By: Brian G. Chilton | September 27, 2021
Was Jesus functionally literate? Did he have the capability to read and write, or did he merely depend on the oral traditions of his day? Biblical scholarship universally agrees that the literacy rates of first century Israel were much lower than the modern Western world. Credible authorities note that the literacy rate of Jesus’s time would have been less than 10 percent.[1] This has led many, including biblical scholar James D. G. Dunn, to question the level of literacy among Jesus and the first disciples. Dunn admits that some disciples, especially Matthew, would have held a higher literacy rate than others, particularly say Simon Peter.[2] This does not mean that Dunn claimed that the disciples could not read at all. Rather, he contends that they would not have held the literacy level of a scribe, one whose professional life was built around the written text, but one whose literacy rate was at a lower, but still functional, level.
Dunn argues that while disciples such as Matthew most likely wrote down the teachings of Jesus—Matthew would have been the perfect candidate for such a task as his job as a tax collector would have demanded a higher level of literacy than most of his time—the vast majority of Jesus’s messages were passed down by oral traditions. Dunn rightly argues that we must change our default setting concerning oral cultures, and he claims that oral traditions, while containing a bit of flexibility, could accurately hand down volumes of material without changing any major aspect of the teaching or event being preserved.
Having said all of that, it must be asked if Jesus was functionally literate. Bruce Chilton—no relation—argues that Jesus would have been nearly fully illiterate as he would have been refused religious training since he was a mamzer.[3] While suspicion certainly lurked around the mysterious birth of Jesus, it must be remembered that Joseph did marry Mary. Additionally, they moved from Bethlehem to Egypt before settling in Nazareth. Thus, while Chilton’s assessment is compelling, it is far from certain that the leaders would have forbade Jesus the right to read and write from the Galilean schools due to the mysterious nature of his birth.
One must also consider that literacy is found in levels or degrees, not only in antiquity but also in modernity. John S. Kloppenborg Verbin claims that literacy rates are found in three levels, four if you include illiteracy: 1) signature-literacy—the ability to read simple contracts, invoices, and receipts; 2) full reading literacy—the ability to read, take notes, and compose small works; 3) scribal literacy—the ability to read and compose long works.[4] As a tax collector, Matthew would have at least fit within the full reading level of literacy, as it would have been necessary for him to take notes and compose small letters for his position. One could argue that due to their fishing business; Peter, James, John, and Andrew would have at least needed to maintain a signature level of literacy. Due to their training, Paul and some of his comrades would have been at the level of scribal literacy. But what about Jesus? It must be noted that Jesus never wrote a document, so any argument is conjecture at best. However, a few passages of Scripture provide us clues.
Jesus formerly worked as a tekton (Matt. 13:55).
After Jesus speaks in parables, many in Nazareth asked, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother called Mary, and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?” (Matt. 13:55). The term tekton refers to more than just a carpenter. Rather, it speaks of one who was a highly skilled tradesman in the use of wood, stone, and even metal.[5] Being a skilled tradesman, Joseph, Jesus, and his siblings would have needed to at least have a working level of literacy, at least at the level of signature-literacy. Craftsmen would have needed this level of literacy for the same reason that fishermen would, to read any business contracts sent their way. While it is true that orality was the primary method of communication, one cannot dismiss the need for some business contracts and notes as archaeology has shown to be the case of the time.
Jesus reads in the synagogue in Nazareth (Luke 4:16–20).
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus stands to read the Scripture in the synagogue at Nazareth. Luke notes that this was a usual thing for Jesus to do (Luke 6:16). He could mean that it was usual for Jesus to enter the synagogue on the Sabbath day, or he could indicate that Jesus was the normal reader for the synagogue. Nazareth was a small town of a few hundred residents. If Jesus was the normal reader, it could be that Jesus was one of the very few in the area who could read the Hebrew texts. If that is the case, then Jesus’s level of literacy would have vastly exceeded that of the normal citizen. Jesus was at least literate enough to read through the lengthy text, even skipping down to make a connection in a later passage.
