>>17846860
> You wouldnt expect someone from rural gallilee to be literate
Some ancient cultures tended to have a higher literacy rate than others. For some reason ancient Arabia was very literate where you would even see nomadic Arab writing. If I remember correctly, ancient Jews tended to be more literate than say rural Romans. I wouldn't be surprised if Jesus could read, it wouldn't be so unrealistic considering his role.
Pic unrelated to the topic but exemplifies my point and is pretty interesting. Safaitic graffiti in Italy either from Arab traders or Arabs recruited to the Roman army.