Though the term Pharisee is often used in a derogatory sense today the Pharisees in New Testament times were deeply committed to moral behavior and a scholarly approach to the Scriptures. However, their stance on morality included a rigid adherence to behavioral aspects of Mosaic Law that turned into hollow legalism. They believed in a literal afterlife and the bodily resurrection of the dead.

They differed significantly from the Pharisees in their theology because they did not believe in a literal afterlife OR a bodily resurrection, which is why they were so sad you see. That is a tip on remembering the major difference between them and the Pharisees.

They were a monastic group, meaning they felt called to separate from society in preparation for the end of the world. They felt the end times were imminent and it was their duty to withdraw and patiently, passively, await the apocalypse.

They are on the other side of the apocalyptic coin. They believed their actions would directly influence when and how the apocalypse occurred. Specifically, they believed they were called to commit acts of violence against the Roman occupiers and to incite others to revolution. They were very similar to the Pharisees except for their fanatical, anti-Roman, militancy.