Book Summary of John H. Walton, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament:

One fact that must remain in consideration by any student of textual criticism is that there were many other religious and philosophical writings produced simultaneously with the Scriptures of the New Testament era. Robert J. Sargent states, “As the Bible was being written down, numerous other religious

Throughout the course of the semester, we have constantly talked about and expressed the idea of reading the Bible in a historical context. Picking out the pieces that coincide with evidence that has been found with archeological findings, the accuracy of dates, and important people. The critical study of the Bible is to look at the book as a piece of historical text. The use of our “historical lens” allows us to pick out to various pieces that appear to be factual. Using this analysis of looking at the Bible through our “historical glasses”, we can understand the true meaning of the Bible in its original historical setting.

Permission has been graciously granted for me to re-publish this article on my website and to generate as a PDF file by the family of Irving L. Jensen. This article appeared as an appendix in “Independent Bible Study” by Irving L. Jensen, Chicago: Moody Press, pp. 173-178, 1963.

Looking back, we can see glimpses of the lives of those who lived in the Ancient Near East, known as the ANE, through their stories and myths that have survived over centuries of time. Many of these stories contain unique elements that make each one personal to the civilization that they belong to, but there are common themes and ideas that are virtually shared between the traditional stories stemming from this region of the world. In fact, these parallels even extend into Old Testament literature; laced within the stories that we’ve come to know and love. It is not surprising that the Old Testament contains similarities found within ANE tradition, seeing that

This course is an examination of the writings of the Old Testament, using an historical and interpretive approach to these writings. GER REL and Humanities

The sin of Ham recorded in Genesis 9:20-24 has different views including voyeurism, castration, and paternal incest. Scholars Bergsma and Hahn have come up with the maternal-incest view from their study of specific words related to the account. The first part of this paper will focus on Bergsma and Hahn’s word study to indicate that their maternal-incest view is a viable option. The second part of the paper will focus on the word “bara” (to create) in the Hebrew Bible. This word will be examined to articulate the different usages and meanings of the word. Therefore, this paper will focus on the importance of word study to show that words are of critical importance in understanding the meaning of the Hebrew Bible in specific contexts.

To begin with, it would be beneficial to establish that the viewpoint I am undertaking is one in agreement with the author, David Lose. Frequently, I have pondered the accuracy of not just Biblical texts but also historical accounts on all levels. Can one be assured what they are told is truthful to the fullest extent, enough so to wholeheartedly belief the concept? The answer is no. Nonetheless, if one is not to take this information as the truth then what will they hold to such tremendous standards? Therefore, one can conclude that it is necessary to allocate for the truth to be built and understood by personal interpretation of the world through another’s perspective. Hence, as a whole we can piece together an image and recantation that

Since the beginning of time humankind has either accepted, rejected, or altered history. Accepting and rejecting a particular point of view can ultimately lead to conflict due to a difference of opinion. Altering history can also lead to conflict, but the individual modifying the details of history do so to satisfy what they believe to be the truth. That being said, worldview boils down to individual truth. The purpose of this essay is to explore various worldviews derived from, or in response to, Christianity to analyze how their disparities led to conflict.

This paper is an attempt to assemble a comparative analysis of the various contemporary theologies presented by Paul Enns and Millard J. Erickson. In order to do a comparison we first need to understand the individuals involved and how theology is defined by each of these individuals.

Tullock, J. H., & McEntire, M. H., (2006). The Old Testament Story (9th Ed.). p.

Overall, this book provides a thoughtful approach to introducing readers to the Historical-Critical method, how to utilize it when studying the Hebrew Bible, and why it will bring greater value to those learning from the Scriptures. Consideration is clearly made for the certainty that

Brettler 's goal of guiding readers toward an appreciation and understanding of the purpose in utilizing the historical-critical study practice is well laid out as a foundation to the book. By prioritizing the first four chapters as he did, Brettler sets the tone of how one should survey the Scriptures for the greatest illumination. From the start, he outlines what the historical-critical method is in theory and practice, which dispels the assumption every reader holds a familiarity with it. Clarity comes alongside the resolution that applying the historical-critical method to the Scriptures does not set out to destroy the Hebrew Bible 's importance. Rather it lends an unbiased avenue to read these religious texts in a compelling way, bringing understanding in a multifaceted fashion as opposed to one-dimensional, conclusive outcomes.

History: Walton begins the chapter with the “rediscovery of Egypt which began in the eighteenth century AD and of Mesopotamia in the mid nineteenth century AD.” There were discoveries of tens of thousands of texts that were excavated, translated and studied. Many of these tablets and texts did coincide with the Bible. Walton outlines comparative study which is the study that attempts to understand things when compared to their broader cultural context. The goal in this case is to understand the Old Testament compared to the ANE. There have

Studying the religion of the Ancient Israelite People must be done in a careful manner. The ways in which biblical scholars frame significant ideas can have a major effect on how their point is received. Today’s ideas about the religious lives of Canaanites have been drawn on primarily from The Hebrew Bible and archaeological evidence. In their respective works, biblical scholars Benjamin Sommer and Carol Meyers choose to interpret these pieces of religious evidence is varying ways; Meyers takes a more cultural approach while Sommer’s has a theological leaning. Recognizing these different perspectives, I prefer the approach that Meyers takes because of its focus in anthropology.

The passage of Scripture being discussed in the following paper is the prologue to the Gospel of John, found in chapter one, and starting at verse one through to verse eighteen. The book of John is the fourth book of the New Testament and follows the three synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke. Scholars date the writing of this Gospel being completed in either the 60’s CE or the 90’s CE, but most scholars suggest the 90’s CE as the most accurate dating. The author of this book was evidently a Palestinian Jew, who was thoroughly aware and conscientious of Jewish cultural customs, practices and religious rituals. Both the Early Church Father’s and almost unanimously, modern scholarship, would attribute the writing of this Gospel to the Apostle John himself who wrote it in the city of Ephesus to both a Jewish and a Gentile audience in the Greek language.