Paul Lawrence, The IVP Atlas of Bible History (Second Edition)

Lawrence, Paul. The IVP Atlas of Bible History. Second Edition. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2024. 187 pages, HB; $56.99.  Link to IVP Academic

The first edition of The IVP Atlas of Bible History (IVP, 2006) was one of the books I reviewed on Reading Acts. In 2010 (nearly 15 years ago!) I did a series of posts on Bible Atlas and included The IVP Atlas of Bible History because I had used it as a textbook for both my Old and New Testament survey classes. I carried it with me to Israel as a resource for leading student tours in 2007 and 2009. This is the Bible Atlas I usually recommend to laypeople who want basic maps and background material as they read the Bible.

IVP Atlas of Bible History

Like the Oxford Bible Atlas, the IVP Atlas of Bible History is both a collection of maps and an overview of biblical culture and history. In addition to sections on the major sections of the Bible, the editors include articles on Geography of Canaan (for example, Climate of Canaan, Agriculture of Canaan), archaeology (for example, Archaeology of the Patriarchs, Evidence of the Conquest of Canaan), culture (for example, Writing, Archives and Libraries in the Ancient World, Travel in the Roman World), or historical background essays (for example, Language of the Bible, essays on Assyria, Babylon, Greece, Rome).

The atlas uses “paired pages” linking a map or chart with text describing the content. The oversized format (11.9×9.2 inches) allows for larger maps and a variety of other content. Numerous photographs illustrate the content, and sidebars focus on a more specialized subtopic. The inside margin of the paired pages has a small box that collects all the scripture references for the pages.

I opened both books on my desk and compared every page to compare the two editions. There are no major changes. There are no new topics or essays, and as far as I can tell, the text of the essays is identical between the editions (perhaps there is a typo or two corrected, but nothing substantial). The changes are entirely cosmetic. First, the second edition uses a sans serif font (Ariel style) rather than the serif (Times Roman style) font in the first edition. This makes the text easier to read, especially for those people struggling with dyslexia. Many style guides now recommend a sans serif font for accessibility. Second, colors used for the textboxes are softened. Most boxes no longer have borders, increasing readability. Third, some maps lost the relief style representing mountains (for example, the Persian Empire, p. 113, or Greece, p. 119). Other maps have a softer relief style. This makes for a more readable map, and honestly the “relief” was not particularly accurate. Fourth, I noticed one or two updated photographs. These might simply be lightened with a photo editor, but the image of Thutmose III (p. 49) is from a different angle.

Since this is a Second Edition, I expected some things to be updated. For example, there are no new photographs from the City of David excavations or the Ophel to illustrate First Temple Jerusalem.  The photograph of the Holy Sepulcher is now outdated, since the Cenacle has been refurbished. The published version has the wooden supports for the crumbling walls. Since the first edition, the Caiaphas Ossuary was discovered and would make an excellent addition to the atlas (replacing the James Ossuary, p. 149). Finally, since 2006, there has been much archeology and restoration at Laodicea. Up-to-date photographs of that location would enhance the section on the Seven Churches of Revelation.

Conclusion: Paul Lawrence passed away in February 2025, and Alan Millard passed in 2024. Heinrich von Siebenthal and John H. Walton are consulting editors for both editions. Siebenthal is known for his work on Greek grammars and linguistics, and John Walton published many books on Old Testament themes over the last 15 years. It does not appear any additional editing, consulting, or otherwise was done in the second edition.

If you own the first edition of The IVP Atlas of Bible History, you do not need to buy the second edition. There is no real “upgrade.” However, the new edition is a good investment if you want a solid Bible Atlas with an overview of biblical history and culture. I stand by what I wrote 15 years ago, The IVP Atlas of Bible History is an excellent resource for pastors and laymen, although the scholar might find the content inadequate for their needs.

NB: This atlas is published internationally as The Lion Atlas of Bible History, Second Edition (Lion, 2024). This version is available for Logos Bible Software. I appreciate IVP Academic’s generous offer of a review copy of this book, but this did not influence my thoughts about the work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biblical Studies Carnival #225 for February 2025

February is the shortest month, but there was plenty of Biblioblogging. Welcome to the Biblical Studies Carnival for February 2025. Reuven Chaim Klein did a great job with the January 2025 carnival on The Rachack Review. As I always say, I am looking for hosts for the rest of 2025. Contact me via email, plong42@gmail.com if you would like to discuss hosting a Bible Studies Carnival on your blog. I would love to have a host that is more into podcasts than I am.

Jim West will host the carnival for March (due April 1). For April (due May 1),  Hans E Kristensen of Australian Catholic University will host at his blog, Bible Archaeology and History. Hans is a first-time host, so check out his blog (or his papers on academia.edu).

