Once upon a time in one of the discussions in the community ru_antireligion
one of the users said that neither Jesus nor Joseph were actually carpenters, but were masons. They were made carpenters by translators of the Bible into Russian - it seems like in those days they didn’t build stone houses in Rus', and therefore the profession of “bricklayer” would have been simply incomprehensible to the average believer. However, in Rus' all the houses were wooden - so they replaced the profession of Christ and his earthly father with a more understandable one, they say, a house builder, but in Rus' it is not a mason, but a carpenter.
Blatant lie! In Rus', especially rich people could always pay themselves stone house, which means there was also a profession of “bricklayer”. So who were Joseph and Jesus - carpenters or masons?
I went into the Annunciations, first into the Russian translations - well, to find those places where the profession of these two was mentioned. I had to look several times before I came across these two verses:
"Not Is he the son of carpenters?? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers Jacob, and Josiah, and Simon, and Judah?"(Matthew 13:55)
"Not is he a carpenter?, son of Mary, brother of James, Josiah, Judah and Simon? Are his sisters here, between us? And they were offended by him." (Mark 6:3)
It should be noted that in both “Annunciations” we are talking about the same moment. So what people actually asked was, “Isn’t he a carpenter?” or “isn’t he the son of carpenters?”? Although, in principle, since the father is a carpenter, then the son, most likely, would have become a carpenter in those days. But let’s leave this historical component and move on to the linguistic one.
These verses, with “carpenters” and “carpenter’s sons,” are taken, of course, from the Synodal Version of the Bible. But what do we have in other languages?
To check, I looked at the Vulgate - if there is “carpenter” there, then there is no point in looking into the ancient Greek original. And so - almost the second native language, it’s still simpler :) However, here’s what you can find there:
"nonne hic est fabri filius nonne mater eius dicitur Maria et fratres eius Iacobus et Ioseph et Simon et Iudas" (Mt 13:55)
"nonne iste est faber filius Mariae frater Iacobi et Ioseph et Iudae et Simonis nonne et sorores eius hic nobiscum sunt et scandalizabantur in illo"(Mark 6:3)
In principle, both verses should be translated as they were done in Synodal translation, except for the place where it is said about the profession;) (in bold).
Who is this one? faber? The Lingvo electronic dictionary displays the following entry for this word:
faber, brī m.
1) a) master, artisan, artist
f. aeris - coppersmith, minter
f. eboris - ivory carver
f. tignarius - carpenter
f. ferrarius - blacksmith
f. aerarius - bronze master
b) workers
praefectus fabrum (=fabrorum) - master, head of a working group or head of a sapper squad
2) creator, creator
f. est suae quisque fortunae (Appius Caecus) - everyone is the smith of his own happiness
3) “sun” fish (Zeus Faber)
those. firstly: in order to assume that faber is a carpenter, you need to use an adjective with this noun tignarius(otherwise the meaning of the word is too vague, you see for yourself);
secondly: in Latin there are other words that specifically designate the carpentry profession - this is simple tignarius(as a noun) and also lignarius(also as a noun, but can also be used in the meaning of “carpenter”), sartitector(this is already clean water carpenter, without any joiners) and (attention!) borrowed from Greek dendrophorus("tree bearer", yeah, yeah; by the way, he's also a carpenter and a joiner in one).
However, this is still a translation, albeit more adequate than the Synodal one. What's in the original?
Here's what:
"ouvcou-to,j evstin o` tou / te,ktonoj ui`o,j AND ouvch` mh,thr auvtou/ le,getai Maria.m kai. oi` avdelfoi. auvtou/ VIa,kwboj kai.VIwsh.f kai. Si, mwn kai. VIou,daj And "(Mat13:55)
"ouvcou-to,j evstin o` tektwn(o` ui`o.j th/j Mari,aj kai. avdelfo.j VIakw,bou kai.VIwsh/toj kai. VIou,da kai. Si,mwnojI kai. ouvk eivsi.n ai` avdelfai. auvtou/w-de pro.j h`ma/jI kai.evskandali,zonto evn auvtw"(Mar 6:3)
Again, the translation of all words, with the exception of the name of the profession, will be the same as the Synodal. And who is this mysterious te,ktwn?
