How did Jesus and his apostles make money?

by sabastious 69 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  ScenicViewer

  "Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a four drachma coin." Matthew 17:27

  Not only that, but they could then either fry that fish or sell it at the market.

  And not only that, but he could multiply that fish into as many as he needed.

  “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fishes.” 18 He said: “BRING them here to me.” 19 Next he ... took the five loaves and two fishes, and ... he distributed them to the ... crowds. 20 So all ate and were satisfied ... 21 Yet those eating were about five thousand men, besides women and young children. (Mt 4:17-21)
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  shepherd

  "Women helped support them out of their own means"

  This may have included whores, according to tradition, so I guess that made Jesus a pimp too.
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  Band on the Run

  Small carpentry jobs travel well, so does fishing. Mary Magadalene is mentioned as a financial supporter. She was independently wealthy. Joseph of Arithmea types.

  It is a good question. The gospel writers must have thought it would bore us. I can never get a feel for how common an itinerant preacher was in those days. I'd give Jesus money.

  I read a book by Paul. Crossan wrote it. Ehrman also discussed the same thing for how Christianity spread. Paul worked as a tent maker to meet people on a quasisocial basis and to support himself. It was one town where he worked. Evidently, the other towns supported him. I am not sure. Once he established a business relationship, he could begin to talk about Jesus in a natural way. There is very good evidence that the early Christians never preached wholesale, let alone door to door. Ehrman has growth figures. If you start small but build at a modest rate over years, you get a critical mass.

  Remember when Jesus' family comes looking for him b/c he is not maintaining the family business. The saying about his family not being his family is very sad. If I were Mary, I'd be very hurt. If I were one his siblings, I'd be very angry.
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  tec

  This may have included whores, according to tradition, so I guess that made Jesus a pimp too.

  It doesn't (especially since may have is a far cry from did)... and by whose tradition?
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  shepherd

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Magdalene explains all the various traditions, specifically, Catholic, relating to Mary Magdalene. As usual the Bible can be interpreted and understood in many ways and this is no exception.

  My comment was tongue in cheek, of course, and unlikely to be accepted by anyone who actually believes Jesus was in any way more than human.
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  tec

  Did you mean she was a whore according to tradition... or did you mean, according to tradition, she supported the apostles through prostitution?

  I know the tradition regarding Mary and what she was. (which tradition sounds similar to gossip or rumor - though true or not, it would be none of my business) But I thought you meant the second part as per what you said.

  I get that you were speaking tongue-in-cheek... but sometimes people speak tongue-in-cheek in a teasing/goodnatured way, and sometimes in a mean-spirited way; and I can't always tell the difference.

  Peace to you,

  Tammy
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  WTWizard

  They didn't have the Rothschilds' banking system to bleed everyone dry back in those days. One could accumulate a fair amount of wealth and actually hold onto it, rather than having it all being taxed away. You didn't have some government controlling all the land to prevent anyone from living off from it--once you own land, you actually got to use it as you saw fit. It was possible to grow your own building supplies and use those, rather than depend on large corporations. Or, to grow your own food--which is why there was usually a surplus.

  These days, however, everything is taxed. You own land, you have to pay taxes on it. Those taxes prevent you from holding onto wealth. You pay for transportation (gas, road user fees, license fees, and car taxes). You pay for food (growing it is by the big corporations only these days, not the small farmers). You pay for sick care (everyone goes to the doctor for their medical profile, regardless of need). You make money, you pay moon-high income taxes designed to prevent you from accumulating enough wealth to sustain yourself. Jesus didn't have to deal with gas prices, drivers licenses, vehicle registration, sick care insurance, and the like all the time as we do now.
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  sabastious

  Remember when Jesus' family comes looking for him b/c he is not maintaining the family business. The saying about his family not being his family is very sad. If I were Mary, I'd be very hurt. If I were one his siblings, I'd be very angry.

  Interesting point. Since it was important to keep a blood line going to get to Mary, Jesus must have had her DNA in him. Therefore he was part of the family and was skating on his responsibilities. Hard to blame him for having his head in the clouds, being called the son of God.

  -Sab
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  sabastious

  Did you mean she was a whore according to tradition... or did you mean, according to tradition, she supported the apostles through prostitution?

  What was wrong with prostitues in those times if you were not married? Where in the Bible, specifically, does it say that it was wrong to have sex with a prostitute?

  -Sab
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  Band on the Run

  The Catholic tradition that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute is driven by a culture that hated women. The gospels report a wealthy women, who was close to Jesus. Close in what way is not directly addressed. She was as important as the male disciples. Perhaps more so. Her $ must have carried weight. She was also presumably more educated than the rest.

  This is a far cry from a prostitute. Despite reading the gospels, I assumed she was a prostitute b/c of the Catholic tradition. Jesus appeared to her first after the Resurrection. The men dismiss her but she was correct. I don't think it is an accident that the Risen Christ appeared to her first. She is one of the best examples of how men can distort history.

  Some of the masterpieces of art showing her as a prostitute are so dramatic and powerful. Why not portray her accurately? Feminism had to give her a new light. When I first heard the feminist claims, I thought they were exaggerating for political effect. They were understating the story if anything.