OT: Biblical greek style (was Re: [sword-devel] Evidence Bible...)

[Dave Washburn]

On Wednesday 30 April 2003 18:29, David's Mailing-list and Spam Receiver 
wrote:
> On Wednesday 30 April 2003 03:30 pm, Dave Washburn wrote:
> [snipped and reformatted courtesy of my keyboard and kmail :D]
>
> > I'm not sure where you get the idea that he was "in all likelihood
> > illiterate," but most likely Greek was a second language to him even by
> > the time he had spent several years in Ephesus, so his Greek may have
> > been a little shaky.
>
> Well as far as I know first century education was extremely expensive and
> only the rich and scholors could read and write. 

I frequently wonder where people get ideas like this.  Was it only the rich 
and scholars who wrote all those Koine letters and other prosaic documents 
that taught us that there *was* such a thing as Koine?  If you're talking 
about education as a philosopher or statesman or playwright or something a la 
Seneca or Epictetus, then perhaps this statement approaches some sort of 
accuracy.  But particularly in a Jewish setting, most everybody learned to 
read and write at an early age, because the foundation-stone of Jewish 
education, both in Palestine and in the Diaspora, was the ability to read and 
understand Torah.  It was common practice in the Synagogue to pass the scroll 
around and let different men take a turn at reading the scrolls of the Law 
and Prophets (see Luke 4:16-17 to give just one example); how could this be 
done if everybody but the local scholar was illiterate?  In the Roman empire, 
literacy was quite widespread, as the papyri and other preserved documents 
show us.  It would be nice if the myth of first-century illiteracy could be 
put to rest once and for all.

Furthermore, John was a
> fisherman and of the working class he probably never had any formal
> education and wouldn't have had time nor need to read and write before he
> met Jesus beyond what he would have needed to process fish orders and what
> not. 

This is nonsense.  What historical basis is there for such a notion?  Jesus 
grew up as a carpenter, one of "the working class," and we know he could read 
and write (see the same passage above).  You need to get some newer sources.  
For one thing, your definition of "formal education" as regards a good Jewish 
boy in first-century Palestine (Galilee in this case) needs a LOT of work.  
Basically, you're taking either an older Greek idea or a MUCH later 
medieval/Latin idea, and imposing it on a completely different culture.  Once 
upon a time, a couple of centuries ago, it was chic to proclaim the 
illiteracy rate in order to discredit the gospels, but the discovery of the 
papyri and Koine Greek shot that to pieces.  John's vocation had nothing to 
do with whether he could read and write.  In fact, evidence is starting to 
apepar that most every Jewish boy could read, write and speak THREE 
languages: Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek.  For a nice summary of the evidence, 
see the essay in the back of the NASV harmony of the Gospels by Thomas and 
Gundry, and the sources listed there.

Now it is indeed possible that John learned to read and write after he
> met Jesus, though I don't see much reason to think he was very literate if
> he was at all prior to Jesus. Well unless he was in line to take over dad's
> fishing business then he might have to be literate enough to not get
> hoodwinked by contracts and what have you.

See above.  This is nice mythology, but that's all it is.

> >And since he was writing Koine, it really doesn't matter
> > what classical Greek scholars think of it.  That's a little like
> > comparing Shakespearean English to Brooklyn colloquial.
>
> Actually, that's kinda the point ^_~

In a word, huh?  Since Attic/Classic Greek had passed off the scene at least a 
century before (except in the world of nostalgic scholars such as Zenodotus), 
the point is that most of the NT writings are reasonably decent Koine when 
judged by Koine standards and not by Classical.  I'm not sure what you mean.

-- 
Dave Washburn
http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur