NEW TESTAMENT. CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT

PREFACE

The cultural and historical background helps to clarify and deepen the understanding of almost every text of the New Testament, but much of this material was inaccessible to the ordinary reader. Although there are many commentaries, none of them is devoted entirely to the consideration of the cultural and historical background of the biblical works. It is this factor, the cultural and historical background that shows how the New Testament writers and early readers understood the message of the New Testament, that needs to be elucidated and serves as a source of information for the average reader in the process of studying the Bible (most of the other components, such as the context, are contained directly in the biblical text itself).

There are many works devoted to the study of the cultural and historical background of the New Testament, but none of them is structured in such a way that the reader can find appropriate answers to all questions concerning a particular biblical passage. This shortcoming persuaded me twelve years ago to embark on this project, which is now fully completed. This book was written in the hope that all Christians would be able to use it to come closer to reading the New Testament in much the way that early readers might have read it.

The Role of Cultural Context

The cultural context helps to illuminate the New Testament text in a different way. For example, if we know that many people in the ancient world practiced spells, then we understand why ancient readers were not too surprised that Jesus casts out demons. But most exorcists used magical formulas or painful methods of casting out demons, so people were impressed by the fact that Jesus cast out demons "by His word." When we consider the conflict over women's headbanding (1 Cor. 11) in the broader context of the problem concerning women of different family and social status in Corinth in the first century C.E., we understand what Paul wanted to emphasize in his epistle. An acquaintance with the ancient concept of slavery helps us to recognize that Paul does not so much support such institutions as oppose them. An understanding of the Jewish concept of "resurrection" provides an opportunity to answer many of the objections of modern skeptics about the nature of Jesus' resurrection. Such examples can be continued.

The sole purpose of this commentary (unlike most others) is to illuminate cultural, social, and historical realities in order to help the modern reader see how the first reader understood specific New Testament texts. Although some contextual or theological notes were sometimes required, they were kept to a minimum, leaving the reader to interpret the text for himself.

Knowledge of ancient culture is extremely important for understanding the Bible. Recognition of the importance of the historical context of the Bible does not negate the fact that biblical texts are reliable, retain their value for any time; but they cannot be applied to all circumstances. Different biblical texts address different circumstances and situations. Thus, some of them are directly related to the problem of salvation, others call Christians to fulfill their mission, others encourage them to take care of the poor and destitute, etc. Before putting these texts into practice, it is necessary to understand what their original purpose was and what circumstances accompanied it.

This in no way diminishes the importance of other factors that must be taken into account when interpreting the Bible. The most important aspect closely related to the spiritual acceptance of the truth in the heart and its use in life is always the literary, authorial context, i.e., it is necessary to read each biblical book taking into account how it was written and built by the author led by the Holy Spirit. This commentary does not pretend to do more than equip the reader with the necessary tool to gain access to the historical and cultural layer of the New Testament—but that is not the whole story. In my sermons and in my teaching, I am more concerned with the literary context than with culture. But readers can understand the context of a particular passage by studying the Bible itself. For ministers and other readers of the Bible, practical understanding is also essential, but the specific application of Bible truths can vary from culture to culture and from person to person, and this too is easily accessible to Bible readers without help.

For most of those for whom this commentary is intended (i.e., those who do not know Greek or Hebrew), it is extremely important to have a good, easy-to-read translation (e.g., one can recommend NASB, a translation that is very close to the original text, or NIV, which is easier to read than others. While the King James Version (KJV) is based on several New Testament manuscripts, mostly medieval ones, we now have more than 5,000 New Testament manuscripts, including some that are extremely close to the New Testament books (according to the standards used for ancient texts). These manuscripts make the New Testament the most well-documented book of the ancient world to date, and also explain why we have more accurate translations today than in the past. But the most important reason to use the latest translations is that they are written in modern English, and therefore they are easier to understand. Understanding the Bible and then applying its teachings in life is the primary purpose for which it is intended.

In the process of reading the Bible, it is very helpful to use other methods of studying the text itself, such as drawing up an outline and notes. For a more complete guide to Bible study, see Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, Howto Read the Bible for All Its Worth [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1981]

But one important factor in the practical understanding of the Bible that is not accessible to most readers is its cultural background. This commentary is intended to fill this gap and is recommended to be used along with other important elements of biblical study: an accurate and easy-to-read translation, context, prayer, and practical application of biblical teaching in life.

It must be emphasized once again that this commentary will be of no use to those who neglect the study of context, a principle of interpretation more fundamental than the cultural setting. It is recommended that you read each Bible book in its entirety, rather than jumping from one part of the Bible to another, to get a complete picture of the message of a particular Bible book. These books were addressed simultaneously to different groups of the population, who read them in turn, book by book, and applied the truths contained in them to specific situations. This must be taken into account in the process of reading, teaching, or preparing a sermon based on biblical material. (If the study of texts takes into account the general