Pharisaism: Its Aim and Its Method (1912 Herford), book
Pharisaism: Its Aim and Its Method (1912) is a book by R. Travers Herford.
Abstract
"Most of the contents of the following pages were given as lectures in Manchester College, Oxford, in the autumn of 1911."--
"R. Travers Herford’s Pharisaism: Its Aim and Its Method (1912) constitutes a landmark study in the modern historical understanding of Pharisaic Judaism. Moving beyond traditional Christian polemical portrayals of the Pharisees as hypocritical legalists, Herford adopts a historical-critical and empathetic perspective, situating the Pharisees within the social, religious, and political context of Second Temple Judaism ... The volume examines both the objectives and the methodologies of Pharisaic practice. Herford argues that Pharisaic religion was fundamentally oriented toward the maintenance and application of the Torah, emphasizing fidelity to divine law while making its observance accessible to the wider Jewish population beyond the priestly elite. Central to this system was the development of oral traditions, interpretive frameworks, and ethical precepts that mediated the written Law, ensuring continuity and adaptability in changing social circumstances ... Herford meticulously analyzes primary sources, including the New Testament, Josephus, and rabbinic literature, to reconstruct the Pharisees’ legal and spiritual outlook. He highlights their focus on personal piety, ethical conduct, and communal responsibility, challenging prevailing assumptions that they were primarily concerned with ritualistic formalism. The study also explores the sociopolitical dimension of Pharisaic authority, including their influence on local Jewish governance and interaction with other sects such as the Sadducees ... By combining rigorous historical methodology with a sympathetic understanding of Pharisaic ideology, Herford’s work rehabilitates the Pharisees as a coherent, principled, and constructive religious movement. The volume has had a lasting impact on the study of Judaism and early Christianity, shaping subsequent scholarship in rabbinic studies, Second Temple history, and the historical context of the Gospels."--
Editions
Published in London, England: Williams & Norgate; and New York, NY: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1912.
Contents
- 1. Historical Sketch
- 2. The Theory of Torah
- 3. Pharisaism and Jesus
- 4. Pharisaism and Paul
- 5. Some Points of Pharisaic Theology
- 6. Pharisaism as a Spiritual Religion