Zondervan Essential Atlas of the Bible

From Booklist This slim volume introduces the geography and history of the biblical world with color photographs and maps and accessibly written text. A brief overview of the Middle East’s terrain, climate, and trade routes is followed by several chapters that emphasize places and events recorded in the Bible, from the possible locations of the Garden of Eden to the extensive missionary travels of Paul. Although written from a Christian perspective and intended for a Christian audience, the atlas is nevertheless appropriate for theological, academic, and large public libraries. --Christopher McConnell Carl Rasmussen (PhD, Dropsie University) is professor emeritus atxa0Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, and an adjunct professor at Jerusalem University College in Jerusalem.xa0Previously, he served as Dean of the Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem. He is the author and creator of the Zondervan NIV Atlas of the Bible . Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. ZONDERVAN ESSENTIAL ATLAS OF THE BIBLE By CARL G. RASMUSSEN ZONDERVAN Copyright © 2013 Carl G. RasmussenAll rights reserved.ISBN: 978-0-310-31857-6 Contents Preface and Acknowledgments................................................5Abbreviations..............................................................6Geographical Section.......................................................1. Introduction to the Middle East as a Whole..............................82. The Geography of Israel and Jordan......................................103. The Geography of Egypt..................................................184. The Geography of Syria and Lebanon......................................235. The Geography of Mesopotamia............................................25Historical Section.........................................................6. The Pre-Patriarchal Period..............................................307. The Patriarchs and the Egyptian Sojourn.................................368. Exodus and Conquest.....................................................449. Settlement in Canaan and the Time of the Judges.........................5310. Transition to the Monarchy: Samuel and Saul............................6411. The United Monarchy: David and Solomon.................................6912. The Divided Kingdom....................................................7613. Judah Alone............................................................8514. Exile and Return.......................................................9115. The Arrival of the Greeks..............................................9616. The Maccabean Revolt and the Hasmonean Dynasty.........................10317. Early Roman Rule in Palestine..........................................10818. The Life of Christ.....................................................11419. The Expansion of the Church in Palestine...............................12220. The Journeys of Paul...................................................12821. The Seven Churches of Revelation.......................................13622. Jerusalem..............................................................140Scripture Index............................................................151Subject Index..............................................................155 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTIONTO THEMIDDLE EASTAS A WHOLE The stage on which the major events of Old Testamenthistory took place includes all the major countriesshown on page 9. This large land mass is bounded onthe west by the Nile River and the Mediterranean Sea, on thenorth by the Amanus and Ararat Mountains, and on the eastby the Zagros Mountains and the Persian Gulf. To the south,the Nafud Desert and the southern tip of Sinai form a ratherloose boundary. Much of the Middle East is desert. Large portions ofmodern-day Syria, Iraq, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia include desertwastes such as the Syrian Desert, the Nafud, the ArabianDesert, the Ruba al-Khali, Negev, Sinai, and Egypt. The seasand gulfs that help outline the Middle East have influenced lifein the area. The most important of these is the MediterraneanSea, which offers life-giving rains to most of the region. Muchof what has occurred in the Middle East can be summed up asa struggle between the influences of the desert and the MediterraneanSea over against the people who have lived there. The first section of this book outlines briefly some of thesignificant challenges of this part of the world — geography,climate, roads, trade routes, food supply, and the like. It iseasy to determine where the majority of people have lived inthe Near East by highlighting on a map (see p..9) the areaswatered by the Nile, the Tigris, and the Euphrates, as well asthose regions that receive over twelve inches of rainfall annually.This area is roughly the shape of a crescent, with one pointin the Nile River and the other in the Persian Gulf. It is aptlynamed the "Fertile Crescent." CHAPTER 2 THE GEOGRAPHYOF ISRAEL ANDJORDAN Terrain