rabbi
In the New Testament the title rabbi is used only in three of the gospels. In Matthew 23:7-8 scribes generally are addressed. In John 3:26 John the Baptist is thus called by his disciples. In all other occurrences “rabbi” and an alternate form “rabboni” apply to Jesus in direct address ( Mark 9:5; Mark 11:21; Mark 14:45 , John 1:49; John 3:2; John 4:31; John 6:25; John 9:2; John 11:8; John 20:16 ).
Luke never used the term rabbi , but the word epistata , the equivalent of “school-master,” a term more meaningful to his predominantly Greek first readers (Luke 17:13 ).
A unique relationship existed between Jesus and His disciples, compared to the typical rabbi and his pupils. They were forbidden to call each other “rabbi” (Matthew 23:8 ), and in Matthew, particularly, Jesus' disciples call Him “Lord” (Kurie ). For Matthew, Jesus was not just a teacher to His followers; He was their Lord.
Robert Stagg
The product of over 6 years of work by hundreds of people, the Holman Bible Dictionary manages to be readable and easy to use, yet take advantage of the finest modern Bible scholarship without heavy technical language. The over 6,600 entries includes extensive cross-referencing of related articles, and quotes from 6 different Bible translations.Wikipedia
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