Was Jesus A Carpenter?

 

Was Jesus A Carpenter?

Brett Todd

My first career was working on a sawmill up in Minnesota with Alof Green, a quiet old Swede who only lost a few fingers along the way.  I also framed and built houses for a few years after that.  To this day, I humorously claim that I’m a little like Jesus because I’m a carpenter.

But was Jesus really a carpenter?  In Mark 6:2-3 we read these words: 

On the sabbath, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.

You may note that Matthew 13:55, has a variation of Mark’s reading above that says something a little different, it reads “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” So, is Jesus the son of a carpenter or a carpenter himself?  As we have noted in the past, Matthew borrowed from Mark to write his Gospel and often added additional caveats to what Mark wrote.  In this situation, more than likely Matthew viewed such a statement, “Is not this the carpenter” as an insult and edited Mark's words to read, “son of a carpenter” to make Jesus look classier.  Whatever the reason, Matthew wanted to make clear to his readers that Jesus’ father was the carpenter and not Jesus.

There is an interpretation to this reading that is not often discussed by scholars that I think is worth mentioning.  It is believed because of the linguistic difficulty of this verse that both Matthew and Mark missed the Aramaic (the language spoken by Jesus and his kinsmen) metaphorical expression of the members of this synagogue.  The Aramaic expression “carpenter” (Naggar) means one who is a scholar.  The meaning behind Mark 6:2-3 would be that Jesus was not a carpenter but a scholar because only scholars can know these things (See Gez Vermes).

For some, this interpretation may seem difficult.  How can the word carpenter mean scholar, they are two different words, aren’t they?  Even in English we use words metaphorically that mean something completely different from their original meaning.  For example, after eating at a great barbecue chicken restaurant one might ask, “How was the chicken?” and metaphorically the answer would be, “Wow!  It was really bad, really bad!”  Meaning that it was really good.  The same is true for the word carpenter in Aramaic, during this time period, the word carpenter could have meant that one was really smart, or a scholar (see the Talmud).

Was Jesus a scholar?  Historically, it would appear that Jesus was very intelligent and understood the Hebrew Scriptures as well as other Jewish traditions, at least this is what the Gospel writers would have us believe, but was he a carpenter?  Maybe, maybe not.

In our next study, we will take a closer look at the historical and biblical character, Pontius Pilate.

(God) All In The Family?

 

(God) All In The Family? 

Brett A. Todd

In 1947, archaeologists discovered a treasure trove of ancient manuscripts in caves near the Dead Sea in Israel. Perhaps you have heard of them, they are called the Dead Sea Scrolls. They are an astounding 1000 years older than Hebrew manuscripts used in most of our English Bibles. If you want to get a closer look at what the original Old Testament Hebrew read, the Dead Sea Scrolls are a one in a million.

One of the surprising nuggets scholars found in these ancient Dead Sea Scrolls has to do with whether or not God had a family, you know, a father, mother, and yes, of course, sibling. I know, I know, you may be gasping for air at this moment. Who would have ever thought that the God of Israel, the very God Jews and Christians worshipped had a family, right?

Here in Deuteronomy 32:8-9, the Dead Sea Scrolls give us a much more original reading of these two Bible verses, it states:

When the Most High God (El-yon) apportioned the nations, when he divided humankind, he fixed the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of god (beney ’el [im]); the Lord’s (Yahweh) own portion was his people, Jacob his allotted share.

***Once again, most English translations incorrectly read, “sons of Israel”.

In the passage above, the Most High God (El-yon) divides the people of the earth into nations according to the number of sons of god (beney ’el [im]). Interestingly, one of those sons of god, as noted in verse 9, is Yahweh, the God of Israel, the people of Jacob. According to this earlier reading found in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Yahweh, the God of Israel and the God who Christians worship was a part of a larger divine pantheon (family) in which the Most High God (El-yon) is the ruler, or one could say, the father of the sons of god, including, Yahweh, the God of Israel.

*Side note: Every time you see the capital letters spelling out the name, “LORD”, it is referring to Yahweh, the God of Israel. 

