were ‘poor’, at least in the eyes of the Pharisees, more from a religious perspective than on a socio-economic classification. Even the wealthy could be known as ‘poor’ if they did not follow the Pharisaic concept of purity, but they could be called ‘righteous’ or ‘honourable’ if they practised charity (e.g. Abraham and Job—see Jub. and T. Job). At the same time, it was recognized that even with plenty of charity the rich and powerful would tend to oppress the righteous. In other words, in this world,