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62. Three Jewish Sects
119 For among Judeans there are three forms of philosophy.
Now Pharisees are one sect, Sadducees another,
but in fact the third, called Essenes, seems to be the most reverential discipline.
  --- Josephus, Jewish War 2.119

63. Argument over Oral Torah
297 For now I wish only to explain that the Pharisees transmit to the people some rules in line with the fathers, which were not written in the laws of Moses. And because of this, the line of the Sadducees reject these things. They say that it is necessary to hold those rules that have been written but it is not (necessary) to observe what is (only) from the fathers' tradition.
298 And, as a consequence, controversies and great disagreements have occurred between them. The Sadducees persuade only the well-to-do and have no popular following. But the Pharisees have the masses as allies.
  -- Josephus, Antiquities 13.297-298

64. Principles & Popularity of Pharisees
12 The Pharisees live thriftily, giving in to no luxury. For they follow what the Word* in its authority determines and transmits as good. They believe that to keep what (God) wished to counsel is worth fighting for. Out of respect, they defer to those advanced in years. Nor are they so bold as to stand in opposition to what (the elders) have proposed.
13 While claiming that everything is affected by destiny, they do not deprive human will of power in these things. For it occurred to God to make a combination and to admit to his counsel the will of men---with its virtue and its vice.
14 Their belief is that there is an undying power in souls and that, under the ground, there is an accounting to reward and punish those who were righteous or unrighteous in (this) life. Eternal punishment is offered to the latter, but re-creation in a new life to the former.
15 Because of these ideas, (the Pharisees) are the most persuasive among the citizens. And all the sacrifice and prayer offered to God happens to be according to their exegesis (of scripture). In this way, those who live in the cities have witnessed to their virtue in devoting themselves to all the best in their words and way of life.
  --- Josephus, Antiquities 18.12-15
* [or "Reason", Greek: logos]

65. Sadducees differ from Pharisees
164 Now the Sadducees, the second party, deny destiny altogether and place God beyond doing or seeing anything bad. They say that good and bad are dependent on human choice; and one may allow each of these according to one's own decision.
165 They deny the soul's permanence as well as rewards and punishments in the underworld.
166 Now the Pharisees love one another and practice consensus in their community. But the Sadducees behave rather aggressively even towards each other. And they are as harsh in debates among themselves as with others.
  --- Josephus, Jewish War 2.164-166

66. Rabbinic Lament over Sadducean Brutality
21 Abba Saul ben Betnith and Abba Jose ben Johanan of Jerusalem* say:
-- "Woe to me from the house of Boethus! woe to me from their rods!"
-- "Woe to me from the house of Qadros!** woe to me from their pens!"
-- "Woe to me from the house of Elhanan!*** woe to me from their house of whispers!"
-- "Woe to me from the house of Elisha! woe to me from their pens!"
-- "Woe to me from the house of Ishmael ben Phiabi!
For they are high priests and their sons, treasurers
and their sons-in-law (temple) officers!"
"And their servants come and beat us up with staves!"
  --- Tosefta, Menachoth 13.21
* Mistaken attribution. Jose b. Johanan was an early Pharisaic leader [z1 ; ca. 150 BCE] but this lament refers to high priests from the time of Herod into the 1st c. CE. Saul is unknown.
** Qadros = Greek: Kantheros
*** Elchanan = cHanan I [in Greek: Ananus or Annas]

67. Tradition of the Elders
1 Moses received the Torah from Sinai and committed it to Joshua,
and Joshua to the elders and the elders to the prophets;
and the prophets committed it to the men of the Great Congregation.
These said three things:
--"Be deliberate in judgment";
--"Raise up many disciples"; and
--"Make a hedge for the Torah."
  --- Mishna, Aboth 1.1

68. Standards for Disciples
3 "And raise up many disciples":
The school of Shammai says:
--"Do not teach a man unless he is wise and meek and the son of wealthy parents!"
The school of Hillel says:
--"Teach every man! For there were many sinners in Israel who were led to study Torah, from whom came righteous and pious and worthy men."
  --- Babylonian Talmud (supplement) Aboth de R. Nathan A 3

69. Hillel justifies Oral Tradition
31a Our rabbis taught:
It happened that a certain foreigner came to Shammai and said to him:
--"How many Torahs are there for you?"
He told him:
--"Two! A written Torah and an oral Torah."
He said to him:
--"I will trust you on the written but I will not trust you on the oral. I will be a proselyte providing you teach me (only) the written Torah."
(Shammai) rebuked him and drove him out in anger.

