The scribes and Pharisees, however, missed the forest of faith for the trees, branches and needles of legalism. They created exhaustive lists of what people could and could not do when, where and how.

See Lauterbach, The Sadducees and the Pharisees, op. cit. p. 185 note and pp. 190-191. An echo of this ancient struggle between the lay-people and the priests is perhaps to be found in the following ...

Jesus addressed the Pharisees with a sharp remark: "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you" (Matthew 21 verse 31). How does this ...