Tool Beta
The Ancient World Behind the Text
Pick a passage anywhere in the New Testament. See the customs and ideas a first reader knew without being told.
John 8:31-59, Abraham's children, and before Abraham, I am
Jesus tells Judeans who had believed him that the truth will make them free. They answer that they are Abraham's children and were never slaves, and the argument ends with Jesus saying before Abraham was, I am, and stones in their hands.
John 8:31-59, in every translation this tool compares.
Jesus tells Jews who had come to believe him that the truth will make them free, and they take offense, since as Abraham's children they have never been anyone's slaves. The argument turns bitter on both sides over who their real father is, until Jesus claims to have existed before Abraham. His hearers take that as blasphemy and pick up stones, and he slips out of the temple.
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/children-of-abraham\/","n":"Children of Abraham","s":"Jews called Abraham our father, and many believed that being his descendants all but guaranteed a place among God's saved people. The Gospels and Paul argue over who his true children are.","r":""}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/the-satan\/","n":"The satan, the tempter","s":"The accuser, tempter and deceiver of Jewish belief, seen as the power behind human and political evil. In the Gospels he tests Jesus and is the strong man Jesus binds, and John calls him the ruler of this world.","r":""}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/samaritans\/","n":"The Samaritans","s":"The people of the hill country between Judea and Galilee worshiped Israel's God on Mount Gerizim, not in Jerusalem. Jews and Samaritans each claimed to be the true heirs of Israel, and centuries of hostility lay between them.","r":""}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/gods-name\/","n":"God's name and I am","s":"God gave his name to Moses at the burning bush as I AM, and in Isaiah he says I am he. To make God's name known was to show who he is, and when Jesus uses those words in certain settings, his hearers can take them as God's own name.","r":""}
- {"u":"https:\/\/jayms.com\/bible-study-tools-2\/ancient-world-ideas\/blasphemy\/","n":"Blasphemy","s":"Speech that dishonored God, including claiming what belonged to God alone. Under the law the penalty was death.","r":""}
Jewish teachers granted that Israel had been under at least four kingdoms, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome, yet held that angels and stars governed the other nations, while God alone governed Israel (Keener; the cultural backgrounds notes). To suggest that a man had one father by law and another by nature accused his mother of adultery, so the reply about not being born of immorality defends their descent (Keener and his notes); Wright thinks they were already sneering about Jesus' birth, while Keener says that is not clear in this debate. Jewish tradition made the devil the liar who deceived Eve and so brought death, the first murderer (the cultural backgrounds notes; Keener; the ESV Study Bible). Samaritan was an insult, and Samaritans disputed the Jews' sole claim to Abraham (the cultural backgrounds notes; Keener). Tradition said Abraham was shown the future kingdoms and the messianic age (Keener and his notes). Fifty was the minimum age for some kinds of public service (Keener). Stoning was the penalty for blasphemy (Leviticus 24:16), and the temple was still being built, so a mob could find things to throw (Keener and his notes).
- Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, on John 8:33, 8:41, 8:42-47, 8:48, 8:56, 8:57-58 and 8:59
- NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, notes on John 8:33, 8:41, 8:44, 8:48, 8:56 and 8:59
- ESV Study Bible, study note on John 8:44
- N. T. Wright, John for Everyone, Part One, comment on John 8:37-47
