[HarleyD]

According to researchers at Israel's Bar-Ilan University first century literacy was less than 3%.

Yes. And I'm sure people just didn't pick up a scroll down at their local Barnes and Papyrus store. Nevertheless, the early church fathers must have been talking about someone who could read and there must have been mechanisms for studying when they penned their words. Otherwise it would make no sense in who they were talking about. It's almost be like Peter writing letters to people who couldn't read.

[Natural Law]

"and there must have been mechanisms for studying when they penned their words."

Yes, it was the Sacred Tradition and the liturgy that sustained the Church until the advent of the printing press and widespread literacy.

[presently no screen name]

I agree. What about building the Ark of the Covenant and Noah’s Ark? Did they memorize the instructions given?

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+37&version=NLT

http://www.ldolphin.org/cisflood.html

Why did Jesus say many times It is Written. People were not ignorant like ‘modern folk’ make them out to be now.

Many today don’t know evil even when they see it or good when they read it.