The Lost World Series (5 vols.)

by John H. Walton; Tremper Longman III; Stephen O. Moshier; D. Brent Sandy

and

1 more

Publisher:

IVP Academic

, 2009–2018

Overview

Often times, reading the Old Testament can be a challenge. It feels foreign. The culture, the customs, the social rules regularly come across as mismatched with contemporary life. Even Christians who work hard to be thoughtful and dedicated in their reading of scripture can feel like a “literal” seems lacking somehow, as if the world of the Old Testament is lost on us compared to our modern experience of technology and convenience. in the Lost World Collection, John H. Walton helps us gain a greater understanding of the culture and milieu of the Ancient Near East in way that is practical for gaining a better understanding of the Old Testament.

Key Features

• Explores the full ancient Near East context of the book of Genesis
• Provides insight into the lives of the Canaanites, their culture, and social practices
• Suggests a new perspetive on understanding scriptural authority in the context of the oral cultures of the Israelites and the Ancient Near East

Product Details

• Title: The Lost World Collection
• Publisher: IVP
• Volumes: 5
• Pages: 1,248
• Resource Type: Monographs
• Topic: Ancient Near East

The Lost World of Adam & Eve: Genesis 2-3 and the Human Origins Debate

• Author: John H. Walton, with contributions by N.T. Wright
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2015
• Pages: 256

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

For centuries the story of Adam and Eve has resonated richly through the corridors of art, literature and theology. But for most moderns, taking it at face value is incongruous. And even for many thinking Christians today who want to take seriously the authority of Scripture, insisting on a “literal” understanding of Genesis 2–3 looks painfully like a "tear here" strip between faith and science. How can Christians of good faith move forward? Who were the historical Adam and Eve? What if we've been reading Genesis—and its claims regarding material origins—wrong? In what cultural context was this couple, this garden, this tree, this serpent portrayed?

Following his groundbreaking Lost World of Genesis One, John Walton explores the ancient Near Eastern context of Genesis 2–3, creating space for a faithful reading of Scripture along with full engagement with science for a new way forward in the human origins debate. As a bonus, an illuminating excursus by N. T. Wright places Adam in the implied narrative of Paul's theology. The Lost World of Adam and Eve will be required reading for anyone seeking to understand this foundational text historically and theologically, and wondering how to view it alongside contemporary understandings of human origins.

When strident voices who call the first three chapters of Genesis nothing but myth are met by equally strident voices declaring that the Bible, the gospel and the church will thereby collapse from the inside, we are tempted to take a side and start cheering. Then come the voices of reason that seek an opportunity to calm down the strident voices that often refuse to listen. John Walton is a voice of reason and he has shown time and time again that we must learn to read the Bible as God gave it, not the way we'd like it to be. Here we are treated to more 'propositions' about Adam and Eve that will anchor our faith in the ancient world in such a way that the fresh Spirit of God can blow on those chapters to illuminate all who will listen. Thank God for The Lost World of Adam and Eve.

—Scot McKnight, professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary

Nicholas Thomas “Tom” Wright (1948–) has been named by Christianity Today as one of our time’s top theologians. He is currently professor of New Testament and early Christianity at St. Andrews University. Wright holds a bachelor’s degree in theology, a master’s in Anglican ministry, and a DPhil, all from University of Oxford.

A fellow and chaplain at Cambridge from 1978 to 1981, he then served as assistant professor of New Testament language and literature at McGill University in Montreal. Before becoming a chaplain, tutor, lecturer, and fellow at Oxford in 1986, Wright served as dean of Lichfield Cathedral, canon theologian of Westminster Abbey, and bishop of Durham.

His academic work has usually been published under the name “N. T. Wright,” but works such as What St. Paul Really Said and Simply Christian, aimed at a more popular readership, were published under the less formal name of “Tom Wright.”

The Lost World of the Flood: Mythology, Theology, and the Deluge Debate

• Authors: John H. Walton and Tremper Longman III
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2018
• Pages: 192

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

“The flood continued forty days on the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth . . . and the ark floated on the face of the waters” (Gen 6:17-18 NRSV).

In modern times the Genesis flood account has been probed and analyzed for answers to scientific, apologetic, and historical questions. It is a text that has called forth “flood geology,” fueled searches for remnants of the ark on Mount Ararat, and inspired a full-size replica of Noah’s ark in a theme park. Some claim that the very veracity of Scripture hinges on a particular reading of the flood narrative. But do we understand what we are reading?

