Old Testament Backgrounds
Overview
We come to the biblical text as outsiders. God communicated to and through the Bible’s authors, and into their context. We need to recover the ancient ways of thinking, the ancient culture in order to read our biblical text well. Background studies can give us better access to the intentions of the authors.
This course provides historical, social and cultural background for understanding the Old Testament. Expert scholar and Old Testament professor John Walton makes the Old Testament more accessible for ordinary readers.
- Recovers the ancient ways of thinking.
- Provides historical, social and cultural background for understanding the Old Testament.
- Makes the Old Testament more accessible for ordinary readers.
- Lesson 1: Why Do We Need Background Studies?
- Lesson 2: The Old Testament and the Ancient Near East
- Lesson 3: Doing Background Studies
- Lesson 4: Historical Backgrounds
- Lesson 5: Archaeological and Geographical Backgrounds
- Lesson 6: Literary Backgrounds
- Lesson 7: Literary Genres: Treaties and Covenants
- Lesson 8: Literary Genres: Law
- Lesson 9: Conceptual Backgrounds: Temple, Rest, and Sacrifice
- Lesson 10: Conceptual Backgrounds: Signs, Wonders, and Existence
- Lesson 11: Manners and Customs: Marriage
- Lesson 12: Cultural Backgrounds
- Lesson 13: Linguistic Backgrounds
- Lesson 14: Exegesis Example: Tower of Babel
- Lesson 15: Exegesis Example: Joshua’s Long Day
- Title: Old Testament Backgrounds (video)
- Author: John H. Walton
- Publisher: Seminary Now
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Era: era:modern
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Video
- Subject: Bible. O.T. › Criticism, interpretation, etc.--Videos
- Resource ID: LLS:LDTSTMNBCKGRNDSVD
- Resource Type: Media
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-12-19T18:16:07Z
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.
