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In his series of lectures on theIdea of a University, Cardinal Newman suggests that a

little learning is a dangerous thing (Newman, 377). Although he does not use this adage

completely seriously, it highlights one of the most important points of his lectures: that a shallow

acquirement of knowledge instead of a real cultivation of mind has a negative effect on ones

life. This adage limns the error of the Pharisees in the Bible, who show clearly the danger by

killing Jesus. Although they may seem merely stupid in rejecting Jesus teachings and

condemning him to death, their error lies in an incorrect acquirement and application of their

knowledge on religion. More specifically, their teachings show an illiberal view of knowledge.

Knowledge, for them cannot stand on its own and is not liberal. Instead of treating knowledge

as its own end, as something which sees more than the senses convey; which reasons upon what

it sees (Newman 85), they repeatedly show an illiberal view by letting other matters such as

taste intrude upon knowledge. Also, they constrain their knowledge to details, and repeatedly

twist their religious knowledge to serve their purposes.

Jesus repeatedly admonishes the Pharisees for their concern with superficial ornaments

and their gaudiness, both in their temple and in their actions. This concern with taste rather

than actual truth shows their illiberal view of religious knowledge. Newman portrays their views

as where, virtue being only one kind of beauty, the principle which determines what is virtuous

is, not conscience, but taste (Newman 151). The Pharisees believe that the value of their altars

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is determined by the beautiful gold on it, not the altar itself. Jesus accuses them of thinking,

Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the

sanctuary is bound by the oath (Matt. 23.16). He then scolds them for holding this view saying,

For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the

altar, swears by it and everything on it; and whoever swears by the sanctuary swears..by the

throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it (Matt. 23.19-23.22). The Pharisees only

worship the beauty and the worth of the gold on the altar without considering its deeper meaning

or the God behind it.

However, this is not the only instance that the Pharisees show their superficiality in their

religion. During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus refers to the Pharisees superficiality. He tells

the crowd, Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them..So

whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the

synagogues and in the streetsAnd whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they

love to stand and pray in the synagogues and the street corners.When you are praying do not

heap up empty phrases (Matt. 6.1-6.7). Although Jesus does not refer to the Pharisees directly,

he is obviously referring to them, as he also refers to the Pharisees as hypocrites when he is

listing their woes in chapter twenty three of Matthew. The Pharisees, here, think that a public

show of their devotion to God must be good, because as Newman paraphrases their view, To

seem becomes to be; what looks fair will be good (Newman 153). Like their devotion to the

gold in the altar, the Pharisees have confused the appearance of devotion with true devotion.

They have let superficial taste and beauties intrude upon knowledge, which is supposed to be an

objective, unvarying, and absolute truth, unlike taste. For them, knowledge cannot stand on its

own without the trappings of beauty. Jesus describes them perfectly, as whitewashed tombs

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which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all

kinds of filth (Matt. 23.27-23.28).

The superficiality of the Pharisees also leads them to focus on minor details of Mosaic

Law. Their concern with minor details instead of a broader view of their religion shows an

illiberal view of religious knowledge. Newman describes this attitude, as people who do not

realize that, knowledge is something more than a sort of passive reception of scraps and details

(Newman 111). The Pharisees are able to recite a list of these details in their laws, and they

constantly attempt trap Jesus or trick him into speaking against these laws. For example, they

question him for allowing his disciples to pick grain during the Sabbath, Look your disciples are

doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath (Matt. 12.2). Jesus responds by reminding them that the

overall vision of God is to desire mercy and not sacrifice (Matt 12.7). However, the Pharisees

further try to trap Jesus by asking if It is lawful to cure on the Sabbath (Matt. 12.10). Jesus

again responds, It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath! (Matt.12.12). In both instances, they

demonstrate a preoccupation with following a minor detail of law, even if it means going to

extremes. Their preoccupation with detail actually contradicts Jesus teachings and therefore

Gods laws. Newman summarizes this very succinctly, saying they defraud us of the whole by

their anxiety about the parts (Newman 106). At the conclusion of the Pharisees interrogation of

Jesus regarding specific details in the law, they send another man out to test him, asking, Which

commandment in the law is the greatest? Jesus responds by saying, You shall love the lord

your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind (Matt. 22.35-

22.38). This response is apt, because the Pharisees are so concerned with minor details such as

the Sabbath or taxes to the emperor that they have disregarded this most important of the

commandments. It is as if they strain out a gnat but swallow a camel (Mat 23.24) as Jesus says.

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The Pharisees concern with the details of religious knowledge removes them from

seeing the great outlines of knowledge, the principles on which it rests, the scale of its parts, its

lights its shades (Newman 76). Their knowledge is illiberal and has a limited scope and is

fettered to details.