Based on evidence taken from a wide range of source material, Christine Schams employs an innovative approach to the study of Jewish scribes and their role in the Second Temple period. This historical investigation uncovers the status and the functions of the scribes, and explore their role in ancient Jewish society. She begins with a detailed overview of previous scholarship, and discusses the corpus of relevant evidence and existing literature on the subject. She then presents new evidence, and provides a description of a large variety of economic, social, religious, and political factors operating during the Second Temple period which provides possible explanations for the complex evidence about the scribes. This important monograph will benefit the scholars of the Hebrew Bible and Jewish history.