03/14/2024
If there is one thing I have been more convinced of the past week or so it is this:
When it comes to the Bible we must, as much as possible seek to immerse ourselves in the original cultural context that the Bible was written in.
One of my favorite "principles is that which was articulated by Dr. John Walton "The Bible while for us was not originally written to us".
This is such an important point and principle to remember. I have come to believe this even more deeply as I have been listening to a certain young YouTuber teach on "Women in Ministry and what women can and cannot do in ministry and in the home.
It is not enough to ask "What does this passage mean?" We also have to ask "What did it mean to the people to whom it was originally written?
What did it mean to the people to whom it was originally written that the husband is the head and the wife is the body. What did head and body metaphors mean within in first century Greco-Roman context. What was it meant to convey?
Or when we read "Let the women adorn themselves in modest apparel..not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls or costly clothing but with women professing godliness with good works" (I Timothy 2:9-10)
Which women specifically was Paul talking to -all women?
What message did braided hair , gold costly clothing convey to a first century audience? And does that meaning conveyed by the clothing worn impact how we interpret "I am not permitting a woman to teach or to authentein (I am eaving the Greek term untranslated on purpose) a man. "?
Yes, Yes it does.
But if we do not do our due diligence to immerse ourselves back into first century culture by study, and seek to see these passages through first centuries eyes ..then we will end up reading these texts as if Paul was writing to us in the 21st century first and foremost...like giving US instructions was his first priority (Paul: "Oh man I gotta hurry and write Ephesians 5:22-23 or Mike and Karen won't know how to relate to each other!).
The text IS FOR US ...but it was not written first and foremost TO US.
We have to remember that.
Or else we will end up having (what I believe is an unnecessary) discussion about how a woman can write a book of theology or a Christian book that can be read my men...as long as she is not "sounding to pastoral or like an elder in a church in the book".
Just my evening musing 😊
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