“If we were looking for a term in English that had a similar etymology and cachet as ‘Pharisee,’ it would be something like the term ‘Puritan.’ Both words indicate some kind of desire for separation and holiness. Like Pharisaism, Puritanism was noble in its founding, had some glorious exemplars, was doctrinally rigorous, went to seed after a few centuries, and is now easy to mock.”
American Milk and Honey, p. 56