New Testament gap:Following the accounts of Jesus young life, there is a gap of about 18 years in his story in the New Testament.[4][7][13] Other than the generic statement that after he was 12 years old (Luke 2:42) Jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:52), the New Testament has no other details regarding the gap.[4] While Christian tradition suggests that Jesus simply lived in Galilee during that period,[14] modern scholarship holds that there is little historical information to determine what happened during those years.[4] The ages of 12 and 30, the approximate ages at either end of the unknown years, have some significance in Judaism of the Second Temple period: 12 is the age of the bar mitzvah, the age of secular maturity,[2] and 30 the age of readiness for the priesthood, although Jesus was not of the tribe of Levi.[15] Christians have generally taken the statement in Mark 6:3 referring to Jesus as Is not this the carpenter...? as an indication that before the age of 30 Jesus had been working as a carpenter.[16] The tone of the passage leading to the question Is not this the carpenter? suggests familiarity with Jesus in the area, reinforcing that he had been generally seen as a carpenter in the gospel account before the start of his ministry.[16] Matthew 13:55 poses the question as Is not this the carpenters son? suggesting that the profession tektōn had been a family business and Jesus was engaged in it before starting his preaching and ministry in the gospel accounts.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 06:54:32 +0000