Gary Burger, a co-author of The New Testament in Antiquity, intrigues us with his overview of the very first chapter in the authors’ book. As he explains the need for understanding the antiquities of the land, history and culture of Bible text, Burger says, “We don’t want you to think of the New Testament as a 21st century book. We want to help you to see the New Testament as a 1st century book” (Chapter 1 Overview Video). The authors make a valid argument for their passion in pointing out that “knowing history…builds the context in which present events can be understood.” “Without a strong grasp of the historical context, we may misunderstand or even misrepresent what is happening” (Burger, Cohick, and Green 20). Understanding the antiquities …show more content…
Jesus was a God who loved, and He loved those that others would reject. Examples of this would be the woman of ill-repute who washed Jesus’ feet with her hair and the controversy over the social status of people who Jesus hung out with; both of which portray Jesus’ love for those who did not fit in.
Further illustration of the necessity of understanding the antiquities of God’s word is the ideas of gaining honor and avoiding shame. “Without a cultural understanding of “public shaming” and “greeting rituals”, the story of the woman washing Jesus’ feet in Luke 7 would lose much of its value. (Burger, Cohick, and Green 20).
Atheists were not common in Bible times as almost everyone believed in gods, typically several gods (Burger, Cohick, and Green 98). However, the difference in ancient culture’s view and surprisingly even some of today’s cultural view, is the comfort people find in a God who loves them. It is countercultural to both ancient and modern beliefs to relax from their rituals and formalities in worshipping a lifeless, uncaring god and begin to enjoy a living God, who not only loves us, but also understands our pain and