By Rev. G.M. Mackie, M.A
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“People” magazine, and many others, owe their successful existence to the fact that we human beings like to know about other people. Readers enjoy stories about famous (and even not so famous) people. The Bible is full of people whose lives, and even thoughts, are open before us. All of the drama of life is set before us in the Bible: love and hate, laughter and despair, hope and fear. The better we know the people of the Bible, the more interesting it is, the more fun it is to read, and the more we can learn as we read it. But the people of the Bible lived in a culture that was very different from ours. If we are going to know the people of the Bible, indeed, if we are going to understand the Bible itself, it is imperative that we learn something about the manners and customs of biblical times.
Imagine trying to understand modern culture without knowing how we dressed, what we ate, where we lived, and about the jobs that people worked at all day. Under those circumstances it would be easy to misunderstand something we said or did. Yet most people know very little about the daily lives of the thousands of people who fill the pages of the Bible, from Adam and Eve to the Apostle Paul. The Bible becomes much easier to understand, and a much more fun book to read, if we take the time to learn about the manners and customs of the biblical culture. The people of the Bible, and the lessons in it, become alive for us, hold our attention, and make sense.
When Samson said that the Philistines had “plowed with my heifer,” he was not in any way referring to cattle he owned. Just as our culture refers to girls in various ways, including “dolls, babes, chicks,” etc., so in the biblical culture young girls were sometimes referred to as “heifers.” Knowing that fact makes the passage understandable, and more fun to read. There are hundreds of examples in Scripture, where the meaning of a verse is clear if the custom is known. Understanding the manners and customs of the Bible can turn a frustrating session of Bible reading into a fun and meaningful session. Knowing biblical manners and customs can mean the difference between understanding and misunderstanding the Bible.
This book makes known many of the manners and customs of the people of Palestine. It covers many subjects, including the climate they lived in that affected their daily lives, the clothes they wore, the food they ate, the work that consumed their days, their love and marriage, the birth and raising of children, their funerals and mourning, and more. It helps people understand and enjoy the people of the Bible, and the Bible itself.
Table of Contents:
Mackie’s Preface
Reviser’s Preface
Acknowledgements
Why Read A Customs Book?
Why Revise An Old Customs Book?
How To Read This Book
List Of Illustrations And Photographs
Introduction
Chapter One: Climate, Seasons, Scenery, And Weather
Climate, Seasons, Months
Day and Night, Atmosphere
Landscape, Weather Changes
Chapter Two: Shepherds And Peasants
Pastoral Life–Shepherds
Agricultural Life–Peasants
Chapter Three: Trades And Professions
Weaving, Dying and Embroidery
Masonry, Carpentry, Metal Work
Bakers, Apothecearies, Fishermen
Fowlers and Hunters, Day Laborers, Pottery
Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water
Tax Gathers, Money Changers
Bankers, Merchants
Chapter Four: Food And Clothing
Bread, Water, Meat
Milk, Vegetables, Fruit
Male Dress, Female Dress
Chapter Five: Home And Family Life
The Home Life
The Family Life
Chapter Six: Social, Political, And Religious Life
Eastern Villages, The City
Neighborhood, Hospitality, Prosperity
Law and Government, Rich and Poor
Travel and Transport
Medicine and Sickness
Education, Religion
Bibliography
Scripture Index
Topical Index