While the ideal method of interpreting the Bible stirs great debate among theologians, seminarians, and intellectuals, average people living in a multicultural world are typically not very concerned with these debates; they just want to know how to understand the Bible. Led by the belief that God desires to communicate with each group in a culturally relevant and understandable way, author Philip McCarty offers a unique perspective as he examines the Bible as a cross-cultural text designed to speak to all people. McCarty, who earned degrees in Bible, religious education in pastoral studies, and Christian thought, begins with an in-depth analysis of the Bible and the role that translations play in communicating to multiple cultures. As he moves into a careful examination of the basics of hermeneutics and the ways in which God communicates with humans, McCarty encourages students of Scripture to ask the right questions and obtain the right answers. Finally, McCarty discusses why the Bible continues to be a pillar of the church community's culture and how its scripture connects to each individual. And God Said, "Let's Babel" offers valuable insight into why the Bible is a cross-cultural document, how that affects the church as a whole, and what all this knowledge means to spiritual seekers around the world.

And God Said, "Let's Babel"

The Bible As Cross-Cultural CommunicationBy Philip McCarty

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2012 Philip McCarty
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4759-6558-2

Contents

Introduction..........................................................xiChapter 1: The Cross-Cultural Bible...................................3Chapter 2: The Cross-Cultural Design of the Bible.....................9Chapter 3: The Benefits of Translation................................19Chapter 4: The Basics of Communication................................29Chapter 5: The Stew of Meaning........................................37Chapter 6: How God Communicates with Humans...........................43Chapter 7: The Basics of Hermeneutics.................................55Chapter 8: A Transcultural Hermeneutic................................63Chapter 9: Jesus's Hermeneutic........................................69Chapter 10: Using the Transcultural Hermeneutic.......................79Chapter 11: The Church................................................87Chapter 12: What about You?...........................................97Notes.................................................................103Glossary..............................................................109Bibliography..........................................................111Index.................................................................115

Chapter One

The Cross-Cultural Bible

The Uniqueness of the Bible

• Written during a 1,500-year span

• Written over forty generations

• Written by more than forty authors from every walk of life

• Written in different places

• Written at different times

• Written during different moods

• Written on three continents

• Written in three languages

• Subject matter contains hundreds of controversial subjects

• Conclusion of continuity

—Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, pp. 16–17

McDowell uses this list to correctly show that the Bible is a book that is unique above all others. His focus is on the concluding point, which states that, in spite of all the differences that could have occurred, the Bible has continuity in relation to controversial topics. He explains that a controversial topic is one over which people disagree. The Bible has impeccable continuity in all of the controversial topics it addresses. McDowell and others correctly believe this demonstrates that it had a single author. While this is important, I have come to a conclusion that does not include McDowell's final two points.

Most people would not consider the Bible to be a multicultural book. But when I look at this list, I see its multicultural aspects. People often say that the Bible is about only one people, the Jews, and their culture. While it is true that the Jewish people are often the focal point of the Bible, Jewish culture, like many others, underwent many changes during the writing of the books that comprise the Bible. As we will see, their ideas, customs, skills, arts, etc., along with their worldview and individual perspectives, changed greatly through the generations.

Written during a 1,500-Year Span

Moses began writing the first books of the Bible around 1440 BCE. The Apostle John wrote the final books sometime around 90 CE. This is a span of about 1,500 years. Over this amount of time any population's culture will change. Internal influences like technology, language development, economic emphasis, and population growth will lead to transformation, as will the exterior influences of trade, contact with foreigners, and immigration.

Written over Forty Generations

Each generation has its own cultural variation; this is most readily apparent when several generations live together. Each generation has its own way of communicating, which is why parents, grandparents, and teenagers do not always understand each other. Values change within generations. What one generation believes to be important or necessary for survival or society is not necessarily valued by the next generation. Financial concerns may be the top priority with one generation, moral values may be the priority of the next, and ecological values the priority of the generation after that. Dress, music, and literature all change from generation to generation, even though each age group does seem to influence the ones that come after.

Written by More than Forty Authors from Every Walk of Life

Rich or poor, day laborer or corporate professional, workers all live in different cultures. The writers of the Bible represented various cultures based on the type of work they did.

Moses was a leader of Israelites when they left Egypt and moved around the wilderness for forty years. Prior to that, however, he was a well-educated member of Egypt's royal family, even though he was still a member of the oppressed Hebrew race. He probably suffered through racial slurs and was shunned, even as a member of the royal household. Moses killed a man and then fled Egypt, becoming a shepherd in the wilderness.

Joshua was Moses's successor, spending much of his time in religious activity before becoming the military leader of Israel and helping to conquer the Promised Land. David was a shepherd who became a soldier and then king of Israel. Solomon, David's son, grew up in the royal court. Ezra and Nehemiah grew up in captivity in Babylon and Persia. Nehemiah—a cup bearer for the king of Persia, a very important and trusted position—helped rebuild the wall surrounding Jerusalem, which had been torn down when Babylon conquered the city. Jeremiah was a priest who was called by God to be a prophet when Judah was transitioning from being a free country to being conquered by Babylon. Daniel was a part of the nobility in Jerusalem, but he was taken into captivity by Babylon, where he became a trusted leader and served the kings of Babylon and Persia for many years. Amos was a fig-picking shepherd before he was called by God to be a prophet.

In the New Testament, Matthew was a tax collector for the Romans and was an outcast from Jewish society. John and Peter were fishermen from Galilee, an area despised by many Jews. Luke was a Gentile, who was an associate of the Apostle Paul and believed to be a doctor. Paul was born in Tarsus, a city near the Mediterranean coast, but his family moved to Jerusalem so he could study under the best teacher of the day. A religious teacher and a Roman citizen, he was a member of the elite.

Written in Different Places, on Three Continents

The books of the Bible were composed in different places, each one connected more to an individual writer than to an overall culture. Therefore, each place speaks more to the context for the writer and the particular books he wrote. Yet it is important to acknowledge that place is a part of culture, and location likely affected the writer's view of the world. Moses wrote while wandering in the desert, and Joshua wrote in the land of Israel soon after the conquest. David was in a field herding sheep when he wrote some of the Psalms and in the palace as the king of Israel when he wrote the others. Most of the prophets wrote in Israel or Judah, but Ezekiel and Daniel were in Babylon during the captivity. Paul wrote from many cities as he visited different churches, and many of his works were written from jail cells.

One of the biggest indicators that the Bible is cross-cultural is that it was written on three continents: Africa,...