Scribe is a person who writes letters, documents, or books by hand. Scribes were especially important in ancient societies in which few people could read or write. Many ancient scribes worked for kings or merchants or as religious officials. Some scribes offered their services to the public in marketplaces. There, they wrote letters or documents for a fee.
Scribes who worked for a king kept tax records, wrote out the king’s instructions to government officials, and recorded laws. For merchants, scribes recorded business transactions. For the general public, they drew up contracts and real estate deeds. As religious officials, scribes transcribed sacred literature, among their other duties. In Biblical times, Jewish scribes became teachers and interpreters of laws. The priest Ezra was a scribe. The Gospels often portrayed scribes as members of the Jewish aristocracy who opposed the teachings of Jesus Christ. In the Middle Ages, monks worked as scribes to copy books. Many monks concentrated on illuminating (decorating) their manuscripts with intricate designs. See Book (The Middle Ages) .
Today, scribes still write the scrolls used in Jewish worship. In preparation for this task, scribes must purify themselves by taking a ritual bath.
