Cultural context makes a difference in how we read the New Testament.
For instance, since there were plenty of exorcists in the ancient world, ancient readers would not have been surprised that Jesus cast out demons, but since most exorcists employed magic spells or stinky roots to seek to expel demons, Jesus’ driving them out “by his word” was impressive.
Knowing ancient culture is critical to understand the Bible, especially the passages most foreign to us. Our need to recognize the setting of the biblical writers does not deny that biblical passages are valid for all time; the point is that they are not valid for all circumstances. Different texts in the Bible address different situations. (For instance, some texts address how to be saved, some address Christ’s call to missions, some address his concern for the poor, and so on.) Before we can determine the sorts of circumstances to which those passages most directly apply, we need to understand what circumstances they originally addressed.
The one factor in applying the Bible that is not available to most Bible readers is the cultural background. This commentary is meant to fill that need and should be used in conjunction with other important elements of Bible study: an accurate and readable translation, context, prayer, and personal application.
For more on an in-depth look into this commentary on the New Testament, please read The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (2nd Edition).
This content is by Craig Keener, but edited and posted by Defenders Media.
