Pharisee

The Pharisees were a Jewish group known for their focus on interpreting the Torah and applying it to everyday life. They emphasized teaching, debate, and the careful practice of religious obligations in homes and communities, not only in the temple. Pharisees are often associated with developing interpretive traditions that later became central to Rabbinic Judaism. Ancient sources present them as influential teachers rather than political rulers. Later Christian writings sometimes portray Pharisees negatively, but historically they represent a learned movement concerned with law, practice, and communal identity. Jesus is at times described teaching and behaving similarly to the Pharisees.