"The Ancient Greek-Russian dictionary of Dvoretsky gives the following interpretation:
τέκτων, ονος ὁ, rarely ἡ
1) carpenter;
2) builder, master: νεῶν τέκτονες - shipbuilders; τ. κεραοξόος - a master who makes products from horn; τ. νωδυνιᾶν - healer of diseases, doctor;
3) artist, creator, creator: τ. ἐπέων - poet; τέκτονες κώμων - round dance participants, dancers;
4) culprit or instigator (νεικέων; κακῶν πάντων): τ. γένους - ancestor.
In principle, this word can, of course, be used in the meaning of “carpenter,” but it is undesirable - misunderstandings may arise. If you want to name this profession, say “dendrophorus”, then no one will make a mistake!
As we can see from the dictionary entries, Latin faber and Greek τέκτων
- concepts are quite similar, and, moreover, have many meanings. For some reason, translators into Russian chose from this set of meanings the not most popular one - “carpenter”. Why? This is a great mystery. However, you can see that the best translation would be the word “proletarian”, “worker” or (even better) “artisan”, i.e. the evangelists wanted to say that Joseph and Jesus were clearly not farmers: they did not grow bread, did not care for livestock, but were engaged in slightly different activities: maybe they forged, maybe they built stone houses, and maybe they were carpenters. However, it is impossible to say for sure - Matthew and Mark did not specify. Craftsmen, and that's it.
It must be said that such mistakes in translation occur quite often, when a polysemantic word is used in the Greek original, but only one of its meanings is translated into Russian. As a result, the meaning changes greatly. By the way, the Vulgate is devoid (at least I did not notice) of such blunders - the same polysemantic words are chosen there as in Greek.
In the Russian version it can be even worse. Sometimes there are missing (there are in the original, but disappeared somewhere in the translation - Vovki z"ili) individual phrases, and sometimes even entire verses! Yes, yes, sometimes you look - in the original there are 15 verses in this chapter, but in the Russian translation - 14. Miracles, and only...
The Lord Jesus was a carpenter, the son of a carpenter (Mark 6:3; Matt. 13:55). Despite the fact that the Lord was a descendant of the royal family of David, He was the son of a carpenter. From this it is clear that the royal family descended from high level to the low level, to the level of a carpenter. The Lord Jesus was the Son of Man, a despised Nazarene and a carpenter, the son of a carpenter.
Only in the Gospel of Mark is the Lord Jesus called a carpenter. The people who rejected Him said, “Isn’t this the carpenter?” They called him "carpenter" in a contemptuous sense. They were amazed at His teaching, His wisdom and His manifestations of power, but they considered Him a man of low station. To put it simply modern language, they were interested in what His qualifications were and whether He had an academic degree.
In Mk. 6:3 says that those who, considering the Lord Jesus to be a mere carpenter, rejected Him, “stumbled because of Him.” Why did they stumble because of Him? They stumbled because of Him because, on the one hand, they heard amazing words from His mouth and saw some of His wonderful deeds, and on the other hand, they considered that He did not have a high position or degree. They saw Him only as a carpenter. Therefore they stumbled because of Him and despised Him.
In Mk. 6 we see the Lord Jesus as a carpenter. He did not occupy a high position in society. But He certainly had the riches of the Triune God, and He also knew the depths of truth in the Scriptures. His listeners were very surprised by His knowledge of the Bible.
The narrative in Mark. 6 should encourage us to ask ourselves what we want and what we value. Maybe we want to have an academic degree or occupy a high position in society? In the Lord's recovery we want Jesus and the riches of Christ. We need not just superficial doctrines in the Bible, but the depths of divine truths in the Word of God. We would like to follow the Lord Jesus by presenting to people the riches of the Triune God and introducing them to the depths of divine truth in the Scriptures. However, we should not think that because we have the riches of Christ and the depths of truth, we will receive a warm welcome. No, now is not the age when the truth of the Lord is warmly received on earth. On the contrary, in this age the Lord and His disciples are despised and rejected.
