Early Parables about the Influence of Pedagogues on Children

A number of king parables (a type of mashal, or allegory, usually understood as being about God and Israel) transmitted in amoraic midrashim point to the great influence of pedagogues on sons. Such pedagogues would have been enslaved people who were part of wealthy families’ households. Their own levels of education varied, and they were in charge of a child’s upbringing once he or she had passed the nursery stage. The majority of such pedagogues were probably Greek speaking, and so they would provide a Greek elementary education to children. Perhaps their non-Jewish background, together with the intimate bond they formed with the children, caused Jewish parents to suspect them of being a potentially bad influence. Such parables have metaphorical significance and do not depict social reality, instead reflecting parental fears.