The OP's term "inside Christian teachings" raises problems because the Pharisees are portrayed in various ways in the Bible and in Christian tradition. Most of us know of the negative qualities usually associated with Pharisaism--legalism, hypocrisy, intolerance, self-righteousness, hard-heartedness, etc. Fewer Christians are aware of the positive characteristics of Pharisaism and individual Pharisees in the Bible and Christian teachings.
Today, Christian scholars have begun to correct the one-sided characterization of Pharisees in Christian tradition. For example, Dr. Joseph Sievers of the Biblical Pontifical Institute has teamed up with Jewish scholar Amy-Jill Levine to produce The Pharisees, described as "a multidisciplinary appraisal of who the Pharisees actually were, what they believed and taught, and how they have been depicted throughout history." Meanwhile Protestant professor Kent L. Yinger of George Fox University has written a book with the same title which "challenges [us] to re-read the gospel stories with real Pharisees in mind rather than caricatures."
With this in mind, here are some biblical facts that Christians often overlook:
- Pharisees could be broad-minded.
Hillel the Elder, the greatest Pharisee of the generation prior to Jesus, gladly taught gentiles as well as Jews, famously declaring "Do not unto others what is hateful to you." His grandson, Gamaliel I, later defended the leaders of the Early Church in the Book of Acts.
- Pharisees taught the Golden Rule.
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying,
“Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him,
“What is written in the law? How do you read?” And he answered,
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all
your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and
your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:25-27)
Nicode′mus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them [the Pharisees], said
to them, “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a
hearing and learning what he does?” (Acts 7:50-51)
Another Pharisee (Simon of Capernaum) invited Jesus to dine with him as an honored guest. (Luke 7:36)**
Pharisees warned Jesus that Herod Antipas sought his life (Luke 13:31)
Pharisees joined the Early Church. (Acts 15:5)**
Paul called himself a Pharisee long after he became a Christian.**
When Paul perceived that one part were Sad′ducees and the other
Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a
son of Pharisees. (Acts 23:6)
In addition, we should be aware that one of the characteristics of Pharisaism in Jesus' day was the diversity of opinion among the Pharisees. Adherents of Hillel's school tended to be more broadminded, while those who followed Shammai were more strict. Some of the issues that Jesus debated with "the Pharisees" (hand-washing, association with sinners, healing on the Sabbath etc.) indicate that his opponents were likely members of the "House of Shammai" rather than of Hillel. An exception is Jesus teaching on divorce, where he agreed more with the strict line of Shammai as opposed to the liberal policy of Hillel. However, on many issues of Jewish law Jesus and the Pharisees had much in common.
Conclusion: The term "Pharisee" generally has negative connotations in Christian tradition. But a closer examination shows that the stereotypical characterization of the Pharisees is unfair. Christian scholarship today has begun to correct this.
