Did Jesus Kow How to Read and Write
**How did Jesus' disciples write the New Testament if they were illiterate fishermen?How could a poor carpenter exist as knowledgeable about Scripture equally Jesus?**
SERIES INTRO:Have the right narrator and ominous music and anything can sound scandalous. Recently, I watched several episodes of the History Channel'sBible Secrets Revealed Television prove. It was agreeable only troubling at the same fourth dimension since these sort of sensationalist shows aren't virtually history or educational activity, merely preying on people's lack of knowledge. The sort of one-sided, half-information thrown around on these TV shows is sure to resurface. So, here are some quick responses to some questions that might ascend from such quality Television set programing.
Other articles in this series: Did Constantine etch the New Attestation? & Did God have a wife?
Could Jesus & his Disciples Read & Write?
So, the idea goes, Jesus' disciples were a bunch of uneducated, working-form dudes, so at that place'southward no style they could've written the New Testament. In fact, Jesus was but a poor carpenter, then he probably couldn't read or write either. This isn't much of an argument against the validity of the New Testament, but — if nothing else — information technology's an interesting thing to consider: Is it possible that Jesus and his disciples knew how to read and write?
The style and skill level of the original ancient Greek of the different books of the New Testament show u.s.a. that, though every bit Christians nosotros believe the Scriptures are divinely inspired, God didn't dictate word-for-give-and-take to the writers. Too, the New Testament writers didn't get into some sort of trance where God moved their hands as they wrote. The unique writing styles of the New Testament books and letters show us that the writers' ain style and education level influenced the writing every bit the Holy Spirit guided them.
WERE ONLY THE RICH EDUCATED?
Oftentimes people today presume merely the rich in ancient times could afford the privilege of teaching, so only the rich (and frequently urban) population had the privilege of learning to read and write. Yet, in fact, testify points in the opposite management. For instance, a second-century clay tablet was discovered with a memo written on information technology in Latin by an assistant of a stonemason. This shows that even poor, working class people could read and write. We likewise know that public notices were posted in rural villages throughout the Roman Empire, and a "vast corporeality of personal letters, legal deeds, divorce certificates, writings on coins, and ossuary inscriptions" show that writing was not just reserved for the elite few, but the common people. Like today, there were varying degrees of literacy in the ancient world.
LEVELS OF LITERACY
Today, at that place are more than just two contrary extremes of literacy. Between literate (able to read and write) and illiterate (unable to read and write), there is a wide range of literary levels. Today, those who graduate college are considered highly literate, just this is a small pct of the globe. Many of the literate globe wouldn't be labeled "highly literate," though they're far from illiterate. Many people can read and write basic sentences, just wouldn't be able to read and summarize a college-level article. As well, in the ancient earth, many people were "semiliterate."
WHAT DOES HISTORY (Outside THE BIBLE) TELL Usa?
Furthermore, information technology's very likely that the Jews were much more literate than the Romans since the Jewish faith is centered around a drove of writings: what Christians telephone call the Old Testament. To be able to read and explain the Jewish Scriptures was a "revered goal" to Jews. Thus, the importance of reading in the Jewish world was "unparalleled" in the Roman and infidel world. Bear witness shows that synagogues frequently functioned every bit schools for Jewish boys, and it'due south not unreasonable to believe that Nazareth had a synagogue where the young Jesus could larn to read and write.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TELL Usa?
Throughout the Gospels, we see Jesus is literate. Jesus illustrates that he has closely studied the Jewish Scripture in his many debates with the scribes and Pharisees. For case, in Matthew 22:32, Jesus refers to Exodus three:half dozen to argue for the future resurrection of the dead, and his argument is based on a very close reading of Scripture. Jesus quotes God in Exodus 3:6 as maxim, "'Iam the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.'" Jesus then says God is "non the God of the dead merely of the living." Jesus' whole statement here is based on the use of one word: "am." Since God said "I am," not "I was," (present tense vs. past tense), Jesus concludes God is still the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, though they're long expressionless.
Further, Jesus was also viewed every bit a teacher, which would imply literacy in his civilization; he amazed crowds with his "learning," the Greek give-and-take used in the original texts usually included reading skills (John 7:15); and we clearly see Jesus reading from the Book of Isaiah (Luke 4:xvi-xxx).
Skeptics may say these details were simply invented past the Gospel writers, but if so, this simply further proves that the thought of a literate Jew from a working form family from a small, backwater town of Judea could exist literate. If this idea had been absurd to the Jews of Jesus' day, why would the Gospel writers make upwards such a thing that others would detect utterly implausible?
AND And so…
If we tin safely conclude that it's certainly plausible that Jesus – the son of a carpenter, and a carpenter himself before his ministry – was literate, then it'southward not a stretch to believe his disciples were literate too. Even if nosotros doubt the high literacy of Peter and John, both fishermen before post-obit Jesus and described equally "uneducated and ordinary" (Acts iv:thirteen), Matthew was a tax collector, Paul was a Pharisee, and Luke (non i of Jesus' original twelve disciples, but a Gospel writer) was an ancient physician — all positions which would require a certain level of pedagogy.
Besides, who is to say Peter and John didn't sharpen their literary skills later deciding to follow Jesus? Subsequently all, John didn't write his Gospel and letters until about 40 years after Jesus' crucifixion. That'due south a adept amount of time! Interestingly, one of my professors, Dr. Timothy Paul Jones, in his book Misquoting Truth writes, "…the simplest Greek in the New Testament is plant in the Gospel According to John and the Gospel According to Mark, the two Gospels whose traditional authors might accept been less than literate. In fact — even afterwards translating hundreds of Greek epigraphs, papyri and writings from prominent 2nd- and third-century Christians — I still oasis't institute a document written as simply as the Gospel According to John."
Finally, nosotros also know from historical records that it was common in the aboriginal globe for people to dictate their thoughts to a professional scribe or secretary who would do the writing for them. The testify fifty-fifty shows that the scribes or secretaries would oft record the speakers' thoughts in their ain style, even using their own words to rephrase ideas, and the speaker would then corroborate the writing and sign off on it. There is even evidence that the Campaigner Paul used a secretary in this fashion when writing some of his letters (that are now in the New Testament; See Romans xvi:22), even though Paul, existence a Pharisee, would've been highly educated and literate and he was able to write Greek (Gal. 6:11; Phil. i:19-21). There is likewise testify that Peter used a profession scribe or secretarial assistant in i Peter 5:12, which reads, "Through Silvanus, our faithful brother (for so I regard him), I have written to you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it!"
Sources:
Paul Rhodes Eddy and Gregory A. Boyd. The Jesus Legend. Chiliad Rapids, MI: Baker Bookish, 2007.
Timothy Paul Jones.Misquoting Truth. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Printing, 2007.
Source: https://godfromthemachine.blog/2014/07/01/bible-secrets-revealed-could-jesus-and-his-disciples-even-read-write/
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