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And in my reading, as I wrote, a lot of emphasis on the significant stonework going on near Nazareth. If that is a true picture and explanation I wonder why, when Jesus returned to Nazareth the people said isn't that the "Tekton's" son? Supposed in this understanding to mean stone mason-builder-craftsman. Part of this explanation states it would be what many of the men of Nazareth were. But their phrasing seems to indicate a more singular craft. Joseph was known by his craft to them. It doesn't sound like they are speaking of a man who was one of many.
 
I did some reading on this but not a huge amount. My impression is the matter of Joseph and Jesus being carpenters or stone masons/builders is not settled.
Maybe this is not real evidence but I always had a notion a carpenter could build things anywhere he went. Not home's so much as farm implements, structures, some furnishings, ( though I don't believe they used chairs and tables and such that we do).
A lot of weight is put in the proximity of Nazareth to a city where a lot of new stone work was going on.
But apparently Joseph found work in Bethlehem and I expect Egypt unless they used the Magi's gifts to live on there. I would think carpentry could come in handy most anywhere.

Even in Egypt the Roman empire had construction projects going on. Herod (2 of the three Herods) were prolific builders...part of the "Hellenization" process where things like theatres and gymnasiums and city centers were built. Egypt (Alexandria) had a famous library.

A construction worker could go just about anywhere in the Roman Empire and find some kind of work.

We assume that Jesus worked in Stone and Rock because of the types of construction going on in the neighborhood... also all the imagery that Jesus used surrounding rock construction...."The stone the builders rejected" , "the capstone", "the rock not cut by human hands", and "Cornerstone"...

Just saying that the lack of available forest, the prolific stone building projects, and that the real definition of the Greek term used vx available ancient English terms lead us to believe that Carpenter is a myth.

It's not really relevant except to say that Jesus wasn't in a high class job with lots of prestige before he went on ministry tours. He wasn't going to be missed by his "change of occupation". He tried to be very very ordinary and unexceptionable until the time came for him to begin his ministry.

He was basically hiding out as "one of the ordinary people" until the time was exactly right.

Anything else taken away from his occupation is not really relevant.
 
Bethlehem is readily seen from both the Herodium and Jerusalem...as well as several other cities are within view. Israel is not a very big place. (Three to four hour drive North to South)

Everything was measured in "Walking distance" back then... and a lot of places were within walking distance.

In Jesus' time Bethlehem was not completely rural but mostly a suburb... like Nazareth. Today it's part of the West Bank and Palestinian territories. But the many years of Constantine empire and the subsequent occupations during the different Crusades has changed things a lot over the centuries.
 
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