A struggle is currently underway to figure out one of the central groups in the gospel story . . . the Pharisees. Were they ""hypocrites or heroes""? Or as one recent writer put it, maybe they were just ""good guys with bad press."" Scholars of Judaism and of the NT have been painstakingly correcting, even rehabilitating, the image of the first-century Pharisees, but this seems not yet to have affected most readers of Scripture. Here at last is a book that lays out for the non-specialist the evidence for the origin and true nature of the Pharisees . . . and challenges them to re-read the gospel stories with real Pharisees in mind rather than caricatures.
A struggle is currently underway to figure out one of the central groups in the gospel story . . . the Pharisees. Were they ""hypocrites or heroes""? Or as one recent writer put it, maybe they were just ""good guys with bad press."" Scholars of Judaism and of the NT have been painstakingly correcting, even rehabilitating, the image of the first-century Pharisees, but this seems not yet to have affected most readers of Scripture. Here at last is a book that lays out for the non-specialist the evidence for the origin and true nature of the Pharisees . . . and challenges them to re-read the gospel stories with real Pharisees in mind rather than caricatures.
Kent L. Yinger, retired Professor of New Testament at Portland
Seminary (George Fox University), is the author of The New
Perspective on Paul: An Introduction (2011) and God and Human
Wholeness: Perfection in Biblical and Theological Tradition
(2019).
"I am excited that Kent has written this book and believe it will
be an excellent, very accessible contribution for Christian
readers, especially pastors and the like, who may not realize just
how mistaken are the prevailing tropes about Pharisees in Christian
culture. . . . For people of good will, this should be a very
welcome resource, both as a historically based corrective and a way
forward for thinking and talking about Jewish people and
groups."
--Mark D. Nanos, author of Reading Paul within Judaism
"With wit, creativity, and accessibility, Yinger paints a renewed
portrait of the Pharisees that provides a much-needed corrective to
deeply ingrained common mischaracterizations. Yinger's expertise as
teacher is evident in the design of this volume. I look forward to
recommending this exceptional resource to all students of the
Bible!"
--Jennifer M. Matheny, Nazarene Theological Seminary
"Yinger performs an unusual and helpful service to the academy and
church in this detailed, well-researched book. . . . If you read
this book, you will not think of Pharisees the same way. I am
grateful to Dr. Yinger for producing such an accessible and
valuable resource. I will recommend it to colleagues far and
wide."
--Charles J. Conniry Jr., Western Seminary
"Yinger sifts afresh through the literary witnesses to the
Pharisees, helping us see them as a bona fide religious movement
with comprehensible--and even commendable--goals. . . . The
cumulative result of this careful work is a platform from which to
assess when we speak truthfully about Pharisees and discern when we
perpetuate defamation--a goal to which all ethically minded people
must aspire."
--David A. deSilva, Ashland Theological Seminary
"Stereotypes of Pharisees as hypocritical and legalistic
self-righteous moralists have fueled anti-Semitism and bad readings
of the Bible for far too long. . . . Yinger makes an excellent
contribution to serve that need, examining the range of ancient
texts that talk about Pharisees for the benefit of students,
pastors, and general readers of the Bible. This is the first book I
would hand someone who was interested in understanding the
Pharisees of antiquity."
--Nijay K. Gupta, Northern Seminary
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