What evidence is there that Jesus was a carpenter?
score:20
A discussion here talks about the various possibilities. To quote a small part that summarizes well:
Jesus' adopted father Joseph was a carpenter (Matthew 13:55 & Mark 6:3). The Greek word is Teckton which means builder. Now, some say he worked with wood; building tools, doors, shelves, tables etc. = carpenter. Others say because of the region and the resources were rock, and most everything was built from rock, then he built millstones, winepresses, houses, etc. = stonemason. There is no real evidence to clarify exactly what Joseph was a builder of, but we know that he was a Teckton = Builder. Now, in the Jewish culture of that time (1st century) it was required of the father to teach the son their trade at age 12, and find a wife for them around the age of 20. Joseph being very Jewish would have adhered to this practice and began teaching Jesus at 12 his trade of being a builder (Teckton).
This page from the same site offers additional explanation for the stonemason theory:
Given that Israel's buildings were constructed of stones and rocks, Jesus likely worked as a stonemason rather than a carpenter. He probably spent hours helping his father shape and cut stones.
The above quoted site is provided by That the World May Know Ministries, and offers a DVD series entitled Faith Lessons, featuring the founder Ray Vander Laan which offers documentary-style on-location Bible studies suitable for small groups. I believe the one that addresses this issue is Life and Ministry of the Messiah, or possibly Walk as Jesus Walked. It has been several years since I've watched these, and I don't have access to them now to confirm.
Upvote:2
The evidence is mixed.
Mark's Gospel clearly states that Jesus was a carpenter (Mark 6:3: Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.).
However, Mark is the only gospel that tells us that Jesus was a carpenter. Matthew's Gospel, in the corresponding passage, only says that Jesus was the son of a carpenter (Matthew 13:55: Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?). In copying from Mark, it should have been easier to retain Mark's words, unless the author of Matthew's Gospel had a reason not to say that Jesus had been a carpenter. The later gospels, Luke and John, make no mention of Jesus being a carpenter or even the son of a carpenter.
One theory was put forward by Dennis R. MacDonald in his book, The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark. MacDonald compares Mark's story about Jesus with the Greek epics of Homer, finding many parallels between the portrayal of Jesus and that of Odysseus. Both Odysseus and Jesus were known as carpenters. MacDonald notes that Homer sometimes calls Odysseus 'divine' and 'son of Zeus', labels comparable to those given to Jesus. If MacDonald is correct, Mark's description of Jesus as a carpenter was a literary creation that the later evangelists refused to accept. Perhaps when the first gospel was being written, the author had so little information about Jesus as a person that he felt obliged to fill in some of the gaps.
Because of Mark it is more than just a very likely conjecture that Jesus was a carpenter, but because of Matthew, Luke and John it is no more than a conjecture. Then, because of MacDonald's research, it could even be that this was simply a literary mechanism employed in just one of the gospels.
Upvote:18
Yes, Jesus is called a carpenter in Mark 6:3 NIV1984:
Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph,Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
Update: based on comments below, some explanation of the word carpenter. First, that is the word used in various translations, e.g. Amplified, Good News, New American Standard Bible and King James. Secondly, it is true that the meaning has been questioned in some commentaries, where it has been suggested that the word could also mean, craftsman. So, we cannot be 100% sure, but since the church has historically considered Jesus to have been a carpenter, and most or all translations use that, it seems probable.
Upvote:25
We know that Joseph was a τέκτων (tekton)- traditionally a carpenter but literally, any craftsman who worked with his hands, from Matthew 13:55 (Is this not the carpenter's son?). Traditionally, boys would follow in their father's occupation, hence the tradition that Jesus was a carpenter.
Additionally in Mark 6:3, we get the same word describing Jesus himself. (Is this not the carpenter?). Mark is probably the older source ( the Farrer hypothesis ) from which Matthew is drawing. With Matthew's desire to portray Jesus as king, it makes sense that he would prefer to move such a menial task to the dad and let people just assume that Jesus would have been trained up in the family trade.
More post
- 📝 Is it ever right to sin in order to potentially prevent others from committing far more damaging sins?
- 📝 What is LDS teaching about how Bible verses came to be in the Book of Mormon?
- 📝 Has the Church stated any advantages or reasoning or prompting to re-formulating positively the Catholic Church's salvation doctrine?
- 📝 What does it mean to interpret the Bible literally?
