to his disciples, said, the Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses's chair.
said, the Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses's chair. therefore whatever moral precepts they bid you observe, those observe and practise; but don't follow their example: for they preach one thing, and practise another. read more. for they load men with intolerable impositions, and will not take the least pains to ease them of the burthen: they do nothing but out of ostentation,
wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cummin, but neglect those more important matters of the law, justice, mercy, and fidelity: these were the things ye ought to have practis'd, without neglecting however the other matters.
This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem, to ask him, who he was.
for till certain Jews came thither from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, for fear of those, who were for circumcision:
there is now no distinction of Jew or Greek, of bond or free, of male or female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
by which there is now neither Greek, or Jew; circumcised, or uncircumcised; Barbarian, or Scythian; slave, or freeman; but Christ is all, and in all.
Morish
This name was given to a religious school among the Jews; it is supposed to have been derived from the Hebrew word parash, signifying 'to separate'; it was given to them by others, their chosen name being chasidim, 'pious ones.' Josephus speaks of them as early as the reign of Jonathan (B.C. 161-144). They prided themselves on their superior sanctity of life, devotion to God, and their study of the law. The Pharisee in the parable thanked God that he was 'not as other men.' Lu 18:11. Paul, when before Agrippa, spoke of them as 'the most straitest sect.' The Pharisees included all classes of men, rich and poor: they were numerous, and at times had great influence. In the council before which Paul was arraigned they were well represented. Ac 23:6-9. They were the great advocates of tradition, and were punctilious in paying tithes. In many respects the ritualists of modern days resemble them.
The Lord severely rebuked all their pretensions, and laid bare their wickedness as well as their hypocrisy. It may have been that because of the great laxity of the Jews generally, some at first devoutly sought for greater sanctity. Others, not sincere, may have joined themselves to the sect, and it thus degenerated from its original design, until its moral state became such as was exposed and denounced by the Lord. The very name has become a synonym for bigotry and formalism. Probably such men as Gamaliel, Nicodemus, and Saul were men of a different stamp, though all needed the regenerating power of grace to give them what they professed to seek.
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the Pharisee in a standing posture pray'd thus by himself, O God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men, a robber, a cheat, an adulterer, or like that Publican.
But as Paul knew that one part of the Sanhedrim were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out, my brethren, "I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, and I am now prosecuted for believing the resurrection of the dead." at these words the Pharisees and the Sadducees were all in confusion, the whole assembly being divided: read more. for the Sadducees maintain, there is neither resurrection, nor angel, or spirit, whereas the Pharisees acknowledge both: the clamour was great, and the Scribes taking part with the Pharisees, grew warm in the debate, and said, "we find no harm in this man; perhaps a spirit or an angel has spoke to him."
Smith
Phar'isees,
a religious party or school among the Jews at the time of Christ, so called from perishin, the Aramaic form of the Hebrew word perushim, "separated." The chief sects among the Jews were the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Essenes, who may be described respectively as the Formalists, the Freethinkers and the Puritans. A knowledge of the opinions and practices of the Pharisees at the time of Christ is of great importance for entering deeply into the genius of the Christian religion. A cursory perusal of the Gospels is sufficient to show that Christ's teaching was in some respects thoroughly antagonistic to theirs. He denounced them in the bitterest language; see
15/7/type/mace'>Mt 15:7-8; 23/5/type/mace'>23:5,13-14,15,23; Mr 7:6; Lu 11:42-44
and compare
Mr 7:1-5; 11:29; 12:19-20; Lu 6:28,37-42
To understand the Pharisees is by contrast an aid toward understanding the spirit of uncorrupted Christianity.
1. The fundamental principle all of the of the Pharisees, common to them with all orthodox modern Jews, is that by the side of the written law regarded as a summary of the principles and general laws of the Hebrew people there was on oral law to complete and to explain the written law, given to Moses on Mount Sinai and transmitted by him by word of mouth. The first portion of the Talmud, called the Mishna or "second law," contains this oral law. It is a digest of the Jewish traditions and a compendium of the whole ritual law, and it came at length to be esteemed far above the sacred text.
