Scribes, Sages, and Seers in the First Temple

This chapter studies the categories of scribes, sages, and seers, their definitions and possible roles. Most sages were scribes but not all scribes were sages. The chapter divides into three sections: a) Scribes in the Israelite Bureaucracy; b) Sages in the Israelite Courts, and c) seers/mantic sages in Second Temple Judah. Section a) describes the Solomonic enlightenment theory and other theories and evidence for administrators within a royal court, including that of Hezekiah. Section b) looks at Solomon, Hezekiah, and Joseph as role models for the ‘sage’ in the royal court and considers the existence of schools, possibly linked to the court. Section c) considers the possibility of a more religious link in later times with possible temple/cult/seer roles.