How to cite this article: Brad H. Young, “The Seven Types of Pharisees and the Fear of God in the Synoptic Gospels,” Jerusalem Perspective (2024) [https://www.jerusalemperspective.com/29210/].
This article was written in Honor of David Bivin’s 85th Birthday.
During the Second Temple period and beyond, Jewish spiritual experience concerning the inner life of the disciple generated active discussion and intense debate. The prayer of the Shema Yisrael “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is one” embodied the full pursuit for the Kingdom of Heaven (Deut. 6:4). The command שְׁמַע (shema‘, “Hear!”) also meant “Obey!” Embracing the Kingdom was the first step in receiving the yoke of the commandments and entering into a life of service to the sovereignty of God.[1] In Mark 12:29 Jesus himself quotes the Shema before teaching the greatest commandment of all which is first and foremost: ”And you must love the Lord your God.” But from within the environment of this Jewish prayer a controversy emerged over which virtue, the love of God or the fear of the Lord, was the most important.[2] The seven types of Pharisees in the rabbinic literature is a parody or a satire of the wrong motivation for obeying the commandments, producing a humorous list of negative characteristics−a severe self-criticism of hypocritical practices within a religious community−while at the same time advocating for the virtue which should produce the best motivation to achieve proper behavior through a deeper spiritual life.
The lists of seven types of Pharisees appear in both the Babylonian Talmud (BT) and the Jerusalem Talmud (JT) with small but decisive distinctions. In fact, the final argument in the Babylonian Talmud’s version of the seven types of Pharisee is directly opposite of the argument made in the Jerusalem Talmud. The former claims it is the fear of God that is most important, while the latter places the love of God as the primary force in experiencing the deeper spiritual life in service and in obedience.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, the theme of love that supersedes fear rooted in the teaching of Jesus belongs to an internal Jewish debate that arose from the ‘new sensitivity’ that emerged in Second Temple Judaism. The shock waves of this ‘new sensitivity’ continued to ripple through ancient Judaism, as we can see from the conflicting rabbinic interpretations of the Seven Types of Pharisees and the revolutionary saying of Antigonus of Socho. Those shock waves also rippled throughout the Newer Testament with far-reaching implications. Service out of love combines reverential fear with love. First God Himself is described in terms of love and holiness far removed from the words of the wicked and slothful servant who described the master as a hard man who reaps where he did not sow seed. John 3:16 proclaims, “For God so loved the people of the world that He gave His only Son” (TNT). The open letter of John to the believing community expresses the demand, “Much-loved friends, we must love one another because love is from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The person who does not love, does not know God. After all, God is love” (1 John 4:7-8 TNT). God created each individual with a desire to love and to be loved. The apostle Paul in writing to the congregation at Corinth concerning relationships within the community composed “the love chapter” (1 Cor. 13). He emphasized faith, hope and love. Faithfulness out of love should build relationships within the community. The apostle Paul self-designated himself as a Pharisee. In many respects, Paul was a Pharisee of love. Out of love and fear he writes, “Never grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (Eph. 4:30 TNT).
