Which statement accurately describes Pharisees?

Which statement accurately describes Pharisees?

• A. Some believed in resurrection
• B. They rejected the Law
• C. They believed the Temple was unnecessary
• D. They denied all of the TNK

Answer: (A)

Belief in life after death and resurrection is a defining feature of Pharisaic teaching during the Second Temple period. The Pharisees upheld the idea of bodily resurrection and a future judgment as part of how they understood obedience to the Law and the promises of God. This stands in contrast to groups like the Sadducees, who rejected resurrection. They did not reject the Law; in fact they emphasized the Torah and an expanding oral tradition, interpreting it as binding alongside the written text. They did not view the Temple as unnecessary; temple worship was important, but Pharisees also stressed study, moral obedience, and purity in daily life, extending beyond temple rites. They fully accepted the Tanakh and did not deny its authority. So, describing Pharisees as having beliefs that included resurrection best captures what distinguishes them.

Belief in life after death and resurrection is a defining feature of Pharisaic teaching during the Second Temple period. The Pharisees upheld the idea of bodily resurrection and a future judgment as part of how they understood obedience to the Law and the promises of God. This stands in contrast to groups like the Sadducees, who rejected resurrection. They did not reject the Law; in fact they emphasized the Torah and an expanding oral tradition, interpreting it as binding alongside the written text. They did not view the Temple as unnecessary; temple worship was important, but Pharisees also stressed study, moral obedience, and purity in daily life, extending beyond temple rites. They fully accepted the Tanakh and did not deny its authority. So, describing Pharisees as having beliefs that included resurrection best captures what distinguishes them.