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Deal: 50% off Tubingen Bible Atlas

Eisenbrauns has a 50% discount on the Tubingen Bible Atlas this weekend only. That cuts the cost from $150 to $75. This is widely considered to be one of the best Bible atlases for advanced students.

From the publisher’s description:

The 29 carefully researched and highly detailed maps in this atlas cover every biblical era and are based on the highly regarded Tubinger Atlas of the Near and Middle East (TAVO). Each of the large-format maps unfolds to 28-1/4 x 19-1/2 inches and reveals an immense wealth of information in carefully rendered detail with clear, easy-to-read labels. Although based upon the TAVO, some maps have been further revised to be more relevant to biblical scholars. In addition, a new map focusing on the archeology and history of Sinai has been added and is being published here for the first time. A second volume contains the map index. Bound as a separate volume, the index is easy to use while the maps are open.

Carl Rasmussen reviewed the work in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, June 2003, pp. 314-15. He comments on various strengths and weaknesses of the atlas:

We must emphasize that this is not a volume for the English lay reader of the Bible, because the (usually) simple process of finding a place on a map is a daunting process. For example, the familiar Capernaum is nowhere to be found in the index volume, for one must know to look under Kapharnaom…
[…]
But we must also emphasize that this book is certainly for scholars and academic libraries…
[…]
The book is especially strong in providing maps of background material from the ancient Near Eastern and eastern Mediterranean worlds…
[…]
It seems to me that almost all historians writing biblical commentaries and/or articles will find this volume useful and convenient for their research….it truly is amazing to discover all of the goodies that are included in this book.

The complete review is online in pdf format.

Tagged Resources

Recommended: Rose Guide to the Tabernacle

The Rose Guide to the Tabernacle is a work that I would typically ignore, especially because it is a book without a (listed) author. The cover and the title page credit the work to “Rose Publishing,” and that sends a message to me that this is not a work of credible scholarship. A review of the contents, however, suggests otherwise.

However the book was created, it is a very valuable resource for learning about and teaching the tabernacle. The 115 pages of text is well-researched, well-written, and accurate. To understand the tabernacle and God’s purpose for it, one must begin with Creation and the Garden of Eden. This book takes the reader from there to the encampment at Mount Sinai and on to the wilderness travels and the celebration of the feasts. Each section is well-organized and clearly presented.

Few subjects benefit from illustrations more than does the tabernacle.

This book is full of photographs, reconstructions, maps, and charts.

Clear plastic overlays allow the reader to “peel back” exterior layers in order to see what is inside (the tent and the ark). Teachers will appreciate the generous permission to make copies of pages for students.

I know of no better resource for an initial study of the tabernacle or for teaching it. I could profitably use it for teaching my family, a Sunday School class, as well as in high school and college courses.

Having this book, in fact, inspires me to find ways to teach the subject.

Since charts tend to be valuable educational tools, I’ve made a partial listing of those included in the book:

Old Testament Covenants
Time Line of the Exodus
Why Is the Tabernacle Important Today?
Bible References about the Tabernacle
Sacrifices in the Tabernacle
The Holy Place
Tabernacle Symbolism
Intercessors in the Bible
Priests, Levites, and the High Priest
Jesus and the High Priest
Contents of the Ark
The Visible Presence of God
Manifestations of God’s Presence
The Journey of the Ark
Jesus and the Ark of the Covenant
Organization of Tribes Camp and March

The book concludes with a section about the major feasts of the Old Testament, including “fascinating facts” about each one.

Amazon currently carries the book for $20 and it includes the “Look Inside” feature so you can check it out yourself. I see now that the book was the “Winner of the 2009 Christian Retailers Choice Award for Bible Reference and Bible Study.” I agree that this book is a winner.

Tagged Resources

Weekend Roundup

Aren Maeir has posted the schedule of the 31st Annual Conference of the Martin (Szusz) Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University.

Gary Byers has a report on discoveries from the first week of excavating Khirbet el-Maqatir.

Stephen Gabriel Rosenberg has posted his review of “Archaeology in Israel Update—April 2011.”

He reviews the demonstrations over graves in Jaffa, Jordan’s demand for the return of fake metal codices, Jacobivici’s “Nails of the Cross,” and the politicization of the Kenyon Institute (formerly the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem).

The ASOR blog has several dozen links to news from the world of archaeology.

Israel is moving forward with plans to construct the largest desalination plant in the world. When constructed, 65% of Israel’s water consumption will come from desalinated sources.

Kevin DeYoung’s post on “being better Bereans” is broader than the usual focus of this blog, but I suspect that many readers attracted to a blog like this one may be tempted to make some of the mistakes he describes. I recommend it highly.

If you’ve been waiting to pick up the new book by Ronny Reich, Excavating the City of David: Where Jerusalem’s History Began, do so this weekend, while the price is knocked down from $50 to $30 at the Biblical Archaeology Society website. They also have a good deal on Hershel Shanks, Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. And the third edition of Ancient Israel. The sale ends at 11:59 pm on Monday.

Tagged Discoveries, Lectures, Resources, Weekend Roundup

AIA Newsletter: Finkelstein’s Redating

The Australian Institute of Archaeology produces a newsletter, the current edition of which is online (also in pdf). You may also subscribe by email request. Some items are specific to Australian readers, but other articles are of broader interest. For example, one item notes Israel Finkelstein’s revision of his Low Chronology to be closer to the mainstream position.

