Statement
The rabbis resemble the Pharisees in several ideas: respect for an extrascriptural tradition passed from teacher to disciple, taking the Pharisees' side against the Sadducees, and parallel positions, such as the view between fate and free will that Josephus attributes to the Pharisees, which echoes a teaching of Akiba in Pirkei Avot. These parallels support the thesis that rabbinic Judaism is a post-Temple offshoot of Pharisaic Judaism.
Ancient witnesses mentioned by the sourceFlávio Josefo · Pirkei Avot 3:19
References
p. 133
supports · main text · ch. 5
Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman. The Jews: A History. 3rd edition. New York and Abingdon: Routledge, 2019.
Section: The Emergence of Rabbinic Culture
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p. 133
supports · main text · ch. 5
Efron, Lehmann and Weitzman. The Jews: A History. 3rd edition. New York and Abingdon: Routledge, 2019.
Section: The Emergence of Rabbinic Culture
Verification anchor recorded · checked against the page text
Scholarly debate
Were the rabbis heirs of the Pharisees?
2 positions · no single answer · take a seat →
- A
An offshoot of Pharisaism
Scholars who stress the parallels
Predecessors revered by the rabbis, such as Gamliel the Elder, appear in other sources as Pharisees; the rabbis respect an extrascriptural tradition, side with the Pharisees against the Sadducees and share positions such as the balance between fate and free will.
- B
A movement against sectarianism
Some scholars (not named by the authors)
The rabbis never called themselves Pharisees or members of any other sect; they would have reshaped tradition to overcome Second Temple factionalism, and the movement may have absorbed Pharisees, priests, Zealots, scribes and even followers of Jesus.