The Pharisees, Jesus, and the Politics of Roman Palestine, Volume 1: Pharisees and Scribes in the Politics...

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Richard A Horsley

The Pharisees, Jesus, and the Politics of Roman Palestine, Volume 1

Pharisees and Scribes in the Politics of Roman Palestine

Richard A Horsley

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English

Cascade Books
31 October 2025

History of religion; Bibles; New Testaments; Judaism

Understanding of the Pharisees and other scribal groups in the late Second-Temple era has been obscured by the imposition of synthetic constructs of (early) Judaism in the fields of biblical studies and ancient Jewish history. Similarly, the conflict between the Pharisees and Jesus has been obscured and distorted by the continuing imposition of the synthetic constructs of (early) Judaism and (early) Christianity. When the early Hasmoneans restored the temple-state in Judea, the Pharisees stepped into the role of scribes as their intimate advisers. The Pharisees' principal concern was for the operation of the temple-state according to its politeia, the covenantal laws/customs of the temple-state. In their political practice this meant active opposition to and by expansionist Hasmonean high priests such as John Hyrcanus and Alexander Jannaeus and their mercenary troops. Far from having withdrawn from political life, they managed to consolidate their authority as the intellectual-legal ""retainers"" of the temple-state under Alexandra Salome. In the increasing breakdown of political-economic order under more direct Roman rule through the high priests, the Pharisees evidently managed to become ever more influential in the temple-state as leading high priestly figures became ever more complicitous in Roman rule. After the Roman destruction of the Judean temple-state there is little or no evidence of the Pharisees playing any role in the politics of Roman Palestine.

By: Richard A Horsley
Imprint: Cascade Books
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 14mm
Weight: 386g
ISBN: 9798385221691
Pages: 282
Publication Date: 31 October 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Richard A. Horsley is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Liberal Arts and the Study of Religion at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. His numerous publications include these recent works from Cascade Books: Galileans Under Jerusalem and Roman Rule (2024), Empowering the People: Jesus, Healing, and Exorcism (2022), You Shall Not Bow Down and Serve Them: The Political Economic Projects of Jesus and Paul (2021).

Reviews for The Pharisees, Jesus, and the Politics of Roman Palestine, Volume 1: Pharisees and Scribes in the Politics of Roman Palestine

""For decades Richard Horsley has been a leading figure in reassessing the roles of Pharisees and scribal groups in the politics of ancient Judaism. These essays--all engaging and accessible--trace his investigations and will be welcomed by both the student and the scholar. The history of the Pharisees and their relation to early Christianity will be much discussed topics for years to come, and Horsley's voice has been absolutely central to the ongoing debates."" --Lawrence M. Wills, Instructor of Religious Studies and Theology, Stonehill College ""Through a fine-grained analysis of Josephus and other ancient sources, Horsley challenges common assumptions about the Pharisees, describing them as a scribal group active in both the political and religious affairs of the Judean temple-state. Their status as 'legal-intellectual retainers' who advised the high priestly rulers ended with the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Building and expanding upon his previous work, Horsley presents a paradigm-shifting synthesis of the history of the Pharisees."" --Jodi Magness, Kenan Distinguished Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ""In The Pharisees, Jesus, and the Politics of Roman Palestine, renowned scholar Richard Horsley draws on six decades of research to build new understanding of the Pharisees' documented actions for two centuries within an unstable imperial environment. After tracing the evolution of both New Testament studies and his own intellectual journey, Horsley reconstructs the Pharisees' complex political, economic, and religious role in the Judean temple-state through close and innovative analysis of ancient narratives, especially the works of Josephus, the Jewish priest who was not a Pharisee. Volume 1 stands as a vital companion to recent scholarship and paves the way for Volume 2, which will examine the Gospels in depth to complete Horsley's fascinating study of the Pharisees, the most prominent pre-70 CE Jewish group whose legacy remains misunderstood and misrepresented to this day."" --Honora Howell Chapman, Dean, College of Arts and Humanities, California State University, Fresno