Changes

==History==

==History==

 

An historical connection between ritual and scribal functions derives from the demand for fiscal organization of temple operations (for example, in [[Mesopotamia]] and [[Ancient Egypt]] most of the earliest writings are associated with temple records). The scribal function of composing private legal documents is widely attested in Mesopotamia and Egypt before, during, and after the Biblical period. In the earlier Hebrew writings, a scribe was one skilled in writing and accounts. They may have served as counselors, or have borne the responsibility of supervising the entire workforce of the people or for mustering the army as marshals <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+5%3A6-14&version=RSVCE Exodus 5:6-14] ''see'' [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/exodus/5-6.htm ''interlinear text of'' Exodus 5:6 "''officers''" '''שֹׁטְרָ֖יו''' ''šō·ṭə·rāw'']; <br> [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+5%3A14&version=RSVCE Judges 5:14]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Samuel+20%3A23-26&version=RSVCE 2 Samuel 20:23-26]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+4%3A7-19&version=RSVCE 1 Kings 4:7-19]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Chronicles+26%3A11&version=RSVCE 26:11]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+52%3A24-25&version=RSVCE Jeremiah 52:24-25]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Maccabees+5%3A42&version=RSVCE 1&nbsp;Maccabees 5:42]</ref>.  

An historical connection between ritual and scribal functions derives from the demand for fiscal organization of temple operations (for example, in [[Mesopotamia]] and [[Ancient Egypt]] most of the earliest writings are associated with temple records). The scribal function of composing private legal documents is widely attested in Mesopotamia and Egypt before, during, and after the Biblical period. In the earlier Hebrew writings, a scribe was one skilled in writing and accounts. They may have served as counselors, or have borne the responsibility of supervising the entire workforce of the people or for mustering the army as marshals <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+5%3A6-14&version=RSVCE Exodus 5:6-14] ''see'' [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/exodus/5-6.htm ''interlinear text of'' Exodus 5:6 "''officers''" '''שֹׁטְרָ֖יו''' ''šō·ṭə·rāw'']; <br> [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+5%3A14&version=RSVCE Judges 5:14]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Samuel+20%3A23-26&version=RSVCE 2 Samuel 20:23-26]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+4%3A7-19&version=RSVCE 1 Kings 4:7-19]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Chronicles+26%3A11&version=RSVCE 26:11]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+52%3A24-25&version=RSVCE Jeremiah 52:24-25]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Maccabees+5%3A42&version=RSVCE 1&nbsp;Maccabees 5:42]</ref>.  

The precise role of the “scribe” is difficult to assess, for lack of source material. According to one [[rabbi]]nic tradition <ref>''Pirke Aboth'' 1:1. —[https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.1?lang=bi Pirke Abot 1 (sefaria.org)]</ref>, the oral law (according to rabbinic theology) was given to Moses on Sinai and mediated from the prophets to the generation of Simeon “the Just” by “the Great Assembly” <ref>The identification of Simon the Just is disputed; either the high priest ''circa'' 300 B.C. or his grandson, ''circa'' 210 B.C.</ref>. When this tradition is compared with the rules cited in rabbinic literature as from “the scribes,” it seems that “scribes” of the Persian and Ptolemaic periods were identical with (or at least participant in) this body of formulators of the oral law.

The precise role of the “scribe” is difficult to assess, for lack of source material. According to one [[rabbi]]nic tradition <ref>''Pirke Aboth'' 1:1. —[https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot.1?lang=bi Pirke Abot 1 (sefaria.org)]</ref>, the oral law (according to rabbinic theology) was given to Moses on Sinai and mediated from the prophets to the generation of Simeon “the Just” by “the Great Assembly” <ref>The identification of Simon the Just is disputed; either the high priest ''circa'' 300 B.C. or his grandson, ''circa'' 210 B.C.</ref>. When this tradition is compared with the rules cited in rabbinic literature as from “the scribes,” it seems that “scribes” of the Persian and Ptolemaic periods were identical with (or at least participant in) this body of formulators of the oral law.

The primary activity of the scribes as the body of teachers in [[Judaism]] whose office was to interpret the Law of Moses began with the cessation of the activity of the Prophets. In the time of [[Ezra]] the priest, the collective designation of "scribes" was applied to the body of teachers who interpreted the Law to the people. Ezra himself was "a ready scribe in the laws of Moses" <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezra+7%3A1-6&version=RSVCE Ezra 7:1-6]</ref>.  

In the time of [[Ezra]] the priest, the collective designation of "scribes" was applied to the body of teachers who interpreted the Law to the people. Ezra himself was "a ready scribe in the laws of Moses" <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezra+7%3A1-6&version=RSVCE Ezra 7:1-6]</ref>.  