No one can compare to the Lord Jesus. He had the riches of the Triune God, and He had the depths of truth. But no matter how rich He was and no matter how He knew the truth in the Holy Scriptures, instead of being given a warm welcome, He was despised and rejected.
In His human life, Christ took on the form of a servant, serving God and people (Phil. 2:7; Acts 3:13; Mark 10:45). He was a slave not only for God, but also for man. In the New Testament, the word “slave” refers to one who sold himself into slavery and lost all human rights. This was the Lord Jesus when He was on earth as a man. He was a slave who had no rights.
In Phil. 2:7 says of Christ that He “emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men.” The word "kind" in this verse is the same Greek word as the word "kind" in Phil. 2:6 in the expression “in the form of God.” During the incarnation the Lord did not change His divine nature; He only changed His outer expression, replacing the appearance of God with the appearance of a slave. It was not the essence that changed, but the appearance.
In the Gospel of Mark, the Lord Jesus is shown as the Servant of God. Because Mark shows Christ as a slave, he says nothing about His lineage and status, because the ancestors of a slave are not worth mentioning. Moreover, unlike Matthew, who shows His wonderful teachings and parables about heavenly kingdom, and John, which shows His deep revelations of divine truths, Mark seeks to impress upon us not the amazing words of the Servant, but His works in His evangelistic work. Of this the Gospel of Mark gives more detail than the other Gospels to portray the diligence, faithfulness, and other virtues of Christ in the ministry of salvation in which He ministered to sinners for God. The Gospel of Mark shows the fulfillment of Isa. 42:1-4, 6-7; 49:5-7; 50:4-7; 52:13-53:12 prophecies about Christ as the Servant of Jehovah and the details contained in Phil. 2:5-11 teachings about Christ as God's Servant. This Servant served sinners as their Savior, giving His life as a ransom for them (Mark 10:45) to fulfill the eternal purpose of God, whose Servant He was.
In Mk. 10:45 The Lord Jesus says, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” This is very bright statement, showing that Christ, as the Son of Man in His humanity, is the Servant of God who served sinners - served even by giving His life, His soul. Moreover, the word "ransom" here shows that even the Lord's atonement was His ministry in which He ministered to sinners for God's plan.
In the Russian Christian community, a strong opinion has taken hold that Jesus Christ was a carpenter, having inherited this profession from his father, Joseph. This image is convenient, as it makes our Savior more humane, closer to a simple worker. If Jesus mastered simple profession This means that He is able to understand a simple hard worker, an “unbookish” person.
Here are two texts that tell us this.
Matthew 13:55 Is not this the son of carpenters? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers Jacob and Joses and Simon and Judas?
I don’t want to question the very fact that Jesus had any profession. I also have no intention of destroying anyone’s faith in the inspiration of Scripture. But I would still like to take a closer look and understand what kind of work the Savior of the world did while in the human body.
The first thing we need is to turn to the original language of the Greek texts that make up the New Testament.
Ματθαι̃ον 13: 55 ου ̓ χ ου ̔ ̃τός ε ̓ στιν ο ̔ του̃ τέκτονος υι ̔ ός ου ̓ χ η ̔ μήτηρ αυ ̓ του̃ λέγεται Μαριὰμ καὶ οι ̔ α ̓ δελφοὶ αυ ̓ του̃ ’Ιάκωβος καὶ ’Ιωσὴφ καὶ Σίμων καὶ ’Ιούδας
Μα̃ρκον 6:3 ου ̓ χ ου ̔ ̃τός ε ̓ στιν ο ̔ τέκτων ο ̔ υι ̔ òς τη̃ς Μαρίας καὶ α ̓ δελφòς ’Ιακώβου καὶ ’Ιωση̃τος καὶ ’Ιούδα καὶ Σίμωνος καὶ ου ̓ κ ει ̓ σὶν αι ̔ α ̓ δελφαὶ αυ ̓ του̃ ω ̔ ̃δε πρòς η ̔ μα̃ς καὶ ε ̓ σκανδαλίζοντο ε ̓ ν αυ ̓ τω̃ ̨
As we see in both cases there is the same noun in different forms. This is a nounτέκτων ( tecton). It was this noun that gave the root to some borrowed words that are used in Russian: “tectonics”, “tectonic”.
