Pharisaism, Its Aim and Its Method

by R. Travers Herford

[16] This is Bacher's explanation, as given in an article in the J. Q. R., 1892, p. 406 fol. His argument seems to me unanswerable.

[17] A Midrash says: "One text issues in many meanings.... The school of R. Ishmael teach (in reference to Jer. xxiii. 29), 'Like a hammer that breaketh the rock'; as this is divided into many sparks, so even one text issues in many meanings. For the way of the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like the way of flesh and blood. For flesh and blood cannot say two things at once. But He who spake and the world was, uttered ten words in one act of speaking, as it is said (Ps. lxii. 11), 'God hath spoken once.' 'And God spake all these words, saying, etc.'" (Exod. xx. 1). Yalkut Shim'oni on Ps. lxii. 11, § 783.

[18] As, e.g. when they give the name of Lot's wife, which was Idith (Tanḥ. i. 45^b), or are able to say that the fare which Jonah paid to go in the ship was 4000 gold pieces (b. Nedar. 38ª), or that Noah took with him into the ark suitable food for the different creatures:—hay for the camel, barley for the ass, grape-vines for the elephant, and glass for the ostrich (Tanḥ. 15ª).

[19] See my Christianity in Talmud and Midrash, pp. 286-8.

[20] It is worth noting in passing that the name by which the Pharisees called themselves and each other was "ḥābēr," "companion"; and their societies were "ḥaburoth," "companies." In Ps. cxix. 63, the Psalmist says, "I am companion, 'ḥaber,' to all them that fear thee." Whether the Psalmist used the term because he was a Pharisee, or whether the Pharisees borrowed it from the Psalm, I do not know; but there is evidently a connection between them.

[21] Cf. what was said, in Chapter III., of the position taken up by the Pharisees in regard to the question of healing on the Sabbath. See above, p. 149.