Old Testament

Did Isaac Know He Is Blessing Jacob? Rabbi David J. Zucker wonders who got deceived.

John T. Squires executes justice and righteousness: the glory of the holy God (Ps 99; Transfiguration).

Heather Anne Thiessen studies Exodus 19:1-14 and then reflects on Exodus 19:1-14.

Michael Wilson posts daily at his eponymous blog. An example is Call to Restoration and Hope (Isaiah 1). Go read the whole month, maybe subscribe.

Nijay Gupta gives some suggestions for Studying Early Judaism: The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha.

William Ross celebrated International Septuagint Day (February 8) by giving a list of his publications on the Septuagint. He says he would be happy to send you copies if you do not have access to these journals.

Megan Sauter asks, “Who Were the Maccabees and What Did They Do?”

Archaeology

Hans Kristensen discusses the Twelve Archaeological Finds that Support the Historicity of the Old Testament/ Hebrew Bible.

Nathan Steinmeyer discusses Tax Administration in Roman Caesarea Philippi at Bible History Daily.

Bob MacDonald is at the end of his mega-series: a visual presentation of the Music of the Bible, verse by verse with Scalar Vector Graphic images.  He calls this a “swan song” even though he is only 22% done with the project.

Here’s a news story on the new archaeology display at Ben-Gurion Airport.

Eva Mroczek discusses the deep history of deepfakes and the Dead Sea Scrolls. In other weird DSS news, the Reagan Library adds a rare group of Dead Sea Scrolls to their exhibit including 4Q57 Isaiah Scroll. Anthony Ferguson appreciates 11Q5: A Comparative Look at the Great Psalms Scroll, which is now on display at the Reagan Library.

Jennifer Drummond explains the mystery of the missing pages in the Aleppo Codex.

Monika Amsler at TheTorah.com describes How Ancient Books Were Composed.

Another news story from the Times of Israel:  Hoard of coins illuminates triumphant Maccabee campaign. Good photos of the coins.

New Testament

Peter Montoro IV resolves the Mystery of GA 2776.

James Tabor explains the “Strange” Ending of the Gospel of Mark (and Why It Makes All the Difference).

Heather Anne Thiessen studies Matthew 19:16-30 and then reflects on the passage.

John Nelson surveys seven candidates for the Beloved Disciple.

Peter Goeman at The Bible Sojourner asks, “Does 666 refer to Nero in Revelation 13:18?” I will not spoil the post for you, but no, it’s not Nero. This post has a link to his podcast on YouTube.

James T. Squires on Transformed from death to life: Paul’s theology of glory (2 Cor 3–4; Transfiguration).

Ian Paul explains what Paul’s Christ hymn in Philippians 2 actually tells us. He wonders about the beatitudes in Luke 6, Jesus stilling the storm in Luke 8, and the meaning of the transfiguration in Luke 9.

At the Text & Canon Institute, Markus Bockmuehl and Jacob Rodriguez ask, “What Are the Apocryphal Gospels?”

Marg Mowczko discusses Origen on the Montanist Prophetesses. She says, “Apart from having women as leaders, emphasizing the role of the Holy Spirit and prophecy, and holding to some ideas which many in the broader church regarded as strange, the Montanists’ basic theological beliefs were not heretical.”

B. J. Oropeza revisits the Lord’s Prayer. His focus is on the sixth line, specifically. The word epiousion, “our daily bread.” Spoiler: he thinks I. H. Marshall’s compromise may be right. Read his post to see what that compromise is. Oropeza also asks if God’s Love is Unconditional or Unconditioned.

Michael Bird posted a link to the latest edition of his podcast “Ask N. T. Wright Anything” answering the question, “Was Paul a false apostle?”  This post also includes Michael Bird’s video on the Roman imperial cults and its relevance to the apostle Paul and the Book of Acts.

jayman777 at the Biblical Scholarship blog has a short article on the genre of the Gospel of Mark. Jayman collects statements from several major commentaries. He also did a post on the text of Mark.

Καταπέτασμα posted on Tales from the crypt: The historicity of Pilate’s ransacked tomb at Scribes of the Kingdom.

Michael Bird continues his dialogue with Matt Novenson, Is the Church the New/True Israel?

HT Jim West

Book Reviews

Corinne Bonnet, The Names of the Gods in Ancient Mediterranean Religions. Trans. R. Häussler. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2024. (Review by Dominic Dalglish at Bryn Mawr Classical Review).

Claudia Rapp, New Light on Old Manuscripts: The Sinai Palimpsests and Other Advances in Palimpsest Studies. Publications on Byzantine Research, 45. Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, 2023. (Reviewed by Peter Malik at ETC). Open Access

Mark J. Boda and Mary L. Conway, Judges (ZECOT). Zondervan, 2024. (Reviewed by Spencer Robinson).

