Cultural World of the New Testament
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Lesson OneHonor and Shame in the Greco-Roman World8 Activities|1 Assessment
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Lesson TwoHonor and Shame in 1 Peter7 Activities|1 Assessment
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Lesson ThreePatronage and Reciprocity in the Greco-Roman World7 Activities|1 Assessment
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Lesson FourPatronage and Reciprocity in Hebrews7 Activities|1 Assessment
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Lesson FiveKinship and the Household in the Greco-Roman World7 Activities|1 Assessment
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Lesson SixKinship and the Household in 1 Peter7 Activities|1 Assessment
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Lesson SevenPurity and Pollution in the Greco-Roman World7 Activities|1 Assessment
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Lesson EightPurity and Pollution in Hebrews7 Activities|1 Assessment
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Course Wrap-UpCourse Completion2 Activities
Participants 58
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Christian Learning Center › Forums › Why is it important to understand honor and shame when you read the New Testament?
Tagged: NT215-01
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Why is it important to understand honor and shame when you read the New Testament?
Posted by info on 11/11/2024 at 08:48Jeff D replied 1 week, 5 days ago 6 Members · 5 Replies -
5 Replies
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It is important to remember the cultural norms of Jesus day because Jesus was speaking to these people who reacted based upon how they would be perceived inside the precepts of the acceptable honor and shame norms they experienced. When the priest is speaking to the congregation in the synagogue following the healing of the woman in Luke 13, he is attempting to shame Jesus into the acceptable criteria as he sees it. Jesus responds by accurately shaming him as God sees it.
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It is important to understand honor and shame when reading the New Testament because it helps one better understand the context of what is spoken or done in Scripture. Knowing that shame and honor are the backdrop of why people believed what they believed or did what they did causes one to grasp better why Jesus (or the Apostles) did or said what He (they) did. If the whole group is affected by choices one person makes it causes one to understand better why people reacted to what happened.
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It is important to understand the concepts of honor and shame when reading the New Testament. This is true because these concepts were woven into the fabric of the society at the time and greatly shaped how people acted (societal norms) and how they were corrected by their peers. Honor had to be protected at all costs and appearance/acquisition of honor was greatly desired. Shame on the other hand was highly undesirable. Shame was felt by more than just the individual and reflected poorly on the family and group as a whole.
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People are led by the motivations of their heart. Some are hypocritical honoring themselves more than God.