OT301 Origins of Genesis 1–3

by John H. Walton

Publisher:

Lexham Press

, 2014

Overview

Origins of Genesis 1–3 studies the claims of the biblical text in these first chapters of Genesis. Focusing closely on the ancient Near Eastern context of the text, professor Walton helps students see how Genesis 1–3 would have been understood by its original audience and leads students to examine the function of the creation story and the issues between science and the Bible.

Contents

Top Highlights

“Adam and Eve would have been chosen from among that group as representative priests in sacred space. Once they are brought into sacred space, they give hope for life in God’s presence. In that sense, Adam and Eve—as these representatives—would have the possibility of offering life to this group of mortals through opening up God’s sacred space and God’s presence.” (source)

“and God is the center and source of order and of wisdom.” (source)

“It’s not that we are imitating God, it’s that we are participating in God’s rest; that is, when we rest, we are acknowledging that we are not the ones who bring order and stability to our lives. It’s the role of God to bring order and stability.” (source)

“Authority has been vested in the author, and the author then is our access to that authority” (source)

“Before we move on we should note an important passage in Zech 12:1, which pulls some of these issues together. There it says, ‘The Lord who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth’—by the way, there you can see that we’re dealing with a creation context. It goes on to say, ‘and who forms the human spirit within a person’—and here we find that forming is not something that’s material, because the human spirit is not material. So we see both in biblical usage and in biblical contexts, and in the ancient Near East, the forming using particular ingredients is not really a statement about material origins. In that way, the biblical text corresponds to what we find typically in the ancient world.” (source)

Product Details

• Title: OT301 Origins of Genesis 1–3
• Author: John H. Walton
• Series: Logos Mobile Education
• Publisher: Lexham Press
• Print Publication Date: 2014
• Logos Release Date: 2014
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Courseware
• Subjects: Bible. O.T. Genesis › Criticism, interpretation, etc; Education › Bible. O.T. Genesis--Criticism, interpretation, etc
• Resource ID: LLS:OT301WALTON
• Resource Type: Courseware Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-02-04T21:17:45Z

About John H. Walton

Dr. John H. Walton, professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, spent 20 years teaching at Moody Bible Institute.

In his college years, he developed a passion for archaeology and Bible history. Instead of training to be an archaeologist, though, he focused his attention on studies comparing the culture and literature of the Bible and the ancient Near East. He has never lost his fascination with this subject, but comparative studies only provide one of the means by which he tries to get people excited about the Old Testament. He’s saddened by how little exposure to and understanding of the Old Testament many Christians have, but he’s passionate in doing whatever he can to remedy this spiritual and theological loss.

For 25 years, Dr. Walton was active at South Park Church in Park Ridge, Illinois—teaching at every level, from adults through preschool. He’s driven by the desire to offer people a greater familiarity with God’s Word and a greater confidence in understanding God’s revelation of himself in its pages. Since moving to Wheaton, he has gotten involved in the same areas of ministry at Glen Ellyn Bible Church.

Whether in teaching or writing, he’s constantly challenged in his own life because the material he’s presenting stretches him as much as it stretches his students and readers. Whatever he’s writing or teaching also has a way of infiltrating his family. His wife, Kim, was trained as a biochemist, which made for interesting dinner conversations—especially when he was working on his Genesis commentary. His three kids have often gotten involved in the discussions, and he’s had fun responding to them and seeing his family grow together.

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