Bible Atlas

Bible Atlas Review: The New Moody Atlas of the Bible

Beitzel, Barry J.  The New Moody Atlas of the Bible.  Chicago: Moody, 2009.  304 pages, $49.99.  Link to Moody

This recent atlas from Moody replaces Beitzel’s 1985 Moody Atlas of the Bible. Few scholars are as qualified as Beitzel in the field of biblical geography.  Along with the 1985 Moody Atlas, he edited Biblica and served as the Geography Editor of the ESV Study Bible. The original Moody Atlas was highly regarded as a scholarly work yet was still readable for the layman. It was recommended by Victor H. Matthews and James C. Moyer in their 1990 round-up of recent Bible Atlases.  (“Bible Atlases: Which Ones are Best?” Biblical Archaeologist 53 (1990)).  Likewise, F. Duane Lindsey considered Beitzel’s “historical geography” approach to be excellent and highly recommended the volume in his 1987 review (BibSac 144 (1987): 112).Moody Atlas

The New Moody Atlas builds on the strengths of the 1985 atlas.  The new volume is about 70 pages longer despite dropping the short third chapter on biblical mapmaking in the older atlas.  The table of contents has been greatly improved in this new edition, including each topic in the Historical Geography chapter.

There are 118 maps in the book, many are full page (11.2×9.6 inches).  All the maps have been redrawn from the 1985 edition.  These maps are conveniently numbers and are all well-textured to show elevation. However, most of the versions of the map of Canaan are the same light brown color (no difference between hill country and coastal plain, for example).  Given the specialized nature of most of these maps, this is an understandable decision.  However, when necessary, color is added (Map 40, for example, shows tribal divisions with colors).  Few maps span two pages, although Map 22 spans four pages with a long map of Palestine with important cities included in the index marked.  This is a beautiful map in terms of texture and color, but it should have been printed on fold-out pages so the student could see the whole of the Land.

There are a remarkable number of specialty maps in this atlas.  Just a few examples: Map 44 summarizes Egyptian incursions into Canaan from Thutmosis III in 1457 B.C. to Shishak in 935 B.C., along with two full pages of text describing the exploits of these pharaohs.  Map 55 is a remarkable full-page map of the Judgeship of Jephthah, showing Ammon’s territory and the armies’ movements.  Map 70 provides details on the battle of Qarqar along with more than a page of detailed text on the battle.  Map 79 is a detailed half-page map showing the movements of the Egyptian and Babylonian forces at Carchemish, accompanied by nearly a page and a half of text on the importance of this battle.

Unlike the IVP Atlas, the Moody Atlas has a lengthy section on the physical geography of the Land. In addition to the usual sorts of maps for topography and climate, there are sections on the geology and hydrology of the Land.  Maps of the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea showing underwater elevations are unusually interesting. Beitzel shows which cities in Galilee had Roman harbors in the first century, which is quite useful.

What sets this New Moody Atlas ahead of other atlases is its excellent collection of essays on biblical history.  In fact, almost 200 pages are devoted to the history of Israel through the New Testament. About 35 pages are devoted to the intertestamental period, including several pages on Alexander the Great and two full pages on the Battle of Issus.  An eleven-page essay on the history of Jerusalem includes maps of each major period of the city’s history, including the modern city.  The essay discusses the name and topography of the city as well as a brief history of excavations.  Less than 40 pages are devoted to the New Testament period, predictably the majority to Paul’s travels (12 pages).  The final eight pages of the Historical Atlas cover the fall of Jerusalem and the spread of Christianity.  The Historical Atlas is well researched, although the text is used to avoid cluttering the Atlas pages.  A map citation, as well as a Scripture and General Index, are provided.

Illustrations are almost all photographs rather than artistic renderings.  These are used sparingly compared to the IVP Atlas and appear mostly stock photography.  A few photos are clearly old (Caesarea, p. 42; Chorazin, p.242). I find this limited use of photographs odd since Barry Beitzel is listed in the ESV Atlas as one of several who helped supply photography for that volume.  While there is no need to repeat the bloated excess of Biblica (a coffee-table-style atlas), additional photographs would have made this atlas even better.

The New Moody Atlas of the Bible is an excellent text for any Bible Survey course, although the volume is most valuable for studying the Hebrew Bible. The text will appeal to Bible teachers and Pastors, but it is not too technical for laymen. The New Moody Atlas is a valuable addition to any library.

Bible Atlas Review: The IVP Atlas of Bible History

Paul Lawrence.   The IVP Atlas of Bible History.  Downer’s Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2006.  187 pages, $45.00.

The IVP Atlas of Bible History was the first of the “new” atlases to hit the market back in 2006.  I got a copy from IVP right away and adopted it as a textbook for both by Old and New Testament survey classes.  I used the book for two years and carried it with me to Israel as a resource for leading student tours in 2007 and 2009.  Of all of the atlases reviewed in this series, this is the one I have used the most and recommend to the laymen who wants some basic maps and background material.

The atlas has an excellent layout and is well illustrated.  Like most atlases, the IVP Atlas uses “paired  pages” linking a map with text describing the content.  The oversized format (11.9×9.2 inches) allows for larger maps, but also a variety of other content.  There are numerous photographs which illustrate content as well as side-bars which focus on a more specialized sub-topic.  The inside margin of the paired pages has a small box which collects all of the scripture references for the pages.  The editors use a light blue background for some pages which are more “geography” related (Geography of Canaan, Climate of Canaan, Agriculture of Canaan) or background essays (Language of the Bible, Rome).

