The Pharisees probably developed from the early hasidim. From these folk, Judaism has generated much of the modern rabbinic tradition. This has been the historically accepted view, though other opinions exist. “Until recently scholars spoke readily of a normative Judaism, as if rabbinic Judaism (and its antecedents) was always the dominant and authentic expression of Judaism.”11 In this comment, Shaye J.D. Cohen presents an alternative understanding. He continues, “For the believer rabbinic Judaism