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Reviews in Journals and
Magazines:
The Master's Seminary Journal
(reproduced by permission)
Journal of Biblical Studies (pdf format)
Biblical Insights |
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We live in a visual
society. Pastors and teachers can enhance their communication by
using pictures of the places and images that undergird God's Word.
But where can you find suitable images? Todd Bolen, a professor at
the Israel Bible Extension campus of The Master's College, provides
a low-cost, high-quality answer. From his extensive collection of
digital photographs taken throughout the Middle East, Todd has
carefully chosen pictures that are visually attractive and that help
illustrate key places and images of the Bible. This CD set
is organized in a way that allows the user to find pictures with a
minimum of difficulty. I use these pictures in my classes,
and I can recommend this set without any hesitation. (Dr.
Charles H. Dyer, Senior Vice President of Education and Provost, Moody
Bible Institute) |
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"Truly glorious.
These disks exceed my greatest expectation. What a wonderful
teaching tool for a pastor. I have been to Israel several times
and have lots of pictures. But these are just so good."
(John Daniel, Sr. Pastor, Richmond, VA) |
"The photos are
beyond fantastic! Breath-taking to one who lived there so long
and cherishes the experience so highly. You have done an
invaluable thing for a student of the land like I am. I
consider these CDs to be one of the best investments I have ever
made." (Bill Wilson, Sunday School teacher, Atlanta,
GA) |
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"I want to
compliment you on the great job you did with the aerials; they are
the best I've seen from the Holy Land. I've been to Israel
many times and understand the conditions and effort that you had to
go through in order to get such good results. As a ex-professional
photographer that has done his share of aerial work and presently
now Senior Pastor of Living Word Church in Syracuse, NY for the last
thirty plus years, I not only personally enjoy these photos but
use them in our presentations with the Word of God in our assembly.
Thanks again for your dedicated labors!" (Robert Mazur,
Sr. Pastor, Syracuse, NY)
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"For any Bible teacher who wants to contextualize
the scriptures in their historical and geographical settings, the
Pictorial Library CD's are an invaluable resource. Many who have
been to Israel have taken their own pictures, but these are better
for several reasons. First, they are extensive.... Second, the
photography is excellent. The pictures were taken at optimal seasons
of the year when weather conditions were best. Finally, the digital
imaging is great.... I've been searching for years and have never
found a resource as rich as this!" (Dr. Chris Miller, Associate
Professor of Biblical Education, Cedarville
University)
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"Probably every Bible teacher who
tries to use multimedia in the classroom has longed for a set of
usable teaching pictures. But having exploring set after set, he
finds them too "touristy" and not specific to the points
he is trying to make about the geography and archaeology of the
Land. If you have been to Israel (or Jordan or Egypt or Turkey
or Greece), this set will
help to pull together everything that you have learned. This
inexpensive set is a "must-buy" for every Bible
teacher!!" (Dr. Richard Rigsby, Professor of Semitics and Old
Testament, Talbot School of
Theology, Biola University)
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"I have used the pictures for
projecting in a couple of ways. I use them sometimes as backgrounds,
first with just site labels where I can introduce the site and
explain its background. Then I put relevant lecture notes on the
same projected background. It's a nice way to visually tie things
together. I also use them either as backgrounds or inserted photos
and then employ the animation effects of Powerpoint to provide
movement, such as arrows, lines, etc. Just a few classes ago, I used
one of the aerial photos of Jerusalem along with animated freehand
drawing in Powerpoint to show Jerusalem's growth through history
(city of David, Temple Mount, western hill, etc.). I especially like
the images because they are high quality and clear, even when
projected on a fairly large screen. I have used some that got really
grainy when projected. I also like the way this set captures so many
important sites for biblical studies." (Greg Trull,
Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies,
Corban
College)
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"The
Pictorial Library of Bible Lands is unsurpassed. I have used
other Bible image CDs only to be disappointed in their low
resolution images, poor quality graphics, and limited content
selection. This is a great service to Bible educators by
providing excellent quality graphics of Bible land images that are
ready for adaptation to word processing, presentation graphics, or
web-design. Serious Bible teachers will be well-served by this new
CD set." (Dr. J. Gregory Behle, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies,
The Master’s College)
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"If 'location'
means everything in real estate, then 'quality' means everything in
digital photos. The Pictorial Library is a collection of high
quality photos of many Biblical sites. Not only do they
excel in quality and variety, but they are easy to handle. Each
area of the ancient world has its own disk, each disk is clearly
laid out by site, and each file is labeled -- what more could an armchair
traveler want! I heartily recommend these for faculty, for
students, and for tourists. Teaching, learning, and remembering
will never the same again!" (Bill Krewson, Assistant Professor,
Friends of Israel
Institute of Jewish Studies a School of Philadelphia
Biblical University)
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"As I'm about to
embrace another year of teaching, I wanted to thank you for the
awesome CD set. Because I teach Bible to junior highers, the CDs
have significantly helped to shape a correct view of the Middle East."
(Courtney Robben, Teacher, The Bear
Creek School)
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"This
is the most valuable photographic collection of biblical sites on
the Web.
A must for every teacher of the Bible." (David Bivin,
Director, JerusalemPerspective.com)
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"I have viewed
thousands of images from a variety of collections but I have
never seen a better collection than this. If you are serious
about using photos in Bible teaching then you ought to consider this
material." (Terry Taylor, eBibleTeacher.com)
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"The
pictures are outstanding--great color, terrific views, fabulous
aerial shots, beautiful composition. Another feature of
the pictures which I really appreciate is that they are all labeled!
