Best Books for the Background of the Bible | Historical-Cultural Context

[@doc_adams8506]

One book that I would highly recommend discusses the cultural background of crucifixion. Martin Hengel, a world-renowned philologist who taught at the University of Tubingen, introduces the reader to the different cultural perceptions of crucifixion leading up to the life and teachings of Jesus. While the short monograph (around 100 pages) thoroughly debates the technical issues, it does so in the footnotes, allowing access to a variety of knowledge levels. The book is simply entitled Crucifixion and can be read in a matter of days. It brings to life the importance of early Christian preaching, Peter at Pentecost and Paul in his missionary journeys, to emphasize the cross. It also warns us against those who would diminish or dismiss the cross. Let us reflect the attitude of Paul. "For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." I Cor 2:2

[@bitesizeseminary]

Yes! This has been on my to-read list for a while! Thanks for the recommendation!

[@johnnaalmond5785]

Thank you so much for this - I’m beginning my journey of understanding and reading the Bible better. I love Jesus so much but I’m clueless. Thank you again

[@bitesizeseminary]

Thanks for the encouragement! May the Lord continue to bless you on your journey to know Scripture better! ☺️

[@valerierobledo1943]

This was so helpful thank you!!!!! I want to grow in my knowledge of the Bible, understanding context and your video was extremely helpful!

[@IndianaJoe0321]

I really like your recommendations -- especially the two atlases. Most American Christians don't understand the need for a good atlas, to enhance their biblical understanding.

[@HecBv2003]

Thanks for this information, beloved of God!!!

[@marystout1606]

I want to recommend a few Bible resource books you may like, too. The Holy Land Illustrated Bible, The Archaeological Study Bible, The NLT Illustrated Study Bible, The Thompson Chain Reference Bible, The Old and New Testament set of The Bible Knowledge Commentary, and a good Bible Atlas (mine is the Rose Now and Then Bible Atlas)

[@e.m.8094]

Yes, The Archaeological Study Bible is fantastic. I have a copy, but unfortunately it's out of print now.

[@patrickbeine]

Great video! You did a perfect job giving short and concise intros and descriptions of the different books and mentioning their strengths and weaknesses. This is how a video like this should be structured! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@stevenmccarthy7039]

Great talk thank you. It is really helpful to have teachers who have used all these books and more to recommend resources. The background books are excellent even if rather daunting to pick up. I have read nearly all of Wright and Bird, it is a useful overview of the NT. Walton on the Near East is not an easy read but has some very interesting information on cultures surrounding Israel in OT times. In support of eg Fee and Stuart's great books Walton, Longman and others' How To Read books are great intros to individual books of the OT, maybe helping to restrain more way-out interpretations?! I have had the IVP Bible Atlas for more than 40 years but the Zondervan books look really good. Thank you. Maybe I could also suggest Kenneth Bailey's books as eye-opening introductions to NT society and life too.

[@bitesizeseminary]

Thanks so much! Those are good books as well! I’ve seen a bit of Wright and Bird’s book and it looks really great. I know of Bailey but I haven’t read it yet. One other book I didn’t mention that’s a bit easier read than Walton is Sandra Richter’s The Epic of Eden. It’s more of OT introduction than historical background. But it does the best job of laying out the background than most other OT introductions. It’s also super readable.

[@BiblicalStudiesandReviews]

I’ve got a feeling that this channel is really going to grow. Nice work!

[@bitesizeseminary]

Thanks for the encouragement!

[@e.m.8094]

I had to chuckle when I realized that the majority of these books were either on my shelf or in my Amazon wish list. 🤣

[@Simdumise]

I can relate 😂

[@litemmangyanglemtor54]

I was really looking for some Bible commentary to understand Bible more deeper and you have shown the books to my satisfaction. Thank you and God bless

[@babasingapura]

I’ve used the IVP background commentaries and read Lost Letters. Good resources.

[@kennethwolf3598]

A book that I find very helpful in understanding more of the background of the gospels is SITTING AT THE FEET OF RABBI JESUS: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith. This is by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg. Jesus and his disciples were all Jewish, and devout ones at that. I’m reading through it a secon time and it’s enlightening as to how Jesus’ hearers would have understood Him from the mindset of their Jewish biblical beliefs. It’s amazing how much of Jesus teaching is built around the Old Testament as it was understood in the first century. Well researched and documented.

