Liberating Scripture

What I mean by context is worldview - having the ancient Israelite or first-century Jew in your head as you read. How would an ancient Israelite or first-century Jew read the Bible - what would they be thinking in terms of its meaning?" - Dr. Michael Heiser

The Bible is not a Christian book, nor it is a Western book. The Bible is not even a book, but a collection of ancient documents that sprouted from pre-existing oral traditions. This library of Scripture encompasses a colorful variety of genres and styles: wisdom literature, history, apocalyptic literature, liturgy, polemic, parable, and others.

The Father knew that when he transmitted his Word to the ancient Hebrews, a specific group in a specific kind of cultural environment, that cycles of time would yield different dominating cultural paradigms over the course of human history.He knew that the languages and cultural norms of the Ancient Near East would tie his enduring Words into a specific historical context, but that his eternal messages would still be accessible and applicable (in different flavors, to some degree) to people who would live long after the Hebrews, Canaanites, Babylonians, Greeks, and Egyptians of biblical times had passed on.

The Scriptures are not are a prim and proper offering of high society literature. They chronicle the depths of depravity and chaos humankind has brought into being. There are stories in the Scriptures of vile and heinous acts that would easily earn a modern film an R-rating.

And yet, the metanarrative of Scripture relates that Adonai still wants to be in relationship with us, his Am Segulah (cherished people). He sent his only son Yeshua to be executed so that the eternal cosmic covenant between God and his children could be healed.

By way of an extended metaphor, let me express this message another way: the quest of understanding the Scriptures, the holy words of the God of Israel, can be compared to a symphony orchestra.

In an orchestra, many different instruments come together to play a cohesive piece of music. You have the woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, etc.), the strings (violin, double bass, cello,), the brass (horn, trumpet, trombone), and the percussion (timpani, snare drum, cymbals).

The audience can grasp the technical skill of the musicians and be moved by the music, even if they have little to no knowledge of the inner workings of the performance (like the musical theory of the composition, the conductor's role, how the players are seated).In the same way, laity who read the Bible in English, or other modern languages, can understand its gospel metanarrative and have their lives changed by it, even if they have little to no knowledge of the ancient Near Eastern setting and styles of the library of Scripture.