Pharisees
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Matt. 3:7; 23:26, and elsewhere)—an influential Jewish movement of the late Second Temple period. Their name is commonly connected with a Hebrew or Aramaic root meaning “separate,” though its original application is uncertain. They emphasized fidelity to the Torah together with inherited interpretations of its observance. Unlike the Sadducees, they affirmed resurrection, angels, spirits, and future recompense (Acts 23:8).