It is worthy to note, the Scripture above, Deuteronomy 32:8-9 is not unlike some of the ancient Canaanite literature (Jews are distant ancestors of the Canaanites), where the Most High god (the sky god), El, and his wife, the goddess Asherah, had seventy sons who were his divine council who he could summon at any time. Is this what Deuteronomy 32:8 is referring to? All early evidence seems to point in this direction.

Another Scripture in the Hebrew Old Testament that seems to refer to this same pantheon of gods is found in Psalm 82:1,

God (Elohim) has taken his place in the council of the God (EL); in the midst of the gods (Elohim) he holds judgment…”

In this ancient reading of the Bible, a reversal of power takes place and Elohim, the God of Israel and Christians, brings judgment on the Canaanite High God El’s and his assembly of the gods (Elohim). As one can see, it is all in the family with some family disputes: El, Yahweh/Elohim, and the sons of God.

In our next study, we will ask and answer the question, “Was Jesus a carpenter?

Angels We Have Heard From On High???

Angels We Have Heard From On High???

Brett A. Todd

One of the most fascinating verses in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) is found in Genesis 6:1-2, it reads:

When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that they were fair, and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose.

Who were these sons of God?  Some have suggested these were the offspring of Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:15).  But such a suggestion fizzles when in the Bible we read that these sons of God were in heaven (Job 1:6).  How could the son of Seth, human beings, be in heaven if they were here on earth?  Such a theory is not plausible.

It is more plausible to understand that these “sons of God” were gods, which we will talk about later in another article, or angels who came from heaven and had sexual relations with the daughters of men.  In the Job reading mentioned above, this seems to be the case.  The sons of God were heavenly beings (angels) and some of them were good angels and some of them were bad.   

One might ask how spiritual beings (angels) could have sexual relations with human beings.  This is a good question.  What we must understand is that for the ancient people, the idea of an angel or demon or a god having sexual relations with a human being was not such an absurd idea as it is for modern 21st-century people.  Spiritual beings were always having sexual relations with human beings, this is how they got demigods, and yes, even their heroes and warriors (Genesis 6:4).  In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, this is how Jesus was conceived.

In our last study, we mention how the Book Of Enoch?” significantly influenced the thinking and writings of Jews and early Christians. Such is the case with Genesis and the sons of God.  Here’s how Enoch reads (Enoch 6:1-2, 8): 

And it came to pass, when the sons of men had increased, that in those days there were born to them fair and beautiful daughters. And the Angels, the sons of Heaven, saw them and desired them. And they said to one another: “Come, let us choose for ourselves wives, from the children of men, and let us beget, for ourselves, children…” These are the leaders of the two hundred Angels and of all the others with them.

Enoch continues the imaginative story, a very long story of how their offspring, the Nephilim, giants, brought havoc on the earth by eating nearly all the human beings and vegetation, and even each other, that God is forced to destroy them by bringing forth a flood.  More than likely, you know the Noah and the Ark story.

In our next study, we will ask the question, “Did God have a family?  You know, a mother and father as well as siblings?”

WHAT IS THE BOOK OF ENOCH?

WHAT IS THE BOOK OF ENOCH?

Brett A. Todd

In the last few years, there has been a growing curiosity about the Book of Enoch, probably because of the renewed interest in mystical and apocalyptic literature, as well as a growing interest in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Let’s take a look at the Book of Enoch.

The Book of Enoch is an ancient Hebrew apocalyptic writing (4 BCE) that describes why the angels fell from heaven, the origin of demons, Nephilims (Giants), and why the Genesis flood was necessary.  This book was falsely named after the alleged author, Enoch, the great grandfather of Noah.

Although this book is not considered to be a part of the Bible, it is worthy to note that it was widely read by Jews and early Christians.  In fact, the Book of Enoch was found among the Dead Sea Scroll in 1947, which illustrates how important this book was among the Jewish Essenes and most likely other Jewish groups as well.  It also deserves attention to note that Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews) and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church do consider the Book of Enoch to be Scripture and is found in their Bible.

To the surprise of many, the Book of Enoch is quoted in the New Testament.  In Jude 1:14–15, we read, note the apocalyptic nature of this verse, “It was also about these that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, ‘See, the Lord is coming with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all, and to convict everyone of all the deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.’” (Enoch 1:9).

