Jesus the Pharisee

In the background of any modern discourse of the position of Jesus Christ in the history of religion is the fact of contrast between Judaism and Christianity, with the former perceived as being repudiated, supplanted, and overtaken by the latter in the larger scheme of Western history and symbolized by a certain theological and cultural antipathy between Jews and Christians. Citing historical, scriptural, and rabbinical sources, Falk argues that this perception is misdirected and suggests that the true historical and theological mission and role of Jesus have been obscured by the fact that Christianity as an institution developed a life of its own. The proper way to understand the Christ figure, according to Falk, is from the standpoint of Jewish sectarianism in the first century C.E.

Falk cites the rivalry between two first-century C.E. Pharisee schools of thought named for the wise men heading them, Bet Hillel and Bet Shammai. Bet Hillel is associated with a somewhat progressive and flexible interpretation of Jewish law, and Bet Shammai is associated with strict interpretation of the law. Falk explains that Jesus's adversaries in the New Testament were Bet Shammai Pharisees, whose control of Jewish civil institutions in Judea (e.g., the Sanhendrin) was well established by the fir

. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Bet Shammai, Jews Gentiles, Bet Hillel, Christians Citing, Hillel Judaism, Bet Hillel's, Judaism Christianity, Apostles Falk, Jesus Pharisee, Adam Noah, bet shammai, bet hillel, bet hillel judaism, falk cites, jewish law, judaism christianity, meant cover, jesus falk, hillel judaism, jews gentiles, century ce,
Approximate Word count = 910
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Jesus the Pharisee