Allen Hilton examines how pagan critics ridiculed the early Christians for being uneducated, and how a few literate Christians took up pen to defend the illiterate members of their churches. Hilton sheds light on the peculiarity of this “defense”, in which the authors openly admit that the critics have the facts on their side, noting that the Book of Acts even calls two of its heroes, Peter and John, illiterates. Why did the authors of these biblical texts, intent on presenting Christianity in a positive light, volunteer such a negative detail?
The answer to this question reveals a fascinating social exchange that first surrounded education levels in antiquity, and proceeded to make its way into the New Testament. This volume provides context for pagan education as opposed to early Christian illiteracy – touching upon the methods of ancient learning and the relationship between Christian and pagan schools – and analyses the 'uneducated virtue' of the Apostles. Hilton provides a useful window onto the social construction of ancient education and ushers readers into the everyday experience of ancient Christians, and those who disdained and defended them.
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General
Jesus; The Gospels & Acts
Biblical Studies
Religion
Cover 1
Series 2
Title 4
Copyright 5
Contents 6
Part 1 The Cause of the Criticism 10
Chapter 1 An Ethnography of Ancient Literacy 16
An Anecdote 18
Definitions 19
Quantifying Literacy and Education 21
Orality and Literacy 22
Quantifying Ancient Literacy 24
Early Christian Literacy 27
The Social Impact of Literacy and Education 29
Ancient Issues and Attitudes 32
Attitudes toward Letters 33
Attitudes toward the Lettered and Unlettered 35
Notes 38
Chapter 2 Attitudes toward the Illiterate 44
Pagan Perception 46
Lucian 47
Galen 51
Explicit Criticism 53
Celsus 53
Caecilius 56
Implicit Criticism 59
Justin 60
Athenagoras 62
Conclusion 65
Notes 66
Chapter 3 The Christians and the Schools 72
Introduction 72
Primary Education: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic 75
Secondary Education: Learning the Poets 79
Higher Education: Speaking, Thinking, and Living Well 84
Rhetorical Schools 84
Philosophical Schools 85
Exercise 87
Imitation 89
The Peril of the Pretender 91
The Angle of the Apologists 94
Notes 96
Part 2 A First-Century Christian Reply 104
Chapter 4 The Social Dynamics of ΠΑΡΡΗΣΊΑ 112
Introduction 112
Παρρησία Defined 112
The Character of Παρρησία as Speech 115
Παρρησία and Social Status 117
Strategies for Safety 119
Democracy and Friendship 120
The Receptive Audience 122
The Tolerable Speaker 123
Acts 4 and the Social Dynamic Παρρησία 127
Conclusion 134
Notes 134
Chapter 5 The Virtue of ΠΑΡΡΗΣΊΑ 140
Παρρησία as the Speech of the Courageous 143
Παρρησία and Education 145
Training (ἄσκησις) 146
Example (παράδειγμα) 147
The “Philosophical” Setting of Acts 4 148
Philosophical Community 148
A Philosophical Jesus 151
A Philosophical Paul 152
A Philosophical Peter 154
Conclusion 157
Notes 158
Chapter 6 The “Education” of the Apostles 164
The Power of the Spirit 165
The Holy Spirit and Prophecy 166
The Holy Spirit and παρρησία 167
The Example of Jesus 170
Conclusion 173
Notes 174
Bibliography 176
Index 186

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motw/Illiterate Apostles_ Uneducated - Allen Hilton.pdf

Hilton, Allen

Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.

Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Bloomsbury T&T Clark

Bloomsbury Academic

T & T Clark

Cassell

The Library of New Testament Studies, London, 2018

Library of New Testament studies, New York, 2018

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

Library of New Testament Studies, 541

1, 2018

producers:
Adobe PDF Library 15.0

Memory of the World Librarian: Calamitous Annunciation

2025-10-27