You may remember the old revival hymn, “He Could Have Called Ten Thousand Angels” by Ray Overholt.  More than likely, it was from this passage of Scripture that he was inspired to write this much-loved hymn.  However, for our study what should really catch the attention of the reader is the fact that this spurious reading from Enoch, found its way into the Bible and became Holy Scripture itself. 

There is another story in the Bible in which the Book of Enoch has significantly influenced both Jews and Christians through the years.  This story is found in Genesis 6:1-8 and talks about the sons of God (Angels) who came down from heaven and had sexual relations with the daughters of humans.  We will take up this story in our next study.

EARLY CHRISTIANITY AND THE GODS

 

EARLY CHRISTIANITY AND THE GODS

Brett Todd

In a past article titled, “The Blessed Trinity” (November 29, 2021), which you can read in this blog, This Is Not Sunday School, I stated that the idea of three persons who make up one God is not spoken of in the Bible.  You cannot find the word Trinity nor the concept of “Three in one” in the Bible.  This idea is a later development of Christianity.  So, it should not surprise you that early Christians did have different ideas of God or the Gods.  

In early Christianity, there was much diversity to the chagrin of other Christians who thought everyone should believe the way they believed. This is true when we talk about God and the Gods.  Bart Ehrman, a noted scholar of the New Testament and Early Christianity, tells us that there were early Christian groups who believed there were two Gods, others 30 Gods, and even those Christians who believed there were 365 Gods (Lost Christianities: The Battle for Scripture and the Faith We Never knew).  Keep in mind that this is only a small sample of the diversity found in early Christianity.  There were other Christian groups who believed other things about God or the Gods as well. 

One such group of early Christians was the Marcionites who believed in two Gods.  Their influential leader and Christian theologian, Marcion, believed that the Jewish God of the Old Testament, Yahweh, was actually an evil God while the God of the New Testament was a kind and loving God.  I’m sure you have heard it said, though untrue, that God in the Old Testament is unloving and wrathful, while God in the New Testament is loving.   Well, this is precisely what Marcion believed.

Though Marcion’s idea of a good God and a bad God is quite foreign to the teachings in New Testament, the idea of two Gods is not.  Let me explain what I mean.

In the Gospel of John, we read that in the very beginning Jesus, the Word, was with God and was God.  Note, it does not say these two Gods were one and the same God.  This is how John 1:1 reads, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  The original language of the New Testament is a little more explicit here, it reads, “In the beginning, the Word [Jesus] was “face to face” with God, and the Word [Jesus] was God.”  Essentially what you have here are two persons called God, looking at each other.  Again, it is important to remember that the idea of the Trinity or oneness (of essence) is not explicitly taught in the Gospel of John.

Clearly, in the Gospel of John, we have two persons called God who are working in tandem with each other in unity just as Jesus wants us to be one with him and God. You may remember the prayer of Jesus to God the Father in John, “so that they [Jesus’ followers] may be one, as we are one” (John 17:22). There is no sense in the Gospel of John that God the Father and Jesus are one and the same God.

In our next study, we will look at the Book of Enoch which is quoted and referred to in the New Testament of the Bible.  What is the Book of Enoch?

WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS? PAUL, PETER, AND JAMES

 

WHY CAN'T WE BE FRIENDS? PAUL, PETER, AND JAMES

Brett Todd

There is an interesting ancient letter written by, supposedly, the Apostle Peter to James, the brother of Jesus.  All scholars that I’m aware of agree that Peter never wrote this letter.  Rather, this is an ancient forgery written by someone we don’t know in the name of Peter.  This practice was obviously widely practiced because we even have letters in the New Testament of our Bible that were forgeries written in the name of Paul or Peter.  For example, we know that Paul did not write First or Second Timothy.  They are simply forgeries and there are other forgeries in the Bible as well.

In this letter, “Epistle of Peter to James” which is dated around the early 3rd century, Peter calls the Apostle Paul, “the man who is my enemy” (Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. VIII).  Here, scholars agree that this man who is Peter’s enemy is none other than Paul.

Though it is true that Peter did not write this letter and that this letter is an ancient forgery, it may reflect the conflict between Christian Jews and Gentile during this period and earlier.  As we take a closer look at ancient Christian history, there seemed to be a continual and furthering split between Jew and Gentile Christians.

