[B-Greek] IWTA (George F Somsel)
Carl Conrad
cwconrad2 at mac.com
Wed Dec 3 07:34:32 EST 2008
On Dec 2, 2008, at 11:20 PM, George F Somsel wrote:
> Whether the tradition that Jesus was a carpenter is correct may be
> questioned. The Greek is subject to another understanding as well.
>
> 3οὐχ οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τέκτων, ὁ υἱὸς
> τῆς Μαρίας καὶ ἀδελφὸς Ἰακώβου καὶ
> Ἰωσῆτος καὶ Ἰούδα καὶ Σίμωνος;καὶ
> οὐκ εἰσὶν αἱ ἀδελφαὶ αὐτοῦ ὧδε
> πρὸς ἡμᾶς;καὶ ἐσκανδαλίζοντο ἐν
> αὐτῷ.
> 3 OUX hOUTOS ESTIN hO TEKTWN, hO hUIOS mARIAS; KAI ADELFOS IAKWBOU
> KAI IWSHTOS KAI IOUDA KAI SIMWNOS KAI OUK EISIN hAI ADELFAI AUTOU
> hWDE PROS hHMAS; KAI ESKANDALIZONTO EN AUTWi
>
> The word TEKTWN signifies an artisan who may work in wood or in some
> other medium such as stone. It is interesting that Nazareth was not
> far from Sepphoris which was a bustling center of Greco-Roman
> civilization.
>
>
> In 1931 L. Waterman made excavations on the site … To the Roman
> period belongs a large theater, of which only a section was
> excavated. This building is of the Roman type, about 110 feet in
> diameter, and is estimated to have seated between 4,000 and 5,000
> spectators. The stage (scaenae frons) was about 90 feet long and 18
> feet wide. There were no entrances in the stage building, but it had
> towers at each end. To the same period belong remains of an
> aqueduct, a tunnel and reservoirs, part of the water-supply system
> of the city, through which water was brought from a spring miles away.
>
> Negev, A. (1996, c1990). The Archaeological encyclopedia of the Holy
> Land (3rd ed.). New York: Prentice Hall Press.
>
> It would not be something to cause amazement if Joseph and he (and
> his brothers ?) were to seek employment in the construction of some
> of the buildings there. If such were the case, it also would not be
> surprising that he would have occasion to acquire a knowledge of
> Greek or perhaps even Latin -- or both.
> george
I am inclined to agree with the view George represents here, that
Jesus might very well have known some Greek. I think, however, that
the question is not worth engaging in a great deal of speculation. The
evidence that is offered will be more convincing to some than to
others. I personally just don't think that a dogmatic stance on this
question is very reasonable.
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
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