2019 Biblical Foundations Book Award Finalist in Biblical Theology Walking in the footsteps of the Apostles. The Lexham Geographic Commentary on Acts through Revelation puts readers in the sandals of the Apostles as they travel throughout the Mediterranean, explaining the geographical setting for the spread of Christianity in the first century. Geography is a central concern throughout the writings of Paul and the Apostles, but the full significance of its geographical context is easily overlooked without a familiarity with the places, the types of transportation, the relative distances, and the travel conditions around the ancient Mediterranean. Luke's account mentions places from all over the known world, and Paul's missionary travels covered an estimated 15,000 miles by land and sea. The Lexham Geographic Commentary gives you insight into the importance of all of these locations--both culturally and spatially--and provides a deeper understanding of the spread of early Christianity.

The Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Gospels delivers fresh insight by paying attention to an often overlooked component of the Gospel stories--their geographical setting. Written by a team of scholars with on-the-ground experience in Palestine, the Geographic Commentary lets you see the land through the eyes of the disciples as Jesus uses the surrounding landscape as the backdrop for his teaching. Each article addresses a particular story, event, or subject across the Gospels. This commentary will not only place you in the sandals of the disciples as they traveled throughout Israel with Jesus, but it will explain the significance of the geographic details to the biblical text and your life today. With more than fifty Gospel stories expounded from this important geographical angle, you're bound to take away something new from these well-worn stories."--

Where was the Red Sea of Exodus? Exodus records that the waters of the Red Sea (or Reed Sea) opened up to deliver Israel and plummeted down to destroy their Egyptian pursuers. But if the Red Sea cannot be located, can we trust the claims of the Bible? Some have suggested relocating the events. Others suggest they never happened at all. In Where Was the Biblical Red Sea? Beitzel challenges popular alternatives and defends the traditional location: that the biblical Red Sea refers to a body of water lying between the eastern Nile Delta and Sinai. Beitzel rigorously reexamines the data--both typical and overlooked--ranging from biblical and classical sources to ancient and medieval maps. His comprehensive analysis answers objections to the traditional view and exposes the inadequacies of popular alternatives. Ancient geography excavates the biblical world and its story. Readers will better understand and appreciate the biblical story as well as its historicity and reliability. Where Was the Biblical Red Sea? is a foundational reference work for any discussion of the Exodus event.

Drawing on a lifetime of pastoral experience, The Care of Souls is a beautifully written treasury of proven wisdom which pastors will find themselves turning to again and again. Harold Senkbeil helps remind pastors of the essential calling of the ministry: preaching and living out the Word of God while orienting others in the same direction. And he offers practical and fruitful adviceâ€"born out of his five decades as a pastorâ€"that will benefit both new pastors and those with years in the pulpit. In a time when many churches have lost sight of the real purpose of the church, The Care of Souls invites a new generation of pastors to form the godly habits and practical wisdom needed to minister to the hearts and souls of those committed to their care.

JESUS AND THE GOSPELS introduces students to the study of the life and teachings of Jesus through the study of Gospel literature. Providing a concise and accessible synthesis of major themes and scholarship in the field, this text examines both canonical and non-canonical Gospels and discusses all the major critical approaches.

Reading the land enables us to read the Bible with greater insight. Though the truths of the Bible transcend time and place