A Background to New Testament Theology for College Students and Pastors

Abstract

The Bible was not written in a vacuum. It is the Word of God written in the languages and cultures of the original recipients. It is therefore incumbent on us as contemporary recipients to understand the Bible in its original settings and contexts. The goal of Bible background studies is to introduce us to how people thought, communicated and lived in the ancient world during the Old Testament, New Testament, and Intertestamental periods. Our quest to understand the backgrounds of the Bible does not dilute the spiritual essence of the scriptures as some pastors, students, and Christians think. Contrary to such a misguided thought, background studies help us understand the marvelousness and workings of God through human cultures and history.Knowing the cultural and historical background of the Bible provides an understanding of the deeper context, deduce the things that were culturally relevant in that time and not directly relevant now, as well as be able to break down the scripture in a way that is in-depth. The plethora of scholarly works in extant and the continuous production of works on the subject indicate its importance.The New Testament contains cultural tradition as well as historical relevance that not only authenticates what we read but also gives the New Testament more authenticity than other historical texts. Background information about the cultural, political and social settings in the New Testament, if available in the Bible, is scanty. For example, in the New Testament, much by way of background is not written about the Pharisees, Sadducees, the Herodians and the cultural and social practices of the people.The New Testament was preceded by the Old Testament and Intertestamental periods and thrived during the Greco-Roman period. Rev Prof Jonathan Edward Tetteh Kuwornu-Adjaottor as a New Testament and Biblical Studies scholar categorically discusses pertinent events in these three periods -Hebrew, Silent Years, Greek and Roman -that are crucial to the study. He takes into consideration the geographical, historical, cultural, political, religious, social, economic and educational settings of the New Testament. In the last four chapters, Prof Kuwornu-Adjaottor provides readers with the factors that led to the canonization of the New Testament, its transmission, modern translations, overview and the arrangements of its books. As a book crafted for students in mind, Kuwornu-Adjaottor provides examination questions at the end.

Comparative Analysis of the State of Religious Pluralism between Intertestamental Palestine and Post-Apartheid South Africa

“…30 While some of them did this hypocritically, Jonathan Kuwornu-Adjaottor argues that many of them were virtuous and good. 31 Contrary to the ideology held by the Pharisees were the Sadducees' inverse conviction. They rejected all individualistic and eschatological ideas including all supernatural phenomena while standing by the idea of a national God, i.e.…”