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.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And it has been said, whosoever would put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce:
Ye have heard, that it has been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy:
Therefore when thou dost an alms-deed, do not proclaim it abroad, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may be applauded by men. Verily I tell you, they have their reward.
And when thou prayest, be not like the hypocrites; for they love to pray in public assemblies, and in the corners of the streets, that they may be taken notice of by men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
And when thou prayest, be not like the hypocrites; for they love to pray in public assemblies, and in the corners of the streets, that they may be taken notice of by men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, Why doth your master eat with publicans and sinners?
And when the pharisees saw it they said to Him, See, thy disciples are doing what is not lawful for them to do on the sabbath.
But the pharisees went out of the synagogue and took counsel together against Him, how they might destroy Him:
And the pharisees came to Him to ensnare Him, and asked Him, whether it was lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?
but they do all their works to be seen by men; they make their phylacteries broad, and enlarge the fringes of their garments,
Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, who tithe even your mint, and anise, and cummin, but neglect the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy, and fidelity: these ye ought undoubtedly to practise, and not to omit the others.
And in the evening, there came a rich man of Arimathea, whose name was Joseph, who also himself was a disciple of Jesus, and went to Pilate,
And when they come from the market, they do not eat till they have washed. And there are many other things, which they have received to observe, as the washing of cups, and pots, and brass-vessels, and seats.
And there was a man at Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and he was a just and a religious man, who expected the consolation of Israel; and the holy Spirit was upon him.
And the pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things; and derided Him.
And He spake also this parable to some that trusted in themselves as being righteous, and despised others.
I fast twice a week, and I give tithes of all that I possess.
Now there was a man of the pharisees, whose name was Nicodemus, a ruler among the Jews:
have any of the rulers believed on Him, or of the pharisees? but these people, who know not the law, are cursed.
But when they heard his answer, being convicted by their own conscience, they went out one by one, beginning at the elder, even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst of the people.
For the sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the pharisees acknowledge both.
knowing me before, (if they would testify it,) that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a pharisee.
and I made a proficiency in Judaism above many of the same age with me in my own nation, being excessively zealous for the traditions of my fathers.
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/worsley'>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.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
But when he saw many of the pharisees and sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
For I tell you, that unless your righteousness exceed that of the scribes and pharisees, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, Why doth your master eat with publicans and sinners?
Then also come to Him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the pharisees fast much, but thy disciples do not fast?
but He replied and said unto them, This wicked and degenerate race demand a sign; but no sign shall be given them, except that of the prophet Jonah:
For God commanded saying, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, He that revileth father or mother, let him be put to death:
saying, This people approach me with their mouth, and honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me:
And the pharisees and sadducees came to Him, and captiously asked Him to shew them a sign from heaven. But He answered them, In the evening ye say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red: read more. and in the morning, It will be foul weather to-day, for the sky is red and lowring. Ye hypocrites, can ye distinguish the appearance of the sky, and not discern the signs of these times? This wicked and degenerate race demand a sign; but no sign shall be given them, except that of the prophet Jonah. And so He left them and went away.
observe therefore and do all things whatsoever they tell you to observe; but do not ye according to their works, for they say and do not:
Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites; for ye devour widows houses, and for a cover make long prayers: therefore ye shall receive the heavier judgement. Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites: for ye compass sea and land to make a proselyte, and when he is gained, ye make him more the child of hell than yourselves.
Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, who tithe even your mint, and anise, and cummin, but neglect the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy, and fidelity: these ye ought undoubtedly to practise, and not to omit the others.
Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites; for ye clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within they are full of rapine and intemperance:
But when the pharisee that invited Him saw it, he said within himself, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what sort of a woman this is that toucheth Him; for she is a notorious sinner.
But the Lord said unto him, ye pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your inward part is full of rapine and wickedness.
The pharisee standing by himself prayed thus, O God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, rapacious, unjust, adulterous, or even as this publican. I fast twice a week, and I give tithes of all that I possess.
I fast twice a week, and I give tithes of all that I possess.
have any of the rulers believed on Him, or of the pharisees?
And as they continued asking Him, He raised himself up and said unto them, "Let him that is without sin among you, first cast a stone at her."
