The Pharisees are at various times a political party, a social movement, and a school of thought in the Holy Land during the time of Second Temple Judaism.

After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Pharisaic beliefs become the foundational, liturgical and ritualistic basis for Rabbinic Judaism (the term 'Judaism' today almost always refers to Rabbinic Judaism).

Conflicts between Pharisees and Sadducees take place in the context of much broader and longstanding social and religious conflicts among Jews, made worse by the Roman conquest.

Another conflict is cultural, between those who favor Hellenization (the Sadducees) and those who resis it (the Pharisees). A third is juridico-religious, between those who emphasize the importance of the Second Temple with its rites and services, and those who emphasize the importance of other Mosaic Laws.

A fourth point of conflict, specifically religious, involves different interpretations of the Torah and how to apply it to current Jewish life, with Sadducees recognizing only the Written Torah (with Greek philosophy) and rejecting doctrines such as the Oral Torah, the Prophets, the Writings, and the resurrection of the dead.

Josephus (37 – c. 100 CE), a Pharisee, estimates the total Pharisee population before the fall of the Second Temple to be around 6,000.

Josephus claims that Pharisees received the full-support and goodwill of the common people, apparently in contrast to the more elite Sadducees, who were the upper class.

Pharisees claim Mosaic authority for their interpretation of Jewish Laws, while Sadducees represent the authority of the priestly privileges and prerogatives established since the days of Solomon, when Zadok, their ancestor, officiated as High Priest.

The phrase "common people" in Josephus' writings suggests that most Jews were "just Jewish people", distinguishing them from the main liturgical groups.

Outside of Jewish history and literature, Pharisees have been made notable by references in the New Testament to conflicts with John the Baptist and with Jesus.

There are also several references in the New Testament to the Apostle Paul being a Pharisee.

The relationship between Early Christianity and Pharisees is not always hostile however: e.g. Gamaliel is often cited as a Pharisaic leader who was sympathetic to Christians.

Christian tradition draws attention to the Pharisees.