# Jewish carpenters? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 7, 2022, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jewish-carpenters/960631 "2022-03-07T20:29:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 11
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2022, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jewish-carpenters/960631/11 "2022-03-08T14:06:07Z")
It’s entirely possible that Jesus was not a carpenter in any sense of the word. I commented on this three years ago, citing a comment I made twenty years ago. From that thread: Regarding Jesus being the “son of a carpenter,” have a look at this thread from way back in 2002. It’s not necessarily a sure thing: [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-125771.html](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/archive/index.php/t-125771.html) My contribution: > [@](#): > > In one book on Jesus – I don’t recall whose, unfortunately – it was claimed that there was a proverbial expression at that place and time that went something like “What Carpenter or Son of a Carpenter Could do \_\_\_\_\_\_?” He was suggesting that someone reputed to do miraculous things might, by virtue of the proverb, be “assigned” the position of a carpenter and a son of a carpenter. In other words – the legend of Christ accumulated details over the years, and this is how that detail was generated. Interesting theory, but I haven’t heard anyone else corroborate it. **RedNaxela** ’s response: > [@](#): > > CalMeacham, that’s particularly interesting because there is in fact such an expression in the Talmud (Avodah Zarah 50b), about a knotty problem of Jewish law: “there is no carpenter nor son of a carpenter that could answer this.” [The Aramaic root for “answer,” parak, literally means “to take apart,” so that may have suggested the image of a carpenter working on it.] > [@The only object Jesus made was a whip?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-object-jesus-made-was-a-whip/830236/44): > > What is the relevant distinction between the two terms? --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jewish-carpenters/960631)._