John H. Walton (born 1952) is an Old Testament scholar and Professor Emeritus at Wheaton College. He was a professor at Moody Bible Institute for 20 years.^[1] He specializes in the Ancient Near Eastern backgrounds of the Old Testament, especially Genesis and its creation account, as well as interpretation of Job.

Views on origins

Walton espouses a view of Genesis creation narrative that resonates with ancient Near Eastern mindsets, much like a temple dedication ceremony, and not a strictly material account of cosmological origins. He uses a restaurant as an analogy, arguing that a restaurant does not begin to exist when the material building is completed, but when the owner declares the restaurant open for business.^[2] Through his book The Lost World of Genesis One he presents the Genesis creation as being functional rather than material.^[3] This view is opposed by some theologians such as Vern Poythress^[4][5] and young earth creationist Ken Ham.^[6][7]

Publications

Books

• Walton, John H (1989). Ancient Israelite Literature in its Cultural Context, A Survey of Parallels Between Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Texts. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
• ———; Hill, Andrew H. (1991). A Survey of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 9780310516002.
• ——— (1994). Covenant: God's Purpose, God's Plan. Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0-3105-7751-5.
• ——— (2001). Genesis. NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
• ——— (2004). Old Testament Today. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
• ——— (2006). Essential Bible Companion. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
• ——— (2006). Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.
• ——— (2008). Jonah. Expositor's Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
• ——— (2009). The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate. Downers Grove, IL: IVP.
• ——— (2011). Genesis 1 as Ancient Cosmology. Warsaw, IA: Eisenbrauns.
• ——— (2012). Job. NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
• ———; Sandy, D. Brent (2013). The Lost World of Scripture: Ancient Literary Culture and Biblical Authority. Downers Grove, IL: IVP.
• ——— (2015). The Lost World of Adam and Eve: Genesis 2–3 and the Human Origins Debate. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
• ——— (2017). The Lost World of the Israelite Conquest: Covenant, Retribution, and the Fate of the Canaanites. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic. ISBN 978-0-83085184-3.
• ———; Longman, Tremper III (2018). The Lost World of the Flood: Mythology, Theology, and the Deluge Debate. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic. ISBN 978-0-83085200-0. OCLC 1011175969.
• ——— (2019). The Lost World of the Torah: Law as Covenant and Wisdom in Ancient Context. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic. ISBN 978-0-83085241-3.
• ———; Walton, J Harvey (2019). Demons and Spirits in Biblical Theology: Reading the Biblical Text in Its Cultural and Literary Context. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books. ISBN 978-1-62564-825-9.

Chapters

• ——— (2000). "The Anzu Myth as relevant Background for Daniel 7?". In Collins, John J.; Flint, Peter W. (eds.). The Book of Daniel: Composition and Reception. Vetus Testament Supplement, FIOTL. Leiden: Brill. ISBN 978-900411675-7. OCLC 461457097.

Journal articles

• ——— (1995). "The Mesopotamian Background of the Tower of Babel Account and Its Implications". Bulletin for Biblical Research. 5: 155–75.
• ——— (2001). "Recovering the Vitality of the Old Testament in Preaching". Preaching Today. 17.
• ——— (2001). "Equilibrium and the Sacred Compass: The Structure of Leviticus". Bulletin for Biblical Research. 11 (2): 1–12.
• ——— (2002). "Inspired Subjectivity and Hermeneutical Objectivity". The Master's Seminary Journal. 13 (1): 65–77.
• ——— (2003). "The Imagery of the Substitute King Ritual in Isaiah's Fourth Servant Song". Journal of Biblical Literature. 122 (4): 734–43. doi:10.2307/3268075. JSTOR 3268075.
• ——— (2008). "Creation in Genesis 1:1–2:3 and the Ancient Near East: Order out of Disorder after Chaoskampf". Calvin Theological Journal. 43: 48–63.