  1. Michael Morales, Numbers 20–36 (AOTC). Intervarsity, 2024. (Reviewed by Spencer Robinson).

Thomas Kazan, Dirt, Shame, Status: Perspectives on Same-Sex Sexuality in the Bible and the Ancient World. Eerdmans 2024. (Reviewed by Jim West). “This is a tremendously instructive book.  And it addresses a tremendously important question.  I recommend it to one and all.”

Timothy S. Hogue, The Ten Commandments: Monuments of Memory, Belief, and Interpretation. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2023. (Reviewed by Lauren Monroe).

Catherine Hezser, ed. The Routledge Handbook of Jews and Judaism in Late Antiquity. Routledge handbooks. Abingdon; New York: Routledge, 2024. (Reviewed by Elsa Laurenzi Bryn Mawr Classical Review),

Elana Stein Hain, Circumventing the Law: Rabbinic Perspectives on Loopholes and Legal Integrity. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2024. (Reviewed by Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein at the Rachack Review).

Peter Gurry posted a review of the Wescott-Hort Greek New Testament in the New York Times, published 143 years ago. Imagine the days when the New York Times ran reviews of Greek Bibles!

Culture

James McGrath was led to Jesus by Severance. Not really, but read his Severance, Jesus, and the Soul: A Sci-Fi Thought Experiment. #Spoilers

At the Anxious Bench, Reading in a Streaming Age—On Limits and Academic Publishing, by Assistant Director of Baylor University Press Cade Jarrell.

Christoph Heilig thinks we need to think: The AI Revolution Is Moving Faster Than We Expected—Are We Ready? Not specifically on biblical studies, but Helig’s piece is a good overview of the state of AI in February 2025. That will all change in a month, so read what he has to say now.

Anxious Bencher Daniel K. Williams on The Evangelical Assault on Democratic Institutions.

Peter Goeman, Three Reasons a Biblical View of Gender is Important.

Jim West remembers G. R. Beasley -Murray on the 25th anniversary of his death.

 

 

 

 

 

Acts 7:54-8:1a – Stephen is Stoned for Blasphemy

When Stephen finished his sermon, he saw a vision of heaven standing open and the Son of Man standing by the throne of God (7:55-56). It was this vision that led to his being stoned for blasphemy.

Acts 7:55–56 (ESV) But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

At the ascension, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father. Here, he is called the Son of Man, Jesus’s title to describe himself.  This is the only place outside of the gospels where this title calls Jesus – but it is crucial here because it connects the execution of Stephen to the words of Jesus in Luke 22:69. Before the Sanhedrin, Jesus states that he, as the son of Man, will be seated on the right hand of the Father. The words of Jesus combine Daniel 7:14 and Zechariah 12 to refer to his return in judgment on the nation and the whole world.

Stoned for Blasphemy

In Luke 22:69 Jesus says he will be seated on the right hand of the father. Why is he standing in this vision? A judge would stand to condemn a person, so the Son of Man’s standing indicates that the point of the vision is a judgment on the Sanhedrin and the Jewish people in general. They have rejected the Son and the Spirit and are now condemned. Notice how the Sanhedrin react when they are told that Stephen sees (in a vision) the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.

The Sanhedrin reacts with extreme fury (7:54, 57-58). They are furious and gnash their teeth. To “be furious” is literally “their hearts were torn in two.” The Greek word (diaprivw) means “to saw in two.” In Acts 5:33, the word has the sense of being “cut to the quick” (BDAG), but here, it is usually translated as “infuriated.” To gnash one’s teeth is a sign of great anger (c.f., Luke 13:28, Ps 34:16; in Matthew, the word “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is different).

They shout and cover their ears. This is a reaction to Stephen’s description of his vision. These are the people who handed the human Jesus over to be executed. For them, there is no way a human would be standing beside the throne of God. Even if there was a human was permitted to be on the right hand of God, it would not be a convicted criminal like Jesus (Witherington, Acts, 276).

They dragged him outside of town to stone him. This is a lynching. No verdict is given; the high priest has lost control of the assembly. There is no legal basis for the execution. It is simply mob violence. Think of this as a lynching.

Luke dramatically introduces Saul as a member of the group that executed Stephen. “Laying their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul” (7:58).  The word translated young (νεανίας) does not indicate Saul’s age. He might be as old as thirty but still be considered a young man in the Sanhedrin. Saul is described as having approved of the death of Stephen, and he is possibly the ringleader of the persecution that breaks out because of the stoning of Stephen. Witherington suggests it is at least plausible that Saul represents “Zionist, conservative Jews from the Diaspora” who initiated the persecution (by stoning Stephen) and led the house-to-house persecution in Jerusalem (Acts, 278).

