At least we agree on something. You think that making sense is too constraining.
I'll concede that there have been bigots and ignoramouses who have equated Jew with Pharisee with Christ-killer with root of Germany's problems with money-grubber with big-nosed crotchity money lender.
However, my assumption is that we here are at least mildly intelligent and educated people. B/c of that, we needn't appeal to some Christian folk definition of "Pharisee". Because we can read, we can at the very least, look it up in Webster's.
Agreeing with you is not the base definition of "making sense".
I'll concede that there have been bigots and ignoramouses who have equated Jew with Pharisee with Christ-killer with root of Germany's problems with money-grubber with big-nosed crotchity money lender.
And why were they able to do that?
However, my assumption is that we here are at least mildly intelligent and educated people.
And do you offer a guarantee that everyone who reads and interpretes the words of the Gospels for the next thousand years will be "mildly intelligent and educated people"?
Like Torquemada?
I'll concede that there have been bigots and ignoramouses who have equated Jew with Pharisee with Christ-killer with root of Germany's problems with money-grubber with big-nosed crotchity money lender.
Tell me again who is being precious and elusive here?