leaders. In Matthew 23:1–3 Jesus acknowledges the authority of the scribes and Pharisees, but cautions people to “do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.” We will return to this topic at the end of this chapter. When we read the New Testament, we encounter the terms “scribes” and “Pharisees” frequently in the Gospels and early chapters of Acts, and they evoke a largely negative response. But who were the scribes and Pharisees?