Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament

I bought this book thinking it was dealing with one thing, only to find when I started reading, that it was not. It is a comparative type study of the Old Testament and the surrounding near Eastern teachings. Many "scholars" today say the OT has borrowed its "stories" from other pagan nations, and that there is nothing really new or unique about the religion contained within. This book seeks - and accomplishes - proving this to be incorrect.There was much in this book that kind of went over my head, and was more technical than I could fully grasp (either that or I wasn't fully able to concentrate while reading), but for the most part the book is filled with details of surrounding nations that really shed some new light on our understanding of the OT text. Some of the most striking revelations to me were looking at the first four of the ten commandments.After understanding how the other nations looked at deity, worshiped their deity, and made images of them - and what those images were there for - it really altered my understanding of why God said what he said in the commandments. My understanding of the intent and purpose of those commands has changed, not drastically or in direct opposition of what I believed on the topic, but I understand better what they were specifically worded to address, and how some of my application of them was not necessarily accurate.Another very interesting section was in dealing with the temples of a deity. Everything from how they were created, what they suggested, how they were described, and what took place there, it really gave some major depth to a lot of things; things that I really need to study further after re-reading part of this book again.Other than that highlight, just understanding some of the complex things the other nations believed, and yes, even seeing how some of that was common in the OT belief system, just gave depth and detail to my understanding of the ancient OT world. I think books like this should be required reading for all pastors; in order to bring the OT to life in sermons, they need to understand the culture and issues that surrounded the writings of it. Likewise for the NT text, the culture, context, and local issues - audience relevance - is the key to understanding the text.So, I gleaned quite a bit from this book, but would love to take the time for a more detailed reading to grasp more. I recommend this book as a great source of study for a better grasp of OT thought and practice.

Despite having taken 8 seminary courses in Old Testament (OT), I found Walton's book allowed me to make a quantum leap forward in my understanding of the OT. It is like all these years I've been "watching" the OT on a 13 inch black-and-white TV and since reading Walton's book, I'm now I'm watching it on a 40 inch high definition color TV! It has really helped that much!You can see from the other reviews how great this book is. I only want to reinforce two points.First, in addition to the general understanding you will get from this book, there are two specific things that may happen to you as you read. If you take the Bible reverently, you may initially feel uncomfortable to learn about how much similarity there is in thought, behavior, belief, and even religious customs between the OT and its Ancient Near Eastern neighbors. However, by contrast, you will be delighted and amazed to see many of the most important, distinctive aspects of OT teaching stand out from that ancient background in a way you could have never before imagined. Both types of information, by the way, increase our understanding of the meaning of the biblical texts - that is, both types of information will provide you with many, many "Aha" moments.The second point is this. As I write, this is the 12th posted review, and 11 of the 12 are 5 star reviews. The only 4 star review complained that the book seemed much like a college textbook (which I believe it is!). If, like that reviewer, you find it a bit tough going, I encourage you to stick with it! There's a lot to digest. But aside from some strange sounding names of "gods" and names of ancient practices, Walton writes in a clear style which the general reader can enjoy.If you read the OT, or ever plan on doing so, get this or you are destining yourself to understand much less of it than you otherwise could.

Very interesting book

Schnelle Lieferung und gut verpackt. Dies Buch beschreibt auf vertändliche Weise das Leben im NAHEN OSTEN. Gebräuche und Sitten und was dss Alte Trstament darüber spricht.Ein lesenswertes Buch um das Wesen der Region besser zu versrehen

Just bought Kindle version and disappointed to see in place of photos, "Image not included because of rights restrictions." Am returning it.

Jonh Walton is a good writer for the old testament.

Walton bietet eine gute wissenschaftlche Studie der Gedankenwelt als HIntergrund zum Alten Testament, ohne an die Zuverlässigkeit der Schrift anzuzweifeln. Das vertieft mein Verständnis der Texte, so daß ich etwas geistliches davon gewinnen kann.