After the Israelites who had returned from Babylon had turned their hearts back to God, there was greater need of men to instruct the people, and to assist them in obtaining a clear understanding of the Law <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezra+7%3A10-12&version=RSVCE Ezra 7:10-12], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezra+7%3A21-28&version=RSVCE 21-28]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nehemiah+8%3A1-8&version=RSVCE Nehemiah 8:1-8], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nehemiah+8%3A18&version=RSVCE 18] </ref>. As a general rule the term "''soferim''" refers to the body of teachers the first of whom was Ezra and the last Simeon the Just (''circa'' 300 [[BCE and CE|B.C.]]). By his priestly lineage <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezra+7%3A1-6&version=RSVCE Ezra 7:1-6]</ref> Ezra symbolized the close connection between the priesthood and this official interpretation of the law which existed probably until the 2nd century B.C. Although the activity of the scribes was manifold, their main object was to teach the [[Torah]] to the Jewish masses, and to the Jewish youth in particular. It was they who established schools. Their mode of teaching is indicated in Nehemiah 8:8  

After the Israelites who had returned from Babylon had turned their hearts back to God, there was greater need of men to instruct the people, and to assist them in obtaining a clear understanding of the Law <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezra+7%3A10-12&version=RSVCE Ezra 7:10-12], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezra+7%3A21-28&version=RSVCE 21-28]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nehemiah+8%3A1-8&version=RSVCE Nehemiah 8:1-8], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Nehemiah+8%3A18&version=RSVCE 18] </ref>. The primary activity of the scribes as the body of teachers in [[Judaism]] whose office was to interpret the Law to the people began with the cessation of the activity of the Prophets. In the later times of the Old Testament, especially after the captivity, then through the [[Hasmoneans|Hasmonean]] period, and in the New Testament, a scribe, a ''sofer'', is a person known as one skilled in the Jewish law, a teacher or interpreter of the law <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+2%3A17-24&version=RSVCE Romans 2:17-24]</ref>.

 

The scribes were essentially Biblical interpreters, for occasional scribal rules not strictly [[Sola scriptura|based on Scripture]] caused later rabbis considerable consternation <ref>Kelim 13:7. —[https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Kelim.13?lang=bi Mishnah Kelim 13 (sefaria.org)]</ref>. The priest-scribe was considered particularly pious by virtue of his knowledge of the revealed will of God, a feature of rabbinic understanding of [[piety]]. The rules and practices established by the scribes acquired a binding authority, particularly with the specially orthodox of later first century New Testament times. One tradition ascribes greater authority to their teachings than to the written law <ref>MSanh. 11:3. —[https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Sanhedrin.11?lang=bi Mishnah Sanhedrin 11 (sefaria.org)]</ref>, and a [[proselyte]] was required to follow the scribal traditions as well as the simply interpreted written law <ref>''Siphra'' on Lev 19:34. —[https://www.sefaria.org/Sifra?lang=bi ''see'' Sifra (sefaria.org)]</ref>. During the Maccabean revolt a company of scribes “sought justice” for redress of grievances from the Seleucid-appointed high priest, Alcimus, in the mistaken confidence that since he was “a priest of the line of Aaron” ([https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Maccabees+7%3A12-18&version=RSVCE 1 Maccabees 7:12-18]) they believed they had nothing to fear. This fact reflects an abiding sense of cooperation between the scribes and the established priesthood before and during that period. At the time of the Maccabean revolt the “party lines”  between the Sadducees and the scribes devoted to the Torah had in all probability not yet been drawn. This devotedly cooperative spirit of the “pious” ([[Hasidism|Chasidim]]) and the scribes toward the priestly class of Israel before the time of Christ highlights the contrast of the later development of distrust in the period from the high priesthood of [[John Hyrcanus]] 134 B.C through almost two centuries, when the priestly [[Sadducees]] opposed those who were descended from the scribes, the rabbis and Pharisees as corruptors of doctrine by their interpretive additions, traditions and commentaries on the Torah before the destruction of the temple A.D. 70 <ref>See [https://biblehub.com/john/7-49.htm John 7:49].</ref>.

 

The plural term "soferim" was sometimes used, particularly in the post-[[Maccabee|Maccabean]] time, to designate teachers generally. As a general rule the term refers to the body of teachers the first of whom was Ezra and the last Simeon the Just (''circa'' 300 [[BCE and CE|B.C.]]). By his priestly lineage <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezra+7%3A1-6&version=RSVCE Ezra 7:1-6]</ref> Ezra symbolized the close connection between the priesthood and this official interpretation of the law which existed probably until the 2nd century B.C. Although the activity of the scribes was manifold, their main object was to teach the [[Torah]] to the Jewish masses, and to the Jewish youth in particular. It was they who established schools. Their mode of teaching is indicated in Nehemiah 8:8  

:"So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading."  

:"So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading."  

The scribes always connected with the text of the Torah the laws which they deduced from the Biblical passages: they read the passage, explained it, and then deduced the law contained in it. From the time of Ezra, the scribes also occupied themselves with plans for raising Judaism to a higher intellectual plane. They were active in reviving the use of Hebrew, which to a great extent had been forgotten during the exile in Babylon.  

