The Bible’s message of God’s love and forgiveness is eternal and enduring, but the life experiences of the people who first received the Word are much different than our lives today. No one needs to explain to us what smartphones and social media are, but a first-century Christian would have no knowledge or frame of reference for them. In the same way, w… Read more…
Brimming with lavish, full-color photos and graphics, the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary bundle walks you verse by verse through the Bible. Passage-by-passage commentary brings to life the world of the Old Testament with archaeological findings, historical explanations, geographic insights, and more. Deepen your understanding of the teach… Read more…
The Bible’s message of God’s love and forgiveness is eternal and enduring, but the life experiences of the people who first received the Word are much different than our lives today. No one needs to explain to us what smartphones and social media are, but a first-century Christian would have no knowledge or frame of reference for them. In the same way, w… Read more…
There are some historical or biblical issues that are inherently controversial—which is why they remain issues of debate. The books in the Lost World Series follow the pattern set by Bible scholar John H. Walton as they bring a fresh, close reading of the Hebrew text to an accessible discussion of the topic at hand.
Addressed through pro… Read more…
Being responsive to God is at the heart of prophecy. But readers of ancient prophecies and apocalyptic literature—including those in the Old Testament—can come away thoroughly perplexed. Are the prophets speaking about their own times, about our present, or about some still-unrealized future?
It's common to study prophecy with a fo… Read more…
On the one hand, controversy arises when Old Testament laws seem either odd beyond comprehension (not eating lobster) or positively reprehensible (executing children). On the other, neglect results when we consider the law obsolete, no longer carrying any normative power (tassels on clothing, making sacrifices). Even readers who do attempt to make use of the… Read more…
"The flood continued forty days on the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth . . . and the ark floated on the face of the waters" (Gen 6:17-18 NRSV).
In modern times the Genesis flood account has been probed and analyzed for answers to scientific, apologetic, and historical questions. It is … Read more…
From John H. Walton, author of the bestselling Lost World of Genesis One,, and D. Brent Sandy, author of Plowshares and Pruning Hooks, comes a detailed look at the origins of scriptural authority in ancient oral cultures and how they inform our understanding of the Old and New Testaments today.
Stemming from questions about scriptural iner… Read more…
Holy warfare is the festering wound on the conscience of Bible-believing Christians. Of all the problems the Old Testament poses for our modern age, this is the one we want to avoid in mixed company.
But do the so-called holy war texts of the Old Testament portray a divinely inspired genocide? Did Israel slaughter Canaanites at God's c… Read more…
In this astute mix of cultural critique and biblical studies, John H. Walton presents and defends twenty propositions supporting a literary and theological understanding of Genesis 1 within the context of the ancient Near Eastern world and unpacks its implications for our modern scientific understanding of origins.
Ideal for students, prof… Read more…
For centuries the story of Adam and Eve has resonated richly through the corridors of art, literature and theology. But for most moderns, taking it at face value is incongruous. And even for many thinking Christians today who want to take seriously the authority of Scripture, insisting on a "literal" understanding of Genesis 2–3 looks painfully like a "tea… Read more…
As a part of the Counterpoints series, Four Views on the Historical Adam clearly outlines four primary views on Adam held by evangelicals, featuring top-notch proponents of each view presenting their positions in their own words and critiquing the positions with which they disagree. You will come away with a better understanding of the key biblical and theol… Read more…