Peasants were perfectly able to remember days they had to go to the temple or that they needed to go somewhere for a census during a certain time, then why would they not be able to remember a day of birth or even month of birth.
There were no calendars then as we have them today. No clocks either.
Oh this is a great opportunity for you to sit down, and do the research.
It is a development of Early Christian tradition.
Thanks for that, adrift!!
Although I majored in Literature (English), I became fascinated with ancient History while in my early teens, and have read more books than I can count about different cultures, customs, etc… from the time of the early Egyptians, through the time of the Pyramids, and then for several years I concentrated on the customs and culture of the last century BC through the 1st Century AD. Although the calendars changed a lot since then the Hebrew calendar is still the same, (but is lunar), the customs and culture remained about the same up to the destruction of Jerusalem and the battle at which the Roman Army finally defeated the last fighters of Israel at a mountain called Massala in the Dead Sea area. I learned a lot about what everyday life was like for the peasants/common people among whom Jesus grew up. The types of foods they ate, their daily work and activities, their religious practices, etc… Even learned the old Ashkenahzic Hebrew so I could read some of the Scriptures (such as the Ten Commandments) in the original, or close to original language. Of course, the Hebrew I learned was heavily influenced by the Jews in Eastern Europe, and not quite the same as that which was read in the synagogues in the time when Jesus would have heard the Scriptures read. I have seen photographic copies of the Dead Sea scrolls, which are from about that time period, and although I can read the Hebrew letters, I cannot translate most of it. It was apparently written or spelled differently. Anyway, I’m unable to translate most of it. Also, the original Hebrew Torah was apparently written with only consonants, no vowels, which is where we get “YHWH”-- no vowels. The words and pronunciation must be learned or memorized. There are rules for the spelling/grammar, which helps a bit. When I learned to read it, I also learned it without vowels. The major celebrations in a family living in Nazareth would have been 1) the weaning of the first born son (and possibly other sons, doesn’t mention daughters); 2) the time when a boy started synagogue school to learn his religious obligations and to read the Torah; 3) the coming of age of each boy, and 4)marriages. Of course, the religious festivals would have been important in each season, particularly Passover, First Fruits, and the Day of Repentance (Yom Kippur) as well as some other major ones, like the Harvest festivals. Funerals also had many cultural customs. Keep reading what you can find on those times - it’s fascinating. A good librarian is a true treasure, as they can lead you to a lot of research. Good history hunting!Thanks for that, adrift!!
The educational process is certainly a gift given to all of us! To share and research is a blessing of recent technology indeed.
Certainly back in Christ’s time, their culture was so radically different. It’s a wonderful thing, to learn of the culture that Our Lord was born into, and realize that it’s not the same as what we live in…
I LOVE history!!!
haha…I got a good laugh at this one. Thanks.
