One of my favorite books on my favorite subject is The Sacred Bridge: Carta’s Atlas of the Biblical World. I’ve hoped to do a
short review of it here, but I haven’t had the necessary time yet. I used the book last semester as a required text for a course I taught, but the problem with it is the cost. $100 may be standard for a chemistry textbook, but it’s hard on Christian college students who are used to paying much less. Thus the announcement of a shorter and cheaper version is welcome:
Carta’s New Century Handbook and Atlas of the Bible: Abridgement of The Sacred Bridge
by Anson F. Rainey and R. Steven Notley
Carta, Jerusalem, Forthcoming, November 2007
280 pages + full color illustrations and maps, English
Cloth, 9 x 12 inches
Your Price: $50.00
In some cases, shorter is better and I think this will be one. For most students, The Sacred Bridge is really over their heads. It’s sometimes over my head, and rarely is too basic for me. Thus I am guessing that most students will find the abridged version sufficient for their needs.
Just to be clear, there are many things in this book that I disagree with. If you’re looking for something more conservative, try the NIV Atlas of the Bible, by Carl Rasmussen or the Moody Atlas of Bible Lands, by Barry Beitzel. But the advanced version is The Sacred Bridge or its abridgement.
UPDATE (8/8): Not everyone reads the comments, so I’ll just note that the chairman of Carta has commented below that they are nearing publication of a new atlas by Paul H. Wright, In His Image: Carta’s Atlas of Biblical Geography. Wright is the director of the Jerusalem University College.
2 thoughts on “The Sacred Abridgement”
Thanks for the plug on the book. I agree with your assessment, and can’t wait to see the abridgment.
By the way, our permanent links are permanent. It is only if you copy and paste the link in your browser address bar that it is a temporary link. The links you are using on this page are the permanent ones.
James
We certainly appreciate your fine comments and share your sentiments – thus was born the abridged edition. I may safely say that I speak for the authors.Incidentally,the more conservative Zondervan NIV Atlas of the Bible wqs also prpared by Carta.
Soon to be published:The truly conservative IN HIS IMAGE, Carta’s Atlas of Biblical
Geography by Paul H, Wright.
Emanuel Hausman
Chairman
Carta, Jerusalem
[email protected]