Education in Bible Times

A Christian's roots are in Judaism not in the Greek's Hellenistic paganism. We need to look at the history of our patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the faithful followers of God, to find out how they taught their children the enduring, deep rooted faith.

Colliers Encyclopedia explains education from Abraham's times taught the whole child:

The keynote of Jewish education appears as early as Gen. 18:19 in the revelation made to Abraham: ``For I know him that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment.'' This same note runs throughout the Old Testament in various injunctions: ``Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it'' (Prov. 22:6) and ``Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom'' (Prov. 9:10). The aim of education was ethical and religious. The education of youth was an obligation of the parents, and was intimately associated with the performance of ritual observances and with learning the Mosaic law, both of which were regarded as essential to the survival of the Jews as a people. In the educative process, both father and mother were equally concerned, and both were to be equally honored (the Fifth Commandment). The method of instruction in the home was for a long time oral, and learning by practice, and these methods were continued outside the home in gatherings and assemblies held for both worship and instruction. Corporal punishment was regarded as an essential element in training. "He that spareth the rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes'' (Prov. xiii:24) is a precept frequently repeated both in Proverbs and in Ecclesiastes. Visual aids, including monuments as records of history, were employed. The setting up of ``great stones'' with inscriptions on them implies an early knowledge of writing (Deut. xxvii:2, 3, 8, and elsewhere). The scribes were not only copyists but also teachers and interpreters of the Law of Moses. There existed a knowledge of arithmetic and astronomy; music, dancing, games, and sports were cultivated; and moral instruction was an essential part of education.

J.I. Packard writes in the book Knowing God,

"A study of the nature and character of God is the most practical project anyone can engage in. Knowing about God is crucially important for the living of our lives...We are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in the world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it. The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life disappointing and unpleasant business for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul."

Primary Purpose of Education

The primary purpose of education should be to train the whole person for lifelong, obedient service in the knowledge just as it was in Bible times (home was the center for education then). God never changes. He still has the same desire for us to know Him.

Our first goal must be to teach our children God's ways and His paths. We, home schoolers cannot be so worried about fractions or spelling that we skip the one needful thing: sitting at the feet learning from our Master, through Bible study and prayer. We can prepare him or her for what we direction their gifts and talents lean, however, God may take them in another direction. A Christian striving to find God's will be equipped in the important traits, prepared for anything in life.

To learn true wisdom a curriculum should spend a significant amount studying God's Word. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerned of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12). Read about.

Next: Education in the Middle Ages