Talk to Explore Origins with 'Ancient Eyes'

John H. Walton, professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, lectures about “Origins Today: Genesis through Ancient Eyes” Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 4:30 p.m. in Page Multipurpose Room at Westmont College. The Westmont Biology, Chemistry and Religious Studies Departments and the Office of the Provost sponsor the talk, which is free and open to the public. After his one-hour lecture, Walton will answer questions from the audience for 30 minutes.

Walton’s research focuses on comparative studies between the Old Testament and the ancient Near East. In biblical studies, his particular interest is in Genesis.

He was the general editor for a five volume series, “Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Set: Old Testament,” and the general editor of Baker Books’ “Teach the Text Commentary Series.” He has written many other books, including “The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate” and “Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible.”

Walton, who graduated from Muhlenberg College, earned a master’s degree from Wheaton Graduate School and a doctorate from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He joined the Wheaton faculty in 2001 after teaching at the Moody Bible Institute for two decades.