What’s Behind the Text?
The New Testament was not composed in a vacuum, nor is it a collection of wise aphorisms from a guru sitting atop a misty mountain. It was written by real men–inspired by the Holy Spirit–who lived in a real time and place facing real on-the-ground issues. Yet it is often quite tempting for Christians both new and old to read the NT as if it were sterile and timeless, without paying attention to the historical situation in which all the Gospels and letters and so forth were penned. In effect, it is easy to treat the Bible as though it were written in Orlando in the early 2020s–but it definitely was not!
The NT is full of unfamiliar kings and governors; references to philosophical schools like the Stoics or religious sects like the Sadducees and Zealots; descriptions of cities and ports and roadways and more; discussions of taxation systems and other economic issues; complexities of ancient slavery; and so much more. Grasping these details is vital for understanding how the NT works and how to apply it faithfully and accurately today, without simply leaping the two-thousand year gap.
Join Pastor Lanier (and others) this spring for an introduction to the “World of the New Testament.” Each session will cover some aspect of the Greco-Roman and/or Jewish world and demonstrate how knowledge of such details helps us be better students of the NT text itself.
This class will meet in the worship center from 10:15-10:45am.