These words are used in one of the branches of geology, which studies the development of the structure of the earth's crust.
Nounτέκτων ( tecton), as is typical of the Greek language, it has several meanings. But its main meaning is “builder” or “master of construction”.
Sometimes this word was inserted into various phrases and acquired a different meaning. For example,νεων τέκτονες , which meant "shipbuilder", orτέκτων κεραοξόος - a master who makes products from horn and even τέκτων νωδυνιαν - doctor or healer.
As we see, this word was very widely used.
You can see how this word is used in the Septuagint. To avoid a clutter of Greek words, I present the rest of the text in the Russian Synodal translation. You can find the full text of the Septuagint yourself.
1Tsarst.13:19 Kuznetsov (τεκτων σιδηρου – iron masters ) was not in all the land of Israel; for the Philistines were afraid lest the Hebrews should make sword or spear.
2 Samuel 5:11 And Hiram king of Tire sent messengers to David and cedar trees and carpenters ( τεκτονας ξυλων ) and masons(τεκτονας λιθων ), and they built a house for David.
Literally " τεκτονας ξυλων » And " τεκτονας λιθων "should be translated as "builders (masters) of wood" and "builders (masters) of stone." In Russian, of course, it is preferable to translate this as “carpenters” and “masons”.
One more place.
1 Kings 7:14 The son of a widow, of the tribe of Naphtali. His father, Tyrian, was a coppersmith ( τεκτων χαλκου – copper master ) ; he possessed the ability, art and ability to make all sorts of things from copper. And he came to King Solomon and did all kinds of work for him:
We see that in all these places the nounτέκτων
(
tecton)
not used as "carpenter". The most direct meaning of this word is “master”. If the authors had specifically meant the carpenter, then the original would have readτεκτονας ξυλων
(tEktonas xUlon) -
woodworker.
The fact is that at the time of the translation itself, the translators were faced with several tasks. One of them is to make translation as accessible as possible to the general public. Therefore, the incomprehensible word “master builder” was translated into the more understandable “carpenter”, because basically at that time almost all buildings were made of wood (up to 90%) and carpenters were needed for their construction, and not masons, blacksmiths or installers.
In Judea, on the contrary, houses were made mainly of clay and stones. Carpenters (not in our modern sense) could only make roofs. Therefore, most likely both Joseph, the father of Jesus, and Jesus himself were builders, perhaps today we would call them masons or a laborer, a jack of all trades.
Although it would probably be more legitimate to call Jesus a Master, a Master of human souls who works with special clay. With the clay of our hearts. He remains the Great Potter.
Did you know that the Son of God Jesus was born in a stable? There was no room for Him in the hotel. Did you know that Jesus was the son of a carpenter? Jesus worked with His hands, was a carpenter, and helped His father Joseph. And the Spirit of God was upon Him, when His time came, He became the Son of God and the King of all kings.
The Holy Scriptures say that “many people followed Jesus.” The first church was big. Three five, ten thousand people listened to the word of God and received healing and forgiveness of sins. And if you consider that before there were no microphones, speakers or any speaker system in general, but everyone heard what Jesus said. Today, more than a million people gather in stadiums to hear the word of God, to receive forgiveness and healing from God. What advantage do large churches have?
Because of large quantity parishioners, in large churches, a real conveyor belt has been established for saving and training new people. There is no criticism and no time for gossip and judgment. Because everyone is busy with their own business and there is no one who wanders around idle and, having nothing to do, would look for faults in the ministers.
