Historical/Cultural Contexts

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Historical/Cultural Contexts

• YMIN 326

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Historical Background

• Not just dates
• Historical situation

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Cultural Background

• Culture is . . .
• the totality which emerges out of the elements
  that make up everyday life
• Culture involves . . .
• the ways, the methods, manners, tools,
  institutions, and literary productions of a people

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Why does historical/cultural context matter?

• Every passage of Scripture was . . .
• Gods word to other people before it became
  Gods word to us.
• - Klein, Blomberg and Hubbard, Biblical
  Interpretation

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Guidelines for Historical/Cultural Background

• 1. Determine whether the context of your passage
  is basically Ancient Near Eastern, Jewish,
  Hellenistic, or some combination.
• OT early books ANE
• later books Jewish
• NT Jewish, Hellenistic, or some combo

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Neo-Assyrian Empire
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By the waters of BabylonPsalm 137
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550-330 BC
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Alexander the Great and Hellenism
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Roman Empire 1st Century
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Guidelines

• 2. Determine the meaning and significance of
  persons, places, events, political factors,
  environmental factors, institutions, concepts, or
  customs.
• Persons what do we know about the involved
  parties?
• Biblically?
• Historically?
• Ex. Pilate

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Guidelines

• Places
• find location
• historical significance of location
• topographical significance
• Events
• other historical evidence

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Guidelines

• Political Factors
• Egypt during time of Exodus
• Jerusalem during early first century
• Environmental Factors
• material culture (homes, tools, clothing,
  weapons, kitchen implements), modes of
  transportation
• social-religious situation (specific religious
  customs, role of the city, travel and trade)
• stability of economy (trade, agriculture,
  craftsmen, sea travel)

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Guidelines

• Institutions
• Religious (ark, Temple, Sanhedrin)
• Political (authority, legal structure)
• Concepts
• Faith, nationality, family
• Culture
• Ways, methods, manners, tools, and products of
  a people

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Guidelines

• 3. Evaluate the significance of background data
  for understanding your text
• - how relevant is any of the data youve
  collected for understanding the passage?

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Test Cases What info would you want to know?

• Amos 41-3
• John 21-12