Bible Atlases -- Facts At Your Fingertips

Bible Dictionaries and Encyclopedias are very important tools for your Bible Studies. Why? Because they are so easy to use, put tons of info at your fingertips quickly, and often provide you with the FACTS, rather than dictating a particular interpretation. And I think that any tool that does not get in the way of you exploring the Bible text, but takes you deeper - while encouraging you to come to your own conclusions rather than simply becoming an echo of someone else's opinions - is a good thing!

Another Bible study tool you should acquire is a Bible Atlas. A Bible Atlas is essential to any well-rounded personal study library.

Why use a Bible Atlas?

Here's a riddle for you: What do The Wizard of OZ, Little Red Riding-Hood, and Bible have in common?

Stumped? Well, here's the answer: they are "stories" that all happened in the same location -- a wonderland, an enchanted place, a land of our own imagination -- according to some!

What I mean is this: much of the time when we are reading the Bible, we have no real clue as to where the events we are reading about took place. It is like we are reading a fairy-tale. The events are disconnected (in our thinking) from any real places, any particular time or historical period. Most of us have no real knowledge of the history, culture, politics or geography that form the backdrop for Bible events.

When we read of how the tribes of Israel each received specific territories in Canaan, the cities and towns where Jesus visited, or where Paul traveled…do we know where these places were? Where, exactly, is the Sea of Galilee? Why is it called a "sea" when it is in fact a lake? How is it different from the "Dead Sea?" - and where did the Dead Sea get that name? Why do the writers of Scripture often talk about going "up" to Jerusalem? Where is Babylon? Ur of the Chaldees?

Biblical events were real events -- that happened to real people -- in real places -- in real historical periods. Our study of the Bible must be informed by this knowledge, and a Bible Atlas will help us.

With a Bible Atlas --

· You will know how the climate and weather patterns influenced Biblical events. For example - because of a lack of water, Canaan was frequently subject to famines, thereby causing tribes, clans and families to migrate to other locations (such as when the family of Jacob moved to Egypt during a time of famine, which in turn led to the later Exodus).

· You will know how geography influenced Biblical events. Rivers, mountains, valleys, forests, roads - all of these can hinder or help travelers, armies, traders and merchants. Geography influenced how, where and when Jesus and his followers traveled, Paul's missionary travels, the migration of Abraham, the invasion of Canaan by the Israelites, and many more events.

· You will have a framework for understanding historical periods. You will, for example, learn how the city of Jerusalem was different from the city of Jesus' day, why Jews from so many different locations were present in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost detailed in Acts 2, the extent of the Roman empire, why the native peoples of Canaan were considered so evil, even the reason why nations that invaded Israel did so from the north, rather than the west or east (and sometimes from the south).

Bible Atlases - the better ones, at least - contain much helpful information. Usually they will have the following at a minimum:

1. Extensive maps -- maps, maps, maps, the more the better. The more detailed the better. The more readable the better. You cannot have too many maps in a good Atlas. There will be maps that show the geographical features of the land (topographical), territories and national boundaries, empires, the location of important archaeological discoveries, trade routes, travels of Biblical people (Paul, Abraham, Jesus).

2. Historical summaries -- these essays relate important events and tie them to their appropriate locations: the building of Solomon's temple, the Babylonian Exile, the location of Jesus' miracles, and so forth.

3. Indexes -- these allow you to locate on what map (or other visual) a particular location can be found. Often Biblical places have a name that was used in Bible times, but a different name today. For example, modern names for locations in Canaan are often Arabic, and differ from the name used in the Bible. Many atlases have a list of these modern names - often on a map - that will help you relate the ancient with the modern.

4. Visuals - one of the things I like best about Atlases are the visuals: photographs, charts, drawings, timelines. All of these are powerful learning tools because they can summarize huge amounts of information and present it in easy-to-understand ways. A good photo of a city, or a Biblical artifact (such as a stone altar) is a great help to understanding.

What should you look for in a good Bible Atlas?

RECENCY - An Atlas is only as good as the information and findings it relies on. Is it up-to-date? When was it published? A Bible map printed even only 10 years ago may be out of date!

READABILITY - A good map should be easy to read. It should be easy to locate Biblical places. A map that has the location labels placed too close together will be difficult to read. A larger map (half- or full-page rather than a small sketch) is preferable.

RESEARCH - A good Bible Atlas will be based on the best, most in-depth Biblical scholarship, written by recognized authorities in their fields. Some "Atlases" are nothing more than a few maps printed together with very little additional help. Often they are promoted because they are cheaper, or are supposedly designed for "beginners." Stay away from these -- spend a little extra and get a far better resource!

Please note: the articles and essays included in many Atlases present conclusions based on various scholarly and theological points of view. The dates of the Exodus, conquest of Canaan, as well as other events, are debated in some quarters. Be aware of the theological slant of the atlas - some are conservative, some not. How do you deal with this? By relying on more than one, trying to get a feel for the full range of views on the subject.

Some good choices in Bible Atlases would be:

· The Harper Atlas of the Bible (Harper & Row, 1987) - representing modern scholarly opinion, it is perhaps one of the most beautiful Atlases in print today. Even if you do not always agree with everything stated, you will find this a tremendous resource. A smaller edition is the HarperCollins Concise Atlas of the Bible Lands (Hammond, 1990).;

· The NIV Atlas of the Bible (Zondervan, 1989) - Conservative in perspective and geared to the text of the NIV Bible translation.

· The Oxford Bible Atlas, 3rd edition (Oxford, 1985) - Authoritative, but just a bit dated now.

· The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands (Moody Press, 1985) - Another atlas written from a conservative, evangelical perspective. One of my favorites.

Get a good Bible Atlas - you will find (as I have) - that it is a tool that will truly make the Scriptures "come alive" for you! Get one as soon as you can, and have it open as you read and study the Bible.

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