Maps of the Bible

by

Darla Meyer

http://academic.emporia.edu/abersusa/gis/students/meyer

This webpage project was created for a course on map librarianship from Emporia State University in the 2007 spring semester. The assignment was to learn webpage creation, as well as present a summary of my knowledge regarding Old Testament & New Testament journeys and Biblical Maps.

Table of Contents
Introduction Maps and Biblical Teachings
Map Resources Conclusion References

Introduction

When deciding what to do for my final project for LI 861 many different ideas were presented but I wanted something that would add meaning to my future education. With the anticipation of obtaining a Masters in theological studies I opted to do my web page on Biblical maps. In many faith-based institutions, classes are being taught where biblical maps become important. For example, how important is it in a New Testament class when you are studying the birth of Christ to understand truly how many miles Mary rode on a donkey or walked to get to Bethlehem?

Maps and Biblical Teachings

Maps are vital to gain a better understanding of places that we have never been or even places that we have not been to for many years. One of the first places to look, so that one may become familiar with the lay of the land, is the World Atlas, www.worldatlas.com. It would help a person gain a better understanding of where Joseph and Mary lived, and the distance individuals had to travel to pay taxes. The use of a geographical gazetteer in Seminary or Biblical studies classes will help to retrace the journey. This is the reason why Biblical maps are important. We did not walk with Jesus or Abraham, but a historical map or online tool such as the World Atlas can help us gain understanding of the lives of Jesus and Abraham. The map of Jesus' childhood helps us see the places and distance that Jesus traveled as we study His life.


Childhood of Jesus@eBible Teacher.com 05/2007

After beginning a study of Jesus' childhood, look at Paul's journeys. Paul has great contributions to the New Testament and many classes are centered on the books of the Bible dealing with Paul's writings. Looking at maps can help with an understanding of where Paul was writing. The next set of maps focus on the Journey of Paul.


1st Missionary Journey@eBible Teacher.com 05/2007

Acts13 & 14

2nd Missionary Journey@eBible Teacher.com 05/2007


Paul's Journey to Caesarea@eBible Teacher.com 05/2007


Paul's Letters to Churches@eBible Teacher.com 05/2007

Maps are extremely important when studying the Old Testament. For example, when studying the Twelve Tribes of Israel and Old Testament, the map below becomes helpful. Two maps presented below are similar in that they provide the same information, but in a different format. The first map taken from a Historic textbook and atlas of Biblical Geography in 1854 and the second map was created more recently by NASA.


Battlefields of Old Testament and Dist's of 12 Tribes
Historic Textbook and Atlas of Biblical Geography(1854) by Coleman
blueletterbible.org 05/07/2007


Twelve tribes of Israel@eBible Teacher.com 05/2007

Map Resources

Many seminary or biblical classes use maps as part of their curriculum, and there are many locations to obtain useful materials. For example, the University of Texas, www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/history_middle_east.html, has a good online map collection with multiple resources. Some map examples include:
Antioch 1912, www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/antioch_1912.jpg;
Babylon 1829 www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/babylon_1829.jpg;
Bethlehem 1912, www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/bethlehem_1912.jpg;
historical Israel www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/israel_hist_1973.jpg.

In addition, go to www.ebibleteacher. com, and search for other Old Testament Maps. Some are found at www.ebibleteacher.com/imagehtml/otmaps.html, while other New Testament Maps are at www.ebibleteacher.com/imagehtml/ntmaps.html#NEW_Testament. Browse an index of Bible Atlas Map Sets are found at www.ebibleteacher.com/images.html

These are just a few examples from their collection. New Testament and Old Testament classes find these maps extremely valuable to fully understand the topics of study. Some other great resources include print biblical atlases such as Atlas of the Early Christian World, Atlas of the Bible Lands, and The Harper Atlas of the Bible. Both print and electronic resources are valuable when studing the bible and historical periods of time.

Conclusions

Maps are useful to visualize past, present, and future endeavors. Customized maps can help to illustrate the Bible and libraries can aid student and teacher alike in finding these spatial resources. So whether you are tracing the journey Mary at the time of the birth of Jesus or the travels of Paul, look to maps for inspiration.

References

Other Recommended Tools
Old Testament Maps New Testament Maps
Historical Maps and Atlases National Geographic Maps

In order to understand map librarianship, a background in geography or topographic maps is recommended. For more information email dmeyer@emporia.edu.

Return to other student webpages at academic.emporia.edu/abersusa/gis/students/students.htm.

This page has been created to fulfill a requirement for LI 861 at Emporia State University, School of Library and Information Management slim.emporia.edu/. For more information contact the course instructor, S. W. Aber, e-mail: saber@emporia.edu. Webpage created: May 5, 2007; last update May 15, 2007.