One highlight of the IVP Atlas are the illustrations.  For example, the artist’s reconstruction of the Tabernacle (p. 40-1), Solomon’s Temple (p. 74-5), Babylon (p. 108-9), Herod’s Temple (p. 132-3) are well drawn and generally helpful.  I would have like to see these illustrations juxtaposed to photographs of the archaeology which inspired the art, but these pages will the reader a mental image of these key locations.

Ultimately, an atlas is judged by its maps.  There are about 90 maps in the book, although only a few are full page maps.  As is typical in a narrow topic atlas, a generic map of Canaan is used and re-marked with different data.  Frequently a smaller area is placed near a description of a story.  For example, an excellent map of the Moabite Campaign appears on page 82 to illustrate 2 Kings 3.  The largest map of Canaan (p.10-1) spans two pages and is almost too busy with data to be useful. Sites are identified as appearing in either Old or New Testament.  Unfortunately the interior margin mars the center of the map, the most interesting region (Jerusalem and environs)!

A bonus is sixteen pages of Second Temple Period.  This section intends to “bridge the gap” between the Old and New Testaments and does a fine job covering this broad period for laymen.  There are a number of maps (Alexander’s Empire, the Maccabean revolt, Jews in Egypt).  The pages on Herod’s building projects are particularly good.  Along with the pages on Rome and the Fall of Jerusalem (p. 166-9), the IVP Atlas provides a Jewish history beyond the Bible.

The book includes a few page sets which strike me as odd for an atlas.  For example, pages 14-5 are on Creation writing.  The text contrasts the biblical narrative with Ancient Near Eastern mythology and considers briefly the age of the earth.  The inclusion of this material makes the book useful for a Bible survey course, but is not exactly geographic material.  There are sections of writing(p. 68-9) and libraries in the ancient World (p. 70-1).  While these are well written and fascinating, once again I wonder about their inclusion given other omissions.  The essay “Amulets and Scrolls” (p, 134-5) is really about the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Remarkably, the IVP Atlas is weakest in the New Testament.  There are six page-sets for Jesus’ life, and with the exception of a small picture of the synagogue in Capernaum, there are no photographs of Galilee. There is only an artists reconstruction of Capernaum (p. 140-1), The first 12 chapters of Acts are covered in one page set and two small maps.  Paul’s travel in Acts 13-28 is covered in five page sets, with the expected “missionary journey” maps.  The city of Ephesus is an artist’s reconstruction with no actual photographs other than a first century Artemis.  The recipients of the letters of the New Testament are located on a map (p. 164-5) with fairly conservative traditional dates.  (Galatians is the first Pauline letter, dated to A.D. 48-9).  Two page sets are dedicated to the seven churches of Revelation.

Overall, The IVP Atlas of Bible History is an excellent resource for pastors and laymen, although the scholar might find the content less than adequate for their needs.

Bible Atlas Review (Introduction)

I have always had a fascination for a Atlases, especially Bible Atlases. As a kid I spent hours with my Dad’s Hammond Bible Atlas, printed in 1959.  This atlas is tiny by today’s standards, but I spent many hours looking at maps and photos of Israel.  I especially liked the “timeline” on the back cover which graphically showed the rise of Rome. Remarkably this classic is still in print and useful for most laymen.

For years the best (and only) atlas I used was the Oxford Bible Atlas (Second Edition), edited by Herbert May.  (It amazes me that there are copies for sale for less than $1!)  The first 47 pages are an excellent overview of biblical history illustrated with black & white photographs, followed by 50 pages of maps.  The final 20 pages of text is an excellent introduction to “Archaeology and the Bible.”  The maps were well-drawn and accompanied by a short overview of the data found on the accompanying map.  As expected, this old friend is looking a bit gray these days.  The photography is laughably out of date, since the first edition was 1962. For example, page 40 has an aerial shot of the theater at Caesarea.  Anyone who has visited this site would be amazed since there is no evidence of the Palace or the hippodrome in the photo, and the beautifully excavated homes are still under a farmer’s field!  Page 46 has a wonderful photo of the synagogue in Capernaum before it was reconstructed for tourists.

These examples point out the problem with atlases.  They are in constant need of updating.  The Fourth Edition of the Oxford Bible Atlas has updated photography and updated and expanded the historical and archaeological sections. Page 154 has an aerial photo of the same synagogue at Capernaum, but it is still out of date since the houses along the side of the synagogue have been removed to make room for shaded benches for tour guides to lecture.

This summer two excellent new Atlases have been released.  In fact, in the last several years several publishers have released excellent atlases that build on the foundation of the venerable foundation of the Oxford Bible Atlas, but go far beyond  the scope of that handy guide.  Of interest to me especially are the following four books, all of which are excellent contributions to the study of the geography of the Bible.

IVP Atlas of Bible History – Paul Lawrence

The New Moody Bible Atlas – Barry J. Beitzel

ESV Bible Atlas – John D. Currid and David P. Barrett

Zondervan Atlas of the Bible – Carl Rasmussen

Over the next few blog posts I will offer reviews of these new Atlases and point out some strengths and weaknesses.  After the four reviews have been posted I will make some final “compare and contrast” observations.

ESV Bible Atlas

Between summer, my dissertation, and the World Cup, I have been neglecting posting.  If you read this blog much, you know I have been using the ESV Study Bible for my Bible Survey classes and have been quite pleased with the translation and the notes. There are a few sections I disagreed with in the notes, for the most part they are well done.

The Gospel Coalition has a nice description of the forthcoming  ESV Bible Atlas. At 352 pages and 65,000 words, this is the largest Bible Atlas in recent memory.  The “look and feel” is similar to the ESVSB, the maps were prepared by David Barrett, who also did the maps for the Study Bible.  When my copy arrives, I will post a review of the ESVBA, with a comparison to the IVP Atlas and the new Moody Bible Atlas.

Crossway has 40 pages online for you to browse.  Check it out.