quote: 'at the time of herod, pharisees administered the jewish legal system as presidents of the pharisaic high court. there they dispensed mosaic law, ran the world system of synagogue worship and were responsible for suppression of heretical doctrine. due to their absense from the political arena and importance in maintaining the fabric of jewish society, pharisees became the only religious group tolerated by romans after destruction of the 3rd temple in 70BC. almost by default, pharisees became the sole religious authority of israel. absense of the central temple was not an issue for pharisees because they were a cult of the legal system, not the temple. from the roman perspective, the most important point was that they were not nationalistic militants.'