1st Century then vs. now

LearningToLetGo

LearningToLetGo

Let's talk about how our society is different than the 1st Century and how this affects the meaning of scripture.

I'll start.

In the 1st century there was no such thing as a neutral government, specifically law enforcement. Families took care of such matters directly. Think blood feuds. This is why the Bible says "eye for an eye". That is a primitive way of saying "don't escalate but punish like for like", which is actually an improvement over simply slaughtering your enemies.

When Jesus says, "turn the other cheek" he's not simply saying to calm your emotions. Rather, he's saying not to resort to clan warfare and blood feuds.

You can see how radical this idea is. It's akin to someone today saying, "don't call 911 but settle matters personally and peaceably".

Thoughts?
 
Hello LearningToLetGo;

Well, our society doesn't get as much walking as the 1st century did.

Law enforcement authority throughout the New Testament had more enforced rules and many times brutal punishment to the citizens who didn't comply. Therefore there was more obedience to law enforcement out of fear.

Freedom of Speech in the then times was very precious and for most lands it wasn't allowed. In today's society Freedom of Speech is a citizen's right in more lands but extremely abused.

In today's society law enforcement is much less intense but the level of enforcement is up and down. I learned 20+ years ago police officers who attended our Church shared how they would get cursed at without fear of repercussions, yet civility between authority and civilian was more open to discussion over an issue and at times provide resolve.

Fred and Barney's auto tires back then were made of stone as opposed to today's autos which have composite tires such as synthetic or rubber tires and other materials. lol!

There's more but wanted to hear other's share their thoughts in 1st Century then vs. now.

God bless you, Jason.

Bob
 
Death was everywhere in the ancient world. Infant mortality, disease, famine, murder and war were ever present. As such, everything that wasn't useful for survival was a servant of death.

With that in mind, let's turn to the barren fig tree. Today we see a barren fruit tree and shrug. Food is abundant so why worry? But in ancient times food was always scarce and starvation around every winter. A tree that did not produce was not simply useless, but dangerous since it consumed and gave nothing back.

This ethos of utility pervaded the ancient world. Everything was useful, and thus good, or useless and thus evil.
 
To mail a letter then was risky business, ever wondering if it would land with the intended recipient, sometimes taking months to reach.
Today, an email takes a nanosecond, much lighter than heavy scrolls, as well.
 
LearningToLetGo said:
Let's talk about how our society is different than the 1st Century and how this affects the meaning of scripture.

I'll start.

In the 1st century there was no such thing as a neutral government, specifically law enforcement. Families took care of such matters directly. Think blood feuds. This is why the Bible says "eye for an eye". That is a primitive way of saying "don't escalate but punish like for like", which is actually an improvement over simply slaughtering your enemies.

When Jesus says, "turn the other cheek" he's not simply saying to calm your emotions. Rather, he's saying not to resort to clan warfare and blood feuds.

You can see how radical this idea is. It's akin to someone today saying, "don't call 911 but settle matters personally and peaceably".

Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Thoughts?............Blessed be to God we have toilet today!
 
LearningToLetGo said:
This ethos of utility pervaded the ancient world. Everything was useful, and thus good, or useless and thus evil.
Click to expand...
Loyalty wasn't a luxury. It was essential to survival. A "true" friend was one you could count on in a battle unto death. A "true" teaching was one that inspired such loyalty.

Truth wasn't academic or logical. It was visceral. Hence much of the older Bible passages that contain "exaggerated" content weren't seen as untruthful but as solidifying factions and strengthening loyalty, all of which increased survivability.

In effect, the Bible is (also) a bronze age survival manual. A means of making sense of a dangerous world.
 
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