What did the Jewish leaders think about Peter and John's education in Acts 4?
The Jewish leaders perceived Peter and John to be unlearned and ignorant men, not educated by the intellectual standards of the day. Despite their boldness, the leaders viewed them as lacking formal training. They were not graduates of recognized schools, but God still used them.
Les explains that when the Jewish leaders and Sadducees saw the boldness of Peter and John, they perceived them as unlearned and ignorant men. Les identifies with that description, saying he is unlearned and ignorant and does not apologize for lacking degrees. He points out that God used men like Amos and David, who came off the ranch, and if God used them, He can use anyone. Les warns that requiring a doctorate as the sole criterion for the pulpit caused Christianity to lose its power, though he is not against education. In Acts 4, the leaders viewed Peter and John as uneducated and ignorant from the intellectual point of view.
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
More Questions
What does Acts 4:13 mean when it calls Peter and John unlearned and ignorant?
The religious leaders saw Peter and John as unlearned and ignorant because they had not been trained by rabbis or in a seminary; their only education was the three years spent with Jesus, yet that made them recognizable as having been with Jesus.
In Acts 4:13, what did it mean that Peter and John were unlearned and ignorant men?
When the religious leaders called Peter and John 'unlearned and ignorant' in Acts 4:13, it meant they had not been taught by the rabbis and had not been to seminary; the only thing they had was the presence of Christ for three years.
Why did the religious leaders recognize that Peter and John had been with Jesus?
The religious leaders recognized that Peter and John had been with Jesus because the only thing the apostles had was the presence of Christ for three years.