The Crown and the Cross: The Life of Christ by Frank G. Slaughter

His mind could be said to resemble that of the ideal scholar described in the ancient writings, a well-plastered cistern from which not a drop of water could escape.
    School met daily both morning and afternoon with a long midday recess in summer. The synagogue was used as the schoolhouse in most cases, but in larger towns there was sometimes a special building for this purpose. Presided over by the chazan, the leader of the congregation, the school was a place of strictest discipline. Children of five or six began their studies by reading the Book of Leviticus in Hebrew, first learning the letters from a board, and then learning how to form them into words. Leviticus contained the provisions of the Law which every Jew must know, hence its use as the first text. As the student grew older he learned to read from the writings of the prophets, the Torah, and the apocalyptic books, which were the most recent in origin of all the holy writings.
    Not all students were taught to write but being an apt pupil, Jesus was. Ink was made from lampblack, although colored ink was sometimes used by the ostentatious. Reed quills were trimmed with a knife and used for pens. Writing could be on parchment rolls but in Israel was usually on very thin, dried skins, often split into an outer layer for rough work and an inner for more precious writings such as the mezuzah. Occasionally tablets of baked clay were used, as had been the custom in very ancient times.
II
    As the years passed and Jesus grew in stature and knowledge like any other intelligent boy, the memory of the strange events which had accompanied His birth grew fainter in the minds of Mary and Joseph. They had recognized early that He was not exactly like the other boys of their household or of the village, being more studious in nature, more religious by inclination, and more tolerant and warmhearted in His love for others and His interest in them. These were qualities which all parents hoped to see in their children, however, and Mary and Joseph thanked God that Jesus showed every indication of growing up into a man who would be respected by His fellows for His piety, His kindness, and His intelligence, worthy of being a leader in the synagogue and in the community.
    Jesus had long since outgrown the loving designation of taph and had become elem , meaning firm and strong. At the age of twelve He was approaching the state of naar , or youth, and in another year would take the ritual step from boyhood to young manhood by becoming bar mitzvah, literally the “Son of the Commandment.” In keeping with rabbinical law, it was customary for a boy of this age to go up with his parents to Jerusalem for the first time to attend the services in the temple, in preparation for the impressive rite of putting away his boyhood. This Mary and Joseph arranged at the season of the Passover when Jesus was twelve years of age.
    Traveling to Jerusalem was a thrilling event for a boy at any time, but on the occasion of the religious festivals many others of his own age, including friends and relatives, were also going to the temple, so it was naturally an occasion of considerable excitement. The party from Nazareth left a week before the beginning of the Passover, in order not to be forced to hurry over the distance of about a hundred miles. Actually, it was as much a social occasion as a journey, with the children running ahead to see every new sight, playing games and leaving the road to explore whatever struck their fancies.
    From Nazareth they skirted the Sea of Galilee and came to Tarichaea near its southern end. A much straighter route led directly southward through Samaria, but Jews and Samaritans hated each other and travel through that land made a pious Jew unclean and entailed considerable personal risk as well. From Tarichaea the road descended rapidly as it wound along the west bank of the Jordan and they soon came to Scythopolis, a Greek city about the size of Jerusalem, where they crossed