Literacy in first-century Palestine
What do we actually know about literacy rates, and how should that shape how we read the Gospels?
What do we actually know about literacy rates, and how should that shape how we read the Gospels?
It's fine to carry the question unresolved for a while. You are far from alone in this. I had no answer for a very long time.
This may be a minority reading, but here is how I take it. Most scholars today read this figuratively, though a literal reading has serious defenders.
I've written this confidently but I would genuinely welcome disagreement.