A top of the line analysis from a premier Old Testament scholar that is at times profoundly insightful and at others engagingly provacative. I wasn't convinced by every element of the argument, but serious Torah scholars will need to interact with Walton's ideas. Complex and compelling.

#TheLostWorldOfTheTorah #NetGalley

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<p><strong>Goals of the book</strong>:<br>John Walton's "Lost World of..." series is no stranger to controversy and the lime light. This series has, so far, covered <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lost-World-Adam-Eve-Genesis/dp/0830824618/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=john+walton+lost+world&amp;qid=1565708912&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-5">Adam and Eve</a> (pun absolutely intended), <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lost-World-Genesis-One-Cosmology/dp/0830837043/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=john+walton+lost+world&amp;qid=1565708912&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-3">Creation</a>,<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lost-World-Flood-Mythology-Theology/dp/083085200X/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=john+walton+lost+world&amp;qid=1565708912&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-2-spons&amp;psc=1&amp;spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzVDNTNTVMVkFHNDhOJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTg5NDMzNFNKTkk5RDNGSFFZJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAyODgwNDFCVzhHRDFHVlFVMFomd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl"> the Flood</a>, the<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lost-World-Israelite-Conquest-Retribution/dp/0830851844/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=john+walton+lost+world&amp;qid=1565708912&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-7"> Israelite conquest</a>, and the <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lost-World-Scripture-Literary-Authority/dp/083084032X/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=john+walton+lost+world&amp;qid=1565708912&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-6">Scriptures </a>themselves! Each of these books provide new angles and shed new light on the titular subject of each volume. One of John Walton's main contributions to these discussions is his methodology for studying the Old Testament that combines research from the OT and Ancient Near Eastern sources to unearth new ways of understanding each text. </p>
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<p>In light of this, it's almost about time that John Walton covered <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lost-World-Torah-Covenant-Ancient-ebook/dp/B07L9GRWDN/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=john+walton+lost+world&amp;qid=1565708912&amp;s=gateway&amp;sr=8-4">Torah </a>itself! The Ancient Near East was filled with law codes (the Code of Hammurabi being, possibly, the second most popular), so Israelite culture was not unique in their formulation of law and the relationship between the deity-king and his people. In light of this, readers should be made aware of how other cultures viewed their laws and their relationships with their gods. </p>
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<p><strong>What does this book offer the Church?</strong>:<br>Depending on whom you ask, either quite a bit or not a lot, depending on your disposition toward Ancient Near Eastern sources and historical criticism. Walton's book seeks to understand the Torah in light of historical criticism, hoping to clear away misunderstandings that we've brought into the text by viewing it from a post-Enlightenment, Western point of view. </p>
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<p>Since the mid-twentieth century, the discovery of Ancient Near Eastern study material has revolutionized the way that we've seen the ancient world. These primary documents have removed our ability to read ancient texts through a post-modern lens. Rather, we must now finally engage these texts on their own terms. This type of scholarship has been growing in popularity in academia, even finding its way into more conservative seminaries. Some, especially in more dogmatic or conservative circles, that this type of scholarship might undermine traditional orthodoxy. This book might sit more toward the progressive understanding of biblical inerrancy, inspiration, and composition, but conservative Christians should engage with this book, as well, if only to learn more nuances to their defintion of law. </p>
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<p>Let's look at this how this principle worked at first. When the story of Gilgamesh, especially the flood narrative within, was discovered, the biblical studies world was rocked. One of the primary questions was: which text, the OT or Gilgamesh, takes priority? Which was first. For the most part, the scholarly world deferred to Gilgamesh. How we interpreted and understood Gilgamesh would be the basis for how we understood Genesis' flood narrative. By comparing and contrasting the two, we can see how ancient cultures viewed their deities, their world, and the post-diluvian galaxy. Even if you don't give priority to Gilgamesh, the astute reader can still learn a lot from Genesis by comparing and contrasting the texts. </p>
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<p>We'll turn this to Torah, as it is the basis of the current book I'm reviewing. Walton gives priority to Ancient Near Eastern sources, saying that we should primarily understand the Ancient Near Eastern sources first and let them inform the way that we understand the Torah in the Old Testament. </p>
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<p>One of the major proposals from the book is Walton's distaste for the word "law" to translate and understand the word/concept of Torah. When we hear law, we think about it in modern legal terms. Walton says that this is not how the ancient world looked at these "law codes". Instead of because legal basis for action, they were seen as guidelines. In this way, they were more like "wisdom" literature than litigation. </p>
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<p>Let me use one example to elucidate what I mean here. In the Code of Hammurabi, the "laws" developed in the code were not necessarily treated as laws. That is, if someone transgressed the boundary that the law laid out, they wouldn't necessarily be litigated against. Taking the way that the ANE treated the Code of Hammurabi, Walton argues that the Old Testament law was not supposed to be law in the same way that we understand it. In this case, someone who blasphemed would not be put to death, but should be seriously considered a threat to the society.</p>
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<p>While conservative Christians (whom I expect to make up the majority of my readers), may bristle at some of his proposals, I think there are insights worth reading. Progressive Christians might find much more to enjoy here. I find that this book could be especially helpful for people who struggle with the relationship between God, law, and the Israelite conquest of Jericho. </p>
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<p><strong>How successfully does this book meet its goals?</strong>:<br>One of my favorite things about this book is the way that Walton lays it out. Rather than traditional chapters, Walton lays out his argument in the form of logical proposals. This method challenges us to accept one proposal, leading us to be more receptive to the next proposal. This style of writing is easy to follow by design. Essentially, if you follow one proposal, you should logically accept the next proposal. The downside to this type of writing is that when you find a way to disagree with a proposal, you might be lost for the remainder of the argument. But man, I much appreciate reading this type of proposal rather than a convoluted and confusing scholarly work at times! </p>
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<p>If you want more information, you can read about it from<a href="https://www.ivpress.com/the-lost-world-of-the-torah"> IVP's website</a>. You can also purchase the book there; if not from the publisher directly, you can purchase the book from <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-lost-world-of-the-torah-john-h-walton/1129365961?ean=9780830852413">Barnes and Noble</a> or <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lost-World-Torah-Covenant-Ancient/dp/0830852417">Amazon</a>. </p>
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Having recently read The Lost World of Adam and Eve by John Walton for one of my seminary Old Testament courses, I was pleased to see that this book has just been released. Structured in a similar way as some of his other books, The Lost World of the Torah is presented as 20 propositions which all build on the next. Walton talks about the idea that it is not just a collection of writings strictly focuses on law and rules, but that it was an expression of wisdom. It challenges the modern reader to remember that they have little to no idea what the ancient world was like and that the Torah meant something much different to its original audience than we might think it does.

