Never forget the historical context of the Bible. For example, did you know Jews were history’s first MONOTHEISTS? Before Abraham, the world believed in many gods, worshipping the sun, moon, stars, and idols. The Jews were actually called “atheists” because they rejected every ‘god’ but their own.
Second–a related point—these monotheists were the first to see time as linear rather than cyclical: they believed their God gave time a beginning, middle, and end; time does not eternally recycle itself as reincarnation suggests.
Third: No one in Bible times voted. Every society was a monarchy, ruled by a king—often one who inherited his title whether qualified or not.
Fourth: Biblical Medicine was primitive. Preachers refer to “Doctor Luke,” implying that the writer of LUKE and ACTS attended medical school, passed Board Exams, and survived a four-year residency. But doctoring then was not based on science but on pragmatism. Luke would have put poultices on wounds, used splints to correct broken bones, and employed a variety of treatments to relieve pains in various parts of the body.
Although I have sometimes speculated that Luke employed “heroic medicine” based on the theory of the humors, I have learned that that is false. Heroic medicine used purging, starving, vomiting, and bloodletting to relieve the body of various fluids believed to be out of balance. Think leeches and drilling holes in the head. The practice of heroic medicine began with the Greek philosopher and physician Claudius Galen who was born in 129 AD, long after Luke’s death. Nevertheless, heroic medicine is a reminder just how primitive medical science was in the first century A.D. Luke was a careful writer, but whether his occupation as a ‘physician’ has anything to do with his meticulous record keeping is unclear.
Fifth—the Jews were readers. They were not as literate as modern cultures, but Jewish families who could would train their children to read so the next generation of fathers could teach children the law. Jesus read aloud from Isaiah, and the disciples Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Peter—none of whom needed to read for their jobs (with the possible exception of Matthew the tax collector)—all wrote books of the Bible. Finally, consider this rare mention of bedroom furnishings:
“Let’s make a small room upstairs and put a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp there for [Elisha]” 2 Kings 4:10.
(Sounds surprisingly modern!) The oil lamp was provided so Elisha could read and write.
Dear God, help us learn the history that we need to know so we can be better students of Your word.
ΑΩ
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