Of Saints & Shepherds

With Hellenization in mind, it is important to ask oneself who is being addressed when reading any portion of the New Testament. This is because each sub-culture within the church had their own strengths and weaknesses. They also had their own unique views about civic and religious leadership.

There also also appear to be distinct patterns of how each group is exhorted in New Testament writings. These three unique cultures coming together into “one new man” created a challenging and unique circumstances.

These challenges are witnessed in the stories that can be read in Acts. Furthermore, may of the Pauline epistles were written to churches established during the events of the book of Acts – in hellenized cultures. Without this understanding, modern readers risk misunderstanding and misapplying the scriptures. 

As mentioned in the introduction to this blog – context is king. When we read anything about leadership in the local church in the New Testament, this setting should be considered.