Quite a number of written sources from the times of Jesus and his apostles were found in Jerusalem and its environs, but they are merely seen as evidence of the (scribal) elite’s literacy. This scribal literacy is estimated to have affected not more than ~10% of the society, although it is admitted that a larger part of the society was able to read. However, if we move only some miles eastwards towards Jordan and Syria and their adjacent regions, the evidence points to another direction, revealing the fact that persons from all parts of society were able to read and to write, without having formal scribal education. How should we interpret this intriguing discrepancy, and what can the “eastern” evidence contribute to the understanding of Judean literacy and scribal education?
