What is the difference between puritans and pharisees?

Answer 1

Puritans were a Christian religious sect in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Pharisees were a group of Jews around the time of Jesus. Both are known for their strict adherence to religious laws. The words have entered the English language with negative connotations--a "puritan" implies a purist or prude, and a "Pharisee" implies a self-righteous adherence to minute religious regulations. Both would view people not like themselves in a negative way.

Whether these connotations reflected the reality of Puritans and Pharisees, the scholars probably know more about this. I'm guessing the connotations have to do with popular perceptions.

Answer 2

The Puritans were Christians.

The majority of core tenets found in Christianity completely go against the teachings of Judaism.

Examples of Christian tenets that Judaism doesn't accept:

• Salvation: The Christian concept of salvation and grace
• Sin: The concept of original sin: Jews are born with a clean slate
• Damnation: The concept of damnation: Jews do not have a hell or any place for the wicked that is eternal and painful
• Afterlife: The concept of heaven and hell: See above
• Devil: The existence of the devil: Jews believe that the Satan is in God's good graces.
• Messiah: The Christian concept of of Messiah: Jews believe the Messiah to be a man of similar prophetic capacity to Moses
• Trinity: The concept of the trinity: Jews believe in One God without partition or difference
• Intermediaries: Praying through intermediaries: Jews pray directly to God without priests
• Son of God: The concept of a literal child of God: Jews do not hold this.
• Expiation: The idea that one man can atone for the sins of another: Jews hold that every man atones for his own sins.

These are just some examples, there are far more differences between Judaism and Christianity.

As specifically concerns Puritanism, there are additional specific differences between Judaism and Puritanism that Judaism does not necessarily have with all strains of Christianity.

• Solo Scriptorum: The idea that Bible alone shows God's will without scriptural interpretive works. Puritanism held this, while Judaism holds that additional sources are necessary.
• Predestination: The idea that some people are automatically saved and others are automatically doomed regardless of what they do in life. Puritanism held this, while Judaism holds that a person has no knowledge of what will happen to him or anyone else in the hereafter.
• Covenant of Grace/Covenant of Works: The idea that some people would do good deeds as evidence that they were the Predestined and others would do good deeds in spite of their future hell. As no amount of good deeds could save you, if you were believed to be condemned and you did good deeds, people would proclaim you a "Covenant of Works" as opposed to a "Covenant of Grace". In Judaism each person is accountable for the sins and receives credit for their good deeds before God.
• Religious Debate: Puritanism was rigid and denied the possibility of religious discussions to change or reinterpret old laws. Judaism has religious legal discussions to determine the applicability of old laws to newer or unique situations.
• Purpose of Prayer: Puritans used prayer to request God to stay his wrath and avoid hellfire. Jews use prayer to glorify God and sanctify his commandments.
• Punishments and Torture: Puritans used cruel and unusual torturous techniques to get "confessions" from those accused of crimes and enacted punishments (such as burning at the stake) which fall outside of Jewish permissions.