Jesus, en hängiven farisé? En jämförelse mellan Matteusevangeliets Jesus och en modern syn på fariseerna

Abstract

This paper is a comparative investigation between the Pharisees and Jesus as described in the Gospel of Matthew. The paper aims to investigate if Jesus was only a pious Jew or if he was a Pharisee and the method used for this investigation is a comparative literary study. The analysis aims to describe how modern research views the Pharisees, and the discussion compares this view with Matthew’s description of Jesus to see what they had in common. The most important results of this paper are that the Pharisees was a group who cared for their ”Oral Torah” which turned out in their rituals of which they were extremely accurate which resulted in their careful observation of the Sabbath, ritual purity, different food laws, and tithing. Jesus on the other hand though he sharply debated with them did not differ much from their practice of the Law, and he was very familiar with their art of debate. The conclusion is therefore that the Pharisees was the group of which Jesus had most in common, but with that said, the proof of Jesus being a Pharisee are too weak.