2. While it was the aim of Jesus to call men to the law of God itself as the supreme guide of life, the Pharisees, upon the Pretence of maintaining it intact, multiplied minute precepts and distinctions to such an extent that the whole life of the Israelite was hemmed in and burdened on every side by instructions so numerous and trifling that the law was almost if not wholly lost sight of. These "traditions" as they were called, had long been gradually accumulating. Of the trifling character of these regulations innumerable instances are to be found in the Mishna. Such were their washings before they could eat bread, and the special minuteness with which the forms of this washing were prescribed; their bathing when they returned from the market; their washing of cups, pots, brazen vessels, etc.; their fastings twice in the week,
Lu 18:12
were their tithing;
and such, finally, were those minute and vexatious extensions of the law of the Sabbath, which must have converted God's gracious ordinance of the Sabbath's rest into a burden and a pain.
Mt 12:1-13; Mr 3:1-6; Lu 18:10-17
3. It was a leading aim of the Redeemer to teach men that true piety consisted not in forms, but in substance, not in outward observances, but in an inward spirit. The whole system of Pharisaic piety led to exactly opposite conclusions. The lowliness of piety was, according to the teaching of Jesus, an inseparable concomitant of its reality; but the Pharisees sought mainly to attract the attention and to excite the admiration of men.
6/2/type/mace'>Mt 6:2,6,16; 23:5-6; Lu 14:7
Indeed the whole spirit of their religion was summed up not in confession of sin and in humility, but in a proud self righteousness at variance with any true conception of man's relation to either God or his fellow creatures.
4. With all their pretences to piety they were in reality avaricious, sensual and dissolute.
Mt 23:25; Joh 13:7
They looked with contempt upon every nation but their own.
Lu 10:29
Finally, instead of endeavoring to fulfill the great end of the dispensation whose truths they professed to teach, and thus bringing men to the Hope of Israel, they devoted their energies to making converts to their own narrow views, who with all the zeal of proselytes were more exclusive and more bitterly opposed to the truth than they were themselves.
5. The Pharisees at an early day secured the popular favor and thereby acquired considerable political influence. This influence was greatly increased by the extension of the Pharisees over the whole land and the majority which they obtained in the Sanhedrin. Their number reached more than six thousand under the Herods. Many of them must have suffered death for political agitation. In the time of Christ they were divided doctrinally into several schools, among which those of Hillel and Shammai were most noted. --McClintock and Strong.
6. One of the fundamental doctrines of the Pharisees was a belief in a future state. They appear to have believed in a resurrection of the dead, very much in the same sense: as the early Christians. They also believed in "a divine Providence acting side by side with the free will of man." --Schaff.
7. It is proper to add that it would be a great mistake to suppose that the Pharisees were wealthy and luxurious much more that they had degenerated into the vices which were imputed to some of the Roman popes and cardinals during the two hundred years preceding the Reformation. Josephus compared the Pharisees to the sect of the Stoics. He says that they lived frugally, in no respect giving in to luxury. We are not to suppose that there were not many individuals among them who were upright and pure, for there were such men as Nicodemus, Gamaliel, Joseph of Arimathea and Paul.
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therefore, when you give alms, do not make a proclamation of it as the hypocrites do, in their publick assemblies by sound of trumpet, that they may have the applause of men. for I assure you, they have their reward.
but you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut the door, pray to your father who is with you in your retirement, and your father who observeth the actions of your retirement shall reward you.
When ye fast, don't put on a dismal air, as the hypocrites do, who look dejected, that men may take notice of their fasting: I assure you, they have their reward.
At that time as Jesus pass'd through the corn on the sabbath day, his disciples being hungry, pluck'd the ears of corn, and fell to eating. the Pharisees seeing that, said to him, see, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath-day. read more. he answer'd them, have ye not read what David and the rest of the company did when they were hungry, how he entred into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which it was not lawful either for him or his company to eat, but only for the priests? or have ye not observed in the law, what a work the priests made in the temple on the sabbath-day, without being blamed? now I tell you, that the work now in hand, is of greater consequence than that of the temple. if ye had known the meaning of that expression, "I will have mercy and not sacrifice," ye would not have condemned the guiltless. for the sabbath is subservient to men. At his departure thence, he went into their synagogue. where they brought a man with a withered hand: and asked him this insnaring question, is it lawful to heal on the sabbath-day? and he answer'd, which of you all that should have one of his sheep fall into a pit on the sabbath-day, would not bestir himself, and lift it out? is not a man of much greater consequence than a sheep? how lawful then is it to do good offices on the sabbath-day? then saith he to the man, stretch out thy hand: and be stretched it out; and it was made as sound as the other.
the prophecy of Esaias exactly suits such hypocrites as you; "this people, says he, draw nigh to me, they honour me with their lips: while their hearts are far from me.
