1. Pharisees.
This term has been supposed to be derived from the Hebrew word, Parash, which signifies " to separate." The Pharisees separated themselves from the mass of the Jews. Josephus speaks of them as early as the reign of Jonathan (B.C. 161-144). They separated them-selves on the plea of superior sanctity of life, devotion to God, and their study of the law. The Pharisee in his prayer (Luke 18) declared that he was not as other men.
Paul, in his defense before King Agrippa, styles the Pharisees, "the most straitest sect," showing how strict they were to carry out their rules. Josephus says they declared that because of their exactness in religion they were the favorites of heaven. Our Lord lays bare their true state before their eyes: they made the outside of the cup and the platter clean, but their inward part was "full of ravening [plunder] and wickedness." They paid tithes, it was true, but passed over righteousness and the love of God. They loved the chief places; but they were as covered graves, over which men walked unconsciously (Luke 11:3944), and became defiled: cf. Num. 19:16.
The Pharisees included all classes of men-rich and poor; they were very numerous, and at times had great influence. See an instance of this in the time of Alexandra. We see that they were well represented in the constitution of the council before whom Paul was arraigned. (Acts 23:6.)
The peculiar tenets of the Pharisees were these: they held that God was in some way bound to bless the Jews, and make them inherit the kingdom, because of the merits of Abraham, and because of their observance of the law.
They were the great advocates of tradition. It was the Pharisees and scribes who complained to the Lord of the disciples not observing the tradition of the elders; but the Lord showed that by their traditions they transgressed the commandments of God. (Matt. 15:1-9; Mark 7
They believed in the existence of angels and spirits, and in the resurrection of the dead, though, according to Josephus, they also held the transmigration of souls from one person to another.
They regarded the tie of marriage in the loosest way, and held that a man could divorce his wife for any cause: cf. Luke 16:14-18.
They held that no person but a Jew could be called a neighbor, and treated all others as enemies.** This will give great force to the parable of the Good Samaritan, where a Samaritan was to he accounted neighbor to the Jew.
(*Maimonides has this passage: " A Jew sees a Gentile fall into the sea, let him by no means lift him out; for it is written, ' Thou shalt not rise up against the blood of thy neighbor.' But this is not thy neighbor.")
Their professed sanctity with fasting and long prayers is fully borne out by scripture; but the Lord in a withering way laid bare their true state of wickedness, as well as their great hypocrisy. While they held the common people in contempt they were themselves far worse in God's sight.
There may have been in the time of our Lord, and before that, great laxity in keeping the law, and obeying its righteousness, that led some to separate themselves, seeking greater holiness; to whom many attached themselves without any such desire, until the great mass of the Pharisees duly merited the severe rebukes of the Lord. Nicodemus, Gamaliel, and Saul we may fain hope were samples of men of a different stamp, though they all needed the regenerating power of grace to give them what they desired.
2. the Sadducees.
Much less is known of these. Scripture tells us that they did not believe in the resurrection, nor in angels nor spirits (Matt. 22:23; Acts 23:8); the soul perished with the body: cf. Acts 4: 1, 2.
They held to the strongest view of the power of man's will to good or bad, consequently they were severe judges.
They were strict in their regard to the written law; but denied everything not literally and plainly taught in the scripture, such as the resurrection. They refused the traditions of the elders.
Scripture at times classes the Sadducees with the Pharisees in the rebukes administered: "O generation of vipers, who hash warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ' (Matt. 3:7.) " A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign.... Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees."
The Sadducees were not nearly as numerous as the Pharisees, and had not as much influence as they; though some of them held the office of high priest and sat in the Sanhedrin.
3. the Scribes.
These are often spoken of in the New Testament. They probably took their name from being writers of the law, and from thence came to he teachers of the law. They, with the Pharisees, are described as sitting in Moses' seat (Matt. 23:2), which would imply more than writing the law: what " they bid" was to be observed; and what they "taught " (Chapter 7:29.) The Lord was obliged to add that their works were not to be followed.
" Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in." (Matt. 23:13.) Other woes follow, and then they were addressed: "Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers! how can ye escape the damnation of hell? " (Ver. 33.)
How the scribes taught we do not know, but the people were astonished at the teaching of the Lord: for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes: He had the welfare of their souls at heart. (Matt. 7:29.)
