Thank you for the question on educational level of Biblical people, “Why do people think the people of the Bible are uneducated cavemen? One person says “Matthew must have been educated, he was a tax collector for the Romans.”
It is the common conception that since people in Scriptures had little if any formal education. Thus, some people think that were superstitious or have a caveman mentality in contrast to our modern scientific world. It is true that most Israelites were farmers or livestock ranchers until the United Kingdom under King David.
The early patriarchs were herdsman but that doesn’t mean that they were ignorant. Abraham was able to purchase a deeded property to bury his wife (Gen. 23). It was written down and recorded. Abraham was able to defeat a superior force with fewer men, avoiding conflict during the day but at night for cover (Gen. 14).
Joseph became the prime minister and with his status certainly he would have helped his countrymen to higher governmental positions, enabling them to learn the Egyptian culture.
Moses being a prince of Egypt and with his education in Egypt he was able to read and write. In the 40 years in the desert, he taught the people the law of God having judges who ruled over people. They were wise enough to capture cities and villages while defeating and even annihilating the enemies who warred against them.
David and Solomon enabled the Israelites to become a well-organized, wealthy country. They built a magnificent temple and palace. The Books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes demonstrate that they were not an ignorant people with advance culture.
Daniel and Mordecai rose to prominence as officials in the royal court of the Babylonians and Persians Empire as recorded in the Book of Daniel and Esther.
One may argue that there were some “elite” individuals in the Bible, but the vast majority were ignorant farmers or herdsman. There is a difference between a farmer or herdsman than a caveman. The Israelites were no cavemen at all. It’s a false characterization of the Israelites to depict them as cavemen.
Would they call the early American settlers cavemen for being farmers or ranchers? What about the American Indians who lived in the Great Plains or in the forest? Would they describe them as cavemen? For all our great technological advances we are reverting to the cavemen mentality of using word pictures of thumb up, smiley face, etc. Language is being surrendered to fragments. Our great advances in science and technology haven’t helped us to become more civilized but rather more destructive with weapons of mass destruction.
SUMMARY: The primary reason is that if they were more civilized than we are, then we would be the cavemen!
-Kingston