The great leader, Pastor Yonggi Chae, has no higher education, he barely finished school. It is written that “God chooses the meaningless in order to SHAME the great and the great of this world.” Amen! In the church under his leadership there are more than a million parishioners, or rather disciples of Jesus Christ. This is God's real army! There is obedience to God, complete obedience to elders and love that covers a multitude of sins.
God said that when the full number of the Gentiles were saved, then He would save the “remnant of Israel.” He is eager to save His people the Hebrews. Today, the bulk of His people do not believe in Jesus; moreover, they crucified Him two thousand years ago. Their great Jewish pride did not allow them to recognize the Mission in the Carpenter's Son. Jesus is still an impostor to them, whom they crucified. In their opinion, God cannot come in this way, be born from the womb of a simple Jewish woman Mary and live like all people in ordinary family, work as a simple carpenter, etc. They always argued with God and this time they did not accept His simple plan of salvation.
Yes, Jesus was born to a simple woman, Mary, but the conception was not from a man, but from the Holy Spirit. Mary, being a virgin, gave birth to Jesus. Joseph, Mary's husband, did not touch her until she gave birth to Jesus. This is what the Angel punished him. This is hard for the carnal Pharisees to believe. And why? If you can just crucify, it’s easier. He worked as a simple carpenter. Well, this doesn’t go through any gates! How, the Son of God Himself, could God work as a carpenter? How was God born, in a simple family, and lived until a certain age, like everyone else? This did not fit into the heads of proud Jews. They were waiting for the Mission, their King on a white horse to the sounds of fanfare falling from Heaven, well, something like that. And here is a simple carpenter’s son.
God closed the eyes of the proud people of Israel in order to save the full number of pagans first. He thought about you and me. He wanted to save non-Jews before saving His own people, the Jews. His aims and motive are noble. Will we appreciate it? Could you sacrifice your own son for your adopted son? But He could. And now he is waiting for the full number of pagans to be saved in order to save the “remnant of Israel.” It’s written that way and I didn’t make it up. This is what God said in His word. And if you believe His word, believe that Jesus Christ died for you and rose again in your justification, you will be saved, if not, you will perish. And it was not I who said this either, but God, who so wisely sent His Son into this world. He allowed Him to be born in a manger, in a cow trough, in a stable. He sank to the very bottom to lift you and me. He lowered His Son below nothing in order to exalt you and me. To snatch us from the quagmire of sin, from the clutches of Satan, from damnation and hell. “God so loved the world that He gave His Son”... He showed the world that Jesus was for them, that everyone who believes in Him can be saved from eternal hell. Every! Poor and rich and evil and good. Everyone who believes in Him. Will repent of his sins and dedicate his temporary life on earth in return eternal life in Paradise, in Heaven.
Jesus said, “Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” The Jews crucified, they were offended by Him, they did not believe that God could act like that. Their minds were not flexible and they had no faith at all. They were waiting for the King on a white horse who fell from Heaven in great glory. Yes, Jesus will come just like that, but for the second time and take away everyone who believed in that simple carpenter who was once born in a stable. If you believed in such a Jesus, repented of your sins, dedicated your temporary life on earth to Him, followed Him, then you will definitely see Him completely different, not a simple Son of a carpenter who was born in a stable, but a King who came in glory. If you accepted the Carpenter's Son, then you will meet the great King.
Jesus, the King of Kings and God of all Gods, had no education, and was the son of a carpenter for the time being. He worked with His own hands and was no different from the people around him. The Son of God became a man so that you could become the son of God.
Salvation Prayer:
If you do not yet know Jesus Christ as your
Lord and Savior and if you are not sure what your name written in the book of life and your soul goes to Heaven, pray out loud from your heart with me:
“Heavenly Father, I come to You in repentance and ask for forgiveness for all my sins. I believe that Jesus Christ died for me personally and rose again in my justification! Jesus come into my heart, become my Lord and Savior! I renounce sin and everything that Satan gives me in the name of Jesus Christ. And I dedicate my whole life to God. Change me, my life, my heart. Help me to follow Your path leading to Heaven. I ask that my name be written in the book of life in Heaven and from this day on I am Your child. Thank You for forgiving my sins and writing my name in the book of life. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen".
