While it could be argued that Ezra came from probably that 15% of the educated, the priests and the Levites mentioned here were the ones who were left in captivity. These were the poorest and least educated. Yet they still came to "study" the words of the Law. Additionally, these were people who were poor farmers scratching out a meager living during a time of captivity. (see Nehemiah and Ezra)
Grant it there was probably very little need for people to read and write. The Pharisees were surprised at where our Lord received His "great learning". But scrolls have been found indicating mundane things like supplies and budgets. These types of things would suggest that people had enough literary knowledge to at least carry on daily transactions of commerce. Knowing how faulty the human mind is, I cannot believe that people didn't take to writing down things or knowing what was in signed agreements; at least a little bit. Could they read a book like Deuteronomy? Perhaps not but they could probably pick their way through it.
Even as regarding hearing, as a former lector, i know that the amount of reading of Scripture a RC gets in mass is very little, (http://catholictrenches.blogspot.com/2007/07/lectionary-statistics.html) including in the typical 10 minute sermonette, but you do not get much from many “so-called “word of faith” preachers either, or liberal Prot churches.
And on another note, the “Bible” most people read is us:
“Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: “ (2 Corinthians 3:2)
You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day,
By the deeds that you do, by the words that you say;
Men read what you write, whether faithless or true.
Say – what is the gospel, according to you? - Paul Gilbert -
We are the only Bible the careless world will read,
We are the sinner’s Gospel; we are the scoffer’s creed.
We are the Lord’s last message given in deed and word,
What if the type is crooked? What if the print is blurred?
What if your hands are busy with other work than His?
What if your feet are walking where sin’s allurement is?
What if our tongues are speaking of things His lips would spurn?
How can we hope to help Him and hasten His return?
To hasten our Lord’s return we truly need more power.
So let us all be Spirit filled and awaiting Him each hour.
In an hour that we think not, He said He should appear.
Then let us walk in Holiness and meet Him with a cheer. -
Part of a poem by Annie Johnson Flint, born 1866.