[@jimyoung9262]

This video was helpful. Thanks. The proactive vs reactive comment was right on. I've found "The New Testament in it's World" by Wright and Bird to also be really helpful.

[@bitesizeseminary]

Glad it helped! Thanks for the encouragement! Thanks for the recommendation too! I’ve looked at Wright and Bird a little and it looks great.

[@MsOptimystika]

I’m currently reading and am enjoying N.T. Wright’s “The New Testament in Its World.” Wright writes with style and the book has lots of pictures, too. I also have most of the books you’ve mentioned but haven’t read yet. Great list and definitely very helpful! Thanks!

[@TheGreatGonzales777]

Best editing yet JC!

[@bitesizeseminary]

🥰

[@sandramartin5155]

Our library has several commentaries you can check out

[@EmmanuelMbewe-r7h]

its really important to help people understand that God has called us in diffeeent offices, if we all pile up on the pulpit will miss very helpful and critical services like yours, keep it up pliz, am Emmanuel from Zambia

[@naiman4535]

One of my favorite background books is Understanding the Bible by this guy named Harris, I believe - I forgot what his first name was. It is concise and compact, and seems to be a college textbook.

[@jenniferwilliams7]

Thank you for this!

[@radiantchristina]

Great video. Thank you ! Do you have any more biblical fiction recommendations besides the lost letters ?

[@1334cass]

This is an excellent video. Thank you so much!

[@mathmusicstructure]

As I've gotten older, the problem I have with study bibles is threefold: tiny font, badly bleeding paper, and study notes that I've outgrown.

[@Yesica1993]

YES! I am in that stage of life, as well. My eyesight has never been great and it's (obviously) not getting better the older I get. Mid 50s now and I am surprised (and worried) at how much more difficult it is getting to read smaller print.

[@noranawman9869]

Thank you! Your teachings sure help me.

[@bitesizeseminary]

Thanks for watching and for the encouragement!!

[@ancientxtitan9313]

The NIV Archaeological Study Bible is great too! I think they don't make it anymore.

[@dustinburlet7249]

Excellent video - your suggestions are top notch I do think that EVERYTHING by Othmar Keel is worth while to read but Symbolism of the Ancient Word is KEY! Lastly, I have to admit, that I was a little surprised not to see ANET and COS alongside their more cost effective counter parts like Kenton Sparks Ancient Texts for the Study of the Hebrew Bible: A Guide to the Background Literaterature (and its NT counterpart Ancient Texts for New Testament Studies: A Guide to the Background Literature Paperback - Jan. 1 2012 by Craig A. Evans) and Readings from the Ancient Near East: Primary Sources for Old Testament Study by Bill Arnold and Bryan Beyer. These are simply standard works Love your videos and channel - looking forward to seeing more in the future ;-)

[@reach2paul]

Thank you so much for this video as this really helps. I would also like to know if it is good to use Alfred Edersheim on Old testament history.

[@bitesizeseminary]

So glad it helped! Thanks for the encouragement! I actually haven’t read Edersheim, so I can’t say specifically. But it is older and a lot of discoveries and understandings have happened since it was written.

[@brennensmith2519]

Thanks for the helpful video! Your channel has been a blessing to me. Would you say Walter Kaiser's, "A History of Israel" would be a resource for the culture of the OT, or is it mainly just geographic and historical in nature? Thanks again!

[@bitesizeseminary]

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement!! I haven't read Kaiser's book unfortunately. I've heard good things about it though! I think there would probably be some helpful elements about the cultural background but I think it might more lean toward the historicity of the OT. But again I haven't read it! Hope that helps a little! Thanks for watching!

