[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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