"Is This Not the Τέκτων?": Revisiting Jesus’s Vocation in Mark 6:3

Abstract

Abstract:The term τέκτων in Mark 6:3 has received various interpretations, with "carpenter" and "woodworker" being the most prominent. However, a brief survey of the use of τέκτων in the LXX, Graeco-Roman, and early Jewish literature reveals that this term is more ambiguous than scholars have often argued and requires contextual clues for precise translation. Because of this, one must look to the socio-historical reality of a common Nazarene τέκτων in order to determine the best translation of τέκτων in Mark 6:3. Historical evidence, including recent archeological findings, indicates that a Nazarene τέκτων would have likely been expected to carry out a plethora of tasks in the vicinity of building and crafting. Thus, this article argues that the best translation for τέκτων in Mark 6:3 is "builder-craftsman."