To a religious community accustomed to study the entire range of Holy Writ in a planned annual course of daily readings, this work describing the details of everyday life in the times of Jesus and the Apostles has special appeal, being beautifully produced and extensively illustrated. The book, reviewed here by request, deals with social conditions both in Palestine and in the larger Roman world. Houses, costume, food, sanitation, medicine, travel, writing, education, finance, law, punishments, slavery, science and amusements, among other aspects of life, pass under panoramic review, while a special chapter is devoted to Jerusalem itself.
Many Scripture expressions, inexplicable in terms of modern conditions, are made intelligible with reference to their First Century setting. The layout of Palestinian dwellings, for example, explains the terms ” secret chambers ” and corruption by ” moth and rust “; and the expressions ” girding up one’s loins ” and the ” measuring out into one’s bosom,” as of food by a shopkeeper, have reference to the styles of costume worn in the times of Christ. Greater appreciation of the limitations, ordeals and perils of Paul during his voyages results from the knowledge that sea travel in the Mediterranean was only regarded as perfectly safe between May 26th and September 14th and the sea was considered closed to traffic entirely from November 10th to March 10th—the intervening periods, March 10 to May 26th and September 15th to November 10th, being considered very risky and only then undertaken by private merchant ships.
Incidentally the author gives an alternative explanation to the one usually understood with reference to Acts, chapter 27, where helps ” are used or “undergirding the ship”; these are described as ropes running from stem to stern and tautened.
Most interesting is the statement in the section dealing with literary work that papyrus was actually obtainable in Sicily as recently as 1902, while special papyrus sheets were made in 1913 from a plant growing in the Botanical Gardens at Berlin. Equally interesting is the fact that it was the common practice in the First Century to conceal a name in writing by the use of arithmetical figures, as reflected in the Apocalyptic number 666 in reference to “the number of a man.” Ample evidence exists that the First Century was definitely a literary age, education being organised in the days of Jesus. and made compulsory from the age of six in every town—instruction being mainly based on the Law and Prophets. Among high yet indolent society, however, it was fashionable to make pretence of learning by possessing a library for display purposes but never reading the books!
News in First Century days was probably broadcast by official criers, while the Romans employed a notice board or tablet, called the album, for the display of official public announcements. Rabbinical records support the speculation that news-sheets were probably current, but whether issued by the High Priests, Roman government or private enterprise is not clear. It would be interesting to know how the events of the Crucifixion and its mighty aftermath might have been reported!
Information as to weights and measures reveals the somewhat startling fact that when the miracle at the marriage feast in Cana was performed, each waterpot contained anything from eighteen to twenty-five gallons of wine. Again, the Jewish talanton was large and heavy, about eighty pounds; hence it is not surprising that the lazy servant in the parable preferred to bury it, or wrap it up and put it away.
In their methods of measuring time, Jews and Romans varied considerably; and some commentators declare that while the Synoptic Gospels used Jewish computation, John’s Gospel record employed that of Rome. Incidentally water-clocks were used in the law courts of Rome, whose judicial fairness fully recognized the fact that attack in debate is always easier than defence, and accordingly allotted a two hours limit to speeches of the prosecuting counsel but three hours for the case of the defence.
While recommending this work as an extensive and absorbingly interesting survey of First Century social conditions, we should be unfaithful to the cause to which this magazine is devoted if we failed to point out at least one glaring departure from sound doctrine which calls for due censure. It is with respect to the essential doctrine of Baptism and we quote the author’s words.
“Baptism was not invented by Christians. It was a primitive rite of long standing which became adapted by them, or rather by the Jews, from whom the Christians took it over. It is no use pretending that we are certain it was expressly ordained by Christ. The actual command to baptise is probably a late addition and not part of the original sayings, and in the Fourth Gospel we read ‘Howbeit Jesus baptised not, but his disciples’; while Paul writes to the Galatians, I thank God I baptised none of you, for God sent me not to baptise, but to preach the Gospel!’ These are facts. “
Then with an air of concession the author adds,
“Nevertheless, the Jews baptised their own proselytes, and John the Baptist practised the rite at his mission, while Jesus himself underwent the ceremony at his hands. It is, therefore, quite reasonable to conclude that the use of baptism as a means of incorporation into the Christian movement must have had the approved of Christ.”1
Most readers will know the answers to these errors and wrestings of Scripture, which have received due attention in our Theology and Problems sections from time to time.
1 p. 147. The italics are ours.
Review of “The Early Earth” by John Whitcomb (1972)