A text without a context is pretext

There is no story that has captured the imagination of Western civilization quite like the story of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Visiting angels delivering holy messages. Marvelous poetry from the mouth of an illiterate teenager. A virgin birth in a stable because there was no room in the inn. Shepherds tending their sheep being startled by an angelic choir singing praises to God. Wise men from a distant country traveling under the guidance of a star that comes to rest over a barn in a town of little importance. Expensive gifts brought to the poorest of the poor by the rich and powerful.

This combination of mythic expressions has become the topic of an endless amount of music, poetry, art and theology. The story and the artistic expressions of the story have been a major influence in shaping our world.

Scholarship in the last half of the 20th century brought an explosion of critical studies of the Bible, and the birth narratives found in the Matthew and Luke gospels have been a particular target of study. Discovering the context of the birth narratives has been a special matter of interest.

New Testament scholar William Herzog Jr., in his book “Jesus, Justice, and the Reign of God” states the issue. “…one essential task of Biblical interpretation is the establishment of a context for understanding a Biblical text. A text without a context is a pretext. The refusal to pay attention to the context of a Biblical text creates a vacuum, and interpretation abhors a vacuum.” The interpreter who pays no attention to context is free to fill the vacuum with endless irrelevancies in the name of being relevant.

In order to establish context, the usual questions are asked. Who wrote it? To whom did he write it? When did he write it? Why did he write it? In the answering of these questions the material exposes itself in its cultural setting and become lively and relevant. Irrational interpretations are set aside and meaningful discussion can proceed.

There is yet another part of the pursuit of context.

Palestine is a land bridge between the two most culturally influential nations of Western civilization….Mesopotamia and Egypt. Inescapably the Israelites were also impacted by the two great empires to the north and west….Greece and Rome. The influence of Judaism and Christianity cannot be divorced from the intellectual influence of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome.

Many would argue that the most important myth to come out of the Middle East is the myth of Prometheus. The story of Prometheus was written and rewritten over and over again for centuries. The versions are almost endless. Prometheus is credited with two great accomplishments. He created humankind out of clay. He stole fire from Zeus and gave it to common people.

There are dozens of ancient stories in the Middle East about the creation of humankind from clay or the dust of the earth. No one can say that the Prometheus myth was the first, but we can affirm that his story had a powerful influence throughout the area.

For the purpose of this column, the focus is on his theft of fire from Zeus. Here is a basic outline of the story.

Prometheus was a Titan and was noted for his almost limitless knowledge. He was a master of architecture, mathematics, navigation, medicine and metallurgy. He was the champion of humans and freely shared his knowledge with common folk. Zeus, the chief and most powerful of the gods, was angered by Prometheus’ sharing of his knowledge. It gave too much power into the hands of common people. As punishment, Zeus withheld fire from Prometheus and common people. Through trickery, Prometheus went to Mount Olympus and stole fire from the sun. He shared fire with the people.

Again Zeus was enraged. Zeus tied Prometheus to a rock in the Caucasus Mountains. He sent a huge eagle every morning to pick at the liver of Prometheus, but during the night the liver was made whole again. The eagle returned every day.

The Israelites were stubbornly resistant to the polytheism of surrounding nations and cultures. However, the surrounding cultures set out issues that would not go away and will not go away in the 21st century. The core issue is the relationship between those who hold power and common people. Prometheus is the central character in ancient mythology who insisted that power must be shared with common people.

Within the context of a strict monotheism, Old Testament prophets such as Amos, Hosea, Isaiah and Jeremiah, spoke out against the powerful on behalf of the vulnerable…the poor, the widow and the orphan. The prophets demanded that the reign of God be accompanied by justice.

Jesus of Nazareth marked his own ministry with the two great commandments….love of God and love of neighbor. He was a faithful Jew. He took on the mantle of the great protesting prophets of Judaism. He demanded justice for the poor. In a broader sense, he was the new Prometheus. He gave no respect to powerful people, who resisted sharing. The kingdom of God was not the possession of kings, priests and people of wealth and power. The kingdom of God belongs to the most common of people.

The birth narratives should be read as classic declarations of resistance to emperors, priests, kings and others who hold wealth and power and refuse to share power with ordinary folk. The writers of the birth narratives used the literary devices of their day to make their point. Put into context, the birth narratives are some of the most powerful pieces of writing on behalf of common people in the history of Western civilization.

The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net.