The Cultural Dictionary of the Bible [Paperback]

John J. Pilch (Author, Preface)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1999

Interpreting the Bible respectfully is a cross-cultural enterprise. For those who seek to understand the Bible as a document from the ancient Mediterranean world and communicate it to people in other cultures, The Cultural Dictionary of the Bible is an ideal tool. Scripture expert John Pilch gives the modern Bible reader an appreciation for the world in which each book of the Bible originated and an in-depth look at the Mediterranean personalities who populate the pages of the Bible. With more than 100 distinctive, Middle-Eastern notions, from Abba to Work, this collection provides a cultural system of shared interpretations of persons, things, and events relating to the Mediterranean region. Author: John J. Pilch Format: Paperback, 209 pages Publisher: Liturgical Press ISBN: 9780814625279

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Liturgical Press (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814625274
• ISBN-13: 978-0814625279
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,769 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. John J. Pilch was born in Brooklyn, New York and educated in the mid-West (Wisconsin and Illinois)earning his PhD from Marquette University in 1972. Leading study tours to the Middle East provided first hand experience of that culture and its values. He was assistant clinical professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin for fourteen years(1974-1988)focusing on medical anthropology as it helps to appreciate healing in the modern and ancient world. He then taught the Cultural World of the Bible for eighteen years at Georgetown University, Washington DC (1993-2011). All his audiences have appreciated the fresh light that Middle Eastern culture and values shed on ancient literature from that part of the world. His publications on the Middle Eastern cultural world of the Bible and on healing in the ancient world are well known in the US and abroad.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must-read for all ordained and lay Christian church leaders., September 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cultural Dictionary of the Bible (Paperback)

Dr. Pilch strips away the Western worldview baggage we Americans too often take into our interpretation of the Christian scriptures. By examining the Mediterranean culture from an anthropological perspective, he challenges us to understand the Bible in the same way the ancient writers did. Arranged in alphabetical order, each short chapter exposes the true cultural meaning behind key portions of Scripture. For example, Christ's desire for his disciples to be the "salt of the earth" had much more to do with being a catalyst to make fires burn than it ever had to do with enhancing the flavor of food. As important as this resource is, I recommend it only to mature believers who are spiritually ready to have their basic assumptions challenged. Devour this book and be prepared to critique your own pastor's use of Scripture on a weekly basis.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A useful and interesting book, April 27, 2002

By 

Greg Sampson (Near Lake Ontario) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cultural Dictionary of the Bible (Paperback)

There is so much that is good about this book, I am hesitant to give it only three stars. I'll get to the (perceived) flaws below, but first I would like to say what is good about it. First, it is flat-out interesting. It's an entertaining read. It's the kind of book one can pick up, flip to a random page, and learn something interesting and perhaps useful. The book also works as a reference for the non-specialist; its organization lends itself to that.
The flaw is in the general tone of the book, which looks at holy scripture through the eyes of a cultural anthropologist, and ONLY through those eyes. It is a rather uni-dimensional approach to the scriptures. Perhaps the answer to this criticism is "Of course! This book, by its very nature, is intended to look upon scripture from just that one point of view." Well, maybe. But I got the impression in reading it that the author(s) would not admit of any OTHER way of looking at scripture.
A minor quibble as well (and being a non-specialist I am on shaky ground here): The author makes a big point that the Mediterranean Culture uses questions not so much to gain information, but to challenge or belittle. I submit that this is a more universal phenomenon. Every place I've ever been on this planet uses questions in the so-called "Mediterranean" manner.
Minor and major quibbles aside, I have enjoyed this book, and will probably buy a few more copies to give to my friends.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good info, not necessarily backed up, December 6, 2007

By 

M. Abe "deeper into faith" - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Cultural Dictionary of the Bible (Paperback)

I enjoyed Pilch's book very much. I received some valuable insights into the culture of the New Testament. I was very excited about his comment that the salt in the passage in "salt of the earth" referred to a fire-starting agent. But when I looked all over on the internet to find any one else's reference to this idea, there was nothing. My family, who lived for years in Nigeria, never found salt as a fire starter. In fact, if I remember correctly, salt doesn't burn. That made me wary of the other information. I would double check before citing it.