THE SCRIBES

In the decades just before and during the time of Jesus, the dominant role of the Sadducean families was being overtaken by a new and dynamic ruling class of scribes. These men came from all classes. Some were priests, but the vast majority were merchants, artisans and laborers. Among the most famous scribes in Jesus' day, there was Shammai (a carpenter) and Hillel (a laborer).

Unlike the hereditary ancestral and financial status of the Sadducees, the authority of the scribes rested upon their learning. Anyone who wished could try to become a member of this venerated class, but he had to devote years upon years of study. A scribe to-be had already mastered the law and achieved a thorough familiarity with the scriptures by the age of 14. Thereafter he spent years in close association with a recognized scribal teacher, receiving lengthy instruction in personal conduct and application of the law in everyday situations.

Such teachers were so venerated that pupils often observed not only their teachings but their actions as well. When a student reached the point where he could make his own personal decisions on points of law and justice, he became a non ordained scholar. Only at about the age of 40 would he be formally ordained as a scribe in his own right, and from that time on he could be addressed as rabbi.

In the time of Jesus, young Jews came to Jerusalem from all over the Roman Empire to sit at the feet of the rabbis. At any given time there might have been 10 scribal schools in the Holy City. The venerated rabbi Hillel had as many as 80 pupils at a time. Much of the teaching took place in the precincts of the temple, but there were probably classrooms throughout the city.

The scribes were held in great awe and respect throughout the Jewish world. Like the prophets of old, they were thought to possess vast, secret knowledge of the workings of the Lord's power. In many ways they might be viewed as the legitimate heirs of the prophetic tradition. They could be recognized on the streets by their long, flowing robes, fringed at the corners with very long tassels. When a scribe passed, ordinary people rose as a sign of respect. They were given the place of honor at important feasts and in synagogues.