The scribes always connected with the text of the Torah the laws which they deduced from the Biblical passages: they read the passage, explained it, and then deduced the law contained in it. From the time of Ezra, the scribes also occupied themselves with plans for raising Judaism to a higher intellectual plane. They were active in reviving the use of Hebrew, which to a great extent had been forgotten during the exile in Babylon.  

In the later times of the Old Testament, especially after the captivity, then through the [[Hasmoneans|Hasmonean]] period, a scribe, a ''sofer'', is a person known as one skilled in the Jewish law, a teacher or interpreter of the law <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+2%3A17-24&version=RSVCE Romans 2:17-24]</ref>.  

Jewish writers speak of the scribes as the schoolmasters of the nation. One mode in which they exercised their office was by meeting the people from time to time, in every town, for the purpose of holding familiar discussions, and raising questions of the law for debate. Hence "scribe" is also used for a person distinguished for learning and wisdom <ref>The fundamental question for those scholars, scribes and lawyers who devoutly studied the Torah of Moses was "What is the heart of the Law?" Compare [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22%3A35-40&version=RSVCE Matthew 22:35-40]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12%3A28-34&version=RSVCE Mark 12:28-34]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+13%3A51-52&version=RSVCE Matthew 13:51-52]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Sirach+37%3A12-39%3A11&version=RSVCE Sirach 37:12–39:11]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+2%3A12-4%3A15&version=RSVCE Romans 2:12–4:15]</ref>. The scribes (''grammateis'') of the New Testament were a class of men educated for the purpose of preserving and expounding the sacred books. They had the charge of transcribing them, of interpreting the more difficult passages, and of deciding in cases which grew out of the ceremonial law <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+2%3A1-6&version=RSVCE Matthew 2:1-6]</ref>, and were especially skilled in those glosses <ref>See [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06586a.htm '''Scriptural glosses''' (newadvent.org)]. A textual gloss is a type of commentary, sometimes a single word, intended to explain, interpret or clarify a text, either placed on the margin of the page or inserted directly into the text. The famous medieval Jewish scriptural [[scholar]] [[Rashi]] sought to make his marginal commentaries on the scriptures as simple and clear as possible so that even a child of eight could understand, sometimes with a single word for clarification. Possibly the most famous gloss in Christian history is the addition of the word "alone", inserted by Martin Luther into Paul's [[Epistle to the Romans|Letter to the Romans]]. See [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/romans/3-28.htm Romans 3:28 multiple commentaries]. <br> See also [https://beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com/2006/02/luther-added-word-alone-to-romans-328.html Luther Added The Word "Alone" to Romans 3:28? (beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com)].<br> Compare [[Dynamic equivalence]].</ref> and traditions by which the Jews made void the law <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+15%3A1-6&version=RSVCE Matthew 15:1-6]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+8%3A8&version=RSVCE Jeremiah 8:8]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Malachi+2%3A1-9&version=RSVCE Malachi 2:1-9]</ref>. Their influence was great; many of them were members of the [[Sanhedrin]]; they are mentioned in connection with the elders and chief priests in the [[The Gospels|Four Gospels]] <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A20&version=RSVCE Matthew 5:20]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A29&version=RSVCE 7:29]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+12%3A38&version=RSVCE 12:38]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+20%3A18&version=RSVCE 20:18]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+21%3A15&version=RSVCE 21:15]</ref>. Like the Pharisees, they were bitterly opposed to Christ, and joined with the priests and counselors in persecuting him and his followers, having little knowledge of Him concerning whom Moses and the prophets write. These same scribes are sometimes in parallel passages called [[Lawyers, Jewish (New Testament)|lawyers]] and doctors of the law <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22%3A35&version=RSVCE Matthew 22:35]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12%3A28&version=RSVCE Mark 12:28]</ref>. The only mention of “scribes” in John’s gospel is in [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+7%3A53-8%3A11&version=RSVCE John 7:53-8:11]. Saul of Tarsus was a highly trained scribe who had sat at the feet of the Rabban [[Gamaliel]], one of the eminent ''[[Tannaim]]'', and afterward opposed the name of Jesus and persecuted his followers to death, before he encountered the risen Lord on the road to Damascus, and was afterward baptized, becoming eventually St. Paul <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+1-2&version=RSVCE Galatians 1–2]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+14%3A1-15%21&version=RSVCE Romans 14:1–15:21]</ref>, one of the greatest [[Hermeneutics|hermeneutical]] [[scholar]]s of Old Testament scripture in support of the claims of the [[Twelve Apostles|apostles]] that Jesus of Nazareth is the ''Rab Meshiach'' of Israel and the ''Navi'' foretold by Moses <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+18%3A15&version=RSVCE Deuteronomy 18:15], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+18%3A18-19&version=RSVCE 18-19]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+9%3A20-22&version=RSVCE Acts 9:20-22]</ref>.  