But Paul, knowing that the one part were sadducees, and the other pharisees, cried out in the sanhedrim, "Brethren, I am a pharisee, the son of a pharisee: for the hope of a resurrection of the dead I am now prosecuted." Upon his saying this, there rose a contention between the pharisees and the sadducees; and the people were divided. read more. For the sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the pharisees acknowledge both.
My manner of life then from my youth, as it has been from the beginning among my own nation at Jerusalem, all the Jews are acquainted with, knowing me before, (if they would testify it,) that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a pharisee.
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
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Ye have heard, that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever committeth murder, shall be liable to the judgment: but I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be liable to the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be obnoxious to the council; but whosoever shall say, "Thou fool," shall be in danger of hell-fire.
Ye have heard, that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
And it has been said, whosoever would put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce: but I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away his wife, except on account of whoredom, tempteth her to commit adultery; and if any man marry her that is divorced, he committeth adultery.
Ye have heard, that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
therefore I say unto you, be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than raiment? Look at the birds of the air; they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns: and yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not ye preferable to them? read more. And which of you by all his thought can add one cubit to his stature? And why are ye sollicitous about raiment? consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I tell you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothe the grass of the field, which is growing to-day, and to-morrow is cast into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or how shall we be clothed? (things which the heathens are so inquisitive after) for your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of all these. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these shall be superadded unto you. Be not therefore sollicitous about the morrow; for the morrow will require thought for its own affairs: sufficient to each day is its own trouble.
And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, Why doth your master eat with publicans and sinners?
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and not one of them shall fall to the ground without the will of your Father: and even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
and said to his servants, This is John the baptist, he is certainly risen from the dead, and therefore miraculous things are done by him:
Well did Esaias prophecy concerning you, saying, This people approach me with their mouth, and honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me:
not that which goeth into the mouth defileth the man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this polluteth the man.
The scribes and pharisees sit in the seat of Moses: observe therefore and do all things whatsoever they tell you to observe; but do not ye according to their works, for they say and do not:
but they do all their works to be seen by men; they make their phylacteries broad, and enlarge the fringes of their garments,
But wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, who shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, nor suffer those that are entering to go in. Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites; for ye devour widows houses, and for a cover make long prayers: therefore ye shall receive the heavier judgement. read more. Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites: for ye compass sea and land to make a proselyte, and when he is gained, ye make him more the child of hell than yourselves.
Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites: for ye compass sea and land to make a proselyte, and when he is gained, ye make him more the child of hell than yourselves. Wo unto you, ye blind guides, who say, If any one swear by the temple, it is nothing; read more. but if any man swear by the gold of the temple, the oath is binding. Foolish and blind creatures! for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, If any one swear by the altar, it is nothing; but if any one swear by the gift upon it, he is bound. O foolish and blind! for which is greater, the gift, or the altar which sanctifieth the gift? He then, that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it and by all things upon it: and he, that sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it, and by Him that dwelleth in it: and he, that sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by Him that sitteth upon it. Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, who tithe even your mint, and anise, and cummin, but neglect the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy, and fidelity: these ye ought undoubtedly to practise, and not to omit the others.
Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, who tithe even your mint, and anise, and cummin, but neglect the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy, and fidelity: these ye ought undoubtedly to practise, and not to omit the others. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel! read more. Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites; for ye clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within they are full of rapine and intemperance: thou blind pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the dish, that the outside of them may be also clean. Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites; who are like whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful without, but within are full of the bones of the dead, and all manner of filthiness; so do ye likewise outwardly appear to men to be righteous, but within are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites; who build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the monuments of the just, and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been concerned with them in shedding the blood of the prophets: so that ye are witnesses yourselves, that ye are the children of those who killed the prophets: fill up then the measure of your fathers, ye serpents, ye brood of vipers: how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
But He answered them, Well did Esaias prophesy concerning you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me: and in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the injunctions of men. read more. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye retain the tradition of men, as the washings of pots and cups, and many other such like things.
For laying aside the commandment of God, ye retain the tradition of men, as the washings of pots and cups, and many other such like things. And ye expressly annul the commandment of God, that ye may retain your own tradition; read more. for Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, He that revileth father or mother, let him be put to death: but ye say, If a man tell his father or mother, That which thou mightest be profited by from me is Corban, (that is, a gift to the temple) it sufficeth: and so ye allow him to do nothing more for his father or his mother: making void the word of God by your tradition,. And many such like things ye do.
