Helping Your Hermeneutic: Historical Context (5 Min Read)

When we interpret the Bible, we must remember that context determines meaning. One type of context scholars and theologians often refer to is known as "Historical Context." Historical context "involves the biblical writer, the biblical audience, and any historical-cultural elements touched on by the passage itself."[1] Previously in this series, we have focused on the biblical writer and the biblical audience so this article will focus on "historical cultural elements" within our hermeneutic.

The definition above is a helpful explanation of historical context, in part, because it distinguishes between historical elements "touched on by the passage itself" from those elements not contained within scripture. It is also helpful to recognize that historical context is available within scripture and from extra-biblical sources; however, we do not need anything outside the Bible to arrive at a proper interpretation of Scripture and glorify God in the process (2 Peter 1:3; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). The Second London Baptist Confession testifies to this truth, stating, "The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scriptures" (1.6). Similarly, the Westminster Confession of Faith states, "The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture" (1.6).

At the same time, we should not be timid in searching extrabiblical resources, such as commentaries, maps, artifacts, atlases, non-canonical manuscripts, etc. to help us understand the circumstances surrounding the authors and audiences of Scripture because using these resources is 1) not sinful, and 2) often helpful. Most good Study Bibles provide a preface to each book of the Bible to establish a historical context, or framework, for the reader to study a given book through.

Below is an excerpt from an exegetical study on 1 Corinthians 10:13 that pertains to the historical context surrounding the book of 1 Corinthians. Take note that much of the information below comes from extra-biblical resources, and as interesting as they may be, are in no way required for man's salvation, faith, and life:

Corinth, located on the isthmus[2] between the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf (suh-ron-ik), was an ideal city for Paul's gospel proclamation due to the city's tremendous number of citizens and sojourners. Among those enticed to visit Corinth were tradesmen, who utilized the city as an intersection to exchange goods from north-south and east-west directions; picture Corinth as the intersection between two major interstate highways. Many sailors transported their goods across the isthmus to avoid the dangerous, rocky waters to the south of Greece. Another primary cause for population density in Corinth was the Isthmian Games, a gladiatorial event that attracted the best athletes and thousands of spectators.[3] At one point, the games left Corinth for the nearby city of Sicyon but most likely returned to their original home by the time Paul wrote his epistles to the church.[4] A third Corinthian attraction coincided with the illustrious commerce and athletic ceremony: one-thousand prostitutes.

"Just outside the city stood the hill of the Acrocorinth, which at one time had a famous temple to Aphrodite where a thousand cult prostitutes plied their trade."[5] The temple rested on the acropolis, which rose about 2,000 feet tall. Despite the inherent protection the elevation provided for them, the priestesses did not always remain within the temple to Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. The women often "came down into the city in the evening to offer their services to male citizens and foreign visitors."[6] Inevitably, the tradesman, merchants, sailors, and athletes would seek the services these "religious" prostitutes offered. This pagan scene, teemed with immorality, was the fray Paul entered during his second mission trip. While the location of Corinth provided him with fertile ground for gospel seeds to be sewn, it also offered a diversity of pagan backgrounds that tempted many people to engage in idol worship and sexual immorality. These two significant issues impacted the church and compelled Paul to write his first epistle to the Corinthians.

The details about the historical context surrounding 1 Corinthians in these paragraphs help the reader understand why Paul devotes so much content to the topics of sexual immorality and idolatry in his epistle. However, the reader does not need to know that Corinth rests on an isthmus, the seafaring habits of ancient sailors, or the name of Greek's false goddess, to live a sanctified life void of idolatry and sexual immorality. Biblically revealed historical context, i.e., the historical context within the passage itself, always works to clarify a passage and in doing so, clarifies God's revelation of Himself to the reader. This is not always true of extra-biblical sources that may provide historical context surrounding a given time, setting, person, or location in the Bible. So, as you read your Bible to faithfully interpret a given passage, look for historical-cultural elements that form the gospel-infused context surrounding the Holy Scriptures.

Join us next time in this series as we discuss how repetitions in scripture help us develop our hermeneutic!

God is faithful.

[1] J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays, Grasping God's Word: A Hands-on Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 112.

[2] An isthmus is a narrow strip of land that is bordered on both sides by water.

[3] Leon Morris, 1 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 19-20.

[4] Mika Kajava, "When Did the Isthmian Games Return to the Isthmus? (Rereading "Corinth" 8.3.153)." Classical Philology 97, no. 2 (2002): 168-78. Accessed January 23, 2021. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1215461.

[5] John D. Currid and David P. Barrett, Crossway ESV Bible Atlas (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 245.

[6] John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2005), 1562.