Additionally, Jesus’s ability to recall numerous Scriptures indicates a sharp intellect and literacy level that surpassed the status quo. It is in my estimation that Jesus had the reading level of at least that of a full reading level, if not to the degree of scribal literacy. Now, his writing ability may not have been the same. Just because a person can read to a certain degree, does not necessarily indicate that the person could write at the same level.
Jesus writes a simple text before those wanting to condemn a woman (John 8:1–11).
Even though John 7:53–8:11 is missing in early texts of John’s Gospel, it still is held to be an authentic Jesus story. The religious leaders brought a woman to Jesus who had been caught in adultery. They argued that the law called for her to be stoned. Jesus does not immediately say anything. He knelt and wrote something in the sand. Theories abound as to what Jesus wrote. However, Jesus wrote something. John uses the term graphe which meant to communicate with lines on a medium or to speak with paper. What did Jesus write? There is no way of knowing. But whatever it was, Jesus’s writing had the power to convict the people standing by. We do not have enough information to draw a conclusion to the degree to which Jesus could write. But John does show that Jesus had the ability to write to at least some degree.
Evaluating the biblical evidence, one holds enough ground to stand upon the conviction that Jesus held at least the ability to read at the level of full reading literacy, if not even to the degree of scribal literacy. Jewish traditions hold that Jesus was considered a rabbi by even his adversaries, but that he was rejected by the leadership due to his messianic self-understanding. If Jesus were to have been even considered a rabbi, then he must have possessed a reading comprehension that was higher than average. But when it comes to the literacy level of Jesus’s writing ability, we simply do not have enough evidence to make a conclusive claim, outside of saying that Jesus could at least write at the level of signature-literacy. Could his writing skills have been higher? Possibly. But since we have no written texts left to us from Jesus of Nazareth, we simply have no way to tell.[6]
About the Author
Brian G. Chilton is the founder of BellatorChristi.com, the host of The Bellator Christi Podcast, and the author of the Layman’s Manual on Christian Apologetics. Brian is a Ph.D. Candidate of the Theology and Apologetics program at Liberty University. He received his Master of Divinity in Theology from Liberty University (with high distinction); his Bachelor of Science in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Gardner-Webb University (with honors); and received certification in Christian Apologetics from Biola University. Brian is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Evangelical Philosophical Society. Brian has served in pastoral ministry for nearly 20 years and currently serves as a clinical chaplain.
https://www.amazon.com/Laymans-Manual-Christian-Apologetics-Essentials/dp/1532697104
Notes
[1] Perhaps as low as 3 percent in the Roman controlled Palestinian region. W. V. Harris, Ancient Literacy (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1989); James D. G. Dunn, The Oral Gospel Tradition (Grand Rapids, MI: Cambridge, UK: Eerdmans, 2013), 51.
[2] Dunn, Oral Gospel Tradition, 51.
[3] A child whose birth stemmed from an illegal or forbidden relationship. Bruce Chilton, Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography (New York, NY: Doubleday, 2000), 99
[4] John S. Kloppenborg Verbin, Excavating Q: The History and Setting of the Sayings Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2000), 167.
[5] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 519.
[6] Theologically, we could say that all of Scripture is the revelation of Jesus given to us. However, we are merely looking at the historical side of the equation in this article.
Digging Deeper
(Article) Brian Chilton, “Can We Know Anything About the Historical Jesus? Yes, and It’s Much More Than You Think,” BellatorChristi.com (6/18/19), https://bellatorchristi.com/2019/06/18/can-we-know-anything-about-the-historical-jesus-yes-and-its-much-more-than-you-think/
(Article) Brian Chilton, “Seven Aspects of Jesus’s Life that are Historically Certain,” BellatorChristi.com (March 25, 2019), https://bellatorchristi.com/2019/03/25/seven-aspects-of-jesuss-life-that-are-historically-certain/
(Article) Brian Chilton, “10 Reasons to Accept the Resurrection of Jesus as a Historical Fact,” BellatorChristi.com (April 11, 2017), https://bellatorchristi.com/2017/04/11/10-reasons-to-accept-the-resurrection-of-jesus-as-an-historical-fact/
© 2021. BellatorChristi.com.
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[…] authorities note that the literacy rate of Jesus’s time would have been less than 10 percent.[1] This has led many, including biblical scholar James D. G. Dunn, to question the level of literacy […]