Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 11.djvu/862

 PHARSALUS

790

FHASELIS

pogiios. Ami salut.ilions in the iiuirkct placo, and Co l>f i-alli-il l>y iiu'ii, Rabbi" (Malt., xxiii, 1-S). 'J'lu'ii follows the terrible arraignment of the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy, their rapacity, and tlxeir blindness (ibid., 13-3G).

After the conflicts with Rome (a. u. 60-135) Phar- isjiisni became ]>raetically synonymous with Judaism. The great Maccabean wars had defined I'harisaism: another even more terrible conflict gave it a final ascendancy. The result of both wars was to create from the second century onward, in the bosom of a tenacious race, thetype of Judaism known to the west- ern world. A study of the early history of Pharisa- ism re\o:ils a certain moral dignity and greatness, a marked tenacity of purpose at the service of high, patriotic, and religious ideals. As contrasted with the Sadducees (q. v.), the Pharisees represented the demo- cratic tendency; contrasted with the priesthood, they stood for both the democratic and the spiritualizing tendency. By virtue of the Law itself the jjriesthood was an exclusive class. No man was allowed to exer- cise a function in the Temple unless he was able to trace his descent from a priestly family. The Phar- isees consequently founil their main function in teach- ing and preaching. Their work was chiefly connectiMl with the synagogues, and embraced the schooling of children and missionary efforts among the heathen tribes. Thus, in a sense, Pharisaism helped to clear the ground and prepare the way for Christianity. It was the Pharisees who made idealized nationalism, baseil upon the monotheism of the i)r(i])hets, the very essence of Judaism. To them we are indebted for the great apocalypses, Daniel and Enoch, and it was they who made common the belief in the resurrection and future reward. In a word, their pedagogical influence was an important factor in training the national will and purpose for the introduction of Christianity. This great work, however, was marred by many de- fects and limitations. Though standing for the spirit- ualizing tendency, Pharisaism developed a proud and arrogant orthodoxy and an exaggerated formalism, which insisted on ceremonial tletails at the expense of the more important precejits of the Law (JSIatt., xxiii, 23-28). The importance attached to descent from Abraham (Matt., iii, 9) obscured the deeper spiritual issues and created a narrow, exclusive na- tionalism incapable of understanding a imiversal Church destined to include Gentile as well as Jew. It was oidy through the revelation received on the road to Dainaseus, that Saul the Pharisee was enabled to comprehend a church where all are equally the "seed of Abraham", all "one in Christ Jesus" (Gal., iii, 28-9). This exclusi\-ism, together with their over valuation of external leviticnl observances, caused the Pharisees to be ranged in opposition to what is known as prophetism, which in both the Okl and New Testament places the main emphasis on character and the religious spirit, and thus they in- curred not only the vehement reproaches of the Pre- cursor (Matt., iii, 7 .seq.), but also of the Saviour Himself (Matt., xxiii, 2.5 seq.).

The Pharisees are seen at their best when con- trasted with the Zealots on one hand, and with the Herodians on the other. L^nlike the Zealots, it was their policy to abstain from the appeal to armed force. It was their belief that the God of the nation con- trolled all historic destinies, and that in His own good time He would satisfy the long frustrated desires of His chosen people. Meanwhile the duty of all true Israelites consisted in whole-hearted devotion ic the Law, and to the manifoUl observances whici, their numerous traditions had engrafted upon it, joined to a patient waiting for the exiiected manifestation of the Divine Will. The Zealots on the contrary bitterly resented the Roman domination and would have hastened with the sword the fulfilment of the Messi- anic hope. It is well known that during the great

rebellion and the siege of Jerusalem, which ended in its destruction (a. d. 70), the fanatic^ism of the Zealots made them terrible opponents not only (o t lie Komaiis, but also to the other factions among their own coun- trymen. On the other hand, the extreme faction of the Sadducees, known as the Herodians, w.'is in sym- pathy with the foreign rulers and pagan cullure, and even looked forward to a restoration of the national kingdom umler one olllie dcsrendaiils of King Herod. Vet we find (he Pharisees making conunon cause with the Herodians in their opposition to the Sa\iour (Mark, iii, 6; xii, 13, etc.).

GlGOT, Outlines of Neiv Testament History (New York. 1902), 74 sqq.; Le Camus, L'CEume des Apdires, I (Paris, la05). 133; Farrar. The Life and Work of St. Paul (New York, 1880), 26-39; Eaton in Hastings, Did. of the Bible, s. v.; Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, passim.

J.\MES F. Driscoll.

Pharsalus, titular see and suffragan of L;irissa in Thessaly. The city is mentioned for the first- time after the Persian war. In 44.') ii. c. it was unsuccess- fully besieged by the Athenian Mvronides (Thucyd., 1, III), in:jlt5"it was seized by'Midias, tyrant of Laris.sa (Diodorus Siculus, Xl\', s'Ji, and it was finally forced to submit to .lason of Pliera' (Xcnojih., "Ilel- len.", VI, 1, 2); in 191 the consul .\cilius Glabrio made it over to Antiochus, King of Syria. It is specially famous for the victory of 9 August, 48 B. r., won by Ca?sar from Pompey, after the latter had killed 1.5,000 men. At the time of Pliny (Hist. Nat., IV, 1.5) it was a free city. In the sixth century A. D. it was made a port of Thessaly ("HieroclisSynecdemus", ed. Burckhardt, 642, 13); in the time of Constantine Por- phyrogenetus, it belonged to the theme of Macedonia (op. cit., .50, 6). In 1881 it was ceded by Turkey with Thessaly to Greece. Of the three Greek bishops mentioneil by Le Quien (Oriens christianus, II, 116), it is doubtful if the first belonged to this see, but this list could easily be completed. At the beginning of the tenth century Pharsalus still remained sufTra- gan of Larissa (Gelzer, "LTngedruckte . . . Texte der NotitisEpiscopatuum ", 5.57); about 970 (op. cit., 572) it became an autocephalous archbishopric; in 1300 it was elevated by Andronicus II to metropolitan dignity; at the close of the fifteenth century it was again suffragan of Larissa. Later it was united to the Diocese of Phanarion, and was suppressed only to be replaced (1900) by the Sees of Phanarus and Thes- saliotides. Pharsala numbers 2500 inhabitants, of whom nearly half are Turks. The Greeks were de- feated there'in 1897.

Leake, Northern Greece, IV, 484; Smith, Diet, of Creek ^nn,l Roman Geography, s. V. S. VaILHIO.

Phaselis, titular see in Lycia, suffragan of Myra. The city was a Doric colony on the Pamphylian Gulf. Situated on an isthmus separating two harbours, it owed to this fortunate location the fact that it became an important centre of commerce between (ireece, Asia, Egyjit,;md Pluenicia. although it did not belong to the confederation of l.yrian cities. The jiirates of Cilicia were allied with it, first through business inter- course, then by treaty. After the capture of Olympus P. Servilius laid siege to it. It was defended by Zeni- cetus, who, being unable to hold it, set fire to the city and plunged into the flames together with his compan- ions. Phaselis recovered from this disa,ster. How-- ever, as early as the Roman period the little harbour had become a swamp exhaling pestilential vapours, and the situation grew worse until the city was in com- plete decay. There was a temple of Athene at Phase- lis, where the lance of Achilles was exhibited. It was the birthplace of the poet and orator Theodectes. It was also renowned for its roses, from which the essence was extracted. There was invented the bark called (paarfKoi which figures on all the coins of the city. Therewiisa Roman colony at Phaselis about 139 B.C., for the Romans wrote to the inhabitants to send help