an interesting aspect of the ongoing debate over the christian use of "pharisee" to disparage bad christians is that Jesus's criticisms of the pharisees don't seem to have originated with him
josephus has a very similar critique:
"And now the Pharisees joined themselves to [Queen Alexandra], to assist her in the government. These are a certain sect of the Jews that appear more religious than others, and seem to interpret the laws more accurately. Now Alexandra hearkened to them to an extraordinary degree, as being herself a woman of great piety towards God. But these Pharisees artfully insinuated themselves into her favor by little and little, and became themselves the real administrators of the public affairs: they banished and reduced whom they pleased; they bound and loosed [men] at their pleasure; and, to say all at once, they had the enjoyment of the royal authority, whilst the expenses and the difficulties of it belonged to Alexandra. She was a sagacious woman in the management of great affairs, and intent always upon gathering soldiers together; so that she increased the army the one half, and procured a great body of foreign troops, till her own nation became not only very powerful at home, but terrible also to foreign potentates, while she governed other people, and the Pharisees governed her."
What does this say about the Pharisees? Not much, as Josephus was a known traitor and informant against the Jews. But it does show that Jesus wasn't just making stuff up about them; he was echoing a common critique from the time. Whether it was true or not is another story. Both Josephus and the Gospels were likely interfered with by powerful Romans who saw value in discrediting the most popular Jewish movement of the time.