Upon this the Pharisees withdrew, and consulted how they might insnare him in his discourse.
their phylacterys are broader, and the fringes of their garments are larger than those of others:
their phylacterys are broader, and the fringes of their garments are larger than those of others: they affect the uppermost place at feasts, the principal chair in the synagogues,
Wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who prey upon the estates of widows, under the pretext of making long prayers; therefore ye shall be punish'd with the greater severity. wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye not only refuse to go in your selves, but hinder those that would. read more. wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who ransack sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is gain'd, ye make him deserve Gehenna much more than your selves.
wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cummin, but neglect those more important matters of the law, justice, mercy, and fidelity: these were the things ye ought to have practis'd, without neglecting however the other matters.
wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cummin, but neglect those more important matters of the law, justice, mercy, and fidelity: these were the things ye ought to have practis'd, without neglecting however the other matters.
wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; for ye clean the outside of the cup, and of the plate, but within they are full of rapine and impurity.
Another time he entred into the synagogue, when a man was there who had a withered hand. the Pharisees watched Jesus, to see if he would heal him on the sabbath-day, that so they might accuse him. read more. he said then to the man who had the withered hand, rise and stand there in the midst. and he ask'd them, is it allowed to do good, or to do mischief on the sabbath-days? to save life, or to kill? but they were very silent. then he looking with indignation at those about him, being concern'd at their disingenuous perverse temper, he said to the man, stretch out your hand, which he did, and his hand become sound. upon this the Pharisees withdrew, and immediately enter'd into a conspiracy with the Herodians to take away his life.
The Pharisees, and certain Scribes from Jerusalem, came in a body to Jesus; when observing that some of his disciples were eating with profane hands, that is, without having wash'd them, they found fault. read more. for the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, in pursuance of their antient traditions, never eat till they have wash'd their hands up to their elbows. nay, when they have been at any publick place, they never eat till they have washed. they observe besides several traditions, such as the washing of cups, pots, brass vessels, and beds. the Pharisees, and Scribes therefore ask'd Jesus, why don't your disciples observe the tradition of the antients? why do they take their meals without washing their hands? Jesus answered, to such hypocrites as you may well be applied those words of the prophet Esaias, "this people honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
Jesus replied to them, if you will answer one question, that I shall propose to you, then I will tell you by what authority I act thus.
saying, master, Moses has left it us in writing, that if a man dies, and leaves his wife without any children, his brother should marry his widow, in order to perpetuate his name. now there were seven brothers: the first married a wife and died, leaving her without any children.
and pray for those, who maliciously abuse you.
don't judge others, and you shall not be judged: condemn not, and you shall not be condemned: forgive, and you shall be forgiven. give and you shall receive: they shall pour into your lap good measure, well pressed, heap'd up, and running over. for in the measure you deal with others, you shall be dealt with yourselves. read more. And by way of comparison he said to them, can the blind lead the blind without tumbling both into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. How comes it, that you can see the mote in your brother's eye, and not see the beam that is in your own eye? or how can you say to your brother, brother, let me take out the mote, that is in your eye, when you your self don't discern the beam that is in your own eye? hypocrite, first remove the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the mote out of your brother's eye.
but he being desirous to clear himself, said to Jesus, but what is meant by our neighbour?
but wo unto you Pharisees: for you will pay the tythes of mint, and rue, and all sorts of herbs, but as for justice and true piety, those you neglect. these you ought to have practised, without omitting however the other. wo unto you Pharisees, for you affect to have the first rank in the synagogue, and to be complimented in publick places. read more. wo unto you: for you resemble subterraneous monuments, which men walk over, without perceiving them.
Afterwards observing how eager the guests were for the first places, he gave them this instruction:
two men went to the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, the other a Publican. the Pharisee in a standing posture pray'd thus by himself, O God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men, a robber, a cheat, an adulterer, or like that Publican. read more. I fast twice a week, and I pay the tythe of all I possess.
