Sanhedrin
The Jewish council and law court that considered the cases of Jews who broke Jewish law – including Jesus. The Sanhedrin are the ‘council’ referred to in the trial of Jesus.
Scribe
Scribes were professional copyists and teachers of the Law. Their writing was, therefore, beautiful.
Most scribes were or had been Pharisees who had undertaken a period of study or ‘apprenticeship’ with another Scribe. Because of their training, they were also called lawyers. When you spoke to them you addressed them as ‘Rabbi’ or ‘Master’.
The writer of the Gospel of Matthew is thought to have been a scribe.
Shavuot (Festival of Weeks)
Shavuot is the third of the ‘pilgrimage festivals’ which, in the time of Jesus, required that Jews went to the
Temple in
Jerusalem. It falls seven weeks after Passover. Shavuot celebrates two events: it is the festival on which the new grain and fruit of the season are offered to God (Deut 16:10) and it recalls the giving of the Torah to Moses at Mt Sinai. Shavuot lasts for two days. Jews today sometimes only eat dairy products during the festival to imitate the actions of their ancestors who waited for Moses to return from the mountain with the list of food which would be 'kosher' (the word kosher mean suitable or pure).
Shepherding
The oldest occupation mentioned in the Bible. Sheep were very useful. Their wool could be collected and woven into cloth, their milk drunk or made into cheese and their meat eaten. Because sheep have both cloven hooves and chew their cud, they are among the animals that the Jews were (and are) allowed to eat.
Perfect, unblemished, lambs were also used for sacrifice at the Passover ritual. Although most families kept a sheep or two, shepherding was mostly done in the south of Palestine, in the rocky, barren hills around Jerusalem. The shepherds’ job was to care for the sheep, often in harsh and difficult circumstances.
Shepherding was a hard life. The sole task was ensuring the sheep were safe and well: keeping them safe from wild animals and moving them to find food and water. This could be a very hard task on land that was often inhospitable! Finally, shepherds were not really liked by the people as they were often very poor (and smelly). Many shepherds did not mind their own sheep but instead looked after someone else’s. Also, they often did not fulfil their religious duties as they were minding the sheep! (see pictures of shepherds in our Gallery)
Sinner
A sinner was someone who ‘missed the mark’ and so did not live in accord with the God’s purposes for creation. ‘Sins’ could be related to religious purity (for example eating or washing) or to social behaviour.
Spirit
In the language Jesus spoke, Hebrew, the spirit is ruach (pronounced roo-arch), a word which means breath or wind. It is a feminine word!
Sycamore tree (ficus sycomorus)
A tree which produced a small fruit, popular in the region. It has low branches so is often used as a shade tree in the desert. The wood was used for furniture making.
Synagogue
At the time of Jesus the centre point for religious practice was the Temple in Jerusalem. The Synagogue or local place of worship was much less important.
Faithful, observant Jews went to the Synagogue to pray during the week, and every Sabbath (Friday night to Saturday night) Sabbath day services were held in the synagogue. The synagogue service revolved around readings from the Jewish Scripture.
The first reading came from the Torah (first five books of our Bible) and then another reading from the Prophets was read. The Psalms were then prayed or sung together.
Synagogues also acted as a hall, at times being a local library, school or place for studying Scripture.
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