INDEX

• Abahu, R., [265].
• Abraham, [219], [220], [239].
• Akiba, R., [32], [51], [52], [90], [153], [154], [249], [267].
• Am-ha-aretz, [46]-[47].
• Antiochus Epiphanes, [38].
• Apocalyptists, [6].
• Augustine, [90], [217].
• Authority, seat of, in Pharisaism, [314]-[317].
• Bacher, W., [232] n.
• Bar Coch'ba, [50].
• Belief, heads of Pharisaic, [251]-[255].
• Character, Pharisaic ideal of, [326]-[331].
• Christianity, a protest and revolt, [14].
• founded on a Person, [171].
• Circumcision, [30].
• Common ground of Jesus and Pharisees, [116]-[127].
• Conscience, function of, in Pharisaism, [314].
• Corban, [141], [156]-[161] n.
• Divorce, [141], [153]-[156].
• Eighteen Benedictions (see Shemoneh Esreh).
• Eisenmenger, [332].
• Elders, Tradition of the, [48], [52], [93], [135], [137], [229].
• Eleazar, R., [211].
• b. Dordaia, [212].
• Eliezer b. Horkenos, R., [121], [159].
• Elisha b. Abujah, [264].
• Essenes, [6], [46], [48].
• Exile, the, [8], [10], [64].
• Ezekiel, [64], [134].
• Ezra, [5], [7], [8]-[28], [62], [74].
• Faith, [218], [219].
• Father in Heaven, [120]-[124].
• Gabriel, [263].
• Gamaliel, R., [164].
• Gemara, [54].
• Germans, in the Talmud, [7].
• God, Pharisaic conception of, [251]-[252], [259]-[267].
• Goths, in the Talmud, [7].
• Greece, influence of, [34]-[38].
• Ḥaber, [107], [288] n.
• Ḥaburoth, [107].
• Haggadah, [91], [96] n., [226] and [Ch. V] passim, [240]-[242].
• Halachah, [27], [90], [91], [96]-[104], [189] n., [230], [231], [243].
• Ḥasidim, [37]-[40].
• Heaven, [254].
• Hedge, for the Torah, [22], [26]-[28].
• Hell, [254].
• Hellenism, [6], [36]-[38], [208].
• Ḥija, R., [5], [308].
• Hillel, [5],[49], [153], [164], [238].
• Hypocrites, [165]-[167].
• Ibn Gebirol, [285].
• Jabneh, [49], [50], [51].
• Jannai, R., [307].
• Jehudah b. Baba, R., [51].
• ha-Kadosh (see Rabbi).
• ha-Levi, [285].
• Jesus, [112] and [Ch. III] passim.
• Joḥanan b. Zaccai, [49], [104], [121], [164].
• R. (third century), [301], [306].
• John the Baptist, [117], [128], [129].
• Joshua b. Levi, R., [248].
• Kingdom of Heaven, [117], [129], [130], [144].
• Law (Nὁμος [Greek: Nómos]), [58], [183] n., [194], [195], [200].
• Levites, [16].
• Lightfoot, [332].
• Logos, the, [264].
• Lord's Prayer, the, [118].
• Maccabees, the, [31], [36], [38]-[39].
• Maimonides, [217], [235].
• Manasseh, King, [213]-[215].
• Mattathias, [38], [39].
• Mediator, [259], [263]-[264].
• Megillath Taanith, [45].
• Meir, R., [52].
• Memra, [264].
• Merit, [276]-[279].
• of the Fathers, [213], [279].
• Messiah, the, [142], [143], [250], [253], [254], [256].
• Metatron, [264]-[265].
• Michael, [263].
• Midrash, [55].
• Mishnah, [48], [53], [54], [102], [158], [160].
• Mitzvah (Mitzvōth), [103]-[104], [196], [197], [271]-[276].
• Moses, [11], [60].
• Nehemiah, [9], [13], [19].
• R., [219].
• Nicodemus, [196] n.
• Particularism, [322]-[325].
• Paul, [172], [Ch. IV] passim, [266].
• Pentateuch, the, [63], [94], [113], [228].
• Persia, [34].
• Pharisees, Pharisaism, passim.
• Prayer, Book of Common, [304], [305].
• the Lord's, [118].
• Prayers, Pharisaic, [298]-[310].
• Priest, the High, [44].
• Priests, [132].
• Prophets, the, [65], [73].
• Psalms, Book of, [84]-[87].
• Rab, [104].
• Rabbi (Jehudah ha-Kadosh), [52], [249].
• Repentance, [210]-[216].
• Resh Lakish, [5].
• Retribution, [267].
• Reward, [267]-[276].
• Sabbath, [30], [67], [104], [141], [146]-[152].
• Sadducees, the, [6], [41], [43], [45], [48].
• Sanhedrin, the, [21], [44].
• Scribes (see Sopherim).
• Separation, policy of, [67]-[74].
• Sermon on the Mount, the, [117]-[118].
• Shammai, [153], [238].
• Shechinah, the, [264], [274].
• Shemoneh Esreh, the, [298]-[299].
• Shulḥan Aruch, [231] n.
• Sin, the Unpardonable, [150] n.
• Sopherim (Scribes), [16], [17], [20], [21], [29], [31], [42], [92], [132].
• Spirit, the Holy, [218]-[220], [264].
• Synagogue (place of meeting), [29], [30], [31], [78]-[84], [207].
• the Great, [18]-[28], [43], [89], [298].
• Talmud, the, [3], [4], [7], [17], [18], [19], [25], [26], [27], [28], [54], [55], [77], [93], [115], [120], [122], [151] n., [154], [218], [226], [231] n., [248], [249], [260], [264], [284], [285], [298], [303], [304], [306], [321], [322].
• Tanḥum b. Iscolastiki, [308].
• Temple, the, [8], [30], [44], [48], [50], [80], [81], [256].
• Theology, Pharisaic, Ch. V. passim.
• Theology, Pharisaic, not a system, [233]-[237].
• Torah, passim, but especially [Ch. II]
• meaning of the term, [58]-[61].
• Tosephta, [53].
• Tradition (see Elders).
• Uniformity of belief, not required, [234].
• Unpardonable Sin, the, [150] n.
• Vows, [157]-[159].
• Wagenseil, [332].
• Weber, F., [77], [126], [227], [235], [236], [260].
• Wise, the, [50], [65] n.
• Zadok, R., [159].
• Zugoth, the, [21].

OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES CITED

Gen.	i.	1	[75]
	i.	27	[155]
	xv.	6	[219]
Exod.	xii.	2	[75]
	xiv.	31	[219]
	xv.	1	[219]
	xx.	1	[238] n., [261]
	xx.	2	[265]
	xx.	12	[157]
Num.	xxx.	2	[157]
Deut.	iv.	7	[262], [274]
	iv.	30	[214]
	xvii.	11	[59]
	xxiv.	1	[154], [155]
	xxviii.		[63]
2 Chron.	xxxiii.	13	[214]
Neh.	x.		[8], [19], [67]
Ps.	i.		[287]
	i.	2	[275]
	xviii.	22	[287]
	xix.		[287]
	xxv.	10	[287]
	lxii.	11	[238] n.
	ciii.		[294]
	cxix.		[287]-[297]
	cxix.	63	[288] n.
Prov.	i.	8	[59]
Isa.	xliv.	6	[265]
	li.	7	[59]
	lxiii.	16	[123]
Jer.	xxiii.	29	[238] n.
Joel	ii.	32	[263]
1 Macc.	vii.	13	[39]