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<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"><title>Rule 3 - Interpret within the historical and cultural context</title><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.79.1"><meta name="keywords" content="Bible, Study, HowTo"><link rel="home" href="index.html" title="The Biblestudy HowTo"><link rel="up" href="h2-rules.html" title="Chapter 3. Rules of Bible Interpretation (Hermeneutics)"><link rel="prev" href="h2-rules-context.html" title="Rule 2 - Interpret within the biblical context"><link rel="next" href="h2-rules-normal.html" title="Rule 4 - Interpret according to the normal usage of words in language"></head><body bgcolor="white" text="black" link="#0000FF" vlink="#840084" alink="#0000FF"><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Rule 3 - Interpret within the historical and cultural
context</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="h2-rules-context.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">Chapter 3. Rules of Bible Interpretation (Hermeneutics)</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="h2-rules-normal.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a name="h2-rules-hcontest"></a>Rule 3 - Interpret within the historical and cultural
context</h2></div></div></div><p>At first we are not asking
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">What does it mean to me?</span>”</span>but
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">What did it mean to the original readers?</span>”</span>; later we
can ask,
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">What does it mean to me?</span>”</span>. We have to take into
account the historical and cultural background of the author and
the recipients.</p><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="h2-rules-hcontest-ex3a"></a>Example 3A</h3></div></div></div><p>
<span class="quote">“<span class="quote">3 days & 3 nights</span>”</span>(Mt.12:40) have led some to
come up with a "Wednesday crucifixion theory," esp. the cult of
Armstrongism. How could Jesus die on Friday afternoon and rise
Sunday morning yet "be raised on the third day" (Mt.16:21)? Exact
meanings of "three" or "days" won't help explain the apparent
contradiction.</p><p>We need an historical tidbit: Jews counted any part of a
day as a full day, as we would count buckets of water (if there
were six and one-half buckets of water, we would say there were 7
buckets of water even if one was only partly full). So to the
Jewish mind, any part of a day counted as a full day, and days
started at 6 p.m. and ended at 6 p.m. Friday from 3 p.m. to 6
p.m. = day 1. Friday 6 p.m. to Saturday 6 p.m. = day 2. Saturday
6 p.m. to Sunday 5 or so a.m. = day 3. Interpreting within the
cultural context keeps us out of trouble.</p></div><div class="section"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h3 class="title"><a name="h2-rules-hcontest-ex3b"></a>Example 3B</h3></div></div></div><p>Gen.15:7-21. The historical context is that cutting animals
in two and then walking between the pieces was the normal way of
entering a contract in Abraham's day. Both parties walked
between, taking the pledge that dismemberment would happen to
them if they didn't live up to their part of the contract. But in
this case only God goes thru, making it a unilateral
covenant.</p></div></div><div class="navfooter"><hr><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="h2-rules-context.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="h2-rules.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="h2-rules-normal.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Rule 2 - Interpret within the biblical context </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> Rule 4 - Interpret according to the normal usage of words in
language</td></tr></table></div></body></html>
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