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The
Pharisees were an important Jewish group in the time of Jesus.
They were devoted to the study of both the written and oral Law.
The written Law is found in the books of Genesis through Deuteronomy.
The oral Law was handed down by respected teachers. Both forms of
Law were considered binding(Mark 7:3-4). Pharisees also recognized
the importance of the books of the prophets and most of the other
writings in our present Old Testament. Although the Law prescribed
a more rigorous standard of purity for priests than for ordinary
people, Pharisees followed the stricter standards of purity in thier
homes. Pharisees believed that the dead would be raised to everlasting
life in the world to come (Acts 23:8). In contrast to the Pharisees,
the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection and affirmed the authority
only of the written Law (Mark 12:18). Jesus often engaged in controversy
wih the Pharisees (e.g. Mark 2:15-28). Before his encounter with
the risen Christ, Paul was a Pharisee who was zealous for the Law
(Phil 3;4-6).
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The Pharisees were devoted to the study of the law
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