Editing Pharisees (section)

===Hasmonean period===
{{main|Hasmoneans|Maccabees}}
Although the Pharisees did not support the wars of expansion of the Hasmoneans and the forced conversions of the Idumeans, the political rift between them became wider when a Pharisee named Eleazar insulted the Hasmonean ethnarch John Hyrcanus at his own table, suggesting that he should abandon his role as High Priest due to a rumour (probably untrue) that he had been conceived while his mother was a prisoner of war. In response, he distanced himself from the Pharisees.<ref>Ant. 13.288–296.</ref><ref>Nickelsburg, 93.</ref>

After the death of John Hyrcanus, his younger son, [[Alexander Jannaeus]], made himself king, and openly sided with the Sadducees by adopting their rites in the Temple. His actions caused a riot in the Temple, and led to a brief civil war that ended with a bloody repression of the Pharisees. However, on his deathbed, Jannaeus advised his widow, [[Salome Alexandra]], to seek reconciliation with the Pharisees. Her brother was [[Shimon ben Shetach]], a leading Pharisee. Josephus attests that Salome was favorably inclined toward the Pharisees, and their political influence grew tremendously under her reign, especially in the Sanhedrin or Jewish Council, which they came to dominate.

Following Salome’s death, her elder son, [[Hyrcanus II]], was generally supported by the Pharisees. Her younger son, [[Aristobulus II]], was in conflict with Hyrcanus and tried to seize power. The Pharisees seemed to be in a vulnerable position at this time.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mRUdnEVqersC |first=Junghwa |last=Choi |title=Jewish Leadership in Roman Palestine from 70 C.E. to 135 C.E. |publisher=Brill |year=2013 |page=90 |isbn=978-9004245143 |access-date=6 October 2018}}</ref> The conflict between the two sons culminated in a civil war that ended when the [[Roman Republic|Roman]] general [[Pompey]] intervened and [[Siege of Jerusalem (63 BC)|captured Jerusalem in 63&nbsp;BC]]. Josephus' account may overstate the role of the Pharisees. He reports elsewhere that the Pharisees did not grow to power until the reign of Salome.<ref>Josephus, ''Jewish War'' 1:110</ref> As Josephus was a Pharisee, his account may represent a historical creation meant to elevate the status of the Pharisees during the height of the Hasmonean dynasty.<ref>Sievers, 155</ref>

Later texts, like the [[Mishnah]] and the [[Talmud]], record a host of rulings by rabbis, some of whom are believed to be from among the Pharisees, concerning sacrifices and other ritual practices in the Temple, torts, criminal law, and governance. In their day, the influence of the Pharisees over the lives of the common people was strong, and their rulings on Jewish law were deemed authoritative by many.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}