And they laid hold on that expression, querying among themselves, what means the rising from the dead?
or lands for my sake and the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundred-fold: now in this time indeed, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands with persecutions; but in the world to come life everlasting.
And one of the pharisees asked Him to eat with him: and He went into the pharisee's house, and sat down. And behold a woman in the city, that was a sinner, when she knew that He was at table in the pharisee's house, read more. brought an alabaster-box of ointment, and stood at his feet behind Him, weeping, and washed his feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. But when the pharisee that invited Him saw it, he said within himself, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what sort of a woman this is that toucheth Him; for she is a notorious sinner. And Jesus said unto him, Simon, I have something to say to thee: (and he replied, Master, say on.) A certain creditor had two debtors, the one owed him five hundred denaries, and the other fifty: and they not being able to pay him, he freely forgave them both: tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? And Simon answered, I suppose he to whom he forgave most. And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged: and turning to the woman, He said to Simon, Dost thou see this woman? I came into thine house, and thou gavest me no water for my feet; but she has bathed my feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me not the respect of a kiss; but this woman, ever since she came in, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. Thou didst not anoint my head with common oil, but she hath anointed even my feet with sweet ointment. Wherefore, I tell thee, her sins though many are forgiven, for she loved much: but he to whom little is forgiven, loveth but little. And He said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at table with Him, said within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? But He said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee, go in peace.
And he answered, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind: and thy neighbor as thyself. And He said unto him, Thou hast answered right; do this and thou shalt live. read more. But he willing to justify himself said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?
And as He spake, a certain pharisee asked Him to dine with him: and He went in and sat down at table. And when the pharisee saw it he wondered that He did not wash first, before dinner. read more. But the Lord said unto him, ye pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but your inward part is full of rapine and wickedness. Senseless creatures! Did not He who made the outside, make also that which is within? give alms rather according to your ability:
But wo unto you pharisees, who tithe even your mint, and rue, and all your herbs, and pass by judgement and the love of God: these ought ye to practise and not to omit the others. Wo unto you pharisees; for ye love the chief seat in synagogues, and salutations in public places. read more. Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites; for ye are like graves that do not appear, and those that walk over them are not aware of them.
As He was saying these things unto them the scribes and pharisees began vehemently to attack Him, and urge Him to speak of many things, laying snares for Him, and endeavouring to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse Him.
And the pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man entertaineth wicked persons, and eateth with them.
And the pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things; and derided Him. And He said unto them, Ye justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
And He spake also this parable to some that trusted in themselves as being righteous, and despised others. Two men went up to the temple to pray; the one a pharisee and the other a publican. read more. The pharisee standing by himself prayed thus, O God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, rapacious, unjust, adulterous, or even as this publican. I fast twice a week, and I give tithes of all that I possess.
I fast twice a week, and I give tithes of all that I possess. But the publican standing at a distance did not presume so much as to lift up his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, O God, be merciful to me a sinner. read more. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for whoever exalteth himself shall be abased, but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
who shall not receive manifold more even in this life, and in the world to come life everlasting.
but these people, who know not the law, are cursed.
And his disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who sinned? this man or his parents? that he was born blind.
They answered, and said unto him, Thou wast wholly born in sins, and dost thou teach us?
Now both the chief priests and the pharisees had given order, that if any one knew where He was, he should inform them, that they might take Him.
There were however many of the chief rulers that believed on Him; but because of the pharisees they did not confess it, lest they should be excommunicated.
and officers from the chief priests and pharisees, cometh thither with candles, and lamps, and arms.
from the baptism of John, till the day that He was taken up from us, should be joined with us as a witness of his resurrection.
This Jesus hath God raised up from the dead, of which we all are witnesses.
And while they were speaking to the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the sadducees came upon them,
by what means he is cured, be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, but whom God hath raised from the dead, even by Him doth this man stand here before you whole.
Then the high priest rose up, and all that were with him, (being of the sect of the sadducees,) and were filled with rage:
Him hath God exalted with his right hand as a prince and saviour, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins:
Him God raised up the third day, and gave Him to be seen openly; not to all the people,
But there rose up, said they, some of the sect of the pharisees that believed, saying, that it was necessary to circumcise them, and enjoin them to keep the law of Moses.
But Paul, knowing that the one part were sadducees, and the other pharisees, cried out in the sanhedrim, "Brethren, I am a pharisee, the son of a pharisee: for the hope of a resurrection of the dead I am now prosecuted."
But Paul, knowing that the one part were sadducees, and the other pharisees, cried out in the sanhedrim, "Brethren, I am a pharisee, the son of a pharisee: for the hope of a resurrection of the dead I am now prosecuted." Upon his saying this, there rose a contention between the pharisees and the sadducees; and the people were divided.
Upon his saying this, there rose a contention between the pharisees and the sadducees; and the people were divided. For the sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the pharisees acknowledge both.
For the sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the pharisees acknowledge both. So there was a great clamor: and the scribes that were of the party of the pharisees rose up and contended, saying, We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.
Paul a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle,
But when it pleased God, (who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,)
(such as "touch not, taste not,
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 sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Then spake Jesus to the people and to his disciples, saying, The scribes and pharisees sit in the seat of Moses:
The scribes and pharisees sit in the seat of Moses: observe therefore and do all things whatsoever they tell you to observe; but do not ye according to their works, for they say and do not: read more. for they bind grievous and intolerable burthens, and impose them upon men; but they themselves will not put a finger to them:
Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, who tithe even your mint, and anise, and cummin, but neglect the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy, and fidelity: these ye ought undoubtedly to practise, and not to omit the others.
And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who art thou?
For before certain men came from James, he did eat with the gentiles; but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing those of the circumcision.
and there is neither Jew nor Greek, those is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Wherein there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free: 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.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
The pharisee standing by himself prayed thus, O God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, rapacious, unjust, adulterous, or even as this publican.
But Paul, knowing that the one part were sadducees, and the other pharisees, cried out in the sanhedrim, "Brethren, I am a pharisee, the son of a pharisee: for the hope of a resurrection of the dead I am now prosecuted." Upon his saying this, there rose a contention between the pharisees and the sadducees; and the people were divided. read more. For the sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the pharisees acknowledge both. So there was a great clamor: and the scribes that were of the party of the pharisees rose up and contended, saying, We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.
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/worsley'>Mt 15:7-8; 23/5/type/worsley'>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/worsley'>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.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Therefore when thou dost an alms-deed, do not proclaim it abroad, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may be applauded by men. Verily I tell you, they have their reward.
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret, will reward thee openly.
And when ye fast, be not, like the hypocrites, of a gloomy countenance; for they disfigure their faces, that they may be observed by men to fast: I tell you, they have indeed their reward.
About this time as Jesus passed through the cornfields on the sabbath-day, his disciples being hungry began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat them. And when the pharisees saw it they said to Him, See, thy disciples are doing what is not lawful for them to do on the sabbath. read more. But He replied, Have ye not read what David did, when he, and his attendants, were hungry? how he went into the house of God, and did eat the shew-bread, which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor those that were with him; but for the priests only? or have ye not read in the law, what profane sort of work the priests do in the temple on the sabbath-days, and yet are blameless? But I tell you, that a greater than the temple is here: and if ye had known what that scripture means, "I desire mercy rather than sacrifice," ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is lord even of the sabbath. And he went away and came into their synagogue: and there being a man there who had a withered hand, they asked Him, if it were lawful to heal on the sabbath-days? that they might accuse Him. But He said unto them, What man of you shall have one of his sheep fall into a pit on the sabbath-day, and will not lay hold of it and lift it out? And of how much more worth is a man than a sheep? Sure then it is lawful to do good on the sabbath-days. Then saith He to the man, Stretch out thine hand: and he stretched it out, and it was made sound like the other.
Well did Esaias prophecy concerning you, saying, This people approach me with their mouth, and honour me with their lips, but their heart is far from me:
Then the pharisees went and consulted how they might insnare Him in his discourse.
but they do all their works to be seen by men; they make their phylacteries broad, and enlarge the fringes of their garments,
but they do all their works to be seen by men; they make their phylacteries broad, and enlarge the fringes of their garments, and love the uppermost places at feasts,
But wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, who shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, nor suffer those that are entering to go in. Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites; for ye devour widows houses, and for a cover make long prayers: therefore ye shall receive the heavier judgement. read more. Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites: for ye compass sea and land to make a proselyte, and when he is gained, ye make him more the child of hell than yourselves.
Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, who tithe even your mint, and anise, and cummin, but neglect the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy, and fidelity: these ye ought undoubtedly to practise, and not to omit the others.
Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, who tithe even your mint, and anise, and cummin, but neglect the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy, and fidelity: these ye ought undoubtedly to practise, and not to omit the others.
Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites; for ye clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within they are full of rapine and intemperance:
And He went another time into a synagogue, where there was a man that had a withered hand: and they watched Him, whether He would heal him on the sabbath-day, that they might accuse Him. read more. And He said to the man, that had the withered hand, Rise up into the midst: then saith He to them, Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath, or to do evil? to save life, or to kill? but they were silent. And when He had looked round upon them with indignation, being grieved at the hardness of their hearts, He saith to the man, Stretch out thine hand: and he stretched it out, and his hand was made as sound as the other. And the pharisees went out, and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against Him, how to destroy Him:
And there were gathered unto Him the pharisees, and some of the scribes, from Jerusalem; and when they saw some of his disciples eating with impure (that is, unwashed) hands, they found fault: read more. for the pharisees, and indeed all the Jews, do not eat till they have washed their hands thoroughly, observing the tradition of the ancients. And when they come from the market, they do not eat till they have washed. And there are many other things, which they have received to observe, as the washing of cups, and pots, and brass-vessels, and seats. Then the pharisees and the scribes ask Him, Why do not thy disciples walk according to the tradition of the ancients, but eat without washing their hands? But He answered them, Well did Esaias prophesy concerning you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me:
But Jesus said to them, I also will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
and they asked Him, saying, Master, Moses, in his writings tells us, if any one's brother die, and leave a wife, and leave no children, that his brother shall take his wife, and raise up seed to his brother. Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife and died and left no seed;
bless them that curse you, and pray for them that abuse you;
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed and shaken down and running over, shall they give into your bosom: for by the same measure, which ye measure with, shall it be measured back again to you. read more. And He said to them by way of parable, Can a blind man guide a blind man? will they not both fall into a ditch? the learner is not above his teacher, tho' every complete scholar will become as learned as his master. But why dost thou look at the chaff in thy brother's eye, and takest no notice of the beam that is in thine own? or how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother let me take out the splinter that is in thine eye, when thou thyself seest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first take out the beam from thine own eye, and then thou wilt see distinctly how to take out the chaff that is in thy brother's eye.
But he willing to justify himself said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?
But wo unto you pharisees, who tithe even your mint, and rue, and all your herbs, and pass by judgement and the love of God: these ought ye to practise and not to omit the others. Wo unto you pharisees; for ye love the chief seat in synagogues, and salutations in public places. read more. Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites; for ye are like graves that do not appear, and those that walk over them are not aware of them.
And He spake a parable to those that were invited, observing how they chose the chief seats, saying unto them,
Two men went up to the temple to pray; the one a pharisee and the other a publican. The pharisee standing by himself prayed thus, O God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, rapacious, unjust, adulterous, or even as this publican. read more. I fast twice a week, and I give tithes of all that I possess.
I fast twice a week, and I give tithes of all that I possess. But the publican standing at a distance did not presume so much as to lift up his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, O God, be merciful to me a sinner. read more. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for whoever exalteth himself shall be abased, but he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. And they brought to Him infants also, that He might touch them: and his disciples seeing it rebuked them. But Jesus called them to Him and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I tell you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall by no means enter into it.
Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou dost not now understand, but thou shalt know hereafter.
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,
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And seeing the multitudes He went up to a mountain, and when He was set down, His disciples came to Him, and He opened his mouth and taught them, saying, read more. Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek; for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they that 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 peace-makers; for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they, who are persecuted for righteousness sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when men shall revile and persecute you, and utter all manner of reproach against you falsly, for my sake: rejoice and be exceeding glad; for great will be your reward in heaven: for so they persecuted the prophets, that were before you.
Whosoever therefore shall break one of the left of these commandments, and thereby teach men so to do, he shall be esteemed very little in the kingdom of heaven: but whoever shall do as well as teach them, he shall be accounted great in the kingdom of heaven.
Ye have heard, that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever committeth murder, shall be liable to the judgment: but I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without cause shall be liable to the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be obnoxious to the council; but whosoever shall say, "Thou fool," shall be in danger of hell-fire.
