The Historical Background

Another way of reading in context is to understand the historical background of the passage or the book that you are studying.  Knowing the background of the book should be done before you start reading.  You should try to acquire reliable information about the author and the original recipient of the book, the date and the reason why it was written, and the cultural or life setting when it was written.  With this information the modern reader will have an easier task to hear the same message that was originally heard by the recipient.

Remember, exegesis seeks to know the original message intended by the author.  A  modern reader must somehow transfer himself to the time when the author wrote the letter to be able to hear that original message. Not knowing the Historical background will cause us to read things in the passage according to our modern cultural background or custom.  This, of course, is totally different from the author's own cultural background and thus causes many erroneous interpretations and applications.

If you have a Study Bible, reading the introduction page of every book that you study is a good start to find historical background.  Bible tools such as a Bible Handbook or a good  commentary is where you would find a lot of information in this matter. 

Example:  1 Corinthians 11:4-5,16 "Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head.  And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head- it is just as though her head were shaved...If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice- nor do the churches of God." (NIV) This is considered a difficult passage in the Bible to interpret.  A good interpreter should start by gathering reliable background information before attempting any interpretation of the passage.

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