The Scribes cannot be treated as a separate and distinct sect, but were rather a selection from the several sects (Acts 23:9), who taught the people, so that a person might be both scribe and Pharisee, or scribe and Sadducee. Thus the Pharisee, who was a lawyer in Matt. 22:34,35, is called a scribe in Mark 12:28.
4. the Lawyers.
These were teachers of the law; and though the title may have had a different origin from that of 'scribe,' the two names seem to point to the same office-those who taught the law-though the lawyers may have studied the minutiœ of the law, and may have assisted the Sanhedrin in difficult cases, as some suppose.
The Lord denounced the lawyers with dreadful woes, in the same way as He had the scribes and Pharisees. (Luke 11:45-52.) Alas, alas! to whom could the people turn when the leading men of the nation and the teachers were thus corrupt? The blessed One who denounced all these was happily there to bless them had they but listened to Him.
5. the Essenes.
These are not named in the New Testament, but it is generally believed that they are more than once alluded to. They were distinct from the Pharisees and Sadducees, and led more secluded lives and did not set themselves up to be teachers of the law. They denied the resurrection of the body, but held with the immortality of the soul, the existence of angels, and a state of future rewards and punishments. 'They were also fatalists.
As far as is known they lived moral lives, hut were much given to asceticism. Some married and lived in the towns; but others refrained from marriage and lived in secluded places. They refused all pleasant food, and lived on the barest quantity of the simplest provisions. They had sets of rules, which all were sworn to observe. 'They professed to have a sort of knowledge of the angels and to approach to them by their holy lives.
The principal passage, believed by many to allude to the Essenes, is in Col. 2, where "voluntary humility," "neglecting the body," "intruding into things not seen," being " vainly puffed up by their fleshly mind," are thought to refer to them: while the rules named, " touch not, taste not, handle not," strictly applied to theirs.
The folly of expecting any such perfection in the flesh is exposed by the apostle.
6. the Herodians.
These can hardly be called a Jewish sect, but were rather political partizans. As their name implies, they followed the leading of Herod. He tried to seduce the people into heathen practices and pastimes; urged entire submission to the Romans, and the payment of the tribute. This the Pharisees strongly opposed on the supposed ground of Deut. 17:15.
How manifest therefore was the hatred to the Lord when those who were thus so hostile to each other's principles could unite in order to tempt our Lord as to the tribute money. (Matt. 22:15-22.) Had He said that the tribute ought not to he paid, the Herodians would have accused him of sedition; and had He said it was right to pay the tribute the Pharisees would have said it was inconsistent with His claim to be Messiah, the Deliverer from the Gentile yoke. The Lord's marvelous answer confounded them both.
There was nothing to prevent persons being both Sadducees and Herodians, and this will account for the "leaven of Herod " in Mark 8:15, being apparently called the " leaven of the Sadducees " in Matt. 16:6.
7. the Galilæans.
These are named only in Acts 5:37, being the followers of one Judas a Galilæan, who declared that tribute was due to God only, and ought not to be paid to the Romans. This he did in "the days of the taxing," or when a census was taken in A.D. 6, when Archelaus was banished. Though Judas perished, his followers were dispersed and secretly propagated his opinions.
We thus see how needful it was at that time to teach submission to the powers that be, as God did by Paul in Rom. 13:1-7, where the words occur, " pay ye tribute also." (See also 1 Peter 2:13-17.)
8. the Sicarii.
These are referred to in Acts 21:38, but are there called " murderers." They were as assassins called Sicarii from the weapon which they carried-a dagger bent like the Roman sica. This they concealed under their garments until within reach of their victims. Josephus also mentions the Egyptian, their leader, who pretended to be a prophet. In his account he gives his followers as 30,000, which may have been the ultimate number gathered to him. Acts 21:38 names 4,000 as having been "led out into the wilderness."
9. the Zealots.
We read of Simon Zelotes in Luke 6:15, Acts 1:13. Josephus often mentions Zealots in his history of the Jewish wars, who became very much like the Sicarii, and were leaders in the defense of Jerusalem at its destruction. Whether Simon the apostle had formerly any connection with these is unknown. He is called " the Canaanite " in Matt. 10:4; but this is said to be Hebrew for Zealot.