What Was Jesus' Occupation? -- By: Ken M. Campbell

Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 48:3 (Sep 2005)
Article: What Was Jesus' Occupation?
Author: Ken M. Campbell


What Was Jesus' Occupation?

Ken M. Campbell

Ken Campbell resides at 2213 Lyons Lane, Soddy Daisy, TN 37379.

I. Terminology

Is not this the "τέκτων?—Mark 6:3

Is not this the τέκτων’s son?—Matthew 13:55

These two passages are the only NT witnesses to the occupation of Jesus (and Joseph). In both cases Jesus and his earthly father are described by the Greek word τέκτων. But while English (and other European-language) Bible translations have invariably—since the sixteenth century—rendered τέκτων as "carpenter," there has been a degree of lexical imprecision concerning the correct translation, as can be observed from the following citations.

Thayer:1 "A worker in wood, a carpenter."

Liddell and Scott:2 "Any worker in wood, esp. a carpenter, joiner, builder. .. generally any craftsman, worker, builder."

BAG:3 "carpenter, woodworker, builder."

NIDNTT:4 "Craftsman or builder in wood, stone or metal."

L & N:5 "one who uses various materials (wood, stone metal) in building— builder, carpenter."

EDNT:6 "one who makes, produces."

The tendency lexically is to suggest that τέκτων has a somewhat variable reference within the framework of trades that have to do with stone, wood, and metal. The earlier lexical works, heavily weighted towards classical Greek sources, emphasized the trade of carpentry.7 The more recent, linguistically

improved lexical publications focus mainly on "craftsman" or "builder" as the preferred translation. For example, J. I. Packer writes in NIDNTT concerning Matt 13:55 and Mark 6:3 that "τέκτων could equally mean 'mason' or 'smith' (as indeed some of the fathers took it); or it could mean that Joseph and Jesus were builders, so that carpentry and masonry would have bee...

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