I fast twice a week, and I pay the tythe of all I possess. but the Publican, who stood a good way lower, not daring to lift up even his eyes to heaven, only smote his breast, and said, O God, be merciful to me, who am a sinner. read more. I tell you this man went home approv'd as just, and not the other. for whoever exalteth himself shall be humbled, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. And as they were presenting children to him, for the imposition of hands, his disciples observing it, rebuk'd those that brought them. but Jesus called the children to him, and said to his disciples, let the children come to me, without any hindrance, for they who belong to the kingdom of God, must be like them. I declare unto you, he that does not come with the disposition of a child shall not enter into the kingdom of God.
Jesus answered him, you don't at present comprehend what I am about: but hereafter you shall.
Watsons
PHARISEES, a sect of the Jews. The earliest mention of them is by Josephus, who tells us that they were a sect of considerable weight when John Hyrcanus was high priest, B.C. 108. They were the most numerous, distinguished, and popular sect among the Jews; the time when they first appeared is not known, but it is supposed to have been not long after the institution of the Sadducees, if, indeed, the two sects did not gradually spring up together. They derived their name from the Hebrew word pharash, which signifies "separated," or "set apart;" because they separated themselves from the rest of the Jews to superior strictness in religious observances. They boasted that, from their accurate knowledge of religion, they were the favourites of Heaven; and thus, trusting in themselves that they were righteous, despised others, Lu 11:52;
18:9, 11. Among the tenets inculcated by this sect, we may enumerate the following: namely, they ascribed all things to fate or providence; yet not so absolutely as to take away the free will of man; for fate does not cooperate in every action, Ac 5:38-39. They also believed in the existence of angels and spirits, and in the resurrection of the dead; Ac 23:8. Lastly: the Pharisees contended that God stood engaged to bless the Jews, to make them all partakers of the terrestrial kingdom of the Messiah, to justify them, and make them eternally happy. The cause of their justification they derived from the merits of Abraham, from their knowledge of God, from their practising the right of circumcision, and from the sacrifices they offered. And as they conceived works to be meritorious, they had invented a great number of supererogatory ones, to which they attached greater merit than to the observance of the law itself. To this notion St. Paul has some allusions in those parts of his Epistle to the Romans, in which he combats the erroneous suppositions of the Jews, Romans 1-11.
The Pharisees were the strictest of the three principal sects that divided the Jewish nation, Ac 26:5, and affected a singular probity of manners according to their system; which, however, was, for the most part, both lax and corrupt. Thus many things which Moses had tolerated in civil life, in order to avoid a greater evil, the Pharisees determined to be morally right: for instance, the law of divorce from a wife for any cause, Mt 5:31, &c; 19:3-12. (See Divorce.) Farther: they interpreted certain of the Mosaic laws most literally, and distorted their meaning so as to favour their own selfish system. Thus, the law of loving their neighbour, they expounded solely of the love of their friends, that is, of the whole Jewish race; all other persons being considered by them as natural enemies, whom they were in no respect bound to assist, Mt 5:43; Lu 10:31-33. They also trifled with oaths. Dr. Lightfoot has cited a striking illustration of this from Maimonides. An oath, in which the name of God was not distinctly specified, they taught was not binding, Mt 5:33; maintaining that a man might even swear with his lips, and at the same time annul it in his heart! And yet so rigorously did they understand the command of observing the Sabbath day, that they accounted it unlawful to pluck ears of corn, and heal the sick, &c, Mt 12; Lu 6:6, &c; 14. Many moral rules they accounted inferior to the ceremonial laws, to the total neglect of mercy and fidelity, Mt 5:19; 15:4; 23:23. Hence they accounted causeless anger and impure desires as trifles of no moment, Mt 5:21-22,27-30; they compassed sea and land to make proselytes to the Jewish religion from among the Gentiles, that they might rule over their consciences and wealth; and these proselytes, through the influence of their own scandalous examples and characters, they soon rendered more profligate and abandoned than ever they were before their conversion, Mt 23:15. Esteeming temporal happiness and riches as the highest good, they scrupled not to accumulate wealth by every means, legal or illegal, Mt 5:1-12; 23:5; Lu 16:14; Jas 2:1-8; vain and ambitious of popular applause, they offered up long prayers in public places, but not without self-complacency in their own holiness, Mt 6:2-5; Lu 18:11; under a sanctimonious appearance of respect for the memories of the prophets whom their ancestors had slain, they repaired and beautified their sepulchres, Mt 23:29; and such was their idea of their own sanctity, that they thought themselves defiled if they but touched or conversed with sinners, that is, with publicans or tax-gatherers, and persons of loose and irregular lives, Lu 7:39; 15:1.
