Gospels obscure this reality. For the most part, scribes in the Gospels are negative figures. The reason for this is that they were thought to be hostile to Jesus. In the Gospels, scribes most commonly refers to those who serve the Jerusalem establishment. ELDERS Elders were leaders of the Jewish community. They were called elders because they were generally the eldest males. Like scribe, elder is a fairly general term. Village elders commanded much respect in their hometowns but did not have status