You know right from the picture exactly what you are looking at.
This makes the pictures usable even by someone who has not been to
Israel and has not seen these places personally. Students are
always asking me where they can get pictures for teaching the Bible.
I have recommended BAR's slide sets, but these are much more
reasonably priced and the technology available for using them is
much superior."
(Dr. J. Carl Laney, Professor of Biblical Literature, Western
Seminary)
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"If you are
looking for high-quality pictures of the Holy Land, the Pictorial
Library of Bible Lands is the place to find them. Not only
are the well-known sites and features included, but also
out-of-the-way places rarely seen by the average visitor."
(Dr. Bryant G. Wood, Director, Associates
for Biblical Research)
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"These CDs are absolutely
fantastic! The descriptions on the web site don't do justice to the
product. The quality
is superb and the content selection is excellent.
I saw everything I expected to see. I especially love the
aerial photos--they give me a good idea of the lay of the land."
(A. D. Riddle, Student)
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"This
is an incredible resource!! We have checked out several
photo CDs of Israel and yours are by far the best! Most
others don't provide the high quality resolution that you have.
Thank you!" (Gina
Worsham, Administrator, Arkansas
Institute of Holy Land Studies) |
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"Just had to write
to tell you how very helpful your FANTASTIC set of CDs have been
to my husband and me as we have been teaching our Bible Study
and Sunday School Class....over that last couple of years, we have
used photos from EVERY set....a picture is TRULY worth a 1000 words
(we can save ALOT of class time as well as make a memorable
impression)." (Dee Alberty, Bible teacher) |
"Your work is
absolutely loved by my congregation. I use your photos
in about 75% of my messages. The people say that it has been one of
the most impacting things they have ever seen in a Sunday message.
It helps them visualize the story as well as increase their faith to
see that these places really exist." (Frank Colacurcio, Sr.
Pastor, The Rock of Rocklin Church) |
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"I
have just obtained the full Pictorial Library Collection
and it is very, very beautiful. It is such a pleasure to have
my screen filled with high-resolution images instead of the usual
scanned or other "stuff." This absolutely
magnificent collection has a resolution as high as the cost is low
and either, let alone both, of those features are rare indeed."
(Dr. John Dominic Crossan, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies, DePaul
University) |
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"Just wanted to thank you for the photo
library. I've used it in preparing studies and I'm delighted with
it. The product vastly exceeds my expectations. Especially useful
are the study notes. Thank you for your commitment to a quality
product. For teaching purposes it has been a fabulous investment--and
you can quote me on that any time." (David Reid, pastor in
Spain) |
"We want to add our voice to the chorus
of rave reviews for this outstanding collection. Nothing can
touch this in terms of quality and price. Our scholar team will
be making wide use of these images for years to come in our
presentations." (Hugh Ross, Fuz Rana, Kenneth Samples and
Krista Bontrager, Staff scholars, Reasons To Believe) |
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“My research has shown how our memory
of biblical events is reinforced by associating the events with
their geographical locations. Taken beyond the limits of simply
imagination, this association is strengthened by actually seeing
what you’re studying. We learn far better when all senses are
involved, and most notably, 83% of what we learn we gain through
sight. Todd’s photographs are unmatched both in their quality as
well as their subject matter—they show what the Bible says. My
teaching simply would not be as effective without them.” (Dr. Wayne
Stiles, Executive Vice President, Insight for Living) |
"I was once told by a fellow artist that
'An artist is only as good as his references.' Having been
illustrating the Bible for 5 years, I now know that to be true! At
Bibleplaces.com I have not only found great references, I have found
inspiration too! The vast amount of information provided has been
invaluable in my quest to draw more detailed and accurate Bible
pictures." (Graham Kennedy,
Bible illustrator in UK,
www.visualimpactresources.com) |
"I cannot articulate how highly I
recommend these discs. Reading about a place in my Bible and
then being able to visually see that exact location has really taken
my study to the next level. If you are in a teaching position
or are a visual learner, like myself, these discs should be a
mandatory part of your reference library." (Ryan
Buttes, Church Resource Ministries) |
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"I highly recommend this wonderful CD
set to anyone who is involved in Bible teaching. No matter what your
particular needs may be, I'm pretty sure you will find here
something that will address them in ways you didn't even anticipate.
But even if you are not into teaching, the sheer joy of seeing
the places where many of the events narrated in the Bible took
places, will bring a new light and understanding to your own
personal study of the Scriptures. It really is a win-win
investment."
(Rubén Gómez,
Bible Software Review) |
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I wanted
to congratulate you for the fabulous photography you have made
available to all Bible students.. As director of a ministry
training institute, as a minister, and as a teacher, I have found
these pictures to be fascinating and extremely useful. The CDs are
well-organized, and the availability in picture file or power point
format makes them uniquely accessible for all kinds of preparations.
From detailed close-ups of the smallest item or area of a site,
to breathtaking aerial views of entire regions, these pictures TEACH;
students and audiences respond well to the visual stimulation added
by these images. I sincerely thank you for this ministry, and the
ongoing blessing and challenges provided by your newsletter. God
bless you with many more years (and pictures) of ministry. (Steve
Austin, Director, Texas Gulf Coast Bible Institute, Houston, Texas) |
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