"The Lost World of the Prophets" (John H. Walton)

TITLE: The Lost World of the Prophets: Old Testament Prophecy and Apocalyptic Literature in Ancient Context
AUTHOR: John H. Walton
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2024, (192 pages).
 

What comes to mind when we hear the words, "prophets," "prophecies," and "prophetic word?" For many, prophets are seen as "predictors" of the future, and "prophecies" are like future events waiting to be fulfilled. Such an understanding has unfortunately crippled the original meaning of what biblical prophecies mean. Calling this situation a "lost world of the prophets," esteemed author-professor John Walton helps us to recover the original meaning according to the Bible and to rediscover a deeper understanding of the different types and forms of prophecies. The author laments how prophetic books have been misunderstood by so many people. The "potential misuse" includes the unhealthy focus on end times (eschatology) and the use of prophetic texts merely to prove Jesus' deity (apologetics). He says that both of these are paths toward "fulfillment" theology. Using "cultural rivers" as a metaphor, he reminds us that if we want to understand the biblical prophecies, we need to soak ourselves in the biblical cultural river. At the same time, we need to avoid superimposing our modern cultural rivers on the Bible. This book is essentially about helping us swim and rediscover the lost world of the prophets. Walton guides us through five parts, each part leading us through the history, the process, and the ways to interpret the events based on the original authorial intent. The whole process is detailed and informative. Each part delineates various aspects of understanding the ancient cultural rivers. Using sixteen propositions as titles, Walton supports each proposition with examples and alternative readings. 

Part One kicks off with a preamble about prophecies and what the ancient cultural rivers looked like. During that time, divination is a common method of communication between the natural world and the supernatural domain. Walton asserts that prophecy is a subset of divination (P1), meaning they were generally concerned about the present and immediate future rather than the distant future. He then compares and contrasts the differences between various prophecies in the Ancient Near East and ancient Israel (P2). Both have similarities in terms of commonality and continuities. There is however some Israelite distinctiveness, namely the volume, the relationship between kings and prophets, and the place of the covenant.  The most distinct difference is the context of the covenant. Part Two looks at the institutions of prophecy with a focus on prophets. He claims that prophets of old were spokespeople of God rather than predictors of the future (P3). It is another way of saying prophets were forth-tellers rather than foretellers. Old Testament Prophecy is also something that is developing rather than a massive revelation of future events (P4). Then there is the relationship of OT Prophecy to the covenant (P5). In times of crisis, prophecies were used as spiritual guidance for the people of Israel and sometimes other nations. Walton then distinguishes the different shapes of OT prophecies and their uniqueness from times beyond the Old Testament era (P6). He lists 8 different categories of prophetic activities ranging from preclassical prophets to those in the New Testament Church. Part Three 
examines the prophetic literature, the literary genres, the types of authors, and who the prophecies were for. Walton then proposes that to be better-informed readers of prophecies, we must recognize the different categories of prophetic messages (P7). He gives us four types: Indictment, Judgment, Instruction, and Aftermath. He also tells us that prophets themselves were typically not authors (P8). For a decent authorship, they will need some strategic stages to move from word to book. This opens the door to the possibility that even when certain prophets have books named after them, there is a possibility that the original writers might be anonymous scribes. About who the audience(s) were, Walton asserts that the audience(s) of the prophetic books were not necessarily the audience of the prophet(s) (P9). This helps in understanding the nuances of each prophecy and seeing the bigger picture from God's perspective. Part Four delves into methodological and interpretive issues. Walton moves to distinguish prophecies between message from fulfillment (P10). This helps us maintain two sets of lenses whenever we read prophetic literature. At the same time, we avoid interpreting prophecy merely in terms of fulfillment, but more importantly, to see them as a proclamation of God's Truth, plans, and purposes. Even among fulfillment interpretations, Walter also suggests that there are many different "oblique trajectories" (P11) which reminds us not to make quick conclusions about any one trajectory. Moving to the New Testament, Walter shows us how the NT uses OT prophecy more as fulfillment rather than a message (P12). One reason is how Jesus frequently uses himself as the fulfillment of OT texts. He reminds us not to be overly focused on future fulfillment to the point of forgetting how it reveals the Person of God (P13). Part Five looks at the apocalyptic nature of prophecies. A key point is to distinguish apocalyptic literature from classical prophecy (P14). Another is to understand that visions are not the message but the "occasion" for the message (P15). After distinguishing OT and NT interpretations of prophecy, Walter comes back to the common point of principles. As far as apocalyptic literature is concerned, both NT and OT share common principles, especially about God's plans and purposes. Walter then concludes with a helpful reading strategy.

My Thoughts

Let me share three thoughts about this book. First, Walter has highlighted the importance of understanding authorial intent rather than reader-centered interpretation. Our evangelical tendencies of emphasizing New Testament fulfillment in Christ might have derailed a better appreciation of Old Testament prophecies. For too long, modern readers have emphasized fulfillment, and future predictions as the way to understand biblical prophecies. Here, we learn to nuance the interpretation through many different ways. From the understanding of cultural rivers to the different types of prophecies, we learn to read prophecies in their original contexts, something that not many of us are familiar with. He is not telling us to abandon our regular modes of fulfillment interpretation. Rather, he is reminding us that there is more than one way to understand prophecy. When studying the Bible in context, we should adopt exegesis (reading out of the texts) instead of eisegesis (reading into) of the texts. In the same manner, we should learn authorial intent over reader-centered intent. 

Secondly, this is a wonderful box of tools to understand and interpret prophecies. If all we have is a hammer, then everything would look to us like a nail. In this book, Walter equips us with many different tools for reading biblical prophecies. His sixteen propositions should position us toward a more humble and open attitude when it comes to prophecies. Even though some readers might push back against specific propositions, one thing that we can agree on is that nuancing is needed as far as biblical interpretation is concerned. God's plans and purposes often have a multidimensional and multi-perspectival pattern. The more angles we can see, the better and more holistic our understanding.

Finally, this is one of the best books about understanding biblical prophecies. Hopefully, with this renewed and refreshed look at prophecies, more people will be able to approach the prophets and the prophetical books with enthusiasm. If there is one book that we need to read before approaching any prophet or prophecy, this is it!

John H. Walton (Ph.D., Hebrew Union College) is professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College. Previously he was professor of Old Testament at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. Some of his books include Ancient Near Eastern Thought Essential Bible Companion), Old Testament Today (with Andrew Hill), Genesis NIV Application Commentary and IVP Bible Background Commentary (with Victor Matthews and Mark Chavalas).

Rating: 4.75 stars out of 5.

conrade

---

This book has been provided courtesy of InterVarsity Press via NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.