Introduction to Cultural Context
Exegesis, Hermeneutics and Bible Interpretation
Introduction
Welcome to Lesson 5.1 of your free online Bible Interpretation Course.
In this lesson we want to touch on Step #4 in our hermeneutical process: Cultural context.
The Bible’s Cultural Context
The Bible was written somewhere between 3,500 to 2,000 years ago, depending on the book.
The Old Testament was written in Hebrew with some parts in Aramaic (acquired after the Babylonian exile) while the New Testament was written in Greek.
The older parts of the Old Testament are steeped in ancient near eastern thought and categories not to mention an Israelite / Hebraic worldview. The New Testament bears the marks of Jewish and Greco-Roman culture, concepts and categories.
All of this is to say that if the Bible’s narratives and stories seem ancient and foreign it is because they are precisely that. And it is this strangeness and cultural distance which makes studying the Bible’s cultural context a must for Bible Interpretation.
Thus, in this step of the Bible Interpretation process we seek out all of the cultural elements in a passage, look them up in a good resource, write up any insights and then summarize our findings to see what they add to our understanding of a particular text.
Steps for Studying the Bible’s Cultural Context
- Step #1 – Look over your passage and identify all of the cultural and historical elements that require an explanation (see list below for the different elements).
- Step #2 – Look up each element in a Bible dictionary or other Bible resource, read through each entry carefully and note any details of the article that are useful for understanding your passage.(Just this exercise alone will already give you a wealth of information about the Bible, not to mention greater clarity about the meaning of particular passages.)
- Step #3 – Review all of your notes and select those details that provide clarity, understanding or greater insight to your passage.
Important Cultural Elements to Consider
The following is a list of various cultural elements / factors that you should consider in your study of cultural context:
Geographic elements
This includes the history and physical features of biblical cities, places, routes and regions
- Land between Jerusalem and Jericho was rocky and dangerous (This is where the story of the good Samaritan occurred.)
- Isthmus of Corinth meant trade routes from East or West went through Corinth before instead of going around a treacherous peninsula. This made Corinth a wealthy and sensual multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious metropolis.
Political elements
Having to do with the Roman empire or other political entities
- Israel hated being under Roman rule. The great hope of a Messiah was a king who could overthrow Rome and release Israel from its chains. (A simple carpenter who dies was not in the vision)
- What does a Roman soldier’s uniform look like?(Eph 6)
- A soldier could conscript any citizen to help carry his equipment.
- How did Babylon go about conquering people? Hint: It wasn’t pretty.
Economic elements
Everything having to do with money, wealth and poverty, taxation, work and wages, etc.
- A denarius was the average wage for a day laborer who worked much longer than 9-5. (A small bottle of nard perfume costs 300 denarii (Mark 14:5).
- What does it mean Boaz to redeem Ruth, first in economic terms, then in theological terms?
Religious elements
Factors connected to Israel’s religious system (temple, worship, leaders, etc.) or that of other people’s and countries.
- What exactly is circumcision and what did it accomplish among the Israelites?
- What was the significance of the temple to Jerusalem and to Israel?
- Who were the other “gods” of the other nations and what kind of worship was offered to them?
- Who were the Samaritans and why such a heated rival with Israel?
- The Feast of Tabernacles celebrated Israel’s pilgrimage in the desert. At a special time, water poured down the stairs of the temple celebrating the miracle of water that came out of the rock in the desert. (Christ in the temple, “I am the water of life …”)
Philosophical elements
Thoughts, concepts and vision for the world and reality.
- The concept of logos (the word) in John 1:1. Although it was used as a Hebrew concept (the creative power of the Word of God) it also had a Greek sense, which John reformulated to speak of Christ.
- Paul fought with the Corinthians over the importance of the body. Your body is God’s temple and it will be resurrected
Social elements
Factors connected to the social life of the biblical figures and events (weddings, funerals, births, domestic life, etc.)
- In marriage, engaged was as good as married. Hence Joseph’s willingness not to shame Mary when she became pregnant during their engagement. During engagement, the groom would leave to prepare a place for his bride. He would return, but no one knew the hour or time.
- A man usually did not socially speak with a woman, much less a Samaritan woman.
- The work of washing someone’s feet after was relegated to slaves.
- How was the treatment of women in antiquity?
- What was the position of slaves?
Anything else that gives insight into a text
- The work of a fisherman
- The construction of a store
- The work of a shepherd of antiquity
- How is nard perfume cultivated and what are its qualities?