 

During the Maccabean revolt a company of scribes “sought justice” for redress of grievances from the Seleucid-appointed high priest, Alcimus, in the mistaken confidence that since he was “a priest of the line of Aaron” ([https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Maccabees+7%3A12-18&version=RSVCE 1 Maccabees 7:12-18]) they believed they had nothing to fear. This fact reflects an abiding sense of cooperation between the scribes and the established priesthood before and during that period. At the time of the Maccabean revolt the “party lines”  between the Sadducees and the scribes devoted to the Torah had in all probability not yet been drawn. This devotedly cooperative spirit of the “pious” ([[Hasidism|Chasidim]]) and the scribes toward the priestly class of Israel before the time of Christ highlights the contrast of the later development of distrust in the period from the high priesthood of [[John Hyrcanus]] 134 B.C through almost two centuries, when the priestly [[Sadducees]] opposed those who were descended from the scribes, the rabbis and Pharisees as corruptors of doctrine by their interpretive additions, traditions and commentaries on the Torah before the destruction of the temple A.D. 70 <ref>See [https://biblehub.com/john/7-49.htm John 7:49].</ref>.

 

The plural term "soferim" was sometimes used, particularly in the post-[[Maccabee|Maccabean]] time, to designate teachers generally. The scribes were essentially Biblical interpreters, for occasional scribal rules not strictly [[Sola scriptura|based on Scripture]] caused later rabbis considerable consternation <ref>Kelim 13:7. —[https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Kelim.13?lang=bi Mishnah Kelim 13 (sefaria.org)]</ref>. The priest-scribe was considered particularly pious by virtue of his knowledge of the revealed will of God, a feature of rabbinic understanding of [[piety]]. The rules and practices established by the scribes acquired a binding authority, particularly with the ''specially orthodox soferim'' of later first century times. One tradition ascribes greater authority to their teachings than to the written law <ref>MSanh. 11:3. —[https://www.sefaria.org/Mishnah_Sanhedrin.11?lang=bi Mishnah Sanhedrin 11 (sefaria.org)]</ref>, and a [[proselyte]] was required to follow the scribal traditions as well as the simply interpreted written law <ref>''Siphra'' on Lev 19:34. —[https://www.sefaria.org/Sifra?lang=bi ''see'' Sifra (sefaria.org)]</ref>.

 

Jewish writers speak of the scribes as the schoolmasters of the nation. One mode in which they exercised their office was by meeting the people from time to time, in every town, for the purpose of holding familiar discussions, and raising questions of the law for debate. Hence "scribe" is also used for a person distinguished for learning and wisdom <ref>The fundamental question for those scholars, scribes and lawyers who devoutly studied the Torah of Moses was "What is the heart of the Law?" Compare [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22%3A35-40&version=RSVCE Matthew 22:35-40]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12%3A28-34&version=RSVCE Mark 12:28-34]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+13%3A51-52&version=RSVCE Matthew 13:51-52]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Sirach+37%3A12-39%3A11&version=RSVCE Sirach 37:12–39:11]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+2%3A12-4%3A15&version=RSVCE Romans 2:12–4:15]</ref>.  

 

===New Testament ''grammateis''===

 

The scribes (''grammateis'') of the New Testament were a class of men educated for the purpose of preserving and expounding the sacred books. They had the charge of transcribing them, of interpreting the more difficult passages, and of deciding in cases which grew out of the ceremonial law <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+2%3A1-6&version=RSVCE Matthew 2:1-6]</ref>, and were especially skilled in those glosses <ref>See [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06586a.htm '''Scriptural glosses''' (newadvent.org)]. A textual gloss is a type of commentary, sometimes a single word, intended to explain, interpret or clarify a text, either placed on the margin of the page or inserted directly into the text. The famous medieval Jewish scriptural [[scholar]] [[Rashi]] sought to make his marginal commentaries on the scriptures as simple and clear as possible so that even a child of eight could understand, sometimes with a single word for clarification. Possibly the most famous gloss in Christian history is the addition of the word "alone", inserted by Martin Luther into Paul's [[Epistle to the Romans|Letter to the Romans]]. See [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/romans/3-28.htm Romans 3:28 multiple commentaries]. <br> See also [https://beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com/2006/02/luther-added-word-alone-to-romans-328.html Luther Added The Word "Alone" to Romans 3:28? (beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com)].<br> Compare [[Dynamic equivalence]].</ref> and traditions by which the Jews made void the substantial meaning of the heart of the law <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+15%3A1-6&version=RSVCE Matthew 15:1-6]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+8%3A8&version=RSVCE Jeremiah 8:8]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Malachi+2%3A1-9&version=RSVCE Malachi 2:1-9]</ref>. Their influence was great; many of them were members of the [[Sanhedrin]]; they are mentioned in connection with the elders and chief priests in the [[The Gospels|Four Gospels]] <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A20&version=RSVCE Matthew 5:20]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A29&version=RSVCE 7:29]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+12%3A38&version=RSVCE 12:38]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+20%3A18&version=RSVCE 20:18]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+21%3A15&version=RSVCE 21:15]</ref>. Like the Pharisees, they were bitterly opposed to Christ, and joined with the priests and counselors in persecuting him and his followers, having little knowledge of Him concerning whom Moses and the prophets write. These same scribes are sometimes in parallel passages called [[Lawyers, Jewish (New Testament)|lawyers]] and doctors of the law <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+22%3A35&version=RSVCE Matthew 22:35]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+12%3A28&version=RSVCE Mark 12:28]</ref>. The only mention of “scribes” in John’s gospel is in [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+7%3A53-8%3A11&version=RSVCE John 7:53-8:11]. Saul of Tarsus was a highly trained scribe who had sat at the feet of the Rabban [[Gamaliel]], one of the eminent ''[[Tannaim]]'', and afterward opposed the name of Jesus and persecuted his followers to death, before he encountered the risen Lord on the road to Damascus, and was afterward baptized, becoming eventually St. Paul <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+1-2&version=RSVCE Galatians 1–2]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+14%3A1-15%21&version=RSVCE Romans 14:1–15:21]</ref>, one of the greatest [[Hermeneutics|hermeneutical]] [[scholar]]s of Old Testament scripture in support of the claims of the [[Twelve Apostles|apostles]] that Jesus of Nazareth is the ''Rab Meshiach'' of Israel and the ''Navi'' foretold by Moses <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+18%3A15&version=RSVCE Deuteronomy 18:15], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+18%3A18-19&version=RSVCE 18-19]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+9%3A20-22&version=RSVCE Acts 9:20-22]</ref>. [[Apollos]] was another who was also a Jew highly skilled and knowledgeable in the scriptures, "For he mightily convinced the Jews, ''and that'' publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ." <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Acts%2018%3A28 Acts 18:28].</ref>

