Literacy in the Time of Jesus - Could His Words Have Been Recorded in His Lifetime?

>>The Holy Spirit didn’t speak English.<<

Wow! You know which languages the Holy Spirit understands and restrict Him from speaking English? Just wow! He did inspire the New Testament to be written in Koine Greek which has two distinctly different words for cousin and brother. He didn't use the one for cousin when He meant brother. Second guess the Holy Spirit if you wish but it's dangerous and probably deadly.

>> Wow! You know which languages the Holy Spirit understands and restrict Him from speaking English? <<

Once again, you accuse me of saying something which would be nonsensical in context. I never said that the Holy Spirit can’t speak English. I said, in the context of inspiring the bible, that it didn’t, since English wasn’t around. And if you look at the history of the King James Bible, you can be quite certain that the Holy Spirit was NOT guiding the translators from error. Take for example, the first printing, called the Devil’s Bible, which omitted the “nots” from the Ten commandments, so that the people were told that they shall commit adultery, they shall murder, etc.

However, the Greek Church DOES maintain that the Holy Spirit DOES inspire people with perfect Koine Greek, so even though Jesus couldn’t’ve distinguished between cousin and brother, Mark must’ve meant “cousin” and not “brother.” That’s why they hold to the notion that James was Jesus’ half-brother, in spite of the highly unlikely coincidences and awkward situations that implies. (One awkward situation is that at the crucifixion Jesus told Mary of John, “Behold the son of yours,” which would have been an odd if Mary had a step-son — or especially another son of her own blood!)

But AGAIN: the Orthodox position is not regarded as heterodox. While Catholics regard it as unlikely, many faithful Catholics reflect it in their art. What is truly unbelievable is that Joseph would name all his sons after their older cousins, name a younger son after himself (Joses = Joseph), AND that Jesus’ YOUNGER brother would be referred to constantly by the early church as James the Elder.)

IN fact, the Greek versions of the birth of Mary supposes Joseph to be an elderly widower.

The problem is that this would be a major departure from Jewish tradition that held that you were to find your daughter a husband that was of her youth rather then marrying her off to one of your old cronies.

It was considered a shameful thing to marry a young virgin to an elderly man.

>> It was considered a shameful thing to marry a young virgin to an elderly man. <<

Actually, that notion is included in the Greek stories about the marriage of Mary to Joseph. Here, I’m citing the most common elements of the stories, which have some variations among versions:

They say Mary’s parents had conceived of her in their old age, much like Elizabeth and Zecharias. When she became pregnant as her father had prophecied, everyone presumed that a great prophet was to be born, and her parents, expecting a boy, pledged that the child shall be raised in the Temple. When a girl was born, they devised a test that they were certain she would fail: she would choose between her parents or the Temple.

For several years, she was allowed to stay in Temple, but when she came of age to menstruate, Jewish law forbid her from being in the Temple. (Anna was allowed because she was passed the age of menstruation.) Against her desires to remain ever-virgin, the Temple elders assembled all the eligible youth and released a dove; whoever the dove chose would be her husband. The dove left the area, and instead landed upon Joseph. The Temple elders were aghast, but the staff Joseph held in his hand bloomed as foretold of the staff of Jesse’s stem.

This, then, is the particular shame why the bible had Joseph plotting to send Mary off in secret, whereas “jumping the gun” while already betrothed would’ve been socially tolerated by many: He was an old man married to a young virgin! The shame of not being able to keep it in his pants (er, tunic?) was unbearable!

But also note that when Mary returned to the Temple, Simon and Anna at the Temple knew immediately that Mary’s child represented the fulfillment of the prophesy that a Virgin would give birth: they knew she was a Virgin! Yes, their correct interpretation of this was a prophecy inspired by the Holy Spirit, but no, prophesy isn’t fortune-telling; it’s correctly interpreting what is unbelievable to those unaided by grace.

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