The New Testament in Cross-Cultural Perspective

by Richard L. Rohrbaugh

The Bible is not a Western book, and the world of the New Testament is not our world. The New Testament world was preindustrial, Mediterranean, and populated mostly by nonliterate peasants who depended on hearing these writings read aloud. Only a few of the literate elite were part of the Jesus movement, and they knew nothing of either modernity or the Western culture we inhabit today. This means that for all North Americans, reading the New Testament is always an exercise in cross-cultural communication. Travelers, diplomats, and exchange students take great pains to bridge the cultural gaps that cloud mutual understanding. But North American readers habitually suspend cross-cultural awareness when encountering the Bible. The result is that we unwittingly project our own cultural understandings onto the pages of the New Testament. Rohrbaugh argues that to whatever degree we can bridge cultural gaps between ourselves and New Testament writers, we learn to value their intentions rather than the meanings we create from their words. Rohrbaugh's insightful interpretations of Gospel passages go a long way toward helping to span distances between the New Testament world and the present.

228 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2006

Reviews

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off: I loved the book. Every chapter turns a different biblical passage on its head.

It is a heavy read, but it is great. The authors present a different case in each chapter, but the concepts are united throughout the book.

It would be a fascinating read for any linguist or social scientist. It should be mandatory for any aspiring theologian.

The only point where I had a bit of apprehension was the authors' interpretation of the Parable of the Talents in chapter 8. They make a very solid case for their argument though, and I have no reason not to believe them other than the fact that they reinterpret the parable to mean the opposite of the commonly-accepted teaching (which is what happened in almost every chapter). My own culture is still fighting me in accepting their view in that chapter, although their argument makes perfect sense to me.

The authors reveal a depth of knowledge and pull from several ancient middle eastern and Roman texts contemporary to the Bible to support their views, rather than parroting off more Bible verses and traditional church doctrine.

[Brian Sturtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book that offers insights into the social world of Jesus. The author does a fine job of bring his social insight to bear on some of the parables of Jesus offering exciting and often unexpected meanings