The Bible and the Land

by Gary M. Burge

Book Overview

As the early church moved away from the original cultural setting of the Bible and found its home in the west, Christians lost touch with the ancient world of the Bible. Cultural habits, the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0310280443
• ISBN13: 9780310280446
• Release Date: August 2009
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Length: 109 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Enjoyed

This book was very easy to read. Lots of colorful pictures. The author takes you back to the biblical land with his descriptions of the land, water, food, wilderness in biblical times and the land today.

Finally, Biblical Backgrounds for the Average Joe!

Today I will be reviewing "The Bible and the Land" by Gary Burge. This is the first volume in the "Ancient Context, Ancient Faith" series put out by Zondervan. If you have not read my introductory review of this series, you might want to do so. Here is the web address: [...]. Reading this introductory review will help you get an overall understanding of the purpose of the books in the series. As the title of the book suggests, "The Bible and the Land", this volume has everything to do with how a knowledge of the geography/landscape, climate, and political boundaries of the biblical lands is vital for an accurate understanding of the biblical text. Burge successfully proves that many texts are misunderstood because of incorrect assumptions that we have and/or qualities that we underemphasize regarding the geographical context in which the biblical narrative takes place. I can personally attest to the large role that geography/landscape and climate (specifically) play in regard to a person's basic assumptions. I spent the first 24 years of my life in the Midwest (primarily Iowa), 1 year in the Southwest (Nevada), and the last 3 years of my life in the Northeast (New Hampshire). As far as terrain goes, I have experienced about everything that America has to offer: from the rich rolling fields of Iowa to the endless succession of rough-edged, naked crags separated by miles upon miles of barren desert in Nevada to a sea of endless trees in New Hampshire. Each of these three geographical locales also present their own unique climates. In Iowa I experienced hot and humid summers mixed with bitterly cold and windy winters, getting a good mixture of both sun and precipitation. Nevada really only has three seasons: spring, summer, and fall, and rain is both longed for and feared. New Hampshire, on the other hand, has short (yet beautiful) spring, summer, and fall seasons with unbearably long and cold winters. The terrain and climate of each of these locales bring certain geographically-bound realities to the table. Because I grew up in Iowa, I still get nervous when I see a storm brewing on the horizon, sizing up the fastest possible route to the basement in the case of a tornado--this is a fear that no native New Hampshirite has. Because I lived in Nevada for a short season of my life, I tend to drive in the rain with as much caution as those in Iowa and New Hampshire drive in an ice storm. Still further, I have found that many of my 'childhood' sermon illustrations from Iowa only work with a hefty amount of explanation simply because the folks in the New Hampshire congregation do not hold the same assumptions about certain natural phenomenon as I do. I remember the first time I saw a river in New Hampshire; unlike the disgustingly brown rivers in Iowa, this river was clear, rocky, and fast. I commented to my (at that time) future in-laws; "Look at how clear the water is!" They looked at me like I had a hole in my head. And why? Because they had never

A good, useful book

"The Bible and the Land" is a useful, God-focused Bible reference book. It started off by describing the land of Israel and discussed why the author thought God brought them there instead of another land. He then discussed the Biblical motifs of the wilderness, shepherds, rocks, water, bread, and names. He described what they would have meant to the Jews at the time to help readers better understand what Jesus and the Bible writers were conveying to their audience. I felt the Name section was missing some important information needed to fully understand "the name of" statements in the Bible. However, the Shepherds, Rock, Water, and Bread sections were excellent, insightful, and provided some enlightening information I hadn't heard before. The author often talked about Jewish traditions, which gives the reader a good view of what the Jews believed in Jesus day. However, the author often didn't point out that the Jewish traditions he referred to usually put an emphasis in a different place than the Bible does. It's not a major concern, just a warning to read these sections with discernment. [Note added Sept. 6, 2009: After reading his second book, Jesus, the Middle Eastern Storyteller, I begin to wonder if the author is instead not deeply familiar with the Old Testament. In both of his books, he several times gives the wrong person credit for an action when referring back to the Old Testament.] The book contained lovely color photographs that illustrated what the text was referring to. It was a quick read and easy to understand. Overall, I'd recommend this to those who want a better understanding of the context of the Bible and Jesus' teachings--both readers who don't have time to read longer books and those who can't get enough of this type of information. Review by Debbie from ChristFocus Book Club