COMA: Context
By Austin Kopack
As Christians, the whole Bible, Old Testament and New, is our highest authority in all things related to our salvation in Christ. It is God-breathed in unified inspiration but written by many men in the midst of their own varied times and places. The Biblical canon is not a single book but a collection of ancient documents dating back 2000-3500 years. Our world is very different today than it was back then; it was even very different in the 1st century than it was in Moses’ day. As one saying goes, the Bible is written for us, but it was not written to us. So, as we study scripture, our first concern is to pay attention to the context of the passage we are reading so that we can best understand the intentions and ideas of the original author when they were written.
Context is crucial because it is one of the major factors that keep us from simply reading ourselves into the text and making it mean whatever we want it to mean.
“Even the person who claims to read old documents in a ’neutral’ way cannot think away his own present; he is wrong if he thinks he can. In that case he is simply not aware of his own hidden interests. Whether consciously or unconsciously, people look at heroical documents in the light of present day questions, suppositions and hypotheses. The critical problem is whether one simply looks to history to confirm one’s own already established views or whether one allows them to be put to the test by history.” (Edward Schillebeeckx, Ministry, 100)
Most of us have experienced someone taking things out of context. It is a common feature of our politicized news coverage and a frequent feature of our soundbite fueled social media debates. But it should not be hard to see why this is problematic. Here are a couple bizarre examples from the Bible:
Hosea 1:2 -"Go marry a prostitute and have children with her.”
Amos 4:4 -"Go to Bethel and sin”
Psalm 38:7 –“Lo, I have a painful disease in my loins”
Malachi 2:3 "rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces”
Exodus 1:16 "When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live.”
And, of course, as Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.”
Without context, these verses sound crazy, but we do this kind of thing in subtle ways all the time by assuming that the original authors are asking the same questions that we are asking and assuming that they have the same concerns that we do. This is not necessarily the case and it is studying the context which help us discern the kinds of questions and concerns the text was written to address.
Context Categories
I want to give you three basic categories for thinking about context as you read any passage of scripture (and really interpret anything in general). These categories are “historical,” “literary,” and “salvation.” By asking a few of these questions up front, it will help you situate the text and better inform the subsequent steps of the study process.
Historical context
To whom is this written? What was their situation?
Who is it written by? What might the author be concerned about?
Literary Context
What genre is this text (history, poetry, epistle)?
How does this conform to the genre? How does it differ?
Where does this passage fit in the rest of the book? What comes before? What comes after?
Salvation Context
Where does this fit in the whole canon of scripture and the unfolding narrative of salvation? (e.g. before or after Israel’s exile? before or after Jesus?)
Is this passage referenced elsewhere in scripture or does it reference other parts of scripture?
With what other theological themes or doctrines does this passage relate?
Some of these questions you will be able to answer simply from reading the text through in its entirety. Some of these will require a wider knowledge of scripture and access to commentaries. If you are able, begin your study of a particular passage of scripture by reading the book or letter in its entirety (and reading it through again when you are done with your study).
Don’t worry if this seems challenging or overwhelming at first. Take it slow, give it time, and don’t be ashamed to ask lots of questions. The Bible is a revelation of God’s interaction with humanity; its depths are profound and complex because God is infinite and continues speaking to us today in our own contexts. Studying the Bible is a lifelong journey. Don’t expect to exhaust it before you die.
Some online resources and tools to aid in your study of context:
Many of you will be familiar with Biblegateway. It has hundreds of versions in different languages, including many study bibles that include relevant background information. Check out the Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible.
This is an excellent resource that offers interlinear with the Greek and Hebrew text. It shows where specific words appear elsewhere in scripture and offers links to many free commentaries online.
The Step Bible is another great resource that provides a variety of customizable layers for studying scripture.
Wikipedia (With Discretion)
While it may sound too simple, there are Wikipedia pages on the recipient cities of Paul’s epistles that give some general historical background such as this one. This is true for many places mentioned in scripture. As with everything on the internet, some discernment is required and these kind of public sources will tends towards more liberal consensus in terms of historical dating and authorship.