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And it is not uncommon to see scholars, buoyed by popularity, seize the authority and set themselves over generations of biblical authorities.

Biblical scholarship can be weak and ineffectual it can also be dishonest and destructive. Unfortunately, such learning can be more of a hindrance than a help. The Church desperately needs spiritual leaders who are biblical scholars. In Christianity the "learned" have always been influential and with that influence comes authority. And whatever level of government they served, they sought to preserve Judaism against opponents like Jesus. It is clear from the many witnesses that the scribes had authority because they had knowledge. Luke portrays them as an appendage of the Pharisees, learned men who were protecting Judaism, and leaders who were associated with the Chief Priests. Matthew presents them as the learned of Judaism, leaders of the community. As such they were part of many types of officials opposed to Jesus. Mark portrays them as high officials, advisors to the chief priests, and teachers of the Law. In the New Testament period the scribes were learned teachers and authoritative leaders, who were drawn from the priests and Levites, as well as the common people. In the Talmudic period the roles of the scribe and the wise were assimilated into the title Rabbi. 9 At this period they were credited with less authority than they seem to have in the Bible. 8 They were influential in Judaism, to be sure the Mishnah circumscribes but does not condemn their authority. In Rabbinic literature they are the early authoritative teachers to whom a large number of rulings and legal interpretations are attributed. Because they depended on the wealthy for their training and their positions, they were loyal to the chief priests and leaders. But they mostly lived in Jerusalem and associated with the priests: they were expert in judicial procedures, helpful in the enforcement of Jewish law and custom, and even joined the governing class and served on the Sanhedrin. They might be lower level scribes who served the villages as village scribes, making contracts, documents, and serving as government officials. They were basically bureaucrats, experts on Jewish life and law. The scribes do not seem to be a coherent social group with membership. But there were also Temple scribes who occupied themselves recording, teaching, and ruling on points of law. Saldarini concludes that in the New Testament they could be mid-level officials serving the king (p. 6Īccording to Josephus, scribes were officials at all levels of government. 5 And Ben Sirais an important witness his primary calling was as a biblical scholar, a teacher of the Law, and a representative of the class of soferim. According to Ben Sira a scribe was also a wise man who had comprehensive knowledge. "Scribe" became a title for a learned guardian of the Law. In the Maccabean period the scribes were prominent leaders of society they were now an institution. 3 In the Book of Deuteronomy we are told that the Levites were the teachers of the Law but from the Hellenistic period on this task was shared by scribes who may or may not have been connected to the priestly or Levitical heritage-they took their place beside the priests. Moreover, more specialized activities were included the scribes were also philosophers, sophists, councilors, and teachers. Under the influence of the Greek world, non-priests were added to the scribal class in greater numbers. With so many complicated materials involved with the transmission of the holy writings, professional, well-trained scribes were absolutely essential. Most of them were probably priests, or linked with priestly groups.

Those who did the work very quickly became authorities on the text. If there had not been copyists and interpreters, there would have been no transmission of the biblical text. In the Old Testament the best-known scribe is Ezra because he was both a scribe and a priest, he was a very powerful religious leader (Ez. All ancient peoples had large numbers of scribes for the transmission of religious texts and other legal and historical documents. 1 Josephus does not list them as a distinct group.

In the Mishnah they are presented as pre-rabbinic teachers with authority, as well as copyists and teachers. In the New Testament they are associated with the Pharisees and the High Priests as opponents of Jesus. The scribes make up another group of individuals who enjoyed the authority of leadership in Israel.