Lost World of Scripture, The (Walton, Sandy): Ancient Literary Culture and Biblical Authority / January 01, 2013

Requires Accordance 10.4 or above.

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 inerrancy, inspiration, and oral transmission of ideas, The Lost World of Scripture examines the process by which the Bible has come to be what it is today. From the reasons why specific words were used to convey certain ideas to how oral tradition impacted the transmission of biblical texts, the authors seek to uncover how these issues might affect our current doctrine on the authority of Scripture.

“In this book we are exploring ways God chose to reveal his word in light of discoveries about ancient literary culture,” write Walton and Sandy. “Our specific objective is to understand better how both the Old and New Testaments were spoken, written and passed on, especially with an eye to possible implications for the Bible’s inspiration and authority.”

About the Series:
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 propositions that move the reader through a logical sequence of the principal points of discussion, these volumes are informed by knowledge of the ancient Near Eastern literature and cognitive environment, and undergirded by a consistently applied hermeneutic. Authors seek to find God’s authoritative message in the text represented in the communication as understood by the human source (speaker or writer) and his audience—working out the principle that the Bible is written for us, but not to us.

The intention with the Lost World Series is not to offer the single “correct” interpretation of the given text. These books seek, instead, to provide an interpretation based on a conviction that the Bible is the Word of God—Scripture that speaks truly. The goal is not to convert the reader to the author’s conclusions, or even to persuade the reader to adopt their way of thinking. Instead, this series seeks to bring information to the reader’s attention that has helped the authors as they have struggled with the passages.