Scriptural Exegesis and the Pharisees in Josephus

The Pharisees are described by Josephus as ‘accurate exegetes (?ἐ ξηγητα ὶ?) of the ancestral laws’. This epithet is also used to describe other legal instructional activity, such as that of the seven wise men in chapter one of the book of Esther. An analysis of this word based on its use in ancient Greek sources shows that it does not imply textual interpretation, but rather the categorical instruction in law, especially unwritten, traditional (sacral) law. Indeed, there is little evidence in the writings of Josephus or Philo for the sustained public study and interpretation of the text of Scripture, except by special groups such as the Essenes and Theraputae. Rather, both authors emphasise public instruction in laws, leading to their widespread familiarity. This suggests a revision of the common view of the Pharisees as interpreters of Scripture and of the putative centrality of Scriptural textual activity during the Second Temple period.