Seeking thoughts on a delicate religious topic.

[bobcat]

I would like to preface this by saying I have no desire to trash anyone's beliefs here, and I certainly hope it doesn't go there.
My question is this:

If any of the 4 gospels that may have been written some 40 years after the death of Jesus are true, then Jesus is said to have performed some of the greatest miracles that have occurred in history during his lifetime. Also, it is said that he ministered to thousands and was followed by them.

If this is all true, then why didn't one single person think to document any of it, and why didn't Jesus write anything down about his teachings or his life?
If anything was written, why wasn't it preserved, if you think it's what God would have wanted?

Again, not ridiculing any beliefs, it's just that it's something that has never made any sense to me, and there may be answers I haven't thought of. I have wondered if they were all afraid of the political climate, however they followed him just the same. Were they all illiterate? Not likely, as there were, tax collectors, scribes, Pharisees, etc..., and Jesus wrote in the dirt, and they understood and left the scene, so that doesn't seem plausible.

Is it just a question no one knows the answer to? Is it just a matter with no facts, and only beliefs and opinions? Maybe so.
Either way, please remember to be respectful.

 

[davey]

you are applying your modern logical thinking to an ancient social structure and behaviors they don't fit - you are essentially asking "why didn't they do what we do know?" - think about it for a while and it may be self-answered??

 

[chic]

I would like to preface this by saying I have no desire to trash anyone's beliefs here, and I certainly hope it doesn't go there.t
My question is this:

If any of the 4 gospels that may have been written some 40 years after the death of Jesus are true, then Jesus is said to have performed some of the greatest miracles that have occurred in history during his lifetime. Also, it is said that he ministered to thousands and was followed by them.

If this is all true, then why didn't one single person think to document any of it, and why didn't Jesus write anything down about his teachings or his life?
If anything was written, why wasn't it preserved, if you think it's what God would have wanted?

Again, not ridiculing any beliefs, it's just that it's something that has never made any sense to me, and there may be answers I haven't thought of. I have wondered if they were all afraid of the political climate, however they followed him just the same. Were they all illiterate? Not likely, as there were, tax collectors, scribes, Pharisees, etc..., and Jesus wrote in the dirt, and they understood and left the scene, so that doesn't seem plausible.

Is it just a question no one knows the answer to? Is it just a matter with no facts, and only beliefs and opinions? Maybe so.
Either way, please remember to be respectful.

My questions also. Jesus is portrayed in the gospels as a great teacher/speaker yet never wrote a word? Unless he knew his words would be considered seditious by the Roman government ruling Judea during at this time and he knew he would be punished for such writings? This is as far as I can bend on this one. Good, thought provoking question and one that is never answered to anyone's satisfaction.

 

[bobcat]

you are applying your modern logical thinking to an ancient social structure and behaviors they don't fit - you are essentially asking "why didn't they do what we do know?" - think about it for a while and it may be self-answered??

Thank you for that answer, but writing things down was common even in that day. Historians wrote, Egyptians wrote, ancient Asians wrote, and some of the Old Testament was written as far back as 800 BC. So I'm not clear on why that's just something no one did back then.

 

[bobcat]

My questions also. Jesus is portrayed in the gospels as a great teacher/speaker yet never wrote a word? Unless he knew his words would be considered seditious by the Roman government ruling Judea during at this time and he knew he would be punished for such writings? This is as far as I can bend on this one. Good, thought provoking question and one that is never answered to anyone's satisfaction.

If the accounts are correct, he wasn't afraid of the Roman government or what they thought, which ultimately led to his death. So it is a puzzler.

 

[Pepper]

The Questions are all in this song:

 

[VaughanJB]

Religious believe is predicated on the belief of the supernatural. I do not believe in the supernatural. Therefore I'm out.

Why didn't Jesus write anything? It didn't suit the narrative. The Bible is a conglomeration of things. For example - many old tales talk of a flood. Our society needed the command and control of religion for making a cohesive environment in which to exist. We need it much less now.

Honestly, we don't know an awful lot about the people who wrote the Bible.

Which when I think about it, doesn't really address your question, or only briefly. Touchy topic!

 

[chic]

If the accounts are correct, he wasn't afraid of the Roman government or what they thought, which ultimately led to his death. So it is a puzzler.

It was Rome who ordered his crucifixion and he seems to have been VERY aware of that.

 

[bobcat]

Religious believe is predicated on the belief of the supernatural. I do not believe in the supernatural. Therefore I'm out.

Why didn't Jesus write anything? It didn't suit the narrative. The Bible is a conglomeration of things. For example - many old tales talk of a flood. Our society needed the command and control of religion for making a cohesive environment in which to exist. We need it much less now.

Honestly, we don't know an awful lot about the people who wrote the Bible.

Which when I think about it, doesn't really address your question, or only briefly. Touchy topic!

