St Peter unschooled Acts

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tonyh12

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In the book of acts 4:13 it says Apostle Peter was unschooled, this fits in with him often referred to living simply, by unschooled do we know exactly what this means, ie was he just illiterate. Or does it mean he wasn’t taught the Jewish faith. I’m assuming he would have been a faithful man, even though scripture doesn’t say. Just wondering if we know anymore about him what branch if Judaism he belonged to etc. Thanks
 
Basically it is saying they were previously known to be illiterate and not especially knowledgeable or intelligent. The Latin actual uses the word that the English “idiot” is based on (homines essent sine litteris, et idiotae).
 
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tonyh12 said:
In the book of acts 4:13 it says Apostle Peter was unschooled, this fits in with him often referred to living simply, by unschooled do we know exactly what this means, ie was he just illiterate. Or does it mean he wasn’t taught the Jewish faith. I’m assuming he would have been a faithful man, even though scripture doesn’t say. Just wondering if we know anymore about him what branch if Judaism he belonged to etc. Thanks
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He was a fisherman in Galilee. A fisherman wasn’t just someone with a rod and reel. He would have had a boat and a home, so he would have had some means. Being in Galilee, he probably spoke Aramaic and may even had at least rudimentary koine greek. Unschooled means what it sounds like. He probably never received a formal education apart from what other men learned in the synagogue and at home. It doesn’t necessarily mean he was illiterate, though.
 
CIt’s remarkable that jesus chose such a man, he must have been an amazing rabbi To teach a man with this ‘CV’ in just 3 years. I’m still pondering this he must have soaked like a sponge. I guess I should be looking to Jesus and the Holy Spirit aka the Paraclete here, just as the father revealed to Peter that jesus was the son of God, God must have trained him like no worldly teacher.
 
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tonyh12 said:
… this fits in with him often referred to living simply, by unschooled do we know exactly what this means …
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In most countries in antiquity, including Greece and Rome, literacy was largely restricted to a small, wealthy landowning class that could afford private tutors for their sons (and even, occasionally, for their daughters). Some historians say that the Jews were an exception to this rule, both in Judea and the diaspora, thanks to the synagogues, where boys from all social classes and all income brackets were encouraged to learn to read the Scriptures.
 
Yes–even after spending three years with Jesus, Peter didn’t show a whole lot of improvement–but after the Holy Spirit descended on him at Pentecost he was like a new man. It’s just another proof that the doctrine of the Apostles was from God.
 
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I would imagine it means he never received more than a primary school education. Perhaps he learned fishing as an apprentice.

He received at least the equivalent of Jewish equivalent of CCD, knowing the Torah and Kosher Laws quite well.
 
You’ve only been a member for half an hour, and your first post is calling another user an idiot? Not a good way to start.
 
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Wesrock said:
Being in Galilee, he probably spoke Aramaic and may even had at least rudimentary koine greek.
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Not at all unusual in antiquity, even among illiterate populations. Being monolingual has always been the exception rather than the rule for humans beings as a whole, even in the 21st century.
 
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