|
|
|
|
Chapter 4 The Key
is the Source’s
Culture
A word consist of one or more symbols (letters) with an attached bundle of associations (the Source's meanings). These are not mysteriously joined together by magic. It is the results of the intervention of a formal system which is known as culture. Words
are the vehicles that transport In order to understand the Source’s message we must learn as much as possible about his or her civilization. The bundles of associations attached to the Sources’ words reflect his culture’s way of viewing the world. The Source's language carries his culturally imposed sets of values and beliefs. The Source's message must always be understood in light of those values and beliefs.
We all think, act, and react in ways that have been primarily predetermined by our culture. It is impossible to completely understand the words of people from a different culture if we interpret them according to our culture.
Three traps await the untrained Bible reader who does not use the basic linguistic laws. Usually, they will mistakenly assume the following:
The last trap is the one that captures so many people. We all have the tendency to consider our way of life to be the best or correct way. We see our motives, habits, and values as a standard that others should follow. Naturally, we take for granted that our culture is superior to any other culture. This tendency results in our projecting our cultural views into messages that were written by authors from other cultures. We must always be aware of this tendency when we study the Bible; otherwise, we will mistakenly view the biblical world of 2000 to 3500 years ago as if it were just like our world today. We must interpret the words of people in light of their own cultures’ motives, habits, and values if we are to understand their words as they understood them. When we read writings from another culture and time period, such as the words of the Bible, it requires that the study the Source's culture before we attempt understand the message. Our goal in doing this preliminary study is to acquire a sensitive appreciation of the author’s language, values, beliefs, and view of the world. This preparation is required even if we are reading the words of an English translation. • • • Same Letters . . .
Different Meanings What does the word breakfast mean to you? Is it a light or heavy meal? What time of day do you eat it? In Jamaica we find the same word in common use. It is also spelled b-r-e-a-k-f-a-s-t, but it has a different bundle of associations. Middle-class Jamaicans eat breakfast in the morning, but it is a much more substantial meal than in the United States. Their lightest meal is called supper and is eaten in the late evening -- sometimes after 10 P.M. Poor Jamaican farmers eat their lightest meal early in the morning, but they call it tea. They eat breakfast, a medium-to-heavy meal, at midday. If a
Jamaican
invited you to eat breakfast, • • • Corn Sometimes, even the most
common word can have a different bundles of associations, especially when different cultures
are involved. What does the word corn mean to you?
What would you say if I
asked you what the difference is between corn and
corn? Wouldn't you think that I was a little
weird? Not knowing that the symbols c + o + r + n could mean two very different things, an American government agency during World War II received a request for corn from the British government. The American agency complied with the request and shipped the British corn-on-the-cob. Do you think the British were surprised when they received corn-on-the-cob instead of wheat? The British needed the wheat for the European famine relief and corn-on-the-cob wouldn’t work. Needless to say, the British were not happy. Both groups wrote the identical symbols - c o r n. But each culture had a different bundle of associations attached to those symbols. As soon as the American government understood what the British needed, they shipped wheat. This bit of linguistic ignorance cost taxpayers a few million dollars to repair. • • •
corn; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. Words paint pictures in our minds.
Take another look at the mental picture painted by Matthew 12:1 as you answer the questions
below.
What culture was the culture of
the KJV translators? The King James
Version is a product of the English culture. Therefore the culture through
which we must view the words of the King James Version
is the British culture. Now, let me ask you the same questions again:
Did your mental picture change? Did you switch from an American maize field to a British wheat field? Check out Matthew 12:1 in other translations to see how they translate it. Someone may say: "Maize or wheat, so what difference does it make?" Well, theologically, it isn’t very significant, but, wheat is the only right answer - not maize. • • • More Familiar Words - Beware! Familiar words in our everyday lives may take on new meanings that are very strange to us as we look at these words in light of another culture. Take, for instance, the word marriage. Let’s examine it in our own culture.
The old saying, "first comes love, then comes marriage," is very much a reflection of the way the American culture views marriage. Just think about the reaction you would get if you told an American to forget the ‘fall-in-love part’ before marriage - they will think you are crazy! Everybody, which means every American, knows that people should only get married after they fall in love. When we read the word marriage, we automatically attach our ‘bundle of associations’ (date, fall in love, etc.) -- without even realizing it. This can cause a tremendous error if we are reading the word marriage in material written by a Source from another culture. Let me tell you a story of a personal experience of mine. One time a young woman from Iran came to one of my meetings. We were discussing cultural differences, and I brought up the word marriage. she shared her culture's understanding of the word marriage. When she was only fourteen years old, her father signed a contract for her to marry a man who was thirty-six years of age. Only after the details were finalized was she told of their decision. This was the normal and correct way of getting married in her culture. A girl might meet her husband for the first time on their wedding night. Love was not a factor. The people of her culture believed that in time love would come, but it wasn't that important. Below are the things that they felt were much more important.
Their primary concerns are much different than ours. Interestingly, the lack of those things that the girl's culture valued are commonly listed as good reasons for getting a divorce in our culture. • • • More Than a Translation is Needed Every culture has its own highly specialized or technical terms.