Now find a church where you can experience God with all the saints. A church where the Gospel is preached and the sick are healed by the power of the Holy Spirit. They cast out demons, bring sinners to repentance and help free themselves from sin and curse. Find your place in the church and serve God, because a holy place is never empty, if you do not serve God, then you serve yourself, sin, the devil. And no matter how they treat you in the church, do not leave the house of God, study the word of God, act according to what is written in the Gospel and hold fast to the Lord. Remember, you are saved, you are going to Heaven, God is your Father and you have a great destiny!
Reviews
The great leader, Pastor David Yonggi Che, does not have a higher education, he barely finished school. It is written that “God chooses the meaningless in order to SHAME the great and the great of this world.” Amen! In the church under his leadership there are more than a million parishioners, or rather disciples of Jesus Christ. Through this man God speaks to the rulers. Heals people, frees them from evil spirits and saves those taken to death.
The Bible says very little about the life of Jesus before that time period several years before His death on the cross. Does this mean that Jesus' life was not so important up to this point?
No, on the contrary. This time, which Jesus spent in ordinary circumstances that we also encounter in our daily lives, was decisive for Him. For His development and His struggle against sinful desires and inclinations, which He inherited by taking upon Himself human flesh and blood.
It is assumed that Jesus was a carpenter, like Joseph. From what we know about Jesus and His life, we can assume that He was very easy to work with and a capable worker.
But what if Jesus was not particularly skilled in this profession? What if His outcome was not what was expected, and He was tempted to become discouraged or irritated just as we are? What if Jesus didn't want to be a carpenter at all, but He had to do the job?
We find no description of Jesus' carpentry skills in the Bible, and it doesn't really matter. What is important to know about Jesus is what we read in Heb. 4:15: “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things like [us], yet without sin.” We see that in His workplace, Jesus experienced the same circumstances that we experience, and He did not sin. Jesus was tempted to irritation and impatience, tempted to despondency and disappointment, but He did not give in to these sins.
Jesus was tempted to irritation and impatience, tempted to despondency and disappointment, but He did not give in to these sins.
An important part of Jesus' ministry was self-abasement. In Philip. 2:5-8 we read: “For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: He, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; but he made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men, and becoming in appearance like a man; He humbled himself, becoming obedient even to the point of death, even death on the cross.” Even though Jesus was the Son of God, He was willing to take on tasks that may have been difficult, dirty, and unpleasant.
Maybe I don't like my job. Maybe I have a bad relationship with my boss or with my colleagues. Does this mean that I have no choice and every day I go to work, I should be unhappy and offended? Of course not! I can have peace and joy! “Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thess. 5:16-18
“In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
When I have the same mindset that Jesus had, then I can be grateful and I can serve others no matter what my circumstances may be. My life will be filled with joy, no matter my situation. If I think that the only time I can be satisfied is when I get a promotion, or if I don't have to work with my colleague anymore, then I will constantly want more. I won't be able to get complete satisfaction.
We spend a lot of time at work, and this time does not pass without leaving an impact on our Christian life. While at work, I see a lot of my own will and my tendency to sin. I see pride, anger and impatience. All this may look like “little things” that have no of great importance V big picture. However, the end result of all these small decisions creates the path that I follow in my life.
I cannot come to development if I do not understand that a change must take place in me. This is what needs to happen within me in every situation I find myself in. If I know that I need more patience, then I have the opportunity to get it, for example, when I am tempted to become impatient at work.
The end result of all these little decisions creates the path I follow in my life.
When I choose to live the life that Jesus lived, then every day I have the opportunity to be transformed in every circumstance of my life. By being steadfast and true to my purpose, I see the self that always complains, is prone to despondency and argues in the workplace, is eliminated and gives way to a new nature that radiates love, peace and joy every day.
