Pharisees
/ˈfær.ɪ.siːz/noun
A Jewish religious movement prominent in Judea during the Second Temple period, known for emphasizing Torah interpretation and oral tradition.
Did you know?The Pharisees were not originally named for hypocrisy; their name most likely referred to separation, possibly from ritual impurity or from groups that did not share their interpretations of Jewish law.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic / Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
פרש (p-r-sh)
“A root associated with separating, distinguishing, or explaining by making something clear.”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
פָּרוּשׁ (pārûš)
“Separated or set apart; the likely source of the group’s name.”
Second Temple period
Aramaic
פְּרִישַׁיָּא (Pərīšayyā)
“The separated ones; the Aramaic designation for the Pharisees.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
Φαρισαῖοι (Pharisaioi)
“Pharisees; the Greek form used in the New Testament and other ancient writings.”
Late Latin
Latin
Pharisaei
“Pharisees; the Latin form inherited from Greek.”
Middle English
English
Pharisees
“The name of the Jewish sect, adopted through biblical and ecclesiastical Latin traditions.”
Modern English
English
Pharisees
“The historical Jewish movement; figuratively, the term can also mean hypocritical religious moralists, a later pejorative sense.”