It's not the lightest read, but I definitely recommend it to anyone interested in an introduction to these ancient texts.

The Lost World of the Torah
Law as Covenant and Wisdom in Ancient Context

by John H. Walton; J. Harvey Walton


InterVarsity Press

IVP Academic

Christian , Religion & Spirituality

Pub Date 26 Feb 2019


I am reviewing a copy of The Lost World of the Torah through Intervarsity Press/IVP Academic and Netgalley:


In this book the first Proposition that is inserted is that because the Old Testament is an ancient document, we can not read it as if it is modern. We are reminded too that Scholars have a role in the body of Christ, just as everyone else does.


The second proposition that the way we interpret the Torah is affected by the way we think law and legislation work today.


In the third proposition in this book it is pointed out that Legal Collections in the ancient world are not the same as legislation.


The fourth proposition tells us that Ancient Near Eastern Legal Collections teach wisdom. The fifth proposition goes on to teach us that because the Torah is similar to Ancient Near Eastern Legal Collections it also teaches us wisdom not legislation.


This book goes on to name twenty Propositions that explain what the Torah is and what the Torah is and what it is not.


I give The Lost World of the Torah five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

I was interested in learning more about the culture of the OT times and how that related to the Torah, however, this was a bit to studious of a book for me. It would be helpful for a serious student of the Torah.
I received this book free from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review.

I have been taking theological courses and have been devoting my extra hours to a lot of theological/philosophical reading. When I saw this book, I had hoped that reading it would clarify for me the purpose of the Torah, not through a 21st Century lens, but as to its original purpose. I am pleased to say, that it that, and much more.

This is a very well-written and thought provoking book, that explains what the Torah is and how it was meant to function in the society it was written for. Whilst many of us think of the Torah and the books of the Bible as largely being moral commandments that we should all follow, even in the current age, this book dispels a lot of those presupposed ideas and offers sensible conclusions on what the works really mean.

I found that the further I got into this book, the more the concepts that the authors presented made sense to me. This was written in an interesting manner that even a layperson, like myself can understand. I appreciated that it was not written in a way that seemed derogatory, as if the authors were trying to disprove the importance of the Torah, but conversely, that they were trying to ensure that it continues to have value when placed in the proper context.

Overall, this is an excellent book for anyone who wants to know more about the Torah, and why it exists. I will definitely read this book again.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This book uses very academic language, which didn't serve to clearly communicate the author's ideas. Even the examples didn't clarify things. He argues that the Torah does not contain a legal code but was intended to teach wisdom so that those who made judgments would have a certain sense of what was a good and a bad judgment. After muddling through it, all I can say is that he didn't convince me with his arguments. Here are some examples, as I understand them:

1) The Torah is not comprehensive (covering every type of judgment or civil code needed to run a society), therefore it doesn't contain any actual laws that were intended to be obeyed and used when judging cases. 2) Even though the leaders were supposed to regularly read through the Torah and their rulings may match what is given in the Torah, they aren't actually referring to it since they don't specifically quote that law when making their ruling. (Talk about imposing modern Western standards on a different, ancient culture!) 3) The Code of Hammurabi appears to be a listing of judgments that were intended to show off what a just king he was, so all "they sure look like laws" lists must be the same type of thing rather than an actual list of laws. 4) Because the Hebrew words for "obey" and "keep" [as in, keep my commandments] can be used in a different sense about wisdom sayings, they can't refer to actual keeping of laws even when the wording seems to indicate that.

And so on. The author seemed certain he is right, stated that anyone who disagrees must prove him wrong, but he twisted anything that might be used as proof with poor arguments so he can dismiss it. Not impressed.

John and Harvey’s Walton’s “The Lost World of the Torah” is a captivating piece of literary genius that immerses us in the world of the Hebrew Bible. Nowadays, it is easy for some Christians to disregard the Hebrew Bible as old-time religion and just focus on Jesus and the New Testament. The Walton’s book helps Christians not only come to a sacred appreciation of the Hebrew Bible but also helps us grow with godly wisdom and grace because of it. I highly recommend!

I enjoyed learning about the history in which the Torah was revealed. I found this to be an interesting read.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

While the author does a decent job exploring the context in which the Torah was given, it seems like half of this book is made up of the phrase "the torah is not legalistic code." I got that from the first time the author explained it. I don't think he needs to say it over and over and over and over again.

There are also random issue where the author says things that seem to be incorrect. Brian Rosner has done a great job in Paul and The Law exploring this topic.

Having said all that, I do think this book is worthwhile to read and the thesis that Torah is wisdom should be explored further.