- 📝 What is an overview of the early Church's viewpoints on Christology at the time of the Apostolic Era?
- 📝 Where does Augustine say that the rapture of the saved soul will "flow over" into the glorified body?
- 📝 Can You Go To Heaven if You Commit Suicide?
- 📝 Trinitarian Ontology... What is it? Being vs person vs essence vs _______
- 📝 What is so special about sitting at God's "right hand"?
- 📝 How did Augustine of Hippo feel about Jerome's Latin translation of the Bible (the Vulgate)?
- 📝 What is the easy and less complicated definition of predestination [Calvinism]?
- 📝 According to Protestant interpretations of the Bible, is there justification for “disliking somebody”?
- 📝 Where was Herod's temple built?
- 📝 What are the differences between Catholic and Episcopal saints?
- 📝 Which Christian denominations believe there is a biblical basis for hunting animals for sport?
- 📝 David and Milkom wore a 75 lb crown, wouldn't that have snapped their necks?
- 📝 When did the Catholic Church first prohibit bishops from remarrying?
- 📝 How many people were killed by the Sanhedrin around the time of Paul?
- 📝 What's the difference between the Gospel and the Bible?
- 📝 Is God the Son's blood divine and infinite or human and finite (Western Catholic)
- 📝 Athanasian Creed article 6, meaning of "the glory equal"
- 📝 Can "feelings and passions" make an act involuntary?
- 📝 According to universalists, why should we obey God?
- 📝 Did Adam and Eve's Progeny Commit Incest?
- 📝 Does Christianity allow Christians to celebrate other holidays?
- 📝 Is the song Baba Yetu actually used by African churches?
- 📝 Nehemiah 9:2 were there foreigners in Israel at that time?
- 📝 The Explosion of Thera 1642–1540 BCE
- 📝 Why is God unbeatable?
- 📝 Was any Doctor of the Church martyred?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What evidence is there that Jesus was a carpenter?
- 📝 What Biblical evidence is there that the Apostles feared for their lives after Jesus was crucified?
- 📝 What evidence is there that Peter was a bishop in Rome?
- 📝 What evidence is there that the Jews thought leprosy was due to sin?
- 📝 What evidence is there to show that John Wesley and John Calvin did not believe that Jesus is Michael?
- 📝 What evidence is there that God as father was a common concept for Jesus's first century Jewish audience?
- 📝 What hard evidence is there that Charles Wesley was Arminian?
- 📝 What evidence is there that the thief on the cross was not baptized?
- 📝 What evidence is there that the New Testament was originally written in Aramaic?
- 📝 What evidence is there that Jesus died on the cross?
- 📝 What argument and/or evidence is there that Jesus sent the disciples out armed?
- 📝 Is there evidence that Jesus was a Dalai Lama?
- 📝 What was it about the death of Jesus that allows God to forgive us?
- 📝 Is there evidence that Isaiah 53 was viewed as a Messianic prophecy within Judaism, or is it an exclusively Christian interpretation?
- 📝 What is the Biblical evidence that there are ONLY three persons in the "Trinity"?
- 📝 What does it mean that Jesus was the "second Adam"?
- 📝 What evidence is there to support the position that the Bible is truly the Word of God to mankind?
- 📝 What evidence is there that the Apostle Paul had been a member of the Sanhedrin?
- 📝 What is the evidence that suggests that the Apostle Paul was married?
- 📝 What Scriptures did Arius use to support teaching that Jesus was created?
- 📝 What evidence is there that the Chinese script reflects a knowledge of Genesis 1-11?
- 📝 What is the basis of the view that Jesus was separated from the Father and Holy Spirit upon death?
- 📝 What is the evidence that Ignatius of Antioch was ordained by the Apostles?
- 📝 What evidence does the LDS church forward for the claim that the Garden of Eden was in Missouri?
- 📝 What is the evidence for the claim that Young Earth Creationism was the mainstream viewpoint in ancient times?
- 📝 What is the evidence that Thomas Aquinas was assassinated?
- 📝 What evidence is there that the genealogies in the early part of Genesis refer to tribes instead of individuals?
- 📝 Is there any evidence that people of Jewish descent came to the Americas before the birth of Christ Jesus
- 📝 On what basis was Jesus’ death sufficient for redemption according Non-Trinitarians who maintain that Jesus was not eternal God as God the Father is?
- 📝 What does Mormonism have to offer in regards to salvation through Jesus Christ that was not already taught in the New Testament?