Faith in Context: The Cultural Landscapes of the Bible

CJ Lewis
May 10, 2025
3 min read

Vol. 4

Understanding Scripture Through the Lens of Ancient Civilizations

When we read the Bible, it’s easy to forget that it wasn’t written in a vacuum. The people, stories, and teachings we’ve come to cherish were shaped within rich, diverse, and deeply rooted cultures. From ancient Israel to Egypt, Babylon to Ethiopia, the Bible reflects a world of spiritual traditions, wisdom, and customs that many modern readers overlook.

In this post, we begin to ask: What happens when we put the Bible back into its cultural context? And perhaps more importantly: What happens when we look at our own culture through the same sacred lens?

Appreciating, Not Appropriating

As we explore the spiritual practices of ancient nations mentioned in the Bible, it's important to appreciate these cultures without appropriating them. These civilizations weren’t footnotes; they were the very canvas upon which much of scripture was painted.

The Hebrew people had rituals that honored land, seasons, and ancestors. Egyptians practiced medicine, dream interpretation, and astrology in deeply spiritual ways. Ethiopian kingdoms appear in the Bible as places of wealth, wisdom, and divine encounter.

To honor these cultures is to deepen our understanding of scripture. To strip them away or ignore them is to miss the full picture of God’s work through time.

Reading the Bible Through a Different Lens

Many of us were taught to read the Bible through a strictly Western, often literal, lens, one that often flattens the vibrant, cultural nuances behind each text. But when we shift the lens, when we study the customs, language, and beliefs of the people in scripture, the text becomes more alive. More human. More sacred.

For example:

The Proverbs become more than life tips, they reflect the oral traditions of ancient wisdom cultures.
The Psalms aren’t just poetic worship, they’re political, cultural, and spiritual cries of a people navigating exile, injustice, and hope.
The story of Moses becomes richer when we remember he was raised in Egypt but born of Hebrew ancestry, carrying a dual cultural identity that deeply influenced his leadership.

Relating Scripture to Our Own Lives and Lineage

When we understand the cultures of the Bible, we start to see that our own cultural experiences matter, too. That the struggles and triumphs of our ancestors have spiritual value. That the rituals, values, and oral stories in our families hold wisdom worth honoring not erasing.

Ask yourself:

What traditions did my ancestors turn to for strength during hardship?
What spiritual practices were passed down intentionally or silently?
How did my culture respond to pain, to oppression, to hope?

History has a way of repeating itself. But the way our ancestors responded through song, storytelling, prayer, and ritual was culturally appropriate and spiritually powerful. These ways may be the key to our healing now.

Finding Christ in Culture

Re-contextualizing the Bible isn’t about rewriting it; it’s about reconnecting with its full truth. It’s about remembering that God has always spoken through culture, through people, through lived experience.

When we honor the cultures of the Bible and our own heritage, we begin to see that the divine has always been present in diversity. And maybe, by studying the sacred practices of our own lineage, we can begin to see our faith not as something handed down by force but as something we were always meant to find for ourselves.

Next in the Series:

In the next blog, we’ll explore specific biblical nations like Ethiopia and Egypt and their spiritual significance. We'll also reflect on how African and Indigenous wisdom traditions align with, and sometimes predate, Christian teachings.

This content is the intellectual property of CJ Thigpen Lewis. No part of this post may be copied, reproduced, or distributed without explicit written permission from the author.