I don't think it strengthened Christianity in any way. But rabbinic Judaism as we know it was at a pivotal juncture there. The Jewish people had a strict set of laws, on for every bone in the body (although they were off by one, as modern science reveals) and now there were many of them that could no longer be followed. The rabbi's, which came out of the efforts of the Pharisee's, had the difficult task of holding the jewish faith and people together, if not for them, it would most likely have died out.