John H. Walton is an Old Testament scholar and professor at Wheaton College. He was a professor at Moody Bible Institute for 20 years. He specializes in the Ancient Near Eastern backgrounds of the Old Testament, especially Genesis and its creation account,

Longman is Distinguished Scholar of Biblical Studies at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, where he was the Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies for nineteen years before his retirement in 2017.[citation needed] He earned his B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan University, his M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary, and his M.Phil. and Ph.D. from Yale University.

From what I can tell, these two men are incredibly smart and have spent their lives studying the Bible, and both have spent many, many years teaching at Evangelical Christian Colleges. So while much of their scholarship is good and helpful, they still try to fit their scholarship into the box of "inerrancy".

Walton and Longman believe that the biblical text implies a universal flood. They accept the science that shows that a universal flood actually happened. They explain that sometimes used hyperbole to teach theological truths.

Part I: Method: Perspectives on Interpretation - We must remember the Bible is written for us, but not to us. Genesis shouldn't be read as a science textbook. They point out that ancient man didn’t make the same strong distinction between myth and history that modern readers do.

Proposition 1: Genesis Is an Ancient Document
Proposition 2: Genesis 1–11 Makes Claims About Real Events
Proposition 3: Genesis Uses Rhetorical Devices
Proposition 4: The Bible Uses Hyperbole to Describe Historical Events
Proposition 5: Genesis Appropriately Presents a Hyperbolic Account of the Flood
Proposition 6: Genesis Depicts the Flood as a Global Event

Part II: Background: Ancient Near Eastern Texts
Proposition 7: Ancient Mesopotamia Also Has Stories of a Worldwide Flood
Proposition 8: The Biblical Flood Story Shares Similarities and Differences with Ancient Near Eastern Flood Accounts

Part III: Text: Understanding the Biblical Text Literarily and Theologically
Proposition 9: A Local Cataclysmic Flood Is Intentionally Described as a Global Flood for Rhetorical Purposes
Proposition 10: The Flood Account Is Part of a Sequence of Sin and Judgment Serving as Backstory for the Covenant
Proposition 11: The Theological History Is Focused on the Issue of Divine Presence, the Establishment of Order, and How Order Is Undermined
Proposition 12: The “Sons of God” Episode Is Not Only a Prelude to the Flood; It Is the Narrative Sequel to Cain and Abel
Proposition 13: The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) Is an Appropriate Conclusion to the Primeval Narrative

Part IV: The World: Thinking About Evidence for the Flood
Proposition 14: The Flood Story Has a Real Event Behind It
Proposition 15: Geology Does Not Support a Worldwide Flood (Steve Moshier)
Proposition 16: Flood Stories from Around the World Do Not Prove a Worldwide Flood
Proposition 17: “Science Can Purify Our Religion; Religion Can Purify Science from Idolatry and False Absolutes”

John Walton does it again - this time with his son. The Lost World series has been consistently eye-opening, and this is certainly no exception. Walton offers an overview of the many worldwide flood narratives, comparing and contrasting scripture's account with the various other accounts, and carefully noting how it paints a unique and compelling portrait of God.

Having read other books from both authors, I had high hopes for this volume on the Flood. I was mildly disappointed by the rather unoriginal content. While upholding the Biblical account as "true", the authors reduced the traditional story of a global flood into a relatively small local event that served to highlight theological perspectives. Too much time was spent on laying the background for this revelation. All in all nothing new was gained from this book.

I am grateful for Walton’s Lost World series. I have enjoyed both The Lost World of Genesis 1 (which I reviewed here) and The Lost World of Adam and Eve (which I reviewed here). Walton has broken ground in helping us understand the book of Genesis through an Ancient Near Eastern lens.

Of the three books that I’ve read, this was my least favorite. If you’ve read any of the series, beware that the first quarter of this book is mainly a regurgitation of his defense for his method. I suppose this can’t be helped and is, in fact, helpful to the new reader. While it is unfortunate that this much time needs to be spent explaining/defending his method, it is indicative of the time in which we live. If you do not need to be convinced, it is a bit tiresome.

While the book is informative in some senses, I felt the majority of the book sought to describe what the flood was not rather than what it was. Perhaps the point was to debunk a literalist reading. If so, mission accomplished (though many would not agree regardless of how strong the argument). This was my main disappointment; I was looking for more insight, less deconstruction. Ironically, the most insight that I gained from this book had to do with the “‘Sons of God’ Episode” in Genesis 6 (Proposition 12) and The Tower of Babel (Proposition 13). Otherwise, most of the time is spent dealing with the Flood not being a literal but rather a hyperbolic “worldwide” event, and some rather bland comparisons with other ANE documents which I normally find fascinating.

I am a fan of Walton, just not a big fan of this book. I will go to it occasionally if looking for a few facts but otherwise, I’ll be looking for new sources of insight.

The Lost World is a thorough and thoughtful consideration of the Genesis flood account and the surrounding passages. Longman and Walton write in a logical and honest way, shedding light on the context of the story, the “cultural river” of the ANE and how the original writer may have intended the story to be heard. While holding firmly to the Bible being the inspired Word of God, the authors carefully disarm some more shallow and naïve interpretations of the flood story. Using a series of clear propositions, this book is written in a way that provides tools for not only interpreting the flood story, but for approaching other historical passages in the Bible. The book doesn’t claim to have all the answers, but certainly provides a well-rounded understanding of the story of the Genesis flood.

I read this book with great anticipation for gleaning numerous insights on the culture of the ANE (Ancient Near East) in general and the ancient Israelites in particular. I did gain a few insights, but overall, the book was astonishingly repetitive, which means that there isn't nearly as much in it as I had hoped. The authors could've shortened it by at least 50% and probably more, had they removed the repetitions.

As to the flood itself, they believe a large flood happened, which was written about in numerous ANE sources, including the Bible.

They do not believe the flood covered the entire earth. They believe the Biblical authors were using hyperbole to describe this big flood. That the flood did not cover the earth is not the point of the Biblical narrative, they argue. So even if it did not cover the world, that doesn't make the story less true.

The important point is the inspired reaction to the flood by the author of the book of Genesis, which helped to shape the ancient Israelites' view of God, a view that was much different from other ANE cultures. For example, whereas other ANE cultures were polytheistic, the ancient Israelites believed in one God.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Walton's "Lost World" books are widely recognized for their approach to difficult biblical issues. In particular, Walton's "Lost World of Genesis 1" and "Lost World of Adam and Eve" map out Walton's theological approach where others are inclined to take a historical approach to the text. Add Tremper Longman III, another well-established and widely published Old Testament scholar, and you have a winning combination.

As the title implies, this book focuses on the flood narrative. Walton and Longman explore the historicity, but primarily focus on the theological implications of the story, as well as discovering what they refer to as the "cultural river;" the term they use to describe the similarities among ancient near-eastern societies.

The book is well-worth the read, and I highly recommend it.