Jesus, the Construction Worker
For centuries Christians have drawn and painted pictures of Jesus using wood tools and building wood furniture to portray the Messiah’s vocation as a Jewish carpenter. Jesus the carpenter may be the result of contextual misunderstandings of Western translators.
As Ray Vander Laan points out in much of his teaching, Jesus lived in the city of Capernaum during the three and a half years of his active ministry.
In Capernaum there was an extremely valuable material that was used for making important food processing equipment, which was in great demand all over Israel. That material was the black basalt stone found only in Capernaum and was a form of volcanic rock. The reason black basalt was so important was because of its ability to be ground together without leaving any resin, such as grit. With most other forms of rock found in Israel, the grit and sand left after grinding flour to make bread was very destructive to the people’s teeth. Archeologists who dig up the remains of ancient people in Israel who used food processing tools made of limestone often have very badly worn teeth, even among those in their early twenties.
Jesus was a “tekton” in Capernaum. The word “tekton” is literally translated “construction worker.” The reason that our Bibles tell us that Jesus was a carpenter has to do with the Western definition of a construction worker.
Early Western translators, like the rest of Western society, called a “construction worker” a “carpenter.” This is because, in the Western world, construction workers were most often wood workers or carpenters. But, more than likely, because of the valuable need for basalt food processing tools in Israel, any “tekton,” in Capernaum, including Jesus, would have plied the common trade of a “stone cutter” or “brick mason.”
Another fact that helps to support this theory has to do with the very low volume of wood in Capernaum. Jesus may have worked on doors or put up fences made of wood, but according to the geography and history of Capernaum, coupled with Jesus’ common use of bricks and stones in much of his teaching, it is highly probable that Jesus, the tekton, was very much “Jesus, the Stone Cutter.”
Forever learning,
Johnny
11 comments:
Walker Said:
Without detailed info as to his first 30 years, I don't see how we can conclude he was a stone mason because of where he spent his last 3 1/2 years.
(This is the sort of fuzzy thinking/logic that I feel detract from Vanderleen's otherwise fascinating information.)
Namaste
why would it matter whether Jesus worked with wood or stone. Perhaps he worked with both or maby he worked with neither. I don't see how this info helps us understand who Jesus was.
Hey Walker and Jason,
You both make valid points.
To Ray Vander Laan's credit, he always says, "I can't prove this, but would you at least consider the possibility that..." I personally respect his approach. He also is usually at the location and makes a very powerful argument for his cases historically and archeologically. Still, we can't prove that Jesus was a stone mason, though we can prove that a "tekton" in Capernaum would have been a "stone cutter." If Jesus lived there and continued to ply his trade, as was the norm for first century rabbis, then his trade as a tekton would more likely have been a stone cutter than a wood worker.
For Jason's argument, I would add that not much about the details of Jesus' home, life, job, and family really matter until we desire to truly understand Jewish rabbinical style of his message.
Just as an airplane pilot's speeches would be surrounded by metaphors of flying, so would a stone cutter's be about stones. To understand that Jesus was a stone cutter adds beauty and power to his message about the temple made of stones, when referring to the body of believers.
Also, understanding the relevance of Jesus going to the "place called Gethsemane" as he was to accept the weight of the world, adds consistency to his teaching and ministry as Jesus would have been very familiar with the olive press.
To us, this may not matter, but to the Eastern mind, it paints a powerful picture as one who built the press is now going to be pressed by what he created.
For me, and I can only speak for myself, these details add wonderful perspectives to the teachings of Jesus. Whether Jesus was hung on a cross or a pole really doesn't make a difference in the fact that he died on what our English Bible calls a "cross." But knowing what a cross looked like, helps us to get a clearer picture of what our Messiah's death was like. That may or may not matter to some, and either way is fine. For me, I appreciate the clarity.
Grace and peace,
Johnny
Walker said
Miserable student that I am, I'm coming up short on bricklaying parables.... (Some foundation lines come to mind ....)
Namaste
I don't really have a trade. My parables are "Jack of all trades" stories.
Johnny
I can understand the probability of a translation error, however; Rome is made of Stone and Marble, which leads me to doubt there not being seperate 'words' defining Stone Mason and Wood Worker
Unfortunately, the Greek text only uses the word for construction worker, and leaves no other clue as to the exact kind of construction worker.
This left the translators with no other option but to translate according to their understanding of what a construction worker is to them.
A compreensão correta da profissão e classe social de Jesus é fundamental para compreendermos a vontade de Deus para nós em telação ao trabalho e posicionamento diante da vida.
It is interesting that he may have been a worker of stone, because it would fit into so many of his analogies. But whether his pre-ministry occupation was a worker or wood or stone doesn't really matter in the Gospel story. So when searching for the truth, we need to not get distracted by details that don't matter in our search for the truth about salvation issues. Interesting as they my be.
I disagree. Every picture in the Bible is significant for better understanding the teachings of Jesus.
Ray has some great teachings out there on exactly what you are talking about. RVL is a great rabbi.
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