The Pharisees
The Pharisees (possibly spiritual descendants of the Ḥasidim [Pious Ones], who were the exponents of Maccabean revolt) were strict adherents to the Law. Their name may come from parush—i.e., “separated” from what is unclean, or what is unholy. They were deeply concerned with the Mosaic Law and how to keep it, and they were innovators in adapting the Law to new situations. They believed that the Law was for all the people and democratized it—even the priestly laws were to be observed by all, not only by the priestly class—so that they actually had a belief in a priesthood of all believers. They included Oral as well as Written Law in their interpretations. Though they did not accept the Roman occupation, they kept to themselves, and by pious acts, such as giving alms and burying the dead, they upheld the Law. Their interpretations of Law were sometimes considered casuistic because they believed they must find interpretations that would help all people to keep the Law. Their underlying hope was eschatological: in the day when Israel obeyed the Torah, the Kingdom would come. The Pharisees were called “smooth interpreters” by their opponents, but their hope was to find a way to make the living of the Law possible for all people. In their meal fellowship (ḥavura) they observed the laws strictly and formed a nucleus of obedient Israel. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead and had a developed angelology.