Children, especially boys, needed protection from sexual molestation. Immorality was rife in the Hellenistic world. When he refused to release the boy, both tutor and child were killed. relates the story of one tutor who en route to school had to throw his arms around his ward to protect him from would-be murderers. Greek historian Appian of the second century C.E. Even so, the tutor provided protection, both moral and physical. The constant presence of tutors earned them a reputation as oppressive guards and harsh disciplinarians, the source of an endless flow of petty, tiresome, and ineffective accusations. This view might seem extreme still, that is how Plato saw things. “Just as no sheep or other grazing beast ought to exist without a herdsman, so children cannot live without a tutor, nor slaves without a master,” he wrote. Greek philosopher Plato (428-348 B.C.E.) was in no doubt that childish passions had to be restrained. Yet, as the boy grew, his tutor taught him that he should have good posture when he walked in the streets, that he should wear his cloak, sit, and eat properly, and that he should rise for his elders, love his parents, and so on. The mother and father, of course, were the child’s primary educators. This included inculcating decorum, imparting rebukes, and even inflicting physical punishment for misconduct. He did, however, give indirect instruction through supervision and discipline. Rather than giving formal scholastic instruction, the tutor merely administered the father’s directives in a custodial fashion. The tutor was not usually a schoolteacher. All day long, the tutor accompanied the child wherever he went, attended to his hygiene, took him to school, often carried his books and other equipment, and watched over his studies.

The tutor was generally a trusted slave, often aged, who acted as an attendant to ensure a child’s safety and to see to it that the father’s wishes for the child were respected. Tutors were widely used in well-to-do Greek, Roman, and perhaps even Jewish households to supervise the activities of children from infancy to puberty. In a letter to the Galatian Christians, he wrote: “The Law has become our tutor leading to Christ.” ( Galatians 3:24) The figure of a tutor, says one scholar, has “an ancient and rich background.” Understanding this background clarifies the point that the apostle Paul was making. ( Acts 15:12) So Paul corrected the wrong idea by means of an illustration. The apostle Paul knew this to be false, for God gave holy spirit to some who had never observed Jewish law. Some first-century Christians in the Roman province of Galatia insisted that God favored only those who obeyed the Law that God gave to the Israelites through Moses. The apostle Paul used the image of a man who protected children to illustrate an aspect of the developing relationship between Jehovah God and his people. And as the years pass, most youngsters will probably come to appreciate the value of the guidance received. Those with the responsibility of helping young ones, however, know that appropriate oversight is absolutely necessary.

HOW many children appreciate the value of rules and discipline? Not many.

Law becomes atutor