(December 13, 2016 at 11:21 am)vorlon13 Wrote: As noted elsewhere, reading and writing were taught separately in those days. While it is clear the Jesus character could read, there is absolutely nothing in scripture to indicate he could write.
In fact, the ability to write was the more rare of the 2 skills, and if Jesus could write he would have been a scribe, not a carpenter.
So, except for some fundies and evangelicals who will maintain Jesus could 'do anything', the reality is he could not write, and there is ZERO basis for asserting He could.
Period.
Well, there is the story related in John 8:1-11 in which Jesus writes something in the dirt. Of course, this could be nothing more than pious legend. It is odd that one able to write would not have put it to financial use. I suspect you're right, Vorlon.
@OP: In a culture in which relatively few could read, what purpose would Jesus' writing his message serve? To fail to reach the very people his ministry, as presented in the Gospels, was supposed to reach, i.e., the Galilean peasants?
Besides, one usually writes something momentous with a view to posterity. If the end is nigh and could come at any time like a thief in the night, then what's the point? There wasn't supposed to be a posterity. He got that wrong.
