Demons and Spirits in Biblical Theology: Reading the Biblical Text in Its Cultural and Literary Context

by John H. Walton; J. Harvey Walton

Publisher:

Cascade Books

, 2019

Overview

Some people believe that a battle of cosmic proportions is raging as Satan and his demons seek to destroy Christians and undermine God’s plans. Others believe that all talk of demons in the Bible and theology only reflects pre-modern superstitions that should be re-interpreted in philosophical and psychological terms. Despite their contrasts, both believe that the Bible directly or indirectly intends to teach readers about reality. Another path is possible. What if references to demons in the Bible are similar to references about the shape and structure of the cosmos representing the beliefs familiar to the ancient audience but used only as a framework for teaching about the plans and purposes of God? This approach is here worked out through detailed examination of hermeneutical method, the ancient Near Eastern and Greco-Roman contexts, each of the biblical terms and passages, and the essentials of biblical and systematic theology. Unlike many scholarly treatments of demons, readers will not find an assessment of the metaphysical realities. Instead they will be introduced to a hermeneutical, exegetical, and theological feast regarding what the Bible, understood in its ancient context, teaches.

Key Features

• Provides a careful assessment of the theology of demons and spirits
• Examines issues of demythologizing and conflict theology
• Explores the metholdology and certainty of biblical interpretation

Contents

Part 1: How do we go about reading the Bible?

• Reading the Bible for knowledge
• The genres of Scripture
• The genres of Scripture: prophecy and apocalyptic
• The genres of Scripture: wisdom and discourse

Part 2: What are the “demons and spirits” that we want to know about?

• Can we gain knowledge of demons and spirits from outside the Bible?
• Do evil spirit beings really exist?
• What is a “demon” within the Bible’s cognitive environment?
• Demons should be defined relative to a culture’s conception of gods

Part 3: Demons and spirits in the Bible and its cognitive environment

• Divine combat and enemies of the gods
• The serpent
• Demons and idolatry
• Evil gods and angels
• The fall of Satan
• Demons and spirits in the age of the church
• Demons and the problem of evil
• The entailments of conflict theology

Top Highlights

“Using empirical data found in the ancient literature, we can discern a taxonomy of spirit beings in three classes: gods (class I), defined as those who receive sacrifices, at one extreme; and at the other extreme, ghosts (class III), defined as those who were formally human.³ Class II is made up of all that remain and is a large and diverse group. These divisions are more culturally accurate than the common division between good (gods) and evil (demons) because in the ancient world spirits (and gods) were consistently morally ambiguous or neutral.” (Page 56)

“We propose instead that the Bible was written for us, but not to us. Its message has relevance for us today, but its audience—the people to whom it was written meaningfully—are the ancient peoples who spoke the Hebrew and Greek languages in which the documents were written and who were immersed in the culture that provides the context that gives the words of those languages meaning. The author communicated in a way that the ancient audience would have found meaningful.¹² In order to play our role as readers in the contract of communication, then, we have to understand what that meaning would have been. The meaning the text had for the ancient audience is the same meaning it has for us today; the text can never mean what it never meant.” (Page 15)

“The affirmation of the text is the new information that the author intends the ancient audience to acquire, which can consist of completely new ideas but more often consists of clarifying ideas that may have been known but are contested or open to diverse interpretation. Ideas that the audience already knows, or at least holds with relative certainty, are referenced in order to convey this information. The task of the modern interpreter is to sort out the Bible’s affirmations from its references in order to understand the meaning that the text was originally written to convey.” (Pages 15–16)

Praise for the Print Edition

Demons and Spirits in Biblical Theology is a sophisticated yet very readable assessment of the problem of good and evil and how appeals to demons and evil spirits have played a role in the debate. This well researched and well-thought-out book makes major contributions to discussions about Conflict Theology, Prosperity Theology, and Open Theism. The authors wisely conclude that the Bible contains no theology of demons as such, only references to beliefs found in some contexts and settings. I strongly recommend this book.

—Craig A. Evans, Professor of Christian Origins, Houston Baptist University

In Demons and Spirits in Biblical Theology, the authors develop in a new direction the long-term Waltonian program that is designed to make us better Bible-readers by helping us to read Scripture in its ancient contexts. Readers may not agree with every conclusion that arises from their important distinction between reference and affirmation in the Bible. They should, however, recognize the utility of the method in helping us to ensure that, on the matter of demons and spirits, we are people of biblical faith rather than (in reality) polytheists or practical atheists. I warmly commend this book to all who need help in thinking this matter through.

—Iain Provan, Professor of Biblical Studies, Regent College

Product Details

• Title: Demons and Spirits in Biblical Theology: Reading the Biblical Text in Its Cultural and Literary Context
• Authors: John H. Walton and J. Harvey Walton
• Publisher: Wipf & Stock
• Publication Date: 2019
• Pages: 348
• Resource Type: Biblical Theology
• Topic: Demonology

About the Authors

John H. Walton is Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College. He has authored or edited over twenty-five books, including The Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Old Testament (2009), Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament (2006), The Lost World of Adam and Eve (2015), Old Testament Theology for Christians (2017), and commentaries on Genesis (2001) and Job (2012).

J. Harvey Walton is pursuing graduate studies at St. Andrews University and has been involved in various editing and writing projects.