Matthew 2:4

‘And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he enquired of them where the Christ should be born.'

Aware that he needed to discover the whereabouts of such a prince, if one had indeed been born, Herod gathered together all the leaders of the Jews, ‘the chief priests' who were responsible for the Temple. This definition would include the high priests past and present, the Temple treasurer, the overseers of the priestly courses, and other leading priests. ‘The Scribes' were the learned teachers of the Law. And from them he enquired where the Messiah was to be born. If anyone knew, they would.

‘Scribes of the people' contrasts with the chief priests. The chief priests received a certain respect because of their position but were mainly not appreciated by the people, whereas the Scribes tended to be looked up to by them. The chief priests and Scribes were enemies and they may in fact have been called in separately. But even if not, they would hardly have allowed their enmity to prevent them from responding to Herod's ‘invitation'. It would have been dangerous to do so. And they may well have thought that he was calling a meeting of the almost defunct Sanhedrin which included both chief priests and Scribes.

We should possibly note that ‘the Scribes' could include both Sadducees and Pharisees, as well possibly as more general Scribes. ‘Scribes of the people' may thus be intended to distinguish the ones who were at loggerheads with the Sadducean priesthood. Matthew seems to have taken a delight in linking the Sadducees and Pharisees together, who whilst being enemies with each other, were united by their common bond of hatred of Jesus. Once the Sanhedrin again came into its own they would necessarily have to work together, however much they hated each other (something that is constantly coming out - Acts 5:33; Acts 23:6). And even Paul the Pharisee was appointed by the Sadducees for his task of rooting out Christians (Acts 9:1), being prepared to work under their authority for the greater ‘good'. Compare ‘elders of the people' who were the independent, usually wealthy, aristocrats, although that is not to deny that they may have had various leanings one way or the other.