The Teacher in Ancient Israel

By Carl Schultz, Ph.D. Houghton College, Houghton, NY. My interest this morning is the role of the teacher in ancient Israel. Here the picture is not as clear as we might hope. The data are too limited, scholarly views too varied and what does emerge from all this is strange to our western, twentieth century educational models. But by incorporating what we know from surrounding cultures--Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Canaan--with what we know from Israel we are able to enlarge our information and arrive at some limited conclusions.