[@tabletalk33]

Thanks! Great reading list! Here's a good one, highly regarded, beautifully organized and thorough. It's emphasis is on the Greco-Roman world + Judaism. Covers a LOT of ground. "Backgrounds of Early Christianity" by Everett Ferguson. Copyrights 1987, 1993, 2003. 672 pp. Synopsis: Having long served as a standard introduction to the world of the early church, Everett Ferguson's Backgrounds of Early Christianity has been expanded and updated in this third edition. The book explores and unpacks the Roman, Greek, and Jewish political, social, religious, and philosophical backgrounds necessary for a good historical understanding of the New Testament and the early church. New to this edition are revisions of Ferguson's original material, updated bibliographies, and fresh discussions of first-century social life, of Gnosticism, and of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other Jewish literature.

[@Yesica1993]

Sounds fascinating, thank you. I need to stop reading comments. My "to read" pile/list is already insane!

[@nobiecollier4509]

What about books on customs of other groups in the bible and other laws and rules that helped entangle, Isreal . MrC

[@4everseekingwisdom690]

Seriousl question.. have you ever investigated comparative mythology? Have you read the creation story in Genesis alongside the Sumerian enuma elish? Compared the story of Samson with the myth of Hercules? The book of Esther with the myth of Ishtar?? The story of lot and the the two Angels with the Greek story of Zeus and Hermes ( also in disguise to test man) or have you read Psalm 104 and the the Egyptian "hymn to aten" it's almost a word for word copy... Anyone about to read the Bible needs to look into this themselves if only to dismiss it which anyone who investigated it couldn't do without cognitive dissonance if you're going to base your life on something isn't it good to investigate all angels?

[@vercingetorix5708]

The Cultural Background Study Bible does this.

[@4everseekingwisdom690]

@vercingetorix5708 The Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible was awarded the Christian Book Awards 2017 Bible of the Year by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association!.. which means I HIGHLY doubt that it will detail the pagan origins of the biblical texts which is what I'm telling you to look into.. but, like most people you can't face the possibility that you're wrong or were mislead as a child..

[@4everseekingwisdom690]

@vercingetorix5708 The Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible was awarded the Christian Book Awards 2017 Bible of the Year by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association!.. which means I HIGHLY doubt that it will detail the pagan origins of the biblical texts which is what I'm telling you to look into.. but, like most people you can't face the possibility that you're wrong or were mislead as a child..

[@jimmymyers7599]

As an interested layperson who enjoys digging in to the background info, would it still be advantageous to invest in the IVP background commentaries if I already own and use the cultural background Study Bible? Or would it be more valuable to accumulate the Zondervan series?

[@bitesizeseminary]

Yeah good question! I would say it probably comes down to money. The Zondervan commentaries are a 9 (I believe) volume set so you’re definitely going to get a lot more material. But it is quite expensive. The IVP commentaries are a bit more in reach. I would say if you have the money I would probably splurge for the Zondervan commentaries. Hope that helps a bit!

[@milagroscordero7679]

Thanks!!

[@Kakaragi]

Help, I can’t find the NLT translation for the Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible

[@ЮраПанас]

Im not a preacher but many history, geography, culture, tradition, language knowledge points are sort of essential, i wont see the picture here or there in the Word. I give you example: how Sarah stayed with Abraham after he let her that way to another man😮 or how Lot was ready to let his daughters out to raging crowd for two male strangers or what on earth is a connection between Jacob's peeled rods, sheep's drinking and mating urge and tonn more of such. Thanks for fiction novel recommending, history is more likely to be changed than a novel.

[@jimyoung9262]

I have the OT and NT bible background commentary but I wish I had gotten the Zondervan series. It seems to me like it's about 2-3 times the amount of entries you would have in a study bible. It's helpful, but for a regular teacher it's a bit light.

[@bitesizeseminary]

Yes, you’re right. But sometimes I just want something short too. Both series are definitely helpful. But I do like the extra depth and pictures in the Zondervan series.

[@edwardbell9795]

Interesting but a heavy emphasis on historical and cultural context. I wonder if he also reviews books aiming to give a theological understanding of the Bible. The historical-critical method is good but has its limitations. It isn't the end of the story.

[@paulajohnson6409]

Sometimes my thoughts are if we focus too much on culture we use the excuse God's Word applied to them but not to us. I like application bibles. How God speaks to us today through His Word. I have a Cultural Background Study Bible and find it distracting. I don't care about the different gods etc. I just know what God says not to worship other gods or idols. Max Lucado Study Bibles are good and David Jeremiah Study Bible.