During his presentation [at SBL 2010], Israel Finkelstein revised his dating, and stated that he was now dating the transition from Iron Age I to IIA to about 950 BC. This was momentous. Based on their experiences in the Philistine areas and sites such as Lachish, Ussishkin and Finkelstein have been dating the start of Iron Age II to 920–900 BC and they, and many others, have used this dating to argue that David and Solomon did not exist. Archaeologists working elsewhere in the southern Levant have found the comparatively short period of Iron Age II problematic because it was diﬃcult to compress their Iron Age II levels into it. While they mounted archaeological arguments to support an earlier start to Iron Age II they were normally accused of being ‘biblically biased’.
Now that Finkelstein is digging at Megiddo, where there is a signiﬁcant depth of Iron Age II material, he realises that the period was longer and that an earlier date for the start of Iron Age II is necessary. There are numerous books written by Finkelstein arguing that there was no United Monarchy because Iron Age II began long after the time it was supposed to have existed. Unfortunately these books will continue to have inﬂuence for decades to come, although the core argument is no longer accepted. The change does not mean that the United Monarchy did exist; it simply removes one of the hypothesised impediments. It was interesting that in the presentations the only person to regularly refer to biblical texts was Finkelstein: for him, disproving the Old Testament appears to be a hobby-horse. Much of the scholarly world has been ﬁxated on Finkelstein conveying his hypotheses as facts. It will be interesting to see if it now takes a less dogmatic stance.

The full text of the newsletter is here (also in pdf format). More information about the Australian Institute of Archaeology and how to become a member may be found here.

HT: James Lancaster

Tagged Lectures, Resources

Weekend Roundup

Well preserved remains of an ancient ship possibly from the first century has been found in the port that served ancient Rome.

Roman and Byzantine buildings have been discovered in Jiftlik, a Palestinian town near Alexandrium-Sartaba in the Jordan Valley.

“Geography and culture are important.” Jim Elliff explains why in this bulletin insert that you can download and reproduce for your church.

Infanticide was apparently common in the Roman Empire.

The first phase of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation is scheduled to open next month.

The country of Turkey is starting to recognize the value of its Christian sites for bringing in tourists (NY Times).

The Alphabetical list of Open Access Journals in Ancient Studies surpassed 900 titles this week.

Wayne Stiles shares his thoughts (and video) on Mount Arbel and the Sea of Galilee (JPost).

Tour guide Joe Yudin describes his jeep tour of the Judean Desert in a new column at the Jerusalem Post.

As a follow-up to the list of finalists for the 2011 Christian Book Award, it may be noted that the winner in the Bible Reference Category is the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds
Commentary, edited by John H. Walton.

Accordance is giving away a Bible a day (to one winner) and offering a big discount for all users, through the month of May.

ICEJ News reports on Israel’s plans to invest in Nazareth: On Wednesday, Israeli tourism minister Stas Meseznikov announced that the government is planning to invest more than NIS 12 million over the next four years in Israel’s largest Arab city, Nazareth, which is also a major tourist attraction due to its status as the town where Jesus grew up, being visited by over 40% of the tourists who arrive in Israel every year. One of the strategies used in order to develop the city is to encourage local residents to open their own businesses, and grants of up to 30% of their start up investments are therefore offered. “The program to boost development of the tourism industry in Nazareth is part of a 2010 government initiative to encourage development in the Arab sector,” Meseznikov said.

HT: Paleojudaica, Jack Sasson

Tagged Egypt, Excavations, Galilee, Italy, Judah, Museums, Resources, Tourism, Turkey, Weekend Roundup

Maps for the Ancient World

Routledge Wall Maps for the Ancient World, edited by Richard Talbert, is available as a set or individually.

From the publisher’s website:

Routledge Wall Maps for the Ancient World provide both students and scholars with detailed and exacting geographic information of the ancient world. Using the world renowned geographic data from the Ancient World Mapping Centre, the sweeping views of the ancient world allow students to understand important concepts such as trade, movement, spatial and cultural relations and to consider how the ancient terrain would have affected them. The maps provide a powerful tool for comprehending how the ancient world worked and also to help re-evaluate out-dated theories in light of precise geographic information.
Those students who are new to the discipline of ancient history will find them invaluable in orientating themselves within the world of the past. How far is Athens from Sparta, what type of terrain did Alexander have to cross on his journeys, how did the valley of the Nile look in 500 BC? Such questions and many more are answered by the maps within this series.

Egypt and the Near East 3000-1200 BCE
Wall Map: 978-0-415-58500-2: $64.95 [$21.80 at Amazon]

Egypt and the Near East 1200 – 500 BCE
Wall Map: 978-0-415-58499-9: $64.95 [$38.35 at Amazon]

Greece and the Aegean in the 5th Century BCE
Wall Map: 978-0-415-58441-8: $64.95 [57.94 at Amazon]

Greece and Persia in the Time of Alexander the Great
Wall Map: 978-0-415-58498-2: $64.95 [57.94 at Amazon]

Italy in the Mid First Century CE
Wall Map: 978-0-415-58440-1: $64.95 [57.94 at Amazon]

The Roman Empire around 200 CE
Wall Map: 978-0-415-58439-5: $64.95 [57.94 at Amazon]

The World of the New Testament and the Journeys of Paul
Wall Map: 978-0-415-58501-9: $64.95 [57.94 at Amazon]

Professors may request a complimentary examination copy via a link at the Routledge website. As I write, the publisher’s website is painfully slow, but the links to Amazon work quickly. In many cases, the maps are available from the Amazon Marketplace for even less than the prices listed above.

HT: Jack Sasson

Tagged Egypt, Greece, Italy, Resources