At the southeastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, we can distinguishfive major longitudinal zones. As one moves from west toeast they are: the coastal plain, the central mountain range, therift valley, the Transjordanian mountains, and the eastern desert. (1) The coastal plain stretches approximately 120 milesalong the Mediterranean coast from Rosh HaNiqra south toGaza. It receives 25 to 16 inches of rain per year, the northernsections receiving more rain than the southern. A fewpowerful springs provided water, but more commonly theinhabitants used wells to tap the water table. The coastal plainconsists mainly of low, rolling hills covered with fertile alluvialsoils. Grain crops flourished in the winter and spring months,while flocks grazed there during the remainder of the year. While travel was easy in this area, travelers did have to becareful to avoid sand dunes, large rivers such as the YarkonRiver, and low-lying areas that became swampy during thewinter months. Also, they had to choose the most appropriatetrack through Mount Carmel. The only natural seaport isat Acco. (2) The central mountain range runs from Galilee in thenorth to the Negev Highlands in the south. It rises in places tomore than 3,000 feet and is severed in an east – west directionby the Jezreel Valley in the north and the Negev Basin in thesouth, where east – west traffic can flow with relative ease. Cutting through the limestone hills are deep V-shapedvalleys, usually called wadis. They are dry during the summermonths but sometimes flow with water during thewinter. They drain either toward the rift valley or the MediterraneanSea. Travel along the bottoms of these deep wadisis difficult because of boulders and occasional cliffs, andnorth – south travel across the wadis is almost impossible.Thus roads tended to be located on the mountain ridges. The western slopes of the mountains receive considerablerainfall (20 to 40 in.); this, along with the fertile soil,ensures the fertility of the area. Here — largely on hillsideterraces partially formed by the natural bedding of the limestone— small fields of wheat, groves of olive trees, and vineyardsflourish (Deut 8:8; Ps 147:14; Hab 3:17 – 19). Winter rainwater seeps into the limestone until it reachesan impermeable layer, where it begins to flow laterally until itemerges as a spring. Settlements often developed close to thesefreshwater springs, but being on the slopes of the hills theywere difficult to defend. By about 1400 BC, the construction ofcisterns, lined with plaster to prevent leakage, began to solvethe problem of complete dependency on natural water sources. The Israelites first settled in the central mountain range.Because international powers were primarily interested incontrolling the coastal plain, the mountains provided the Israeliteswith security. Only during periods when they consideredtheir power to be great did the Israelites attempt to gain controlof the coastal plain, but this almost always resulted in conflictwith one or more of the great powers. (3) The next zone, part of the rift valley system thatcontinues into Africa, stretches 260 miles from Dan to Elathat the northern tip of the Red Sea. A considerable amount ofrain falls in the northern section of this zone (24 in. at Dan),whereas in the south rainfall is negligible (2 in. at the southend of the Dead Sea). The northernmost section of the rift valley, called theHuleh Basin, receives about 24 inches of rain each year. Springsat the foot of Mount Hermon form the headwaters of the JordanRiver and flow through a marshy lake known in antiquity asLake Semechonitis. The Jordan then enters the north end ofthe Sea of Galilee, which lies 690 feet below sea level and measures13 by 7.5 miles. The temperate Mediterranean climatemakes this region a desirable place to live. The sea itself is amajor source of fish for inhabitants, and anumber of small but fertile plains along thesea's shoreline have been intensively cultivatedthroughout history. The Jordan River flows out of the Seaof Galilee and descends to the Dead Sea.The linear distance in the Jordan Valleyis 65 miles, but the length of the river as itwinds its way is 135 miles. Until moderntimes, when Israelis and Jordanians begandiverting water for commercial purposes,the Jordan averaged 100 feet in width witha depth of 3 to 10 feet. After heavy rains inlate winter and spring its width could swellto almost a mile in places. The Jordan River empties into theDead Sea — the lowest spot on the surfaceof the earth (1,385 ft. below sea level). Thissea does not have any outlet and is calledthe "Salt Sea" because of its high mineralcontent. South of the Dead Sea, the rift valleycontinues 110 miles to the shores of theRed Sea. This region is called the "Arava"or "Arabah" on modern Israeli maps,although the biblical Arabah was primarilynorth of the Dead Sea (e.g., Deut 3:17;Josh 11:2; 2 Sam 2:29). Elath marks thesouthern boundary of modern Israel and,at times, of biblical Israel. (4) Next are the mountains of Transjordan ,stretching from Mount Hermon inthe north to the Gulf of Aqaba/Elath in