The Land and the Book: An Introduction to the World of the Bible

by Charles R. Page II, Carl A. Volz

This volume guides readers through the world of the Bible, the land where the decisive religious experiences of the ancient Israelites and the earliest Christians took place. One cannot understand Judaism or Christianity without knowing not only the history and culture but also the geography of the biblical lands. Here the authors bring together the fruits of contemporary historical and archaeological research to introduce the writings, events, and, most important the land of the Bible. The Land and the Book provides an overview of the geography and the history of the Bible by the use of brief descriptions of each of the major areas in which the events of the biblical narrative took place ( primarily Palestine, Egypt, and Syria) and reviews of the history of ancient Israel, beginning with the patriachs and continuing through the New Testament era and the crusader period to the present. Extensive archaeological and historical descriptions set the stage for a more thorough understanding of the biblical drama by detailing the natural environment of a site; the human artifacts, buildings, and structures discovered there; and the manner in which all illuminate the biblical material * Includes charts and descriptions of archaeological periods, a chronological chart of biblical events, and a glossary of terms-- helps the reader better understand the world of the Bible.

285 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1993

Reviews

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty descent book, if one wants to know about the history of the region (in brief) that is mentioned in the Bible.

The book covers,
10 pages of Geographical Overview
70 pages of Concise Historical Overview
130 pages of Biblical Sites

5 pages of "Archaeological Method" in the Appendix was very useful information in knowing how an archaeological dig is performed and to understand the various strata of a finding.

Also included in the Appendix were Glossary (12 pages), Chronological Charts (quite useful), and of course Notes to the Main Text (14 pages).

Overall, a good book in understanding the history of the Palestinian Region based upon its inclusions in the Bible, archaeological findings and other supported historical evidences.

[Jennifer Zartman · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the Preface, the authors state, "It is a readily apparent and unchallenged axiom that one's understanding of history or of the Bible requires some knowledge of geography..." I hate to say it, but this book failed to enrich my Biblical understanding in any significant way. One glaring lack, especially for a book about geography, was maps. They supplied only two, both introductory in nature. Another disappointment was the paltry amount of information about how the geography influenced lifestyle. The beginning of the first section includes an interesting discussion contrasting the geography of Jerusalem and Jericho. The altitude difference causes significant changes in the temperature and life-style of these cities, even though they are only 16 miles apart. I would have appreciated more of this type of information, especially as I know that Israel, small as it is, boasts a wide variety of climates, from the seashore to snowy mountaintops to dry desert. My Biblical understanding was also not enlarged by information about locations of shrines and ancient churches built centuries after the fact. The historical accuracy of those places certainly ought to be called into question, and their inclusion gave the book the feeling of a travel guide. I rather hoped for a better understanding of "the world of the Bible" as is claimed in the subtitle.

I agree with the reviewer who pointed out the lack of belief in the Bible's inerrancy. I occasionally wondered why the authors bothered to write a book to help people understand Biblical geography when they don't particularly believe it themselves. The discussion of Ai is actually amusing in this way. The first thing they tell you is that there is "some debate about the exact location of ancient Ai..." though it's "now generally identified with the modern site of et-Tell." At the end of the discussion, they say, "Excavations at the site have revealed the presence of a small, unwalled Iron Age village, but not of a large, fortified city, raising questions as to whether the biblical account of the Israelite conquest of Ai may have referred originally to the capture of nearby Bethel." So they aren't sure they got the right spot, but they still conclude that the Bible writers (who were there) must have been confused about what city they attacked, because thousands of years later archaeologists can't find it. Brilliant!

There are some good points, however. I found the overview of history between the Testaments and after the close of the New Testament interesting and helpful. Also, I dug out a Bible atlas and looked up the cities as I read through the "Biblical Sites" section, so now I have a better idea of where the various cities are located.