From The Rabbinic Traditions about the Pharisees Before 70 AD (3 vols.)
Overview Several generations of scholars have produced histories of Second Temple Judaism, but none have systematically analyzed the Pharisaic-rabbinic traditions those histories cite. Consequently, scholars often refer to rabbinic traditions about the Pharisees as though everyone knows how the Jews of this period passed on these traditions–and to what extent they are historically reliable.

Prolific scholar Jacob Neusner produces an accurate history of the Pharisaic masters and houses in the Second-Temple period in Palestine. In the first part of this three-volume set, Neusner focuses on the Pharisaic masters. In Part II, he describes the Pharisaic houses, and in Part III, he provides a summary of his ideas.