But, above all their other tenets, the Pharisees were conspicuous for their reverential observance of the traditions or decrees of the elders: these traditions, they pretended, had been handed down from Moses through every generation, but were not committed to writing; and they were not merely considered as of equal authority with the divine law, but even preferable to it. "The words of the scribes," said they, "are lovely above the words of the law; for the words of the law are weighty and light, but the words of the scribes are all weighty." Among the traditions thus sanctimoniously observed by the Pharisees, we may briefly notice the following: the washing of hands up to the wrist before and after meat, Mt 15:2; Mr 7:3; which they accounted not merely a religious duty, but considered its omission as a crime equal to fornication, and punishable by excommunication: the purification of the cups, vessels, and couches used at their meals by ablutions or washings, Mr 7:4; for which purpose the six large water pots mentioned by St. Joh 2:6, were destined: their fasting twice a week with great appearance of austerity, Lu 18:12; Mt 6:16; thus converting that exercise into religion which is only a help toward the performance of its hallowed duties: their punctilious payment of tithes, (temple-offerings,) even of the most trifling things, Lu 18:12; Mt 23:23. And their wearing broader phylacteries and larger fringes to their garments than the rest of the Jews, Mt 23:5. See PHYLACTERIES.
With all their pretensions to piety, the Pharisees entertained the most sovereign contempt for the people; whom, being ignorant of the law, they pronounced to be accursed, Joh 7:49. Yet such was the esteem and veneration in which they were held by the populace, that they may almost be said to have given what direction they pleased to public affairs; and hence the great men dreaded their power and authority. It is unquestionable, as Mosheim has well remarked, that the religion of the Pharisees was, for the most part, founded in consummate hypocrisy; and that, at the bottom, they were generally the slaves of every vicious appetite, proud, arrogant, and avaricious, consulting only the gratification of their lusts, even at the very moment when they professed themselves to be engaged in the service of their Maker. These odious features in the character of the Pharisees caused them to be reprehended by our Saviour with the utmost severity, even more so than the Sadducees; who, although they had departed widely from the genuine principles of religion, yet did not impose on mankind by a pretended sanctity, or devote themselves with insatiate greediness to the acquisition of honours and riches. A few, and a few only, of the sect of the Pharisees, in those times, might be of better character,
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Jesus, to avoid this crowd of people, went to a mountain: and when he was set down, his disciples came to him. and he addressed himself to them in these instructions. read more. Blessed are they, that are of an humble spirit, for of such is the kingdom of the Messias. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the pacific: for they shall be the children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted upon the account of righteousness: for their's is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed shall you be when men shall revile and persecute you, and falsely charge you with all manner of evil for your attachment to me. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great will be your reward in heaven: for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
whoever therefore shall break any commandment, tho' of the least importance, and shall teach men so to do, shall not have the least admittance into the kingdom of the Messias: but whoever shall do and teach them, he shall be great in the kingdom of the Messias.
Ye have heard that it has been said to the antients, "Thou shalt not kill: and whosoever shall kill, shall be punish'd by the tribunal." but I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause, shall be punish'd by the tribunal: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be punish'd by the Sanhedrim: but whosoever shall say, thou fool, shall be punish'd by the fire of Gehenna.
Ye have heard that it was said, "Thou shalt not commit adultery," but I tell you, that whosoever looks on a woman with impure desires is already guilty of approving the fact. read more. If your right eye insnare you, it is better to pull it out, and to suffer the loss of that single part, than that thy whole body should be cast into Gehenna. and if thy right hand insnare thee, it is better to saw it off, and to suffer the loss of that single part, than that thy whole body should be thrown into Gehenna. It hath been said, whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce.
Again, ye have heard that it hath been said to the antients, "Thou shalt not for swear thy self, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths."
