h originally referred to the
Christians are concealed (sometimes obviously but in other cases
probably successfully) by being referred to the Sadducees or other
extinct parties of Jews for whose reputation neither Synagogue nor
Church cared.

{16}

Owing to the fact that generations of Christians have seen the early
history of the Scribes and Pharisees almost wholly through glasses
coloured by early controversy, it is hard to be fair to the Pharisees.
Taken at their best they probably represent the highest form of a
religion based on codified ethics which the world has ever seen. They
did not feel that the Law was external, for it represented the will of
the Father, which could not be alien to that of his children if they
understood it aright. The "word" was not in heaven or across the sea,
but very nigh unto them, in their mouth and in their heart that they
might do it. That is to say, the Law was not something imposed
entirely from without by a wholly external authority, but was rather
the very perfect expression of what man would of himself choose to do
if he had perfect knowledge. Thus the best of the Pharisees no doubt
felt that obedience to the Law and to tradition was a labour of love,
and the story which is told of the death of Akiba may be regarded as
typical of the best both of his predecessors and successors. He was
being put to death by torture when the hour came that every pious Jew
repeats the Shema, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart
and with all thy soul." He recited as far as "with all thy heart," and
then stopped and smiled. "How," said one of the bystanders, "can you
smile when you are dying in agony?" "Every day," he replied, "have I
repeated these words, and I could say without hesitation that I loved
the Lord with all my heart, but to {17} say that I loved him with all
my soul, that is to say, with all my life, was hard, for how can a man
say what he has done with his life before the day of his death? But
now that the day of my death has come and the hour for repeating the
Shema has returned, and I have loved the Lord my God with all my heart
and with all my life, why should I not smile?"[8]

It is not surprising that it was the school of these men who saved the
Jewish Church from extinction when the nation was destroyed; neither is
it surprising, though it is sad, that there was deep hatred between
them and the Christians; for in religion, as in other things, a really