To what extent is Stephen’s vision an apocalyptic judgment on the part of Israel that rejected Jesus as Messiah and the activity of the Holy Spirit in the ministry of the apostles? Is it fair to say that Luke’s dramatic introduction of Saul at the end of the story signals a shift in the trajectory of the apostolic mission?

Biblical Studies Carnival #224 for January 2025

Reuven Chaim Klein hosts the Biblical Studies Carnival #224 for January 2025 at The Rachack Review.  Although this is the first time he has hosted a Biblical Studies Carnival, he has done several Jewish Book carnivals over the years. Reuven says, “This month’s roundup features a diverse collection of essays, book reviews, and podcast episodes that I’ve come across in my readings. Whether you’re a seasoned scholar or simply passionate about the study of the Holy Scripture, I hope you’ll find something here to spark your curiosity and deepen your understanding.” A fascinating collection of links, with many blogs I was unaware of.

As always, I am looking for volunteers for the Biblical Studies Carnival in 2025. Check out my mine from last summer to get an idea of what people include in the Carnival. But every Carnival is different, so you can feel free to include more theology, church history, archaeology, or whatever biblically related discipline interests you. I would love to have a host who knows more podcasts to focus on that aspect of biblical studies on the internet.

I will host the next carnival (unless someone else would like to), and Jim West will take March 2025 (due April 1).

Contact me (plong42@gmail.com) or on the shambling horror that is Twitter these days (plong42). I am plong42 on Bluesky as well.

 

 

 

Acts 7:44-50 – Stephen’s Speech: The Tabernacle and Temple

Nearing the conclusion of Stephen’s speech, he finally turns to the accusation against him that he has spoken out against the temple. He does not answer the charges. He does not answer the charges. Instead, he makes a theological argument that God never needed the Tabernacle or Temple because heaven is his throne, and the earth is his footstool (Acts 7:49).

Stephen's Speech

The Tabernacle and the temple were important elements of Israel’s worship (in the wilderness and the kingdom). Stephen does not deny that building a temple is wrong; it is not a sin; it was what God had commanded Moses to do in the first place. It was a sign of God’s favor on David that David’s son Solomon was allowed to build the Temple. Central to the hopes of the Davidic dynasty was the Temple. Just as in the first century, Jews looked to the Temple as a representation of their religious life and their hopes for a revived kingdom. David wanted to build a tent, and Solomon built the Lord a house (1 Chron 17:1-14; 2 Sam 7:2-16; 1 Kings 5:1-6:38; 2 Chron 1:14-5:1).

Sylva suggests four clear allusions to 1 Kings 8:14-30, Solomon’s speech at the temple’s dedication. These four points generally make the same theological points as Acts 7:44-50 (Sylva, 262).

  • David’s intent to find a skēnōma for God (7:46)
  • Solomon’s building God a temple (7:47)
  • The assertion that God does not dwell (katoikeō) in cheiropoiētois (7:48)
  • An assertion of God’s relation to the heavens, the earth, and an oikos (7:49, 50).

Stephen quotes Isaiah 66:1-2 to show that his critique of the temple and the leadership’s confidence in the temple is part of the long tradition of the prophets. In Isaiah, the writer emphasizes transcendence: God cannot dwell with men; he is so great that the heavens are his throne, and the earth is merely his footstool. “It is my contention that the transcendence thesis offers the best explanation of Acts 7:46–50” (Sylva, 262).

Israel struggled with the idea that God was so far above them, even though he had also promised to be with them. In the early stories, God led the people; his presence is seen in the cloud and fire in the wilderness, and when the temple is built, that glory dwells in the temple itself! But the image of a cloud for God’s glory indicates that it is not the real glory of God.

The Temple is only a shadow, a misty representation of the reality of God’s glory, which could never dwell in a temple made by human hands. Sylvia argues, “Acts 7:46-50 is not a rejection or criticism of the temple, but rather it is an assertion of God’s transcendence of the temple” (Sylva, 267). This is not much different from what Jesus said. In Mark 14:58, Jesus claimed to replace the temple with one not made by hand.

It is entirely possible that if the Sanhedrin had discussed the theology of God’s presence, many would have agreed with Stephen’s Speechephen at this point in his speech—but he takes it a bit further by comparing the present generation to those who did not understand God’s presence in the Hebrew Bible.

 

Bibliography:  Sylva, Dennis D. “The Meaning and Function of Acts 7:46–50.” Journal of Biblical Literature 106 (1987): 261-73; Steve Walton, “A Tale of Two Perspectives?,” in Heaven on Earth, ed. T. Desmond Alexander and Simon Gathercole (Carlisle: Paternoster Press, 2004), 135-  (in logos)