You have heard that it hath been said, "you shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy:"
therefore, when you give alms, do not make a proclamation of it as the hypocrites do, in their publick assemblies by sound of trumpet, that they may have the applause of men. for I assure you, they have their reward. but when you give alms, "let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth:" read more. that your alms may be secret: and your father who sees your secret actions, shall reward you. And when you pray, be not as the hypocrites are: for they chuse to stand praying in publick places, and at the corners of the streets, to be observ'd by men. I assure you, they have their reward.
When ye fast, don't put on a dismal air, as the hypocrites do, who look dejected, that men may take notice of their fasting: I assure you, they have their reward.
why do your disciples violate the tradition of our ancestors, in not washing their hands when they eat bread?
for this is a commandment of God, "honour thy father and mother; and, he that curses father or mother, let him be punish'd with death."
their phylacterys are broader, and the fringes of their garments are larger than those of others:
their phylacterys are broader, and the fringes of their garments are larger than those of others:
wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who ransack sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is gain'd, ye make him deserve Gehenna much more than your selves.
wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cummin, but neglect those more important matters of the law, justice, mercy, and fidelity: these were the things ye ought to have practis'd, without neglecting however the other matters.
wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, who pay tithe of mint, anise, and cummin, but neglect those more important matters of the law, justice, mercy, and fidelity: these were the things ye ought to have practis'd, without neglecting however the other matters.
wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the just,
for the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, in pursuance of their antient traditions, never eat till they have wash'd their hands up to their elbows. nay, when they have been at any publick place, they never eat till they have washed. they observe besides several traditions, such as the washing of cups, pots, brass vessels, and beds.
On another sabbath-day it happen'd, that he went into the synagogue to preach, where a man was present, who had the palsy in his right hand.
which the Pharisee, who had invited him, observing, he thus argued with himself, if this man were a prophet, he could not but know that the woman, who is so busy with him, is a person of a loose character.
a certain priest happen'd to be travelling that way, who look'd upon him, and then pass'd on. a Levite too came to the same place, gave him a look, and pass'd on. read more. but a certain Samaritan being on the road, came where he was, and when he saw him, he took compassion on him,
wo unto you, doctors of the law; for after having taken the key of knowledge, you remain still in the dark, and hinder others, who desire to have light.
Then many of the Publicans, and people of a bad reputation gather'd about Jesus to hear him;
The Pharisees too, who were noted for avarice, heard all this discourse, and treated him with derision.
Then he propos'd this parable, concerning those who had a great opinion of their own justice, and look'd with contempt upon others.
the Pharisee in a standing posture pray'd thus by himself, O God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men, a robber, a cheat, an adulterer, or like that Publican.
the Pharisee in a standing posture pray'd thus by himself, O God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men, a robber, a cheat, an adulterer, or like that Publican. I fast twice a week, and I pay the tythe of all I possess.
I fast twice a week, and I pay the tythe of all I possess.
now there were six cisterns of stone plac'd there for the use of the Jews in their purifications, containing two or three firkins a-piece.
but the populace, who are ignorant of the law, are such wretches.
my opinion therefore is, not to meddle with these men, but to let them go on: for if the design be a human project, it will fall of it self. but if it be from God, you cannot defeat it; perhaps you may be found warring against heaven." To him they agreed: and
for the Sadducees maintain, there is neither resurrection, nor angel, or spirit, whereas the Pharisees acknowledge both: the clamour was great,
they can testify, if they will, that I early profess'd myself a Pharisee, a member of the most rigorous sect of our religion:
My brethren, let not your christian profession be accompanied with partiality. when any one, adorn'd with a gold ring, and a splendid dress, enters into your assembly; and a poor man comes in meanly habited: read more. if you should respectfully say to the suit of fine cloths, sit you there, that's for quality; and to the poor man, stand thou there, or place your self at my feet: have not you made an arbitrary distinction, don't your judgments flow from a vicious principle? consider, my dear brethren, has not God chose the poor of this world to be rich by faith, and to inherit the kingdom he has promised to those who love him? but you, who despise the poor, are not you oppress'd by the rich? is it not they who drag you to their tribunals? they who blaspheme that sacred name by which you are distinguish'd? If, agreeably to the scriptures, you observe that royal law, "thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self," you do well.