(The foreigner) came before Hillel who made him a proselyte. The first day (Hillel) told him:
--"Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth [= ABCD]"
The next day he turned them around for him.
(The disciple) said to (Hillel):
--"But yesterday you did not tell me like this!"
(Hillel) told him:
--"Did you not then trust what I said orally? Trust me likewise [in this]!"
  --- Babylonian Talmud, Shabbath 31a

70. The Yoke of Torah
5 Rabbi Nechonia ben HaQanah said:
--"He who takes the yoke of Torah on himself
shall have lifted from him the yoke of kingdom and the yoke of the world's way.
But he who takes the yoke of Torah off himself
shall find laid on himself the yoke of kingship and the yoke of the world's way."
  --- Mishna, Aboth 3.5

71. Deviants from Torah Rejected
12 Rabbi Eleazar of Modi'im said:
--"He who profanes holy things
and spurns the set times,
he who exposes his colleague in public,
he who voids the covenant of our father Abraham,
he who discovers parts of the Torah contradicting halakah,
he has no share in the world to come,
even if he has a grasp of Torah and good deeds."
  --- Mishna, Aboth 3.12

72. Saying & Doing
7 (Rabbi Joshua (ben cHanania) says:
-- "He who repeats [shanah] and does not practice ['amel]
is like [mashal] a man who sows and does not harvest.
He who learns Torah and forgets
is like a woman who bears (a child) and buries (it)."
  --- Tosefta, Parah 4.7

73. Torah & Propagation
7 Rabbi (Simeon) ben 'Azzai says:
-- "He who does not engage in reproduction and propagation
spills blood and diminishes the Image (of God).
For it says:
-- 'For in the image of God he made man" (Gen 1:6) and
-- 'be fruitful and multiply!' (Gen 1:7)."
Rabbi Eleazar ben 'Atzariah said to him:
-- "Fine words when they come from the mouth of one who does them!
A man may interpret well and not perform well,
(or) perform well and not interpret well;
ben 'Azzai interprets well, but he does not perform well!"
(Rabbi Simeon) ben 'Azzai said to him:
-- "What am I to do? My soul thirsts for Torah!
And the preservation of the world is with others!"
  --- Tosefta, Yebamoth 8.7

74. Seven Types of Pharisees
4 There are seven (types of) Pharisees [perushim]:
-- (a) the superficial Pharisee [sheikmi; lit: "shoulders"];
-- (b) the critical Pharisee [nikphi; lit: "knocking"];
-- (c) the calculating Pharisee [qitzai; lit: "cutting"];
-- (d) the troubled Pharisee [mikubai; lit: "pained"];
-- (e) the Pharisee for whom existence is work;
-- (f) the Pharisee concerned with his (own) strengths; and
-- (g) the Pharisee from inclination or the Pharisee from fear."
  --- Babylonian Talmud (supplement), Aboth de R. Nathan 37.4
  [NOTE: This list is found with some variation in the Palestinian Talmud (Berakoth 9.7) and the Babylonian Talmud (Sota 22b). The first six were traditionally considered the "plagues" of the Pharisees, i.e., false followers. Though well-established by tradition, the nicknames were obscure enough in rabbinic circles that Palestinian and Babylonian amoraim had to devise varying explanations. The original meaning of many of the nicknames is beyond proof. The translations presented here at points differ from traditional interpretations.]

75. False Pharisees
  King [Alexander] Jannai said to his wife [Salome Alexandra]:
-- "Do not be afraid of the Pharisees or the non-Pharisees [i.e., Sadducees]
but of the wildcats who mimic the Pharisees.
For their deeds are like the deeds of Zimri [cf. Num 25:14]*
but they seek the reward of Phineas [Num 25:11]."*
  --- Babylonian Talmud, Sota 22b
* Zimri: a Simeonite who had illicit relations with a Moabite woman & submitted to the rites of Ba'al Peor. His deeds violated Torah.
Phineas: son of Moses' brother, Aaron. By slaying Zimri he ended the slaughter of Israelites. He was rewarded for his zeal for Torah by succeeding his father as high-priest.

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