Involving Diverse Cultures in Biblical Illustrations and Examples
The Bible itself provides numerous examples of cultural diversity and the challenges and opportunities it presents, particularly in the context of language and understanding. The confusion of languages at Babel (Genesis 11) is a foundational narrative illustrating linguistic diversity [2]. John Gill notes that there may have been as many as seventy languages at that time, each with its own signification [2].
Later biblical texts demonstrate the practical implications of these linguistic differences. For instance, when Joseph interacts with his brothers in Egypt, an interpreter is necessary, suggesting a significant difference between their languages, or perhaps Joseph's strategic use of one to maintain his disguise [7]. Adam Clarke points out that while Egyptians, Hebrews, Canaanites, and Syrians could often understand each other generally, there were also considerable dialectal differences [7].
The New Testament also highlights linguistic diversity. The inscription on the cross of Jesus was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, indicating the multicultural context of Judea during the Roman period [5]. Adam Clarke provides a facsimile of this inscription from the Codex Bezae, emphasizing its historical significance [5]. The Apostle Paul, in 1 Corinthians, addresses the issue of "divers and strange doctrines," which John Gill interprets as referring to the variety of human doctrines, contrasting them with the singular, uniform doctrine of Scripture [1]. This suggests that diverse cultural and philosophical backgrounds can lead to varied interpretations and teachings.
The biblical narrative also touches on the rise and fall of diverse nations. Job 12:22 states that God "increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them" [6]. John Gill interprets this as referring to historical events such as the destruction of the pre-flood world, the Canaanite nations, and the great empires of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome [6]. This demonstrates a divine engagement with the diverse political and cultural entities of the world.
The recognition of diverse cultures in biblical interpretation extends to scholarly work. John Calvin, for example, in his commentary on Genesis, acknowledges the historical division of the world into nations and suggests that many nations can be traced back to the progenitors recorded in the Mosaic history [4]. He refers to works like Wells' Geography and Bishop Patrick's Commentary, indicating an interest in connecting biblical accounts with broader historical and geographical understanding [4]. Even in the organization of scholarly texts, such as John Chrysostom's homilies, attention is paid to cultural and linguistic differences, such as noting when the Septuagint's numbering of Psalms differs from the Hebrew [3].
Sources
- Hebrews (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Hebrews 13:9: Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines,.... The word "divers" may denote the variety and multitude of other doctrines; referring either to the various rites and ceremonies of the law, or to the traditions of the elders, or to the several doctrines of men, whether Jews or Gentiles; whereas the doctrine of the Scriptures, of Christ, and his apostles, is but one; it is uniform, and all of a piece; and so may likewise denote the disagreement of other doctrines with the perfections of God, the person and offices of Christ, the Scriptures of truth, the anal”
- 1 Corinthians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on 1 Corinthians 14:10: There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices,.... "tongues", or "languages", as the Syriac version renders it; that is, as many as there are nations in the world; there may be seventy of them, as the Jews say there were at the confusion of languages at Babel; there may be more or less: and none of them is without signification: every language, and every word in a language, has a meaning in it, an idea annexed to it, which it conveys to him that understands it, and that cannot be done without a voice ordinarily speaking.”
- CCEL/NPNF (Eastern Orthodox) “John Chrysostom, Homilies on John & Hebrews: sections are numbered throughout: where the division seemed to be inconvenient, the number is given in the margin. In the earlier Homilies a second series of numbers is employed to mark the sections in the translation; this was discontinued as unnecessary, and the Benedictine only retained. In some of the references to the Psalms, where the Septuagint differs much from the Hebrew, the numbers given are those of the Greek. Care will be taken in the Index of Texts to give always the reference to the Psalm and Verse according to the Hebrew reckoning fo”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 14.13: of the strongest possible confirmations of the truth of the Mosaic history, that (notwithstanding some inevitable obscurity) there should be such a mass of undeniable evidence still existing, that the world was really divided in the manner here described. Far more nations than Calvin supposed may, with the highest degree of probability, be traced upward to the progenitors whose names are here recorded. See Wells’ Geography, Mede’s Works, and Bishop Patrick’s Commentary. A list of the names, with the supposed corresponding nations”
- John (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on John 19:20: Hebrew,... Greek,... Latin - See on Luk 23:38 (note). On Mat 27:37 (note), I have given this title in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, as mentioned by this evangelist. The reader, however, will not be displeased to find the same title repeated here in a character which was written in the fourth century, and is probably nearly resembling that used in the earliest ages of Christianity. The Greek and Latin character, which is inserted here, is an exact fac-simile of that in the Codex Bezae, cut and cast at the expense of the University of Cambridge, for Dr. Kipling's edition o”
- Job (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Job 12:22: He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them,.... As he did before the flood, when the earth was tilled, and all over peopled with them, but at the flood he destroyed them at once. Sephorno interprets it of the seven nations in the land of Canaan, which were increased in it, and destroyed, to make way for the Israelites to inhabit it; and this has since been verified in other kingdoms, large and populous, and brought to destruction, particularly in the four monarchies, Babylonian, Persian, Grecian, and Roman, and will be in the antichristian states and nations of the ”
- Genesis (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Genesis 42:23: For he spake unto them by an interpreter - Either there was a very great difference between the two languages as then spoken, or Joseph, to prevent all suspicion, might affect to be ignorant of both. We have many evidences in this book that the Egyptians, Hebrews, Canaanites, and Syrians, could understand each other in a general way, though there are also proofs that there was a considerable difference between their dialects.”