Bible Question:
Dear Hank and prayon, History is very interesting. Since the Word is alive and pertinent, another question might be: "Who are the scribes?" In Christ Jesus, charis |
Bible Answer: charis, isn't it interesting to follow the metamorphosis of the Biblical scribes from being only secretaries -- we might even venture to call them stenographers -- to being the co-conspirators with olther Jewis groups to do away with Jesus? They relied on tradition for their authority and, of course, Jesus had no "credentials" as an official teacher in their system. Being, as they were, the credited expounders of the, by this time complex, Hebrew system, they sought to discredit and expunge by every possible means those radicals who, like Jesus, would dare challenge their tradition and their authority. What a change from the simple scribe of times past!.....The early church of Apostolic times was shepherded by simple men, commoners for the most part, whose qualifications and credentials were measured not by degrees from academia but by degrees of moral uprightness and by their zeal for Christ and His church. They held their assemblies wherever they could, frequently in one another's homes. They had no creed but Christ, no name but Christians, no complex hierachy, no catechisms to memorize, no ivy-covered seminaries, no massive stained-glass cathedrals, no TV "evangelists" selling books and video tapes, no sacred-cow church traditions -- in short, their lives were simple and their mission clear, to follow Jesus and exhort others to follow Him....The scribe -- the story of the evolution of a simple secretary to a bitter enemy of the lowly Jesus and His teachings. The Apostolic church -- the story of the evolution of a simple, united people to the structured, complex, and highly divided conglomeration it is today. Indiviual factions of the segmented church today all appear to be convinced they are right. The irony and the paradox is that the scribes in Jesus' day were sure they were right too. But they denied the power and authority of the Lord Jesus and sought to superimpose their will and their teachings upon His. Who then are the scribes today? Who indeed? --Hank |