Our handling of what we call biblical law veers between controversy and neglect.

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 Old Testament "law" often find it either irrelevant, hopelessly laden with "thou shalt nots," or simply so confusing that they throw up their hands in despair. Despite these extremes, people continue to propose moral principles from these laws as "the biblical view" and to garner proof texts to resolve issues that arise in society. The result is that both Christians and skeptics regularly abuse the Torah, and its true message often lies unheard.

Walton and Walton offer in The Lost World of the Torah a restorative vision of the ancient genre of instruction for wisdom that makes up a significant portion of the Old Testament. In the ancient Near East, order was achieved through the wisdom of those who governed society. The objective of torah was to teach the Israelites to be wise about the kind of order needed to receive the blessings of God's favor and presence within the context of the covenant. Here readers will find fresh insight on this fundamental genre of the Old Testament canon.

The books in the Lost World Series follow the pattern set by Bible scholar John H. Walton, bringing a fresh, close reading of the Hebrew text and knowledge of ancient Near Eastern literature to an accessible discussion of the biblical topic at hand using a series of logic-based propositions.



J. Harvey Walton (MA, Wheaton College Graduate School) is a researcher in biblical studies and has contributed to a variety of publications. He is pursuing graduate studies at St. Andrews University.







John H. Walton is professor emeritus of Old Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School. His many books include The Lost World of Genesis One and Wisdom for Faithful Reading.



Introduction



Part I: Methodology

Proposition 1: The Old Testament Is an Ancient Document

Proposition 2: The Way We Interpret the Torah Today Is Influenced by the Way We Think Law and Legislation Work



Part II: Function of Ancient Near Eastern Legal Collections

Proposition 3: Legal Collections in the Ancient World Are Not Legislation

Proposition 4: Ancient Near Eastern Legal Collections Teach Wisdom

Proposition 5:The Torah Is Similar to Ancient Near Eastern Legal Collections and Therefore also Teaches Wisdom, not Legislation

Proposition 6: The Israelite Covenant Effectively Functions as an Ancient Near Eastern Suzerainty Treaty

Proposition 7: Holiness Is a Status, Not an Objective



Part III: Ritual and Torah

Proposition 8: Ancient Near Eastern Ritual Served to Meet the Needs of the Gods

Proposition 9: Ancient Israelite Ritual Serves to Maintain Covenant Order Because Yahweh Has No Needs



Part IV: Context of the Torah

Proposition 10: The Torah Is Similar to Ancient Near Eastern Legal Collections Because It Is Embedded in the Same Cultural Context, Not Because It Is Dependent on Them

Proposition 11: The Differences Between the Torah and the Ancient Near Eastern Legal Collections Are Found Not in Legislation but in the Order Founded in the Covenant

Proposition 12: Torah Is Situated in Context of the Ancient World

Proposition 13: Torah Is Situated in the Context of the Covenant

Proposition 14: Torah Is Situated in the Context of Israelite Theology Regarding Yahweh's Presence Residing Among Them



Part V: Ongoing Significance of the Torah

Proposition 15: Discussions of Law in the New Testament Do Not Tell Us Anything About Old Testament Torah in Context

Proposition 16: The Torah Should Not Be Divided into Categories to Separate Out What Is Relevant

Proposition 17: Torah Was Never Intended to Provide Salvation

Proposition 18: Divine Instruction Can Be Understood as a Metaphor of Health Rather than a Metaphor of Law

Proposition 19: We Cannot Gain Moral Knowledge or Build a System of EthicsBased on Reading the Torah in Context and Deriving Principles from It

Proposition 20: Torah Cannot Provide Prooftexts for Solving Issues Today

Proposition 21: The Ancient Israelites Would Not Have Understood the Torah as Providing Divine Moral Instruction

Proposition 22: A Divine Command Theory of Ethics Does Not Require that the Torah Is Moral Instruction

Proposition 23: Taking the Torah Seriously Means Understanding What It Was Written to Say, Not Converting It into MoralLaw

Summary of Conclusions

Appendix: The Decalogue

Further Reading

Subject Index

Scripture Index