thesouth on the east side of the Jordan. Whilethe western slopes of these mountains areoften steep, the eastern slopes descendgradually into the eastern desert. Some of the biblically recognizableplaces, from north to south, are: the regionof Bashan, the region of Gilead (with theYarmuk and the Jabbok Rivers), and Moab(between the Arnon and Zered Rivers). Thetopography and sufficient amounts of rainfall make it a goodarea for growing wheat, olives, and grapes. South of the Zered Valley are the mountains of Edom,extending to Aqaba. Along the western crest of this ridgethere is sufficient rainfall for growing wheat and barley. Themost famous city of this remote region is Petra. The majorroad east of the rift valley was the Transjordanian Highwaythat connected Damascus with the countries located inpresent-day Saudi Arabia. The southern portion of the highway,near Heshbon, was called the "King's Highway" (Num21:22), although this name was used for another road as well(Num 20:17). (5) Finally is the eastern desert is located to the east ofthe Transjordanian Mountains. In the north, the great volcanicmountains and lava make the region inhospitable, butits high elevation ensures adequate rainfall to grow crops.The barren desert stretches eastward some 400 miles to theEuphrates River. Climate Israel's year is divided into two major seasons: the rainy season(mid-October through April) and the dry season (mid-Junethrough mid-September). Climactic conditions in Israelduring the summer months are relatively stable. Warm daysand cooler nights are the rule, and it almost never rains. InJerusalem, for example, the average August daytime high is86?F, the nighttime average low is 64°F. During the summer, olives, grapes, figs, pomegranates,melons, and other crops are ripening and being tended byfarmers. Most fruits are harvested in August and September.During the summer, shepherds move their flocks of sheepand goats westward, allowing them to feed on the stubble ofwheat and barley fields that were harvested in the late spring.Because the soil is dry during summer months, travel is easy,and caravans and armies moved through most parts of thecountry without difficulty; the armies often helped themselvesto the plentiful supplies of grain at the expense of thelocal populace. The rainy season is much cooler. During January themean daily temperature in Jerusalem is 50°F, and the cityreceives snow once or twice each year. Life is uncomfortablein the hilly regions — a discomfort the peoplegladly bear because of the life-giving power of the rains. The Bible actuallyrefers to three parts of the rainy season in Deuteronomy11:14: "Then I will send rain [Heb. matar ; Dec.?– Feb.] onyour land in its season, both autumn [Heb. yoreh; Oct.?– Dec.]and spring rains [Heb. malqosh ; March – April],so that you may gather in your grain, new wineand olive oil" (cf. also Jer 5:24; Hos 6:3). Note thefollowing: • The amount of rainfall decreases as onemoves from north to south. • The amount of rainfall decreases as onemoves from west to east, away from theMediterranean Sea. • The amount of rainfall increases with theelevation. • The amount of rainfall is greater on thewindward (Mediterranean) side of themountains than on the leeward side. During a typical year a farmer plows his fieldand plants his grain crops after the "autumnrains" of October through December have softenedthe hard, sunbaked soil. The grain cropsripen during March and April, as the rains beginto taper off. These "spring rains" are importantfor producing bumper crops. There are two transitional seasons. One lastsfrom early May through mid-June. It is punctuatedby a series of hot, dry, dusty days — whichare called by the names of these winds: hamsin orsirocco. Hamsin conditions can sap the energy ofboth humans and animals, and they completely dryup the beautiful flowers and grasses that cover thelandscape during the winter months (Isa 40:7 – 8).But these same hot, dry winds aid the ripening ofgrains by "setting" them before the harvest. The second transitional season, from mid-Septemberto mid-October, marks the end of thestable, dry, summer conditions. It is the time ofthe fruit harvest, and farmers begin to look anxiouslyfor the onset of the rainy season. In the fall,travel on the Mediterranean becomes dangerous(Acts 27:9), and it remains so throughout the wintermonths. Roads and Travel The roads that developed in ancient Israel can be divided intothree major categories: international, interregional, and local.The international and interregional roads were for commercialpurposes — for transporting items such as foodstuffs, cloth,metals, incense, and fine pottery. These roads also served as thoroughfaresfor military expeditions and itinerant tradesmen, forthe migration of peoples, for the conveyance of governmental andcommercial messages, and for the travel of pilgrims to holy places. (Continues...) Excerpted from ZONDERVAN ESSENTIAL ATLAS OF THE BIBLE by CARL G. RASMUSSEN . Copyright © 2013 Carl G. Rasmussen. Excerpted by permission of ZONDERVAN. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site. Read more