One of a sect or party among the Jews, noted for a strict and formal observance of rites and ceremonies and of the traditions of the elders, and whose pretensions to superior sanctity led them to separate themselves from the other Jews.

A religious leader of the Jews at the time of Jesus.

one of the four sects of first century CE Judaism, this was a lay movement to revive religious practice and study of the Torah, especially in rural areas, by organizing synagogues; this group believed in angels, the resurrection of the dead, and in interpretation of the Torah in light of the present circumstances.

a self-righteous or sanctimonious person

a member of an ancient Jewish sect noted for strict obedience to Jewish traditions

a dead spot that is not a guard

a righteous man whose righteousness is nourished by the blood of sinners

Jewish religious teacher (not a priest) at the time of Jesus. Worked throughout Israel.

a Jewish sect that developed in the centuries following the return of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity. The Pharisee s were particularly concerned about the legal observance of Jewish religious rituals, but they were often more concerned with forms and outward observance than with the proper attitude of the heart. Jesus condemned them because of their hypocrisy and work righteousness (Matthew 23:13-38).