Was Jesus Illiterate? [Muslim] Author Reza Aslan Thinks So

WSJ ^ | 8/1/2013 | Christopher John Farley

[mojito]

Author Reza Aslan believes that Jesus probably lacked the education to read a book like the Bible. Or the Torah, or any other written text for that matter, no matter the language.

Aslan’s new book “Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth” is a revisionist take on the life of Jesus, arguing that his message of love was aimed more at a Jewish audience than a global one, that his attitude toward violence was “far more complex” than is generally thought, and that he was “very likely” illiterate.

All of these claims appear to be directly contradicted by passages in the New Testament, but Aslan argues those lines are mistaken, misinterpreted, or deliberately misleading.

Aslan, the author of the bestselling book “No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam,” was born in Iran and grew up a Muslim before converting to Christianity and then returning to Islam.

[jodyel]

Your verbiage gave me a chuckle.

[Travis McGee]

[GeronL]

A TV Cleric in Pakistan was giving away babies for Ramadan.... baby GIRLS....

I think we know what that is about.

[massgopguy]

Poor? The Magi Gold came in quite handy. Joseph was a carpenter. “Illiterate and Uneducated”. He’s God. If you built a time machine and tried to save Him from the Cross He would tell you in English by your name to go back. If He didn’t do it Himself. He also must have spoken several languages. Latin to Pilate. Hebrew to the Jews. Aramaic to the Gentiles.

[mojito]

This is what Muslims will never understand: that a revolution of the spirit is something utterly and completely different than forced conversion by the sword.

That Muslims can’t see the difference shows one of the big problems with Islam.

[ForAmerica]

Nope, He’s God. Next..

[kenavi]

The prophet Amos was a "sheep-breeder" who is credited with writing the book that's come down to us, and Jesus's near comtemporaries the sage Hillel was a woodcutter and Hillel's adversary Shammai was a builder.

Even Paul (Saul of Tarsus), whose learning had made him mad, according to the Roman governor, was a tent-maker.

James (Jacob), the brother/half-brother/cousin or what have you of Jesus, raised in the same milieu, was a respected leader in the Jewish Jerusalem community, where literacy would have been a must.

So it is Aslan, not the Gospels, that is ahistorical when he asserts that Jesus was likely illiterate by the mere fact of his profession. And I have never seen that asserted by any other Biblical scholar, whatever view held on Jesus's divinity.

There would be no controversy about this book if people were better educated about history. Interviews such as this are the blind leading the blind (if the blind person were a liberal!)

[RedMonqey]

I'll play “Devil's Advocate“ on this one.

Being “illiterate” is not the same as being stupid as many here are interpreting.

Given that at the beginning of our country(as well as through recorded time) most people were in deed, illiterate/

Were they stupid people? No, of course not.

Even great Nobility were illiterate because it was unnecessary for them to learn this rare skill.

In the days before the Gutenberg press made books inexpensive, it not uncommon for people to memorize whole wealth of knowledge that we today are too lazy to do so because it is easier to just writ things down or get a book.

It's called Oral History and it would have a common thing in biblical times to sit around a fireplace and listen to older folk recite all matter of subjects.

Mind you I'm not arguing Jesus are stupid but His ability to recite passage doesn;t necessarily mean he was able to read.

[Wiser now]

The Bible says Jesus read from the Torah in the synagogue. Besides, He was fully God. Of course he could read.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Educated rabbis are not unusual.

IIRC the title "Rabbi" means "teacher".

And literacy was rather wide spread in Judaism if only because it was the duty of all adult males to read in the synagogue.

[maica]

Let’s just say that God could read, since He invented books, reading, language, the Bible....

#####

Somehow this author seems to have missed the concept of God and “omnipotence.”

[johniegrad]

The fourth chapter of Luke’s Gospel has Him specifically open a scroll in synagogue and read passages from Isaiah. It was teaching just prior to rejection by the people in His hometown.

[maica]

Actually, I meant to say “Omniscience” when regarding his literacy skills.

[avenir]

I think his “conversion” to Christianity ended up as just another bullet point on his résumé, as in “May I repeat for the fifth time, I am an internationally recognized SCHOLAR, I am RESPECTED, I am a PROFESSOR...etc., etc.” (his recent TV interview). Nothing new for Islam to claim the Scriptures have been changed, but it’s silly since the Koran has nowhere near the textual support the Scriptures do (wherefore it’s less accurate).

Muslims can make up anything they want about Jesus, but one day He will come back and they’ll have to give account to the TRUE Jesus.

[El Cid]

You are probably right about his alleged ‘conversion’, as just being another bullet on his resume. It just seemed too ‘pat’ a story. I'm saying no way someone hops from Islam to Christianity back to Islam again.