 

In the Early Church, the function of the scribe as a Christian scholar and instructor in legal responsibility was preserved <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+8%3A19&version=RSVCE Matthew 8:19], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+13%3A52&version=RSVCE ''especially'' Matthew 13:52] and [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+23%3A34&version=RSVCE 23:34]</ref>, so that the Mosaic law was not abolished, but was reinterpreted and reapplied for the needs of the Christian Church <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A17-20&version=RSVCE Matthew 5:17-20]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+1%3A8&version=RSVCE 1 Timothy 1:8]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+3%3A31&version=RSVCE Romans 3:31]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+7%3A7&version=RSVCE 7:7]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A3-4&version=RSVCE 8:3-4]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+13%3A8-10&version=RSVCE '''13:8-10''']</ref>. Paul clearly understood the ''Jewish'' scribe as a [[Pilpul|dialectician]] <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+1%3A20-25&version=RSVCE 1&nbsp;Corinthians 1:20-25]</ref>, who was a scholar on the written and oral law; in Paul’s view such [[dialectic]]s were foolishness in the face of God’s saving work in Christ. He warned against those who dispute about words and [[Cafeteria Christianity#Proof texts|"proof texting"]], and do not use the Law of Moses "lawfully" <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+1%3A3-11&version=RSVCE 1 Timothy 1:3-11]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+6%3A3-4&version=RSVCE 6:3-4]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+2%3A23-26&version=RSVCE 2 Timothy 2:23-26]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+3%3A9-11&version=RSVCE Titus 3:9-11]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+3%3A15&version=RSVCE 1&nbsp;Peter 3:15]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+28%3A24-31&version=RSVCE Acts 28:24-31]</ref>. The ''presbyteroi'', presbyters, "elders"<ref>See Strong's numbers ''[http://biblehub.com/greek/4242.htm 4242], [http://biblehub.com/greek/4243.htm 4243], [http://biblehub.com/greek/4244.htm 4244], [http://biblehub.com/greek/4245.htm 4245].</ref> of the Christian communities were basically the scribes of Christ mentioned as influential leaders in the ''Acts of the Apostles'' and the ''Epistles of Paul'', teaching the people the meaning of the Gospel of the Lord, and guiding them with authority as their leaders <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+13%3A17&version=RSVCE Hebrews 13:17]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+5%3A5&version=RSVCE 1&nbsp;Peter 5:5]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+13%3A52&version=RSVCE Matthew 13:52]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+15%3A2-29&version=RSVCE Acts 15:2-29]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+5%3A17-20&version=RSVCE 1&nbsp;Timothy 5:17-20]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+1%3A5-9&version=RSVCE Titus 1:5-9]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+5%3A14-16&version=RSVCE James 5:14-16].</ref>.  

The New Testament is the last witness to the usage of “scribe” as a scholar and authority on the law. “Scribes” are found in connection with both the priestly (Sadducean) party <ref>For example, [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+2%3A4&version=RSVCE Matthew 2:4]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+21%3A15&version=RSVCE 21:15]</ref> and the Pharisaic party <ref>See [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+23&version=RSVCE Matthew 23]</ref>. The scholars of the Pharisaic party were the leaders of what would become rabbinic Judaism, subsequently known as “sages” (“the wise”) and still later as rabbis.

