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A Cultural Handbook to the Bible

John J. Pilch

William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company

Grand Rapids, Michigan / Cambridge, U.K.

© 2012 John J. Pilch

All rights reserved

Published 2012 by

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

2140 Oak Industrial Drive N.E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49505 /

P.O. Box 163, Cambridge CB3 9PU U.K.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Pilch, John J.

A cultural handbook to the Bible / John J. Pilch.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN 978-0-8028-6720-9 (pbk.: alk. paper)

1. Bible—Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.

BS417.P54 2012

220.9′5—dc23

2012007734

www.eerdmans.com

For my colleagues and friends in:

The Context Group: A Project on the Bible in Its Socio-Cultural Context;

The Social Sciences and New Testament Interpretation Task Force at the Catholic Biblical Association of America; and

The Social Scientific Criticism of the New Testament Section at the Society of Biblical Literature

who have inspired, encouraged, and nurtured my research and publications over more than four decades

with heartfelt appreciation and gratitude

Contents

One: The Cosmos

4. Imaginary Mountains in Matthew

5. A New Sky and a New Earth

further reading

Two: Earth

1. Desert and Wilderness

6. Mirrors and Glass

further reading

Three: Persons

2. People Are Not a Nation

3. “Visiting Strangers” and “Resident Aliens”: Insights from 1 Peter

4. Jesus and the Samaritans

5. Individuals? or Stereotypes?

6. Status by Gender and Age

8. Photina: The Samaritan Woman

9. Naming the Nameless in the Bible

further reading

Four: Family

6. A Noble Death

further reading

Five: Language

1. “How Do You Read?”

2. The Ten Words

3. The Art of Insult

4. The Power of the Curse

5. No Thank You!

6. “Who Touched Me?”

7. The Evil Eye

further reading

Six: Human Consciousness

3. Jesus Walking on the Sea

4. Resurrection Appearances

5. Journeys to the Sky

6. Paul’s Call to Be an Apostle

7. Paul the Apostle in Cultural Context

8. Divine Darkness

further reading

Seven: God and the Spirit World

1. God in Middle Eastern Perspective

2. God in the Parable of the Talents/Pounds

3. God and Lying Spirits

4. The Middle Eastern Jesus

5. Spirits: Other-Than-Human Persons

further reading

Eight: Entertainment

1. The Sound of the Flute

2. Singing in One Voice

3. “After They Had Sung a Hymn”

4. Solomon’s, the Best of All Songs

5. Games, Amusement, and Sports

6. The Bawdy Bible

7. Films That Illuminate the Bible

further reading

Index of Authors

Index of Subjects

Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Literature

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About A Cultural Handbook to the Bible

The task of interpreting the Bible—a book written by and to people living in very different cultural contexts from contemporary Western society—can seem monumental. The opposite is also true: people can easily forget that studying the Bible is a type of cross-cultural encounter, instead reading their own cultural assumptions into biblical texts.

In A Cultural Handbook to the Bible, John Pilch bridges this cultural divide by translating important social concepts and applying them to biblical texts. In accessible chapters Pilch discusses 63 topics related to the cosmos, the earth, persons, family, language, human consciousness, God and the spirit world, and entertainment. Pilch’s fresh interpretations of the Bible challenge traditional views and explore topics often overlooked in commentaries. Each chapter concludes with a list of useful references from cultural anthropology or biblical studies, making this book an excellent resource for students of the Bible.

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