Final answer:
The Pharisees claimed that it was not lawful to work on the Sabbath, which is a day of rest from Friday evening to Saturday evening according to Jewish tradition.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Pharisees, a Jewish religious group with significant influence in the first century CE, claimed that it was not lawful to work on the Sabbath. The Sabbath, or Shabbat, is observed from Friday evening until Saturday evening and is considered a holy day of rest. According to the commandment "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy," Jewish tradition mandates that various forms of work, including trade, farming, and even carrying items in public spaces, should be refrained from to honor the sanctity of the day.
The Pharisees insisted that all Jews should adhere strictly to the laws of Moses, which included the observance of the Sabbath. This interpretation of the law was sometimes in conflict with Roman society, as noticed in the historical texts, where non-Jewish observers did not always understand or respect Sabbath observance. The Roman poet Juvenal, for instance, depicted the Jewish observance of the Sabbath as idleness in his work and used it to criticize Jewish practices. Despite the challenges faced from surrounding cultures, including enacted policies like blue laws which might align with Sabbath observance in principle by limiting work on Sundays, Jewish communities throughout history have sought to uphold and accommodate this religious practice.