Was Jesus illiterate?

Question

If not, why didn't he leave any writings of his own? Wouldn't those writings have been infinitely more clear and concise than having multiple interpretations and recollections on what they thought he meant/said?

Answer 1

Lol, he was too busy healing the sick and performing various miracles to bother himself with something as silly like reading and writing.

Hehe, I never thought of it before though. Good point.

Answer 2

Jesus was definitely well taught..it may not be in the bible...but it is in history books that back in the day every boy went to school until he was 13 and if he was good then he kept on and was someone disciple...then after that he was able to go and get his own disciples..we know this b/c in the Bible he was called teacher and rabi and only a man of great teaching where called this things

Answer 3

Maybe he did leave writings which have been lost, hidden, or yet to be discovered.

Answer 4

No, that was Muhammad.

The image of Jesus as a 'poor carpenter' from Nazareth can be challenged at length.

There is notoriously little accurate information about Jesus's circumstances. But what there is clearly indicates that his family was well-to-do, and that his upbringing was a kind available only to those with status and financial resources. All accounts, for example, depict him as a learned man - which was, one must remember, unusual in those largely illiterate times, when education was essentially adjunct of class. Jesus is obviously literate and well educated.In the Gospels, he disputes knowledgeably with the elders about the Law, which presupposes some considerable degree of formal training. From his own statements, it is clear that he is word- perfect in his familiarity with the prophetic books of the Tanakh, can quote them at will, can move among them with the facility and expertise of a professional scholar.

In his teaching , he often challenged the teachings of others, while remaining within the Jewish religion of the Torah.Often where he appears to criticise the commandments, themselves (e.g. Matthew 5 . 21-48) his own dictates are more rather than less exacting, or even on a different scale altogether. His summary of Torah was in effect a context-independent command.

Answer 5

Jesus left a living church when He gave the power of the keys to St. Peter.

A living God leaves a living church.

Only a dead god leaves a book.

Answer 6

The New Testament states that at the age of twelve He amazed the scholars and mathematicians in the temples with His knowledge, so I think it would be wrong to assume that He was illiterate. Why He did not write things down is not known to us. My guess is that if He had written things down, there would so much fighting and bickering over who the writings belonged to and so many people trying to destroy, steal or deny the authenticity of them that it would have caused more harm than good. So I'm guessing that it was wisdom that He did not write things down Himself but rather allowed others to keep the records of the happenings during those times.

Answer 7

no.....Many times God works Thru Men....and in those days it took 4 accounts of something for it to be believed which is why there are 4 gospels!!

Answer 8

you missed it. JESUS was talking. that was the purpose of the writing

in red. JESUS was a scholar at age 12.

Answer 9

Of course he was illiterate. And dont believe those writings that you read in the Bible for a second. It was a bunch of stories passed on and manipulated by evil polititians.

Can not trust that for a minute.

Answer 10

Jesus didn't have time to write. He was too busy performing miracles and spending time with God and preaching and saving the lost.

Answer 11

It's highly unlikely that he was illiterate, since he was a Rabbi.

Very little writing from that time survived to this day.

Answer 12

We know he was literate because he knew and could discuss the Torah with rabbis in the temple at 12 years old.  God had already tried communicating with His people through writing, but they had forgotten and turned away.  

Answer 13

Jesus was literate.  The New Testament cites a passage where Jesus writes on the sand.  What's more, Jesus commissioned His Church as His teaching office.  It was that Teaching Office that gave birth to the Bible by commissioning the gathering of the scrolls and letters floating around after the time of Christ and discerning which were inspired of God and which were not.  These were gathered, interpreted and translated into the common language of the People.  Then the Church spoke with the authority that Christ vested in it and closed the Canon of the Bible at 73 Books declaring that nothing could be added or subtracted and still be known as the Holy Bible.  It was this Church that declared that the Bible, all 73 Books is the Written Word of God.  This occurred around 400 AD, four-hundred years after Christ.  This Church gave birth to the Bible, the Bible did not give birth to this Church, which is the Roman Catholic Church.  

David, multiple interpretations of the Bible only occurred after the spirit of rebellion entered the True Church resulting in the so-called Protestant Reformation.  And it did not stop there which is why we now have thousands, and thousands of Christian Denominations that can't even agree on what a Christian is!  

H

Answer 14

No.  Jesus was taught in the temple and learned to read the scriptures, and did occasionally read from the scriptures out loud.  When He was baptized by St. John the Baptist, the scriptures say He returned to Nazareth and read from the scriptures about the coming of the Messiah, and then said "Today, in your hearing, the scriptures are fulfilled" and "a prophet is never accepted in his own town".  And remember many people called Him Rabbi.  All Rabbis were well educated.

Answer 15

Hardly. He left us His Church, His disciples to teach and pass down as well as write.

Answer 16

He was very literate.  There is a story where he bends down an writes something in the sand.  We are not told what it was, what ever it was it changed the attitude of the crud.

Answer 17

Writing changes meaning.

Christianity is based not on words - but action.

God is always active.

Jesus never rested.

What use are words?

God love you!

Answer 18

Jesus was not illiterate, check today's gosple reading.  He did not come to write, he came to establish the kingdom of God/Heaven on earth - the catholic church. for that he was crucified for giving us this great gift for our salvation, this narrow gate, he was crucified -- He died to save us from our sins.

We documented the foundation and early formation of His kingdom on earth, the New testament is the stroy of the catholic church.

Monday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew Reinhardt, Consecrated Member of Regnum Christi

Luke 4: 16-30

Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing." And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They also asked, "Isn´t this the son of Joseph?" He said to them, "Surely you will quote me this proverb, ´Physician, cure yourself,´ and say, ´Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.´" And he said, "Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian." When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

Sola Scriptura ?

