I think reading and hearing N.T. Wright have become my own private 'reformation' while journeying on the path to understand first century Christianity and the Church. This is especially true on the topic of how the gospels were most probably understood by first century Jews and how it should be understood today. And as I venture outside the literature of biblical studies and the historical studies of the first century Mediterranean world, I find more evidence that corroborates with what Wright has said.
F
or example, while reading Martin Goodman's Rome & Jerusalem, I come across the passage that talks about how the Jews of that time understood the term redemption. They did not separate the spiritual and the political meanings of the word. Most of us would readily think that it means being redeemed from our sins. But this was not so for the first century Jews. Redemption has huge political and spiritual significance for them and these meaning are intertwined and inseparable. Redemption to them means the political independence of the nation Israel as God returns to rule their nation and triumph over their enemies which is the evidence that God has forgiven and justified them as His people. This was the worldview of the first century Jews and as we read again the gospels or the letters of Paul, we really need to take into consideration this contextual element. If not, we will be committing an error of reading meanings into the texts that were originally not there or not being perceived as such by its first century audience of Jews and Greeks alike.
or example, while reading Martin Goodman's Rome & Jerusalem, I come across the passage that talks about how the Jews of that time understood the term redemption. They did not separate the spiritual and the political meanings of the word. Most of us would readily think that it means being redeemed from our sins. But this was not so for the first century Jews. Redemption has huge political and spiritual significance for them and these meaning are intertwined and inseparable. Redemption to them means the political independence of the nation Israel as God returns to rule their nation and triumph over their enemies which is the evidence that God has forgiven and justified them as His people. This was the worldview of the first century Jews and as we read again the gospels or the letters of Paul, we really need to take into consideration this contextual element. If not, we will be committing an error of reading meanings into the texts that were originally not there or not being perceived as such by its first century audience of Jews and Greeks alike.
Comments
I have no strong views on this matter, but I suspect that Luther's work and the translation of the bible to vernacular languages may be the starting points for such an enterprise as privatized faith.