The Scribe differs from the Author or Artist in one significant way: Scribes copy existing works rather than create new ones. The Hebrew scribes were originally secretaries who wrote down the preaching of the prophets, but evolved into a priestly class charged with writing and maintaining the laws and records, copying previous scrolls, and committing oral traditions to paper. Medieval Christian Scribes copied manuscripts and helped preserve learning. In India, the Sages who compiled the Vedas are known as vyasa, a Sanskrit word that means “collector” but could be translated as “scribe.” We can expand the definition to cover modern journalists, who also record the existing knowledge and information of their day and uncover secrets (investigative reporters). Scribes are archivists. Courtroom recorders are a classic example of the Scribe. And we would also have to include that largely anonymous horde of cyber-Scribes who are busy uploading everything imaginable onto the Internet in the hope of preserving it by distributing it to millions. The Internet is the modern equivalent of the medieval scriptorium and so much information is transcribed onto it not for personal gain, but for the sheer joy of preserving and sharing these artifacts with humanity. Scribes record everything with their cameras and videocams; YouTube is a domain of the Scribe. The Scribe is the person who always keeps the details, who keeps the facts straight, the person who records history and facts about a situation. One of the great Scribes in history was Anne Frank, who recorded the war experience for us from an attic. Another example was a historic novel based upon a monk in the 10th century who was an archivist and Scribe, who wrote down the history of how a cathedral was built step-by-step.
The shadow aspect of the Scribe can manifest in altering facts, plagiarizing, or selling information that belongs to others. The shadow Scribe fools around with the facts, perhaps recording entries in a diary that are not true simply to shape their own memories.
Film Reference: Nicole Kidman in 'To Die For'
The shadow aspect of the Scribe can manifest in altering facts, plagiarizing, or selling information that belongs to others. The shadow Scribe fools around with the facts, perhaps recording entries in a diary that are not true simply to shape their own memories.
Film Reference: Nicole Kidman in 'To Die For'