Yes, it is a delicate topic, which is why I wanted to be careful not to offend anyone or discount their belief. I was just seeking an answer that could make sense. If thousands witnessed healing the blind, raising the dead, curing leprosy, and healing cripples, etc..., why wouldn't anyone document that?

 

[VaughanJB]

I took the liberty of of typing "why didn't jesus write anything" into Google.

These aren't my words, just one link it turned up.

"Jesus himself never wrote anything about himself. Scholarly estimates place literacy in the ancient world at around 5 percent. It’s not surprising that a carpenter from Galilee didn’t have the education or resources to put stylus to papyrus. This is a question of education, not non-existence."

 

[RadishRose]

I would like to preface this by saying I have no desire to trash anyone's beliefs here, and I certainly hope it doesn't go there.
My question is this:

If any of the 4 gospels that may have been written some 40 years after the death of Jesus are true, then Jesus is said to have performed some of the greatest miracles that have occurred in history during his lifetime. Also, it is said that he ministered to thousands and was followed by them.

If this is all true, then why didn't one single person think to document any of it, and why didn't Jesus write anything down about his teachings or his life?
If anything was written, why wasn't it preserved, if you think it's what God would have wanted?

Again, not ridiculing any beliefs, it's just that it's something that has never made any sense to me, and there may be answers I haven't thought of. I have wondered if they were all afraid of the political climate, however they followed him just the same. Were they all illiterate? Not likely, as there were, tax collectors, scribes, Pharisees, etc..., and Jesus wrote in the dirt, and they understood and left the scene, so that doesn't seem plausible.

Is it just a question no one knows the answer to? Is it just a matter with no facts, and only beliefs and opinions? Maybe so.
Either way, please remember to be respectful.

Maybe things were written down and not preserved well enough.

 

[Nathan]

Very thought provoking subject. I used to watch a TV program- Naked Archaeologist with Simcha Jacobovici. He would explore the historical and archaeological aspects of the Bible, would often go on location in the middle East.

 

[Alligatorob]

If any of the 4 gospels that may have been written some 40 years after the death of Jesus are true, then Jesus is said to have performed some of the greatest miracles that have occurred in history during his lifetime. Also, it is said that he ministered to thousands and was followed by them.

If this is all true, then why didn't one single person think to document any of it, and why didn't Jesus write anything down about his teachings or his life?
If anything was written, why wasn't it preserved, if you think it's what God would have wanted?

Not religious, but I think I know some of the answers.

Reading and writing was much less common in that era. To quote Wikipedia "It has been estimated that at least 90 percent of the Jewish population of Roman Palestine in the first centuries CE could merely write their own name or not write and read at all, or that the literacy rate was either about 3 percent or 7.7 percent". So its likely neither Jesus nor most of his disciples could read or write. Some of his followers probably could, but not many.

Writing materials were both hard to come by and very expensive in comparison to what they are today. So even those who could write did so much less than today.

Most writing at the time would have been done on papyrus, which is not very long lasting. We have only fragments of writings from that time. Most of what we do have are transcriptions of transcriptions the originals long lost. So it is possible writings were done during the time of Jesus and we just don't have them. Maybe someday we'll find something in a cave or the like, but probably not.

Thank you for that answer, but writing things down was common even in that day. Historians wrote, Egyptians wrote, ancient Asians wrote, and some of the Old Testament was written as far back as 800 BC.

Not at all common by today's standards, but you are right things were written going back at over 5,000 years (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_literature). But if you look at how many documents and writings we have from that era the number is very small. From the first 5,000 years of writing probably less than was generated yesterday...

I think it is amazing that we have a document as coherent as the Bible from that time.

 

[StarSong]

"It has been estimated that at least 90 percent of the Jewish population of Roman Palestine in the first centuries CE could merely write their own name or not write and read at all, or that the literacy rate was either about 3 percent or 7.7 percent". So its likely neither Jesus nor most of his disciples could read or write. Some of his followers probably could, but not many.

That was my thought, too. It never occurred to me that Jesus, son of a poor carpenter and an itinerant preacher would have been literate. Learned Rabbis and government officials might have been literate, but very few others.

 

[Paco Dennis]

Sounds like another misinformation problem.

 

[Pepper]

That was my thought, too. It never occurred to me that Jesus, son of a poor carpenter and an itinerant preacher would have been literate. Learned Rabbis and government officials might have been literate, but very few others.

If he was god he was literate. If he wasn't, intelligent people were still able to learn and if he were active in his synagogue I say he was literate, IMO. People pick up stuff just by hanging around.

 

[Liberty]

Some of this is explained in The Dead Sea Scrolls...as Jesus was born a member of the Essene group.

http://archive.sciendo.com/ETHEO/etheo.2012.3.issue-2/v10154-012-0018-5/v10154-012-0018-5.pdf

 

[bobcat]

Not religious, but I think I know some of the answers.

