Jesus Wasn’t Really A Carpenter
Today I found out Jesus wasn’t really a carpenter, at least not as we understand the profession. Now obviously, eventually Jesus’s chosen profession was of a “Rabbi” or teacher; so in that sense he wasn’t a carpenter regardless of translation. However, in his early years, it is supposed from Mark 6:2-3 that he was, like his step-father, a “carpenter” as commonly translated.
However, the chosen translation from the Greek word “tecton” to mean “carpenter” is a bit of a mistranslation.  In fact, “tecton” (in Mark) or “tekton” (in Mathew) is more aptly translated into a word describing a “contractor”; specifically, contracting as a “builder” or “handyman”. Not necessarily having anything to do with wood in most of the jobs he likely took.
He was basically a “Mr. Fix it”. You had something that needed mended/fixed, designed, or built and he was the guy to call. And note, this isn’t just referring to small jobs such as repairing a leaky roof or the like, though this type of thing would have likely been a part of what he did when bigger business was slow; it also refers to such things as designing and building bridges, stone temples, etc.  So perhaps by today’s notion of the profession, he’d more likely be called an “engineer”.
Sources:
- Image Source:Â FarLeftSide
- Tekton, Greek Lexicon
- Historical Jesus
- Joseph Was a Carpenter
He was Macgyver…..anyone who could do all the clever stuff he did must have been.
Thats actually how I always pictured his carpenter job.
Except his fight would be a beat down and not a boring decision.
Worst topic ever! Who really cares. It’s not going to take you to heaven or cast you into hell for not knowing or knowing.
@Anthony, Wow, good thing I came to http://www.ThingsAnthonyCaresAbout.com instead of Today I found out…. Here’s an idea, if you don’t like the idea of a website about random stuff that was “found out” today, you COULD just go fuck yourself instead and save us all from your stupid posts. Just a suggestion.
An engineer? Aha! That explains why he didn’t have a girlfriend.
@Pablo: I so should have used that in the title of the post
. “Today I Found Out Why Jesus Never Had a Girlfriend”
Yes, Bill Darlison has written about this, and suggests the translation mason or architect. (Bill Darlison is also the author of an interesting book suggesting that the gospels were in fact the texts of an astrological mystery religion and that Jesus was a mythical character.)
I hear stories from the chamber
How Christ was born into a manger
And like some ragged stranger
Died upon the cross
And might I say it seems so fitting in its way
He was a carpenter by trade
Or at least that’s what I’m told
OK make fun of Jesus on the cross – no one is likely to kill you.
Now be brave and even-handed and do Muhammad – perhaps with Ayesha?
@A.Kinana: haha, don’t think I haven’t thought of it.
There will likely be a Muhammad post sometime in the next few months. I just have to find something interesting and little known to do it on.
Teknons were indeed engineers or architects. Joseph designed houses, not furniture. His family must have had a lot of money.