A Lecture by Visiting Professor John Walton
American professor John Walton from Wheaton College in Illinois is a specialist on the biblical perspective of Creation as recorded in Genesis 1-3. Professor Walton lectured on this topic at the Bible School in Martin while on a recent world tour.
As he introduced his lecture, Professor Walton reminded his audience that “we must read every biblical text from the perspective of ancient times – through the eyes of those people who lived during biblical times if we want to understand Bible texts correctly.” Accordingly, students from the Bible School as well as believers from the Lutheran Church in Martin, listened as Professor Walton addressed the difficulty Christians face today as they study the creation of the world as found in the first book of the Bible.
On the surface this well-known story about the Creation, Professor Walton explained, “is a story in which God brings order into the world.“ Today’s reader perceives this story from the 21st century perspective: six days of work by God followed by a day of Divine rest on the seventh day.
People from ancient biblical times, on the other hand, would not have perceived the Creation story to be solely about God´s creation of water, light, animals, etc. They would have also seen a clear parallel between the seven days of Creation and, for example, the building of their temple centuries later. For these people the temple was the place in which God’s presence dwelled. In ancient times God „managed“ the world from the temple.
Professor Walton further explained that the temple and God´s presence were understood by the Israelites to be virtually one and the same. King Solomon had built the temple in seven years, but it was still only a building because it lacked God´s presence. Therefore, for seven days the Israelites sanctified this building so that it could be filled by God´s presence. Only then could this building become the temple – the place where God dwelled: the place of God´s presence from where God would govern His world. In the same way that a house (structure) becomes a home only after the owners move into and inhabit it, so the temple structure became truly the Temple of God only after God Himself inhabited it with His Spirit.
Therefore, as we learn to view the Genesis Creation story from a more ancient perspective, it becomes not only a story about God’s creative powers; it also becomes a story of God’s creation of His world into which He would enter as the host and we, as part of His creation, are his honored guests.
