Living by the Book/Living by the Book Workbook Set (154 page)

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he next few assignments will encourage you to do some consulting with other sources in order to get a better grasp of the culture at the time James was written. As you learn to understand the cultural significance of some of these things, you can then begin to compare and contrast them with those of your own culture.

For example, today see what you can discover about social structure in this society. What was the “pecking order” in the Roman Empire? How were non-Romans viewed? What kind of structure was being advocated in Christian writings? What was the structure within the church?

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oday use comparison (of Scripture to other Scripture), followed by consultation of other sources to see what you can find out about the cultural practice of anointing with oil (James 5:14). When would this be done? What was the significance? What is the earliest instance you can find where this was done? Does it have any value in contemporary culture?