Which statement describes the Pharisees?

• A. They were a political faction within the Roman administration.
• B. They were a Samaritan sect with purification rituals.
• C. They were followers of Jesus known for miracles.
• D. They were a Jewish religious group devoted to strict observance of the Torah and oral tradition.

Answer: (D)

Pharisees were a Jewish religious group known for strict adherence to the Torah and to an oral tradition that explained and expanded the written law. They taught that both the written Law and its oral interpretations guided daily life, worship, and purity practices, and they held to beliefs such as the resurrection of the dead. This emphasis helped shape Rabbinic Judaism after the Temple’s destruction. They were not a Roman political faction, not a Samaritan sect, and not followers of Jesus known for miracles.