The Rose Guide to the Temple is available from the publisher today for $10 plus shipping (reg. $30; Amazon $20). We’ve recommended the book previously here.
HT: Daniel Wright
I did not put this list together, but my choices would be quite similar to Wayne Stiles’ picks. He writes:
Most of us give Christmas gifts that are quickly forgotten.
After the iPhone gets cracked, or the DVD gets watched, or the sweater gets snagged, they all end up at the landfill.
This year, why not give a gift that will last a lifetime?
Bible Lands study tools make great gifts because they take your personal Bible study to the next level. What’s more, they don’t wear out.
Here are my top 5 recommendations for gifts you’ll enjoy giving.
You can click over to see Wayne’s top 5, but his comments on the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands are worth quoting:
Even though I’ve been to the Holy Land many times, I’ll never see all of it. One resource will show you more than any other.
All together, the 18-Volume Expanded Edition of the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands includes more than 17,500 High Definition photographs from 9 countries in the ancient Mediterranean world.
My recommendation for starters? Get the “Israel Collection.” It includes volumes 1-5:
- There are more than 1500 photos of Jerusalem.
- More than 1500 photos of Judah and the Dead Sea area.
- More than 2300 photos of the areas of Galilee and Samaria.
These are more than just High-Resolution pictures from the Holy Land. Special care has been taken to photograph biblical sites.
Nothing else rivals the Pictorial Library of Bible Lands. If a picture paints a thousand words, then thousands of high-resolution pictures are even better. I use these images almost daily on my blog, and I have used them for years in my teaching and personal Bible study.
His recommendations include an atlas, a study Bible, several devotional books, and an exclusive tour of Israel.
- Tagged Photo Resources, Resources
From the Caspari Center Media Review:
The Yardenit Baptism Site, situated on the Jordan River, is to undergo extensive development in the coming year. In order to improve the site, a fourth baptism station will be opened up, and “10 new ceramic wall hangings with the text from the Book of Mark 1:9-11, which speaks of John baptizing Jesus, [will be] added to the 70 plaques” that constitute the “Wall of New Life.” A representative from the site says that “the guiding principle underlining Yardenit … is the fact that it is totally non-denominational, and pilgrims are welcome to perform their baptism rituals in accordance with their particular beliefs and traditions.”
This must mean that business is good. In the meantime, it may be more difficult to get photos of the river without bulldozers and rebar.
The above article is not yet online. Copyright of the article remains with the Caspari Center.
Jordan River baptismal site at Yardenit
Photo from Galilee and the North
Photo from Galilee and the North
- Tagged Jordan Rift
The German Protestant Institute of Archaeology announces the upcoming lectures:
Wednesday, February 6, 2013: Florian Lippke (Universität Bern, Schweiz) “Comparative remarks on Late Persian iconography: The case of Samaria.”
Monday, February 18, 2013: Dr. Shimon Gibson (University of the Holy Land) “The Bethesda Pool Excavations, 1863 – 1967: A Re-assessment.”
All lectures takes place in the institute (Auguste Victoria Compound, Mount of Olives) at 5 pm.
Source: The Agade list
- Tagged Lectures
Randall Price answers the question in a 15-minute video available at truelife.org. The video is clearly aimed at those who are less familiar with the subject and it covers discoveries from both the periods of the Old and New Testaments. Price is the author of the recently published Rose Guide to the Temple.
- Tagged Excavations
One of the most head-shaking stories of early explorers in Jerusalem is that of Montague Parker’s expedition to discover the Ark of the Covenant. Stephen Gabriel Rosenberg tells the story in the Jerusalem Post, and if you haven’t heard it before, it’s worth the read. Here’s an excerpt:
With the help of his two Turkish supervisors, Parker and his men claimed an area of ground near the entry to the Gihon water system, known at the time as the Virgin’s Spring, which was then fenced off and guarded by Turkish troops, who did not allow entry to any locals or other visitors. The Jerusalem Pasha Azmey Bey had been suitably bribed to turn a blind eye to the work.
Parker’s activity naturally aroused the intense concern of the local archeological community. The Germans, French and British all had their missions in Jerusalem, but Parker would give out no communication and allow no inspection. His men proceeded with the digging, but they were amateurs and it went slowly and with little result.
Back in London, the Finnish scholar Juvelius had hired an Irish medium, who studied the documents and sent directions to the team about suitable locations. He advised Parker to search the long water tunnel, so Parker sent to London to obtain the services of two mining engineers who had worked on the Metropolitan Railway, the first line of the London Underground. Then he made another excellent move.
The full account is here. If you like stories like this, I recommend Neil Asher Silberman’s Digging for God and Country. The book is out of print, but still available in used bookstores.
HT: Joseph Lauer
The Gihon Spring of Jerusalem
- Tagged Jerusalem
