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were considered naturally qualified to teach in the synagogues, Mark 1:22. They were
ambitious of honor, e.g., Matt. 23:5–11, which they demanded especially from their
pupils, and which was readily granted them, as well as by the people generally. Like Ezra
(Ezra 7:12), the “scribes” were found originally among the priests and Levites. The
priests being the official interpreters of the Law, the “scribes” ere long became an
independent company; though they never held political power, they became leaders of the
people.
Their functions regarding the Law were to teach it, develop it, and use it in
connection with the Sanhedrin and various local courts. They also occupied themselves
with the sacred writings both historical and didactic. They attached the utmost
importance to ascetic elements, by which the nation was especially separated from the
Gentiles. In their regime piety was reduced to external formalism. Only that was of value
which was governed by external precept. Life under them became a burden; they
themselves sought to evade certain of their own precepts, Matt. 23:16,ff.; Luke 11:46; by
their traditions the Law, instead of being a help in moral and spiritual life, became an
instrument for preventing true access to God, Luke 11:52. Hence the Lord’s stern
denunciations of them and the Pharisees (see
PHARISEES
).
Note:
The word
$
is used of the town “clerk” in Ephesus, Acts 19:35.
For
SCRIP
see
WALLET
SCRIPTURE
1.
(
$ )
, 1124), akin to
, “to write” (Eng., “graph,” “graphic,” etc.),
primarily denotes “a drawing, painting”; then “a writing,” (a) of the OT Scriptures, (1) in
the plural, the whole, e.g., Matt. 21:42; 22:29; John 5:39; Acts 17:11; 18:24; Rom. 1:2,
where “the prophets” comprises the OT writers in general; 15:4; 16:26, lit., “prophetic
writings,” expressing the character of all the Scriptures; (2) in the singular in reference to
a particular passage, e.g., Mark 12:10; Luke 4:21; John 2:22; 10:35 (though applicable to
all); 19:24, 28, 36, 37; 20:9; Acts 1:16; 8:32, 35; Rom. 4:3; 9:17; 10:11; 11:2; Gal. 3:8,
22; 4:30; 1 Tim. 5:18, where the 2nd quotation is from Luke 10:7, from which it may be
inferred that the apostle included Luke’s gospel as “Scripture” alike with Deuteronomy,
from which the first quotation is taken; in reference to the whole, e.g. Jas. 4:5 (see
RV
, a
separate rhetorical question from the one which follows); in 2 Pet. 1:20, “no prophecy of
Scripture,” a description of all, with special application to the OT in the next verse; (b) of
the OT Scriptures (those accepted by the Jews as canonical) and all those of the NT
which were to be accepted by Christians as authoritative, 2 Tim. 3:16; these latter were to
be discriminated from the many forged epistles and other religious “writings” already
produced and circulated in Timothy’s time. Such discrimination would be directed by the
fact that “every Scripture,” characterized by inspiration of God, would be profitable for
the purposes mentioned; so the
RV
. The
KJV
states truth concerning the completed canon
of Scripture, but that was not complete when the apostle wrote to Timothy.
The Scriptures are frequently personified by the NT writers (as by the Jews, John
7:42), (a) as speaking with divine authority, e.g., John 19:37; Rom. 4:3; 9:17, where the
Scripture is said to speak to Pharaoh, giving the message actually sent previously by God
to him through Moses; Jas. 4:5 (see above); (b) as possessed of the sentient quality of
foresight, and the active power of preaching, Gal. 3:8, where the Scripture mentioned was
written more than four centuries after the words were spoken. The Scripture, in such a