Rabbi

Occurrences in Scripture

In the New Testament Gospels, "rabbi" is a respectful form of address for a teacher. The Korean Revised Version (New Revised Edition) usually transliterates the word as "rabbi." Transliteration renders a word according to its sound rather than translating its meaning.

• In John 1:38, two disciples of John the Baptist address Jesus as "Rabbi," and the Gospel writer adds the explanation "which is to say, being interpreted, Master." Elsewhere in the same Gospel, Nicodemus (3:2) and the disciples (4:31; 9:2; 11:8) also address Jesus this way. John the Baptist's disciples likewise call John "Rabbi" (3:26).
• In Mark, Peter uses the title on the Mount of Transfiguration (9:5) and before the withered fig tree (11:21).
• In Matthew, only Judas Iscariot calls Jesus "Rabbi" (26:25, 49).
• In Matthew 23:7–8, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees and scribes, who love "to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi." He then tells his disciples, "one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren."
• In John 20:16, Mary Magdalene addresses the risen Jesus as "Rabboni," an Aramaic expression from the same root as "rabbi."

The word does not occur in Luke, which uses Greek terms meaning "teacher" instead.

Background

The term is formed from the Hebrew rav, meaning "great," with a suffix meaning "my." Its basic sense is "my great one," that is, "my master" or "my teacher." In the first century it was a broad title of respect for those who taught the Law. It is generally held that the word became fixed as a title denoting formal qualification only after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in A.D. 70, as rabbinic Judaism took shape. Jesus, of whom it was said that he had not received formal training (John 7:15), was nevertheless called "Rabbi." This is taken as evidence that the word was then a widely used title of respect.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

In the Gospels, the title shows that people recognized Jesus as a teacher. At the same time, the Gospels portray Jesus as more than a rabbi. In John 1:49, the man who addresses Jesus as "Rabbi" immediately goes on to confess, "thou art the Son of God." Matthew 23 warns against an attitude that puts titles and status first, and it presents the community of disciples as brothers to one another.

Interpretation and Points of Debate

• Matthew 23:8–10 tells the disciples not to be called "Rabbi," "father," or "master." Many denominations read this passage not as a prohibition of titles as such but as a warning against pride and rivalry for status. Some traditions, however, such as the Quakers, have avoided honorific titles altogether.
• Some Protestants cite this passage in criticizing the Catholic practice of calling priests "Father." Catholics, pointing to passages such as 1 Corinthians 4:15, where Paul describes himself as a spiritual father, hold that the use of such titles is not forbidden.
• Some sermons explain the relationship between Jesus and his disciples in terms of the teacher-disciple relationship described in later rabbinic literature, citing, for example, the maxim "sit in the dust of the rabbis' feet." Others point out, however, that most such sources date from after the Gospels and therefore cannot simply be applied to the first-century setting.

In the Korean Church

In preaching, the term "rabbi" usually comes up in explanations of Jesus' role as "Teacher" or of the teaching on humility in Matthew 23. In recent years, havruta, presented as a Jewish method of study in which partners question each other and discuss a text, has been introduced into the educational programs of some churches, and the rabbinic tradition is sometimes presented along with it.