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A review by leswag97
Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible by John H. Walton
4.0
In this book, John Walton gives an overview/synthesis of ancient Near Eastern thought and culture (broadly speaking), showing the importance of understanding the ANE for the study and interpretation of the Old Testament. From the outset, Walton makes a case for the value of comparative studies—that is, the process of “draw[ing] data from different segments of the broader culture (in time and/or space) into juxtaposition with one another in order to assess what might be learned from one to enhance the understanding of another” (7). And Walton is especially interested in defending the objectives and goals of comparative studies to those that would be most inclined to reject the usefulness of (or need for) comparative studies in the task of reading and understanding the Bible. Being already familiar with the area of comparative studies and its usefulness for interpreting the Bible, I did not need much convincing, but it was still helpful to see how Walton presents the idea to those who may be initially suspicious of such an endeavor.
Much of the book is devoted to different themes and topics (e.g., the cosmos, the role and destiny of humanity, religion, etc.), and in each case, Walton gives a general overview of the ideas, beliefs, and assumptions at work in the ANE (at times, stressing differences between Egyptian thinking and Mesopotamian thinking). Walton also usually juxtaposes the commonly held beliefs in the ANE with those of ancient Israel (primarily as expressed in the biblical text, but on occasion Walton looks at what material culture has to say about ancient Israel). When Walton compares Israel to its ancient neighbors, Walton does a good job of drawing attention to both continuity and discontinuity.
All in all, this is a good and helpful book, especially for those who are just beginning to learn about the ANE or about comparative studies. I would’ve appreciated having a book like this in one of my introductory Old Testament courses in college, as I think it would have been immensely helpful and eye opening. Readers who have enjoyed Walton’s other books on understanding the Old Testament within its ancient culture (like those books in his popular “Lost World” series) will definitely enjoy and learn from this important volume.
Much of the book is devoted to different themes and topics (e.g., the cosmos, the role and destiny of humanity, religion, etc.), and in each case, Walton gives a general overview of the ideas, beliefs, and assumptions at work in the ANE (at times, stressing differences between Egyptian thinking and Mesopotamian thinking). Walton also usually juxtaposes the commonly held beliefs in the ANE with those of ancient Israel (primarily as expressed in the biblical text, but on occasion Walton looks at what material culture has to say about ancient Israel). When Walton compares Israel to its ancient neighbors, Walton does a good job of drawing attention to both continuity and discontinuity.
All in all, this is a good and helpful book, especially for those who are just beginning to learn about the ANE or about comparative studies. I would’ve appreciated having a book like this in one of my introductory Old Testament courses in college, as I think it would have been immensely helpful and eye opening. Readers who have enjoyed Walton’s other books on understanding the Old Testament within its ancient culture (like those books in his popular “Lost World” series) will definitely enjoy and learn from this important volume.