Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Yigal Levin <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>]

We actually know so little about the "Pharisees" during the Second Temple 
Period. The NT is certainly not a reliable source about them, since its main 
interest is showing the points on which Jesus' interpretation of the law was 
"better" then theirs. Josephus' statements are general and quite laconic. 
And the later rabbis of the Mishnah and Talmud, while considering themselves 
to be the Pharisees' "heirs" in stateing that the Sadducees and everybody 
else were heretics, actually preserved very little of their writings.

Yigal


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Kirk" <peter AT qaya.org>
To: "Brak" <Brak AT neo.rr.com>
Cc: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Friday, June 23, 2006 11:36 PM
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] oral Torah


> On 23/06/2006 21:11, Brak wrote:
> > ...
> > So just because you have Jesus debate with other Pharisees doesn't mean
> > that Jesus rejected the Oral Law, nor does it mean that Jesus wasn't a
> > Pharisee Himself. ...