GENESIS
Major Background Issues from the Ancient Near East
To think about the ancient world , we can use the metaphor of a cultural river that flowed through the societies and thoughts of the peoples and nations of the ancient Near East . Israel was immersed in that cultural river ; it was embedded in that conceptual world . Sometimes God gave revelation that drew them out , as Moses from the Nile , and distinguished them ; but we should generally think of them in this cultural river . Sometimes they were simply floating on its currents ; sometimes they veered out of the currents and stood apart . At other times they swam resolutely upstream against those currents .
The twelve issues identified below describe major currents in this metaphorical ancient cultural river . Israel ’ s relationship to those currents varies case by case . Importantly , however , as modern readers , we have no familiarity with that river at all . Our cultural river is very different . Whether Israel was floating or swimming , as we read through the Old Testament we must recognize that they were in a different river than we are . To interpret the Old Testament well , we must try to dip into their cultural river .
1 . The “ Great Symbiosis .” People in the ancient world believed that the gods had made people as slave laborers because they were tired of growing their own food and taking care of their own needs . People cared for the gods ( who lived an opulent , pampered lifestyle including food , drink , clothing , housing , etc .) and in turn , the gods took care of the people ( because they had vested interests in doing so ). Thus there was a codependent relationship of mutual need . This provides the context for understanding temples , rituals , worship , and religious obligation in the ancient world . Israel is called to a far different way of thinking , as Yahweh has no needs .
2 . Presence of God in Sacred Space . This is an extension of the previous item . People in the ancient world highly desired that their god to take up residence among them . It was important for the god so they could be pampered , and important for the people so that they could receive blessing . The presence of the god created sacred space that had to be respected and honored . Limited access and purity requirements were taken very seriously . Combined with the Great Symbiosis , this shows why all religion in the ancient world was local . Only those who lived in the vicinity of the temple could be engaged in caring for the gods . And the gods would only be interested in providing for and protecting those who could take care of him / her . It is not that the gods were powerless beyond their local area ; rather , they were disinterested in other places . Their needs were all that mattered . Israel took its sacred space very seriously , but Yahweh was a very different sort of God .
3 . Gods in Community . The polytheism of the ancient world was not just a matter of numbers . In the ancient world identity was found in one ’ s community rather than in one ’ s individuality . Like people , gods found their identity in relationship to the group to which they belonged . Each god had a constellation of attributes , just as people have different skills and abilities . As in human communities , the community of the gods called for hierarchy . So the pantheon of the gods was characterized by a hierarchy ( cosmic gods , national gods , city patrons , clan deities , ancestral deities ) and by differentiation ( according to their jurisdiction , manifestations and attributes ). Given this cultural reality , we can surmise that it was very difficult for the Israelites to adjust to a single God spanning all levels of hierarchy and all categories of jurisdiction .
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