Pharisee

Strict law observer

A Pharisee was a member of an ancient Jewish sect known for strict observance of religious law and tradition.

In the New Testament, Pharisees often appear as Jesus's critics, which gave rise to the word's extended meaning: a self-righteous person who emphasizes rules over spirit, or who holds others to standards they don't meet themselves.

Don't be such a Pharisee about it.

hypocrite

sanctimony

Feigned moral superiority

self-righteousnessSmug moral superiority
pretenseDeceptive outward show
duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior

insincerity · holier-than-thou · posturing · two-faced · moralizing · pietism · showiness · ostentation · lip service · facade

historical

Sanhedrin

Jewish high court

SadduceesPriestly Jewish faction
EssenesAncient ascetic Hebrew sect
Second TempleRebuilt Jerusalem sanctuary

Hellenism · Jerusalem · Galilee · scribe · oral law · purity laws · tithing · Nicodemus · Paul

religious

Torah

Judaism's core scripture

mitzvahJewish law commandment
SabbathWeekly religious rest day
synagogueJewish house of worship

rabbi · Talmud · Mishnah · ritual purity · tefillin · kosher · prayer · tradition · observance · commandments

judgmental

censorious

Severely critical in judgment

condemnatoryExpressing severe disapproval
legalisticExcessively focused on technicalities
nitpickingExcessive focus on trivialities

fault-finding · hair-splitting · condemning · accusatory · unforgiving · rigid · dogmatic · letter of the law · technicality · strictness

Pharisee

sanctimony

Sanhedrin

Torah

censorious

Pharisee

Opposites

Categories

Family