Study Guide New Testament

Historical, Cultural, Political, and Religious Background

What is the authorial intent of the passage?

What is the primary meaning the author had of writing those words to that audience High responsibility of Biblical wisdom and preaching

Timothy 3:16 James 2:15 James 3:1 Authorial presuppositions

When the author writes he assumes the audience knows Without realizing it, we bring our own cultural values and the historical framework of our own world to the text of the NT

What we should be doing is taking their cultural text and historical framework and changing it to our culture In order for us to understand we must interpret it correctly We must know:

The Land We must know the history We must know the culture Need to Know Dates

Building the second temple by Zerubbabel in 515 BC until the destruction of that temple by Romans in AD 70 The Vision from God

Head of Gold- Babylon (609-539 BC) Chest and Arms of Silver -- Medo-Persia (539-331 BC) Belly and Thigs of Brass-- Greece (331-168 BC) Legs of Iron-- Rome (168 BC-476 AD) Rock-- Return of Christ