They have their own precise distinctions that may require not only a
full definition, but additional explanatory notes also. This would be the
situation if you had to write a paper about an Iranian marriage for an American
audience. Below are some English words that can cause a great deal of
trouble for someone from another culture. Overhead What does the word overhead mean to you? The first meaning that comes to my mind is "above the head," since ‘over’ means ‘above.’ Now, let’s see how the Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines it:
Don't you think that a person from another culture
would have a difficult time connecting the bundle of associations of
business expenses to the word without a full explanation. Order Order is another very common word that can present a problem because of the multiple bundles of associations attached to it. Let’s see what ‘order’ means to the following people.
• • • Code Words of Jesus Jesus also used technical terms that we call code words. They are theologically loaded words that require much more than just a word-for-word translation. In many cases they require a brief commentary. Like other types of words, it is very common for code words to even create confusion between people who speak the same language and are from a common culture. Many
of the differences that separate Christian denominations are due to their lack
of understandings the culturally correct meaning of
code words, e.g., saved, baptize, and
sabbath. Our basic linguistic
principles can be used to guide you through the difficult maze of code
words. Righteousness A major code word that Jesus used many times is righteousness. Why don't you stop and write down your definition of righteousness before we continue. Matthew 5:20
Righteousness is a word that is used on a regular
basis in Bible studies. When questioned about its meaning
most people are usually uncertain and cannot give a clear definition. Since Jesus used
this word repeatedly, and even taught that righteousness was a requirement for
anyone who wants to be part of the kingdom of Heaven - shouldn’t
righteousness be one word that is accurately understood by every
Christian? It is such an important
word that Jesus said the "righteous person will inherit eternal life" (Matthew
25:46). The English Meaning of Righteousness Let’s see what ‘righteousness’ means in English, then compare it to what it meant to Jesus almost 2000 years ago. Right + (e)ous + ness
Therefore, righteousness in English means "The condition of abounding in being in accordance with what is good and proper." But, Jesus never taught in the English language, therefore he never even said ‘righteousness.’ The word Jesus spoke was the Hebrew word TZEDAKAH. If we want to know what it means, we must look to his culture and Hebrew language for an accurate understanding. Our source for this study was the Encyclopedia Judaica. Compare the following information with your understanding for righteousness. TZEDAKAH is defined as "the
fulfillment of all legal and moral obligations by doing what is right in all relationships.
It is concrete acts, not abstract notions. Hebrew righteousness is a constant pursuit of
justice and the performance of positive deeds, not merely abstention from evil. It is a
learned trait resulting from the sustained performance of obligations. It is not an
inherent human characteristic." "In the Hebrew language, the
righteous man is the innocent party, while the wicked man is the guilty one. The prophets
conceived of the ideal society in terms of righteousness because righteous action
results in social stability and, ultimately, in peace. Failure to perform obligations
leads indirectly to the upsetting of social stability and, ultimately, to the deliberate
undermining of the social structure." "Righteous action within a righteous society will restore peace in the world. The righteous are called living even after they die, whereas the wicked are called dead even while they are still alive. Any person who is sincerely sorry for the sins he/she has committed, turns from them, and lives according to God’s will can change his/her status from that of wicked to that of righteous. On the other hand, anyone who has been a perfectly righteous person all his/her life can choose to turn away from a righteous lifestyle to become wicked, thereby canceling all their good deeds. Our ‘free will’ allows us to choose which path we want to follow."In the early rabbinic time period (Jesus’ time period), righteousness took on the additional meaning of "charity, almsgiving, or practical benevolence." It is understood that a righteous man is a good man, free from sin, one who carries out his obligation to God and to man by obeying the precepts of the Hebrew Bible. Righteousness does not necessarily suggest unusual piety; it simply means carrying out God's will. Neither does it mean "perfect," it means that when a righteous man commits a sin he does what is required to restore himself to a state of purity. The obligation to help the poor and needy is stated many times in the Hebrew Bible. It was considered by the Jewish sages of all ages to be one of the cardinal commandments of Judaism. The importance they attached to the commandment of almsgiving can be understood by their statement that "almsgiving is as important as all the other commandments combined."
There is a great difference between the
Hebrew concept righteousness, with its
requirement of almsgiving, and the English word
charity. The Hebrew culture
defines almsgiving as follows:
Everyone is obligated to give
alms. It is performed as a matter of obligation by those possessing the means of providing
what is needed.
• • •
New Definitions for Familiar Words Old definitions are like a road with deep ruts. You normally don't think about the meaning of words as you read or write - you just know. Remember our earlier discussion in which we discussed the very familiar word ‘marriage’? As you use the basic linguistic principles in your Bible study, you will quickly discover new meanings for some very familiar
words. Unless you take special steps, and document the new definitions, in a very short time
you will find yourself slipping into the ruts of the old definition. As a
Biblical Analyst, when you discover a
new meaning you will do the following:
Make it your goal to memorize the new
definitions and cultural information attached to important biblical words.
Apply the new information to the words of your
Bible study with relentless determination. This is the only way to fill in those old ruts.
Using your newly acquired Bible Analyst's skills
will open a floodgate of new information for you. It will make your Bible
seem like a brand new book. • • •
|
|
Thank you for visiting
our site!
|
