Was Jesus a stone-mason?

Question

Seriously, there weren't a lot of trees around.

Thanks for answering!

Answer 1

The word is tekton. Which means men with skills - learned men, who were masters of what they did. It also refers to a worker in wood, or in stone.

"In the Gospels...a tekton is a Greek word that meant not merely a carpenter skilled in making cabinets or furniture but a designer, construction engineer, or architect. A tekton could build a house, construct a bridge, or design a temple." (Starbird, 2003, p. 53)

Answer 2

My Jewish friend just got back from Israel, and he told me that EVERYTHING is made of stone there, and much of it is ancient. It makes much more sense that Jesus was a stone mason or an architect/designer/engineer in stone. Read the scriptures below that would support that. There are many scriptures that refer to him prophetically as stone or rock (not to mention calling himself the Temple) and there's nothing that relates him personally to wood. So it makes Biblical sense that he worked with stone regularly.

Luke 20:17
Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture mean? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’

Acts 4:11
For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’

Luke 20:18
Everyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”

Romans 9:33
God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said, “I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. But anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.”

1 Peter 2:4-5
[ Living Stones for God’s House ] You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.

1 Peter 2:7-8
Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.

Revelation 2:17
“Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.

Luke 6:47-48
I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.

Not to count the numerous scriptures that refer to God as our Rock, our Firm Foundation and our Fortress.

Answer 3

Stone-mason? Highly likely, among other things.

Following the segment in Joshua:
Jos 9:22 And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when ye dwell among us?
Jos 9:23 Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.

Joshua blundered in that he did not seek the counsel of the Lord, in pronouncing this curse. This would come back to haunt the woman's 'Seed' later, in the form of Jesus. The curse backfired, (because it was ill-concieved) and Jesus therefore was destined to bear Israel's burden as a tradesman. He probably had extensive skills as both carpenter and plumber, as well as all of the other trades, and as a troubleshooter, engineer, and designer as well. But His lowly and unappreciated status would have prevented Him from utilizing these skills publicly, and some of His later 'healings' probably had to do with the use of His 'talents'. (see 'the Parable of the Talents', Mat 25:14-30)
His parable advocated NOT concealing one's talents. This may imply that He was in fact concealing those of His own.

Answer 4

Yes, Jesus (PBUH) was a carpenter and a stone mason!
He managed the buisness when Joseph passed away and helped support the family!

Answer 5

The Bible describes Jesus as a Carpenter. Whether or not it was stone He worked with or wood; that is a very good question. The ruins that we see anymore, of course are made out of stone...so I suppose that it is possible.

Answer 6

Was Jesus A Stonemason

Answer 7

It's very likely. There weren't a lot of what we would call "woodworkers" in ancient Judea. In modern terms we would call him a contractor, but it has historically been translated as carpenter. He probably spent a lot of time shoring up beams and lintels in people's houses, plastering walls and patching holes, and general brick-laying/stone construction work. A mix of wood, mud and stone-work.

Peace to you.

Answer 8

The word translated as "Carpenter" in the New Testament means literally “One who works with their hands” making Jesus one of the poorest classes in every time period the “Day laborer.”
It is interesting how Jesus keeps changing classes. In medieval times Kings needed divine authority and Jesus was perceived as a disenfranchised noble. In modern times Jesus has been made over as a middle class person so we can get more people to relate with him easier.

God must love the poor, he made so many of them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh-1JVctSOY
♥Blessed Be♥
♥=∞

Answer 9

Don't forget the famous cedars of Lebanon (and nearby regions), imported by Solomon for his temple. The middle east, and Israel in particular, have not always been desert. 2,000 years ago - think what America, Britain and Japan were like back then! Israel has changed after several thousand years of occupation.

Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/

Answer 10

Yes, you are correct. Before his ministry he was a builder. This means he mostly worked with stone, but also wood. Interestingly the job also included architectural skills left to designers these days.