Back to Course

Old Testament Field Guide

  1. Lesson One
    Getting Ready
    19 Activities
    |
    4 Assessments
  2. Lesson Two
    Geography and Religion
    11 Activities
    |
    3 Assessments
  3. Lesson Three
    Geopolitical History
    15 Activities
    |
    2 Assessments
  4. Lesson Four
    Ancient Near Eastern Sources
    11 Activities
  5. Lesson Five
    Impact of the Old Testament
    11 Activities
  6. Course Wrap-Up
    Course Completion
    1 Activity
    |
    1 Assessment

Participants 170

Show more
Old Testament Field Guide Ancient Near Eastern Sources In Front | Workbook: Modern and Ancient Near East Sensibilities
Lesson 4, Activity 10

In Front | Workbook: Modern and Ancient Near East Sensibilities

Lesson Progress
0% Complete

Look at the chart below and consider the differences between Western and ancient Near Eastern societies.

Modern WestAncient Near East
Egocentric identityGroup-centric identity
Strong desire to be personally satisfied Strong desire to be interpersonally satisfying or satisfactory
See the partsSee the whole
Urge uniquenessUrge conformity
Seek autonomy from social solidaritySeek integration into social reality
Primary responsibility to self and individual potentialPrimary obligation to others and the development of the group
Group membership results from a renewable contractGroup membership results from one’s inherited social and familiar place in society
Individual worth is based on individual achievements or individual possessionsIndividual worth is rooted in familial status, social position, course or caste
Assert one’s own rightsSubmit personal rights to the group
Equality is a key valueHierarchy is the key value
Private autonomyCorporate solidarity
Strong desire to be personally satisfiedStrong desire to be interpersonally satisfying or satisfactory

Source: John H. Walton, The NIV Application Commentary, 2001, pp. 25-26.

Now that you have looked at some distinctions between our contemporary world and that of the ancient Near East, read 1 Kings 2:13-27 and Jeremiah 1:1-2.  

Grab your Workbook Journal!

[Record your answers in the workbook provided at the beginning of this course.]

  1. Consider Jeremiah’s lineage and ponder how his social status may have impacted his reception among the Judean court and populace.