 

So where did this conflict begin and is there anything in the Bible that would suggest that the Apostle Paul, Peter, and the brother of James were anything but friends?

In the book of Galatians (genuine letter of Paul) found in the New Testament of the Bible, Paul complains about Peter.  This is what he said, “But when Cephas [Peter] came to Antioch, I [Paul] opposed him to his face…” (Galatians 2:11). What was Paul’s complaint?  There were “false brothers” (2:4), whether Peter and James or their followers, who went to Paul’s new Gentile converts in Galatia to convince them to live like Jews, which included circumcision.  But as you probably already know, Paul was against circumcision.  This is what Paul said about the practice of Jewish circumcision, “Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that, if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you.” (Galatians 5:2).  

Later, to the surprise of many Bible readers, Paul even has stronger words for those who were pushing circumcision on his new converts, saying, “I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!” (Galatians 5:12).  However, the word “castrate” is not what Paul actually said, it should be translated verse 12, “I wish those who were stirring you up would cut it all off” referring to their whole private part.  Whether Paul was talking about Peter and James or their followers is not certain.  Either way, Peter and James are more than likely in the back of Paul's mind with this whole fiasco.

More than likely, what we have before us is the beginning of the end of early Jewish Christianity.  In other words, Jewish Christianity slowly faded away while Gentile Christianity became the dominant force in this new Jesus movement.  In the end, Jewish Christianity disappeared into the sands of history, while Paul’s brand of Christianity, in part, is still with us to this day.

In our next article, we will talk about what early Christians believed about God or the Gods.

JESUS THE BOY

 

JESUS THE BOY

Brett A. Todd

There’s not a whole lot of ancient writings about the boyhood of Jesus, and much of what was written, well, it’s some pretty crazy stuff.  For example, in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, written mid-to-late-2nd century AD, there are several stories of the boyhood of Jesus.  In one story, the boy Jesus makes another boy wither up for breaking up the little fish ponds he made and only later, with some parental prodding, heals the boy, partially, as a warning to others, not to mess with Jesus.  Then there is the story of a boy jumping on Jesus’ shoulder which makes Jesus angry.  What did the angry boy Jesus do in return?  According to the story, Jesus killed the other boy.  It appears in these stories that Jesus had an anger issue.  How about this story, some other kids tattle on Jesus and for this, the boy Jesus makes them blind.  Of course, Jesus’ dad, Joseph, does reprimand Jesus, “Why do you do these things that hurt other people, so that they in return hate us and prosecute (legally) us?”  Obviously, the boy Jesus was quite the little tyrant.  

There are some kinder stories that we don’t want to miss and you might be familiar with.  Jesus and some boys are making animals out of clay, and so not to be outdone by the other boys, Jesus makes his clay animals come to life and walk about, even the birds he made out of clay flew away.  There are other stories where he heals the sick.  Yes, the boy Jesus can even perform a miracle or two.  

Though these stories are not in the Bible, it is essential to remember that they were still Gospel stories that some early Christians believed were true and treated as gospel.  As mentioned in the past, there were many other stories and Gospels that early Christians used as their sacred text that never found their way into the Bible.

So what does the Bible say about Jesus’ boyhood?  We only have one story in the Gospel of Luke 2:41-51 where Jesus is in the Temple talking with the religious teachers.  Supposedly, Jesus' parents left for their home in Nazareth and didn’t know they had left Jesus behind until the third day of traveling.  When they discovered he was not with them, they quickly turned around and headed back to Jerusalem to find their son.

Where did they find the boy Jesus?  He was in the great Temple of Jerusalem “sitting among the teachers”.  The phrase “sitting among the teachers” suggests that Jesus had also reached the plateau of great intellectual scholarship, just like the other teachers he was sitting with.  The boy Jesus was not just a spectator, he was a scholar of the Law.  But what would one expect, as he told his parents, “I must be in my Father’s house” referring to Jerusalem’s Jewish Temple where God dwelt.  If God is his Father, well then, of course, Jesus would be a gifted boy of great intellect, and of course, the boy Jesus would know and understand the Law of God better than anyone else.

In our next article, we will look at the relationship the Apostle Paul had with Peter and Jesus’ brother James, which was not always a good one.