Reading and writing was much less common in that era. To quote Wikipedia "It has been estimated that at least 90 percent of the Jewish population of Roman Palestine in the first centuries CE could merely write their own name or not write and read at all, or that the literacy rate was either about 3 percent or 7.7 percent". So its likely neither Jesus nor most of his disciples could read or write. Some of his followers probably could, but not many.

Writing materials were both hard to come by and very expensive in comparison to what they are today. So even those who could write did so much less than today.

Most writing at the time would have been done on papyrus, which is not very long lasting. We have only fragments of writings from that time. Most of what we do have are transcriptions of transcriptions the originals long lost. So it is possible writings were done during the time of Jesus and we just don't have them. Maybe someday we'll find something in a cave or the like, but probably not.

Not at all common by today's standards, but you are right things were written going back at over 5,000 years (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_literature). But if you look at how many documents and writings we have from that era the number is very small. From the first 5,000 years of writing probably less than was generated yesterday...

I think it is amazing that we have a document as coherent as the Bible from that time.

Well, a few things about that. Apparently, Jesus could read anyway, because he was well versed in the law, and the Old Testament writings, at least according to the gospels. See: https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/jesus-literate-0013908
As for the disciples, it's an unknown, but even if one were to conclude that only 10% of the population was literate, If Jesus was around 20,000 or in his ministry, that would mean 2,000 or so would be literate, and yet no recorded documents.
I could also understand that materials may be scarce, and didn't preserve well, but if God was behind it all, and all the miracles, then it would seem logical that the writings could be miraculously preserved. I don't know. Just thinking out loud.

 

[Judycat]

Well Jesus was able to read. He sat down and read a passage from Isaiah in the temple. He wrote in the dirt one day in the marketplace. Many common people referred to him as Rabbi. I don't know why he didn't keep a journal. Maybe he was too busy ministering to the 5000. Maybe paper was scarce in them there days. The guy only lived to be 33.

 

[Timewise 60+]

I am not a student of the Bible. So, I have no 'legitimate' expertise on this question. I will say that it seems that God later in time had the ability to influence others to write the bible, he would have no need to provide paper and pen (or anything similar) earlier in time.

 

[Gary O']

If anything was written, why wasn't it preserved, if you think it's what God would have wanted?

I'm not totally comprehending the gist of all this.

Pretty sure The Bible has been well preserved

.....and read

According to Guinness World Records as of 1995, the Bible is the best-selling book of all time with an estimated 5 billion copies sold and distributed.

Yes, Jesus was literate
He read in the temple

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
Luke 4

 

[Mr. Ed]

Thank you for that answer, but writing things down was common even in that day. Historians wrote, Egyptians wrote, ancient Asians wrote, and some of the Old Testament was written as far back as 800 BC. So I'm not clear on why that's just something no one did back then.

Perhaps for 30 years Jesus did not assign homework? It seems everyone have come short of the glory of god according to scripture, humanity failed the test then we went on holiday, till we figured it out and never looked back.

 

[Naturally]

If this is all true, then why didn't one single person think to document any of it, and why didn't Jesus write anything down about his teachings or his life?
If anything was written, why wasn't it preserved, if you think it's what God would have wanted?

Many more than a single person documented it. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, James for example, are only a few who did.
They’re ancient writers, why don’t they count? But they were Christians and wrote about Christianity ... well, Duh.

The tax collectors and scribes of the rulers of Rome certainly would not have written anything about Christianity or Jesus Christ. After all, the rulers of Rome sought to debunk and eradicate Christianity and all things connected. Rulers of Rome were King, not a humble carpenter from Nazareth. Say otherwise and be dealt with harshly. The fact there are no Roman authors who documented such things, does not mean the things recorded in the Bible didn't happen. And even if they did write about Jesus and Christianity, I'm not shocked it hasn't survived.

Jesus was well educated from an early age beginning with time spent in the temple and his continuing interactions with educated Jews. But he lived in a primarily oral culture. In the book of John we find that Jesus explains Christian authors, through the Holy Spirit, will be guided to remember and record His teachings.

The last part of your question may be right in front of you. It was written and has been preserved going on 2000 years or so. Do you know the book I reference? Perhaps God would want you to know. Dunno

And you may find this an interesting read ... Did ancient writers overlook Jesus

 

[Remy]

They say all those caves have not been full explored. More scrolls to be found perhaps? I've heard there are missing books from the bible? I don't know. I'm not religious. I have my own thoughts on Jesus I won't elaborate on. Not a Christian.

 

[palides2021]

It is debatable whether Jesus was literate or not. Given that he was born in the caste (son of a craftsman) he probably did not have a formal education. As others have noted, it is known that people learn informally (through oral traditions, experience, etc.) and he may have learned through his visits to the temple and listening to the teachers there. Several passages from the Bible show that he read Scripture. He may have also had divine help.

The four gospels were written by his scribes and documented much of his life and miracles.