New Explorations in the Lost World of Genesis: Advances in the Origins Debate by John H. Walton
challenging informative reflective slow-paced
2.5 Stars

First of all a big thank you to NetGalley for providing the audiobook version of this book to review.

I think that if I had acquired this book as a physical copy I would have scored it closer to a 3.5 to 3.75 but due to the intense academic nature of the text listening to the material via audiobook worked against it. There were so many references both to the authors previous texts and the texts of others that I found the book hard to follow and stay engaged with. If I had access to the physical book I likely would have been highlighting and seeking out the reference materials for expanded context.

It's worth being aware that this is a highly academic text, this will recommend it to some and dissuade others. I found it interesting as I have previously taken courses on ancient near eastern religions and was able to recognize many of the references made to the context that the old testament was written in. That being said, I feel like without that context I would have been completely lost in the weeds.

Overall while I cannot recommend the audiobook I do feel that this is a series I would seek out as physical copies to allow for better absorption and understanding of the text.

New Explorations in the Lost World of Genesis: Advances in the Origins Debate

I enjoyed this book.

I found it a great way to consume the texts of Genesis, with mindset of the times the Bible was written, and not trying to confuse it by adding in modern debates and arguments from today, but instead examining the book itself.

This being said, I found the book fairly scientific and deeply researched. Although this would appeal to many readers, for me it was just a little too unapproachable / academic. But I still got lots of great ideas and insight from reading it.

I would recommend this book if you are looking for a book to learn more about Genesis, and also about Walton's unique way of doling out theology.

3.4/5

"New Explorations in the Lost World of Genesis" is a great book that looks at the first three chapters of Genesis. Even though I haven't read any of the author's other books, I really liked this one. The author gives a lot of good insights and answers many questions about Genesis in a simple and clear way. He uses plenty of scripture to back up his thoughts and points, and also includes other historical data.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was really interesting! I really enjoyed listening to it and learning more about this as a Christian.