Go get a copy of the marine corp. manual, take it home study it. Don't forget to rip out the five chapters that contradict what you are doing.

Get other people together to study it, implement it in your life, get the people who you study it with to implement it in there lives.

Oh, don’t forget to get your official marine corps manual concordance, so you can look up words and phrases like “simper fi”, “Iwo Jima”, “Helmet”, “Grenade”, and “Honor”,  etc.  

Now does this make you guys marines?

I think not.

You are missing pretty much everything that it means to be a marine. You haven't had the training that they have done for years you don't have the history -- the understanding of what it means to BE a marine as passed on from the founder of the marine corp to his first lieutenants and on down through the ranks through the years – the direct link to the founder of the marine corp. and writers of the manual, nor do you have  the word of mouth testimony (those unwritten instructions that the founder himself – who by the way did not write the manual -- passed on to his first lieutenants, things the marines have been doing for years),  nor do you have the true meaning of what the manual says. Because, of course, outside of the marine corp., the manual is MEANINGLESS.

People who belong to bible studying fellowships who believe in the doctrine of solely scripture, scripture first, scripture only -- sola scriptura are no more Christians than are the people who got together to study the marine manual are marines.  

Now that you and your friends have studied the marine corp manual. Go out in front of a marine corp. recruiting station and as people walk in hand them a tract from the manual and get them to come join you. Go to a marine corp. camp and do the same thing see if they will join you marine corp. manual studying fellowship. But don't call yourselves that. Call yourselves, "marines". Go to the veterans day parade and hand out tracts from the manual there, and tell them to come to your marine barracks. Let people know that you have the way that all they have to do is study the manual with you and they too can be marines.

Oh yes and erect marine corp. manual studying colleges and graduate what?

Experts in misunderstanding the marine corp. manual.

And OHHHH yes don't forget to call yourselves not just marines but "heroes(saints)", because after all everyone who is part of your marine corp., manual studying fellowship is a "hero(saint)", after all the manual says that doesn't it?  Forget about honoring real marine “Heroes(Saints)” like Colonel Louis C. Plain and Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone;  or Gunnery Sergeant Donald A. Levesque (RET); or Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham ... etc.; for after all the manual tells us not to do that, right?

Then, go up to a real marine (if you dare) tell them what you are doing, and ask them what is wrong with it?

Answer 19

Luke 4:16 And he came to Naz′a‧reth, where he had been reared; and, according to his custom on the sabbath day, he entered into the synagogue, and he stood up to read.  

Answer 20

He probably was functionally illiterate like 99% of all people that lived during that time were. The writing of any document was quite an undertaking during that time. No ball point pens, very little paper, if any, no pencils, etc.

Most all people did not need to read or write anyway, other then simple math and understanding the spoken word what else was needed?

Answer 21

No, he was not "illiterate"! He did not do any writings that we are aware of because God wanted others to tell and explain from their own hearts. So that if Jesus wrote about the way He healed a Leper, it would be boasting on Himself. God does not like boasters! But if someone else wrote what they saw and felt inside, then you have "spreading the Word" or "planting a seed to grow".

Answer 22

He did leave writings. Look within yourself. There, Where They Reside, no man can taint Them. Find the Truth within yourself and no man can deceive you.

Answer 23

Jesus was able to read Hebrew; that's how he prayed and all Jewish boys learn Hebrew. It's clear Jesus knew Torah, he quoted from it when he said 'love thy neighbours'. I doubt he could write Hebrew but he definitely read it.

Jesus was NOT a 'rabbi'! There were no Rabbis back then, we did not have ordained Rabbis until after the temple was destroyed.

Back then, 'rabbi' just mean 'teacher' and many Jewish men were addressed in that manner!

Answer 24

He read from the scrolls in the temple.  So, no, He was not illiterate.

Answer 25

Maybe he was busy healing/teaching/helping/leading people before his eventual crucifiction?

Answer 26

He could not speak and write, there was not enough time, as it is we just got a sliver of hes teachings.

Answer 27

Is it too radical a thought that Jesus trusted his followers to proclaim his actions, love, and respect for humanity?  Is it too radical to think that he could have written something, but under Roman occupation it did not survive?  Is it too radical to think that 1st century culture was predominantly from an oral tradition, and huge amounts of information could be spoken without having to rely upon writing?  Remember that Jesus used parables to tell stories, point being, it was about telling a story using illustrations.  Jesus was a contextual theologian--how beautiful is that?  Also, where did the idea that Scripture is supposed to harmonize and correlate ever come about?  Even in the U.S. people relate differently, so the message in California should never "map" the same as a message in New York.  Paul's message sounds different because he was dealing with people who believed in Platonism.  That is a huge paradigm shift from Jesus' message.

Answer 28

I have worried about that a lot. The Buddha guy left a lot of writings and so did Mohamed. Why not Jesus? Whazup with that? I mean even the Pharaohs of Egypt left behind a lot of written stuff.

The essential thing in the Christian message is "forgiveness." That separates it from the other Abrahamic religions, my mom says. That was really stressed and what was different. Lot of payback and revenge included in Islam and Judaism. But the written message came from the disciples.

Some people think "Jesus" was a collective term for this more humane sort of "forgiveness" and being a good neighbor and all that. I dunno.

Answer 29

No read your bible when mary lost Jesus he was discussing with the priests the scriptures and in order to do this he must have known how to read.

Answer 30

he could read

writers "block" ?!?

i suppose the best we get is 3rd party editing (Constantine) of 2nd party accounts

very sad

Answer 31

God works though others.  Jesus worked thorugh his eye witness apostles.