Tristan Hughes

And is that the main context in which we see the Pharisees?

We'll delve more into this later in the chat.

But in the surviving Gospels, is it in contest against Jesus because they are not convinced that he is the Messianic figure that they are expecting?

You also mentioned the word tithing there in that answer.

Is that the idea of paying a certain amount of money for prayers, for worship?

Well, we'll delve into all of that in more detail as time goes on.

But I must also ask about archaeology.

Can archaeology help us at all, Helen, when exploring the story of the Pharisees?

So we've got purity, but the interpretation of Jewish law, is that another key factor, another key belief of the Pharisees?

And by oral beliefs, do we mean like they're passed down word and mouth from generation to generation?

And the other big thing that seems very important, resurrection.

This was a big deal to the Pharisees.

By that also, the emergence of that belief harkening back to the 2nd century BC against the Seleucid Empire, the Hellenistic Kingdom, and the Maccabean Revolt, do you think that could intertwine with the origins of the whole movement of the Pharisees?

Do we think their origins stretch that far back?

So the Hasmoneans, they're the dynasty, shall we say, that comes to power after they throw off the Seleucids.

They are the rulers who take over Judea and independent Judea after victory in the Maccabean revolt.

And the Pharisees, they really thrive at that time, do we think?

Do we get a sense of who were more likely to become Pharisees?

Are they more kind of high-ranking figures?

Or do we have any idea of the backgrounds of people who did become Pharisees?