Ye have heard, that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not commit adultery: but I tell you, that whosoever looketh on a woman, so as to lust after her, hath already debauched her in his heart. read more. And therefore if thy right eye cause thee to offend, pluck it out and cast it from thee; for it is better for thee that one part of thee perish, than that thy whole body should be cast into hell: and if thy right hand cause thee to offend, cut it off and cast it from thee; for it is better for thee that one of thy limbs should perish, than that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And it has been said, whosoever would put away his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce:
Again, ye have heard, that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
Ye have heard, that it has been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy:
Therefore when thou dost an alms-deed, do not proclaim it abroad, as the hypocrites do, in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may be applauded by men. Verily I tell you, they have their reward. But when thou givest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth: read more. that thine alms may be in secret, and thy Father, who seeth in secret, will himself reward thee openly. And when thou prayest, be not like the hypocrites; for they love to pray in public assemblies, and in the corners of the streets, that they may be taken notice of by men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
And when ye fast, be not, like the hypocrites, of a gloomy countenance; for they disfigure their faces, that they may be observed by men to fast: I tell you, they have indeed their reward.
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat.
For God commanded saying, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, He that revileth father or mother, let him be put to death:
but they do all their works to be seen by men; they make their phylacteries broad, and enlarge the fringes of their garments,
but they do all their works to be seen by men; they make their phylacteries broad, and enlarge the fringes of their garments,
Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites: for ye compass sea and land to make a proselyte, and when he is gained, ye make him more the child of hell than yourselves.
Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, who tithe even your mint, and anise, and cummin, but neglect the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy, and fidelity: these ye ought undoubtedly to practise, and not to omit the others.
Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, who tithe even your mint, and anise, and cummin, but neglect the weightier matters of the law, judgement, mercy, and fidelity: these ye ought undoubtedly to practise, and not to omit the others.
Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites; who build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the monuments of the just,
for the pharisees, and indeed all the Jews, do not eat till they have washed their hands thoroughly, observing the tradition of the ancients. And when they come from the market, they do not eat till they have washed. And there are many other things, which they have received to observe, as the washing of cups, and pots, and brass-vessels, and seats.
And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that He went into a synagogue and taught; and there was a man there, whose right hand was withered.
But when the pharisee that invited Him saw it, he said within himself, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what sort of a woman this is that toucheth Him; for she is a notorious sinner.
And by chance a certain priest came down that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place, went and looked at him, and then crossed the way and passed by. read more. But a certain Samaritan, as he was travelling, came up to him, and when He saw him,
Wo unto you interpreters of the law; for ye have taken away the key of knowledge, ye entered not in yourselves, and those that were entering in, ye hindered.
Then drew near unto Him all the publicans and other notorious sinners, to hear Him.
And the pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things; and derided Him.
And He spake also this parable to some that trusted in themselves as being righteous, and despised others.
The pharisee standing by himself prayed thus, O God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, rapacious, unjust, adulterous, or even as this publican.
The pharisee standing by himself prayed thus, O God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are, rapacious, unjust, adulterous, or even as this publican. I fast twice a week, and I give tithes of all that I possess.
I fast twice a week, and I give tithes of all that I possess.
And there were six stone waterpots, placed according to the custom of purifying among the Jews, containing each about two or three firkins.
but these people, who know not the law, are cursed.
And therefore as to the present affair I advise you to refrain from these men and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nothing; but if it be of God, ye cannot defeat it, least ye be found fighting even against God.
For the sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the pharisees acknowledge both.
knowing me before, (if they would testify it,) that according to the strictest sect of our religion I lived a pharisee.
My brethren, hold not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, in a partial respect of persons. For if there come into your synagogue a man with a gold ring in fine clothes, and there come in also a poor man in a mean habit; read more. and ye turn your eyes toward him that weareth the fine clothes, and say to him, Sit thou here in an honorable place; and say to the poor man, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: do ye not make a partial difference within yourselves, and become judges that reason wickedly? Hear, my beloved brethren; hath not God chosen the poor of this world who are rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which He hath promised to them that love Him? but ye have slighted the poor. Do not the rich tyrannize over you; and drag you to their tribunals? Do they not blaspheme the glorious name by which ye are called? If ye fulfil the royal law, according to the scripture, which saith, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well.