In the Early Church, the function of the scribe as a Christian scholar and instructor in legal responsibility was preserved <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+8%3A19&version=RSVCE Matthew 8:19], [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+13%3A52&version=RSVCE ''especially'' Matthew 13:52] and [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+23%3A34&version=RSVCE 23:34]</ref>, so that the Mosaic law was not abolished, but was reinterpreted and reapplied for the needs of the Christian Church <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A17-20&version=RSVCE Matthew 5:17-20]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+1%3A8&version=RSVCE 1 Timothy 1:8]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+3%3A31&version=RSVCE Romans 3:31]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+7%3A7&version=RSVCE 7:7]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A3-4&version=RSVCE 8:3-4]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+13%3A8-10&version=RSVCE '''13:8-10''']</ref>. Paul clearly understood the ''Jewish'' scribe as a [[Pilpul|dialectician]] <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+1%3A20-25&version=RSVCE 1&nbsp;Corinthians 1:20-25]</ref>, who was a scholar on the written and oral law; in Paul’s view such [[dialectic]]s were foolishness in the face of God’s saving work in Christ. He warned against those who dispute about words and [[Cafeteria Christianity#Proof texts|"proof texting"]], and do not use the Law of Moses "lawfully" <ref>[https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+1%3A3-11&version=RSVCE 1 Timothy 1:3-11]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Timothy+6%3A3-4&version=RSVCE 6:3-4]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+2%3A23-26&version=RSVCE 2 Timothy 2:23-26]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus+3%3A9-11&version=RSVCE Titus 3:9-11]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+3%3A15&version=RSVCE 1&nbsp;Peter 3:15]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+28%3A24-31&version=RSVCE Acts 28:24-31]</ref>.

===Post-biblical period===

The New Testament is the last witness to the usage of “scribe” as a scholar and authority on the law. “Scribes” are found in connection with both the priestly (Sadducean) party <ref>For example, [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+2%3A4&version=RSVCE Matthew 2:4]; [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+21%3A15&version=RSVCE 21:15]</ref> and the Pharisaic party <ref>See [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+23&version=RSVCE Matthew 23]</ref>. The scholars of the Pharisaic party were the leaders of what would become rabbinic Judaism, subsequently known as “sages” (“the wise”) and still later as rabbis.

After the period of the New Testament, “scribe” came to [[Denotation|denote]] a teacher of children and composer of legal documents; the names “wise” and then “[[rabbi]]” afterward used for the scholar of the law.  

After the period of the New Testament, “scribe” came to [[Denotation|denote]] a teacher of children and composer of legal documents; the names “wise” and then “[[rabbi]]” afterward used for the scholar of the law.  

In Matthew 23:9 the Lord Jesus Christ said, "'''Call no man on the earth ''your father'''''" <ref>The text of this Section –[ Addressing Scribes as "my father" - Matthew 23:9 ]– is copied and adapted from the marginal note on Matthew 23:9 at [[Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative_Version) longer form Chapters 22-28#Twenty-six]]. </ref>

In Matthew 23:9 the Lord Jesus Christ said, "'''Call no man on the earth ''your father'''''" <ref>The text of this Section –[ Addressing Scribes as "my father" - Matthew 23:9 ]– is copied and adapted from the marginal note on Matthew 23:9 at [[Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative_Version) longer form Chapters 22-28#Twenty-six]]. </ref>

Jesus did not say, "''Call no man on earth, 'father' ''". He said, "''Call no man on the earth '''your''' father''". The Greek New Testament explicitly uses the word '''ὑμῶν''' ''hymōn'' "your"''':''' <br> '''καὶ πατέρα μὴ καλέσητε '''ὑμῶν''' ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς''' <br> ''kai patera mē kalesēte '''hymōn''' epi tēs gēs'' <br> (literally) "And father no call '''your''' on the earth" <br> (Gk. '''μὴ''' ''mē'' "no" = ''no'' [''one'']) <br> "And father no [one] call '''your''' on the earth" <br>  A literalistic reading of '''ὑμῶν''' ''hymon'' as "you" instead of "your" in the context of the statement makes no sense in the Greek:  "And you father no call on earth". Here '''ὑμῶν''' ''hymon'' "you, your" is the modifier of '''πατέρα''' ''patera'' "father"—"''your'' father". Some however, ignorant of the rules of Greek [[semantics]] and [[Grammar#Some Grammar Concepts|syntax]], or being dishonest scribes, twist the Greek vocabulary and grammatical structure, reading this phrase according to what they think (or would like to think) is the literal sense: "And father none call you [<small>''your''</small>] on earth"—"And father call you [<small>''your''</small>] no on earth"—"And 'father' call you not on earth"—"And father none call you on earth." <br> Instead of this ''[[Eisegesis|eisegetical]]'' reading, the literal sense is rather: "And father not call your on earth"—"And your father call not [man] on earth"—"And your father call none on earth."

Jesus did not say, "''Call no man on earth, 'father' ''". He said, "''Call no man on the earth '''your''' father''" The Greek New Testament explicitly uses the word '''ὑμῶν''' ''hymōn'' "your"''':'''<br> '''καὶ πατέρα μὴ καλέσητε ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς''' <br> ''kai patera mē kalesēte hymōn epi tēs gēs'' <br> (literally) "And father no call your on the earth" <br> (Gk. '''μὴ''' ''mē'' "no" = ''no'' [''one'']) <br> "And father no [one] call your on the earth" <ref>See the [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/23-9.htm interlinear English and Greek text] and [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/23-9.htm ''multiple commentaries on'' Matthew 23:9].</ref>

 

See the [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/23-9.htm interlinear English and Greek text] and [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/23-9.htm ''multiple commentaries on'' Matthew 23:9].  

Jesus does '''''not''''' say, "Do not be '''called''' fathers". <br>In verse 10, he '''''does''''' say, "Neither be '''called''' masters". <br>(Yet Paul and Peter address men as "masters":<br>Ephesians 6:5, 9; Colossians 3:22; 4:1; 1&nbsp;Timothy 6:1-2; Titus 2:9; 1&nbsp;Peter 2:18.)

Jesus does not say, "Do not be '''called''' fathers". <br>However, in Matthew 23 verse 10, he '''''does''''' say, "Neither be '''called''' masters". <br>(''Yet Paul and Peter addressed men as "masters"''''':''' Ephesians 6:5, 9; Colossians 3:22; 4:1; 1&nbsp;Timothy 6:1-2; Titus 2:9; 1&nbsp;Peter 2:18.)

The meaning of this text in Matthew 23:9 "''your father''" is that no male parent ''in the most absolute sense'' is to be regarded ''most ultimately'' as the true father of any son or daughter naturally sired (procreated) by him. Jesus is correcting a distortion of the meaning of Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother". <br> Middle eastern cultural tradition taught each child to regard their natural fathers with absolute claim to their personal loyalty and obedience, above and apart from any other consideration of affection, respect, duty and reverence they might owe to another, to mother or sibling or spouse or children or friend or comrade-in-arms or teacher or commander or king or country, or even life itself. <br> Students who came to regard their teachers and rabbis and founders of schools of knowledge with reverent affection and loyalty, even awe, for imparting the knowledge of Torah to them, were traditionally encouraged to address them as "my father" and to regard them as their spiritual fathers, ''Abba''. Jesus is setting them free of the tradition of unquestioning imitation of those abusers of legitimate Jewish authority as fathers who set aside the substance of the teaching of Moses and the scriptures for the sake of their own self-promoting customs and ritual traditions, as leaders beyond any possible reproach and as ''[[Icon]]s'' of God's Authority on earth.

The meaning of this text in Matthew 23:9 "''your father''" is that no male parent ''in the most absolute sense is to be regarded most ultimately'' as the true father of any son or daughter naturally sired (procreated) by him. Jesus is correcting a distortion of the meaning of Exodus 20:12. Middle eastern cultural tradition taught each child to regard their natural father with absolute claim to their personal loyalty and obedience, above and apart from any other consideration of affection, respect, duty and reverence they might owe to another, to mother or sibling or spouse or children or friend or comrade-in-arms or teacher or commander or king or country, or even life itself. Students who came to regard their teachers and rabbis with reverent affection and loyalty, even awe, for imparting the knowledge of Torah to them, were traditionally encouraged to address them as "my father" and to regard them as their spiritual fathers possessing a dignity and authority above reproach. Jesus is setting them free of the tradition of unquestioning imitation of those abusers of legitimate Jewish authority who set aside the substance of the teaching of Moses and the scriptures for the sake of their own self-promoting customs and ritual traditions, as leaders beyond any possible reproach and as ''[[Icon]]s'' of God's Authority on earth.

'''Matthew Poole's Commentary''' on Matthew 23 verses 8-10 states unequivocally:

'''Matthew Poole's Commentary''' on Matthew 23 verses 8-10 states unequivocally''':'''{{cquote|It is most certain that our Saviour doth not here forbid the giving of the titles of masters and fathers to his ministers, for then Paul would not have given himself the title of father, 1 Corinthians 4:15; nor called the Galatians his little children, Galatians 4:19: nor called Timothy his son, and himself his father, Philippians 2:22; nor called himself a doctor of the Gentiles, 1 Timothy 2:7 2 Timothy 1:11.}}

:"''It is most certain that our Saviour doth not here forbid the giving of the titles of masters and fathers to his ministers, for then Paul would not have given himself the title of father,'' 1 Corinthians 4:15''; nor called the Galatians his little children, ''Galatians 4:19'': nor called Timothy his son, and himself his father, ''Philippians 2:22''; nor called himself a doctor of the Gentiles, ''1 Timothy 2:7 2 Timothy 1:11."

This text in Matthew has been cited as condemning any use of the word "father" as an address or title of respect to any man, as if it said, "''Call no man on earth, 'father'...''". However, against this defective reading of the meaning of the text, and apart from the fact that a word ('''ὑμῶν''' ''hymōn'') has been removed by such a reading (interpretation) of the text, multiple passages in sacred scripture itself demonstrate that the apostles and disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ themselves addressed others as "''father''" and were called "''father''". St. Paul told the Corinthians that though they had many guides, he was their father through the gospel, and he also said he was a father to Timothy. There is a substantial difference in saying "my father" and simply saying "Father". For example, no Catholic, Orthodox, or Anglican says to a priest, "my father, ... ", but says instead, "Father", as a title of respect. In the same way, for example, [[Stephen|St. Stephen]] addressed the high priest and members of the council as fathers, every one of them having extensive training as scribes, and John explicitly addresses the fathers of the Christian community as "fathers". See Acts 7:2, 22:1; 1 John 2:12-14; 1 Corinthians 4:14-15; Philippians 2:22; 1 Thessalonians 2:11; Hebrews 13:17. Most translations of Matthew 23:9 faithfully say "''your father''"; others explicitly omit the word '''ὑμῶν''' "''your''" in translation as an anti-Catholic reading which has no grammatical basis and cannot be justified according to the New Testament Greek text of Matthew 23:9

This text in Matthew has been cited as condemning any use of the word "father" as an address or title of respect to any man, as if it said, "''Call no man on earth, 'father'...''". However, against this defective reading of the meaning of the text, and apart from the fact that a word ('''ὑμῶν''' ''hymōn'') has been removed by such a reading (interpretation) of the text, multiple passages in sacred scripture itself demonstrate that the apostles and disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ themselves addressed others as "''father''" and were called "''father''". St. Paul told the Corinthians that though they had many guides, he was their father through the gospel, and he also said he was a father to Timothy. There is a substantial difference in saying "my father" and simply saying "Father". For example, no Catholic, Orthodox, or Anglican says to a priest, "my father, ... ", but says instead, "Father", as a title of respect. In the same way, for example, [[Stephen|St. Stephen]] addressed the high priest and members of the council as fathers, and John explicitly addresses the fathers of the Christian community as "fathers". See Acts 7:2, 22:1; 1 John 2:12-14; 1 Corinthians 4:14-15; Philippians 2:22; 1 Thessalonians 2:11; Hebrews 13:17. Most translations of Matthew 23:9 faithfully say "''your father''"; others explicitly omit the word '''ὑμῶν''' "''your''" in translation as an anti-Catholic reading which has no grammatical basis and cannot be justified according to the New Testament Greek text of Matthew 23:9

:9 καὶ πατέρα μὴ καλέσητε ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· εἷς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ πατήρ '''ὑμῶν''', ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. (''boldface emphasis added'')

:9 καὶ πατέρα μὴ καλέσητε ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· εἷς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ πατήρ '''ὑμῶν''', ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. (''boldface emphasis added'')

Omitting to include in translation a doctrinally significant word that is present in every extant manuscript of this verse in Matthew is a deliberate act involving substantial alteration of the meaning of the scriptural text, an act which every Bible-believing Christian condemns. <br>See [http://biblehub.com/jeremiah/8-8.htm Jeremiah 8:8] and [http://biblehub.com/revelation/22-19.htm Revelation 22:19]. See [http://biblehub.com/luke/11-52.htm Luke 11:52].

Omitting to include in translation a doctrinally significant word that is present in every extant manuscript of this verse in Matthew is a deliberate act involving substantial alteration of the meaning of the scriptural text, an act which every Bible-believing Christian condemns. <br>See [http://biblehub.com/jeremiah/8-8.htm Jeremiah 8:8] and [http://biblehub.com/revelation/22-19.htm Revelation 22:19]. See [http://biblehub.com/luke/11-52.htm Luke 11:52].

:Here is a list of some of the more widely published and distributed English translations which exclude the word "your" in Matthew 23:9, among their other scribal violations of the Bible:

Here is a list of some of the more widely published and distributed English translations which ''exclude'' the word "your" in Matthew 23:9, among their other scribal violations of the Bible''':'''

:*NIV New International Version

:*NIV New International Version

:*NLT New Living Translation

:*NLT New Living Translation

:*ABE Aramaic Bible in English

:*ABE Aramaic Bible in English

Multiple versions of Matthew 23:9 can be accessed for comparison at https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Matthew%2023%3A9 . <br> Note especially those versions that do not say "''your father''".

Multiple versions of Matthew 23:9 can be accessed for comparison at https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Matthew%2023%3A9 .

==See also==

==See also==

[[Allegorical interpretation]]

[[Allegorical interpretation]]

[[Casuistry]]

[[Casuistry]]

[[Talmud]]

[[Talmud]]

[[Christian apologetics]]

[[Christian apologetics]]

[[Heresy]]

[[Polemic]]

[[Biblical Canon]]

[[Misrepresentation]]

[[Great Apostasy]]

[[Great Apostasy]]

[[Eternal security (salvation)]]

[[Eternal security (salvation)]]

[[Infant baptism]] [[Talk:Infant baptism]] [[Debate: Infant baptism]]

 

[[Infant baptism]] : [[Talk:Infant baptism]] : [[Debate: Infant baptism]]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[[Peer review]]

==References==

==References==

==External links==

==External links==

[[Strong's|Strong's numbers: "scribe", "scribes"]]—

[[Strong's|Strong's numbers: "scribe", "scribes"]]—