an officer among the Jews, whose business was to write; of which there were three kinds. The first and principal were the scribes of the law, whose office it was to write and interpret scripture; those were in great credit and esteem among the Jews, and had even the precedence of the priests and sacrificers; and their decisions were received with almost the same respect as the law of God itself. The second kind, properly called scribes of the people, were a sort of magistrates. The third were public notaries, or secretaries of the council; which were the least considerable.

The scribes, among the Romans, wrote out decrees or acts, and made out authentic copies of them.