Longman and Walton urge us to ask what the biblical author might have been saying to his ancient audience. Our quest to rediscover the biblical flood requires that we set aside our own cultural and interpretive assumptions and visit the distant world of the ancient Near East. Responsible interpretation calls for the patient examination of the text within its ancient context of language, literature, and thought. And as we return from that lost world to our own, we will need to ask whether geological science supports the notion of flood geology.

To read Longman and Walton is to put our feet on firmer interpretive ground. Without attempting to answer all of our questions, they lift the fog of modernity and allow the sunlight to reveal the true contours of the text. As with other books in the Lost World series, The Lost World of the Flood is an informative and enlightening journey toward a more responsible reading of a timeless biblical narrative.

The Lost World of the Flood lays before serious Bible readers a consistent examination of the text itself, an honesty about hyperbole in the flood narrative, a splendid locating and explaining of the flood story in the context of the ancient Near East, a profound grasp of the theological value of the text, and a noble example of how to read the Bible as the Word of God. A brave and sound accomplishment.

—Scot McKnight, Julius R. Mantey Professor, Northern Seminary

A ‘plain sense’ reading of the biblical flood account has been under siege since the inception of ‘flood geology’ nearly a century ago. In an effort to uphold the truth of Scripture, many well-intentioned Christians have instead ravaged both the biblical text and the field of geology. In The Lost World of the Flood, Longman and Walton make great strides in retrieving biblical authority from interpretations of Genesis 6 through 9 founded upon poor exegesis and equally poor science. With a firm but gentle hand the authors lead their readers into the world of ancient Israel, offering an interpretation of the biblical flood narrative that honors the authority of Scripture and respects the scientific consensus on geological matters.

—Kyle Greenwood, associate professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, Colorado Christian University

Two scholars of the ancient Near East and the Bible join a geologist to address a vexing question from Genesis: what was the nature and extent of the biblical flood? With clarity and logic, they present a position counter to traditional evangelical ‘orthodoxy’ but which, if seeking to be rebutted, will need to be addressed with equal clarity and logic.

—David W. Baker, professor of Old Testament and Semitic languages, Ashland Theological Seminary

Tremper Longman III (PhD, Yale University) is Distinguished Scholar of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. He is also visiting professor of Old Testament at Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and adjunct of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary. He lectures regularly at Regent College in Vancouver and the Canadian Theological Seminary in Calgary.

Longman is the author or coauthor of over twenty books, including How to Read Genesis, How to Read the Psalms, How to Read Proverbs, Literary Approaches to Biblical Interpretation, Old Testament Essentials, and coeditor of A Complete Literary Guide to the Bible. He and Dan Allender have coauthored Bold Love, Cry of the Soul, Intimate Allies, The Intimate Mystery, and the Intimate Marriage Bible studies.

The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate

• Author: John H. Walton
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 192

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

In this astute mix of cultural critique and biblical studies, John H. Walton presents and defends twenty propositions supporting a literary and theological understanding of Genesis 1 within the context of the ancient Near Eastern world and unpacks its implications for our modern scientific understanding of origins.

Ideal for students, professors, pastors, and lay readers with an interest in the intelligent design controversy and creation-evolution debates, Walton’s thoughtful analysis unpacks seldom appreciated aspects of the biblical text and sets Bible-believing scientists free to investigate the question of origins.

This book presents a profoundly important new analysis of the meaning of Genesis. Digging deeply into the original Hebrew language and the culture of the people of Israel in Old Testament times, respected scholar John Walton argues convincingly that Genesis was intended to describe the creation of the functions of the cosmos, not its material nature. In the process, he elevates Scripture to a new level of respectful understanding, and eliminates any conflict between scientific and scriptural descriptions of origins.

—Francis S. Collins, head of the Human Genome Project

Walton’s cosmic temple inauguration view of Genesis 1 is a landmark study in the interpretation of that controversial chapter. On the basis of ancient Near Eastern literatures, a rigorous study of the Hebrew word bara’ (‘create’), and a cogent and sustained argument, Walton has gifted the church with a fresh interpretation of Genesis 1. His view that the seven days refers to the inauguration of the cosmos as a functioning temple where God takes up his residence as his headquarters from which he runs the world merits reflection by all who love the God of Abraham.

—Bruce Waltke, Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies, Regent College and Distinguished Professor of Old Testament, Knox Theological Seminary

Every theologian, every pastor, every Christian in the natural sciences, indeed, every Christian who loves the Bible must put aside all other reading material this minute and immediately begin to absorb the contents of John Walton’s The Lost World of Genesis One. Walton closely examines Genesis 1 in light of ancient Near Eastern literature and offers a compelling case that the creation account is far more concerned with the cosmos being given its functions as God’s temple than it is with the manufacture of the material structures of the earth and universe. In the process, he has blown away all the futile attempts to elicit modern science from the first chapter of the Bible.

—Davis A. Young, Professor Emeritus of geology, Calvin College

John Walton offers a compelling and persuasive interpretation of Genesis, one that challenges those who take it as an account of material origins. His excellent book is must-reading for all who are interested in the origins debate.

—Tremper Longman, Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies, Westmont College

The Lost World of the Israelite Conquest: Covenant, Retribution, and the Fate of the Canaanites

• Author: John H. Walton and J. Harvey Walton
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 288

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Holy warfare is the festering wound on the conscience of Bible-believing Christians. Of all the problems the Old Testament poses for our modern age, this is the one we want to avoid in mixed company. But do the so-called holy war texts of the Old Testament portray a divinely inspired genocide? Did Israel slaughter Canaanites at God's command? Were they enforcing divine retribution on an unholy people? These texts shock us. And we turn the page. But have we rightly understood them?

In The Lost World of the Israelite Conquest, John Walton and J. Harvey Walton take us on an archaeological dig, excavating the layers of translation and interpretation that over time have encrusted these texts and our perceptions. What happens when we take new approaches, frame new questions? When we weigh again their language and rhetoric? Were the Canaanites punished for sinning against the covenanting God? Does the Hebrew word herem mean "devote to destruction"? How are the Canaanites portrayed and why? And what happens when we backlight these texts with their ancient context? The Lost World of the Israelite Conquest keenly recalibrates our perception and reframes our questions. While not attempting to provide all the answers, it offers surprising new insights and clears the ground for further understanding.

The conquest of Canaan is arguably the most intractable ethical problem in the Bible, and to date no solution has garnered a consensus. These authors offer a genuinely fresh approach to mitigate the difficulties. Deeply rooted in ancient Near Eastern mores and reconsideration of key biblical words and texts, the arguments challenge many commonly held ideas. While provocative at times, this book deserves careful consideration.

—John W. Hilber, professor of Old Testament, Grand Rapids Theological Seminary

J. Harvey Walton (MA, Wheaton College Graduate School) is a researcher in biblical studies and has contributed to a variety of publications. He is pursuing graduate studies at St. Andrews University.

The Lost World of Scripture: Ancient Literary Culture and Biblical Authority

• Author: John H. Walton and Brent Sandy
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2013
• Pages: 320

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

From John H. Walton, author of the bestselling Lost World of Genesis One, and D. Brent Sandy, author of Plowshares and Pruning Hooks, comes a detailed look at the origins of scriptural authority in ancient oral cultures and how they inform our understanding of the Old and New Testaments today. Stemming from questions about scriptural inerrancy, inspiration and oral transmission of ideas, The Lost World of Scripture examines the process by which the Bible has come to be what it is today. From the reasons why specific words were used to convey certain ideas to how oral tradition impacted the transmission of biblical texts, the authors seek to uncover how these issues might affect our current doctrine on the authority of Scripture.

“In this book we are exploring ways God chose to reveal his word in light of discoveries about ancient literary culture,” write Walton and Sandy. “Our specific objective is to understand better how both the Old and New Testaments were spoken, written and passed on, especially with an eye to possible implications for the Bible?s inspiration and authority.”

Clear, rigorous, innovative, well-informed and honest wrestling with a perpetual problem: how the phenomena of Scripture and the doctrine of inerrancy interrelate. Its application of cultural theory ('oral' vs. 'literary' cultures) and speech-act theory bears much fruit. Rich food for thought for students and scholars alike.

—Robert Hubbard, professor of biblical literature, North Park Theological Seminary

Brent Sandy (PhD, Duke University) teaches New Testament and Greek at Wheaton College. His books include Plowshares and Pruning Hooks: Rethinking the Language of Biblical Prophecy and Apocalyptic.

About John H. Walton

John H. Walton (PhD, Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School. Previously he was professor of Old Testament at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago for twenty years. Some of Walton's books include The Lost World of Adam and Eve, The Lost World of Scripture, The Lost World of Genesis One, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament, The Essential Bible Companion, The NIV Application Commentary: Genesis, and The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament (with Victor Matthews and Mark Chavalas). Walton's ministry experience includes church classes for all age groups, high school Bible studies, and adult Sunday school classes, as well as serving as a teacher for “The Bible in 90 Days.” John and his wife, Kim, live in Wheaton, Illinois, and have three adult children.