The Cultural World of the Bible: An Illustrated Guide to Manners and Customs

by Victor H. Matthews

In this new edition of a successful book (over 120,000 copies sold), now updated throughout, a leading expert on the social world of the Bible offers students a reliable guide to the manners and customs of the ancient world. From what people wore, ate, and built to how they exercised justice, mourned, and viewed family and legal customs, this illustrated introduction helps readers gain valuable cultural background on the biblical world. The attractive, full-color, user-friendly design will appeal to students, while numerous pedagogical features--including fifty photos, sidebars, callouts, maps, charts, a glossary of key terms, chapter outlines, and discussion questions--increase classroom utility. Previously published as Manners and Customs in the Bible.

Genres: Biblical Studies

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 16, 2015

About the author

Victor Harold Matthews (PhD, Brandeis University) is dean of the College of Humanities and Public Affairs and professor of religious studies at Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri. He is the author of numerous books, including Manners and Customs in the Bible, Studying the Ancient Israelites, Old Testament Turning Points, and The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Genesis–Deuteronomy.

Reviews

[Jordan Parmer]

This book is an excellent cultural history of the ancient world starting from known genesis through 2nd century CE. It focuses on many aspects of culture including social living, politics, law, village life, city life, arts and literature, etc. Each chapter covers a major era and tracks against the biblical timeline. The final chapter (Chapter 5) is particularly fantastic covering the Intertestamental period and the Hellenized Roman world in the New Testament and slightly beyond.

[Lilly Roepnack]

The layout can be confusing at times, but the information this book provided was super helpful for contextualizing the Old Testament. I will finish this next year because I'm not taking OT 2 till Spring of 2027.

[Micah Yost]

Good historical context, not the best for my sanctification at the time

[Emily Simons]

Great historical context, very very dry reading… struggled to keep my eyes open for multiple pages in a single sitting.

[John Kight]

Victor H. Matthews is dean of the College of Humanities and Public Affairs and professor of religious studies at Missouri State University. He holds a Ph.D. from Brandeis University and is the author of numerous books, including, A Brief History of Ancient Israel and The Hebrew Prophets and Their Social World: An Introduction. He has also co-authored a number of highly acclaimed books, such as The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament and The Old Testament: Text and Context. The most recent contribution by Matthews, The Cultural World of the Bible: An Illustrated Guide to Manners and Customs, is the fourth edition of his popular manners and customs textbook previously titled Manners and Customs in the Bible: An Illustrated Guide to Daily Life in Bible Times.

The Cultural World of the Bible is an up-to-date refinement of a classic work. Matthews provides the reader with a reliable guide to the world of the Bible that will inevitably open new insights to the biblical narrative. Matthews begins the book with a helpful introduction that sets the context for the discussion that follows, as well as arranges the foundation for the overall approach of the book. There are five periods addressed: (1) Ancestral Period, (2) Exodus-Settlement Period, (3) Monarchic Period, (4) Exile and Return, and (5) Intertestamental and New Testament Periods. Within each of these five periods Matthews seeks to guide the reader into the world of the Bible as he discusses a number of diverse issues, such as physical appearance and fashion, food preparation and diet, marriage and religious customs, legal customs, weapons and warfare, family and social life, as well as economic life, health issues, etc.

Overall the reader will be impressed with the brevity and clarity with which Matthews is able to address such issues. I found his lengthy discussion on cultural issues faced by immigrants during the Ancestral Period both fascinating and enlightening. This was also the case in a number of other places, such as the social life and health issues of the Monarchic Period, and the economic and religious life of the Intertestamental and New Testament Periods. Throughout the book, Matthews sheds light on specific customs and practices and then roots them in the biblical narrative. Matthews also draws from a host of primary source material and provides a healthy annotated bibliography for further research. Each chapter closes with discussion questions, and there is both a glossary and index of Scripture and other ancient writings.

If you are looking for an up-to-date guide to the manners and customs of the biblical world, then The Cultural World of the Bible is the book for you. Matthews is a leading expert in the social world of Ancient Israel, and the present volume, now in the fourth edition, testifies to this reality. My only complaint is the lack of illustrations presented in “An Illustrated Guide to Manners and Customs.” There are approximately 55 illustrations total within the over 300 pages of text. The book is certainly visually pleasing, but for some the lack of illustrations will be an issue. Another complaint is the lack of a hardcover edition. I understand the economics of having a paperback edition and readers will certainly appreciate the cheaper price-point. But this is a beautiful and informative volume, and my concern is that the paperback will not last frequent use—and this book is one that is sure to see frequent use.

I received this book for free from Baker Academic in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.