- Role and Profession: Scribes were educated men who focused on the study and interpretation of the law, making it their professional duty to document and explain legal texts. They were responsible for writing, copying, and interpreting the scriptures.
- Pre-Exilic Scribes: Before the exile, scribes served as public writers, governmental secretaries, and copiers of the law. Notably, Ezra was one of the most prominent scribes of this period.
- Affiliation with the Pharisees: Most scribes were affiliated with the Pharisee party, but some also belonged to the Sadducees. They were deeply committed to upholding the law.
- Titles and Respect: Scribes were often called “rabbi,” meaning “my master” or “my teacher,” indicating the high regard in which they were held as teachers of the law.
- Lawyers and Judges: Due to their legal expertise, scribes were often consulted in legal matters and served as judges in Jewish courts, making important decisions based on their understanding of the law.
- Oral Law and Tradition: The interpretations and decisions of prominent scribes became a source of oral law, passed down as “tradition.” These traditions were intended to supplement and safeguard the written law.
- Burdens on the People: In their zeal to protect the law, scribes often imposed additional regulations and burdens on the people. These were not part of the original law but were seen as necessary to prevent transgression. Jesus criticized this practice in passages like Luke 11:46 and Matthew 23:3.
- Labor-Intensive Work: Scribes took their responsibilities seriously, with it reportedly taking about a year for a scribe to manually copy the entire Jewish Scriptures, demonstrating the meticulous care they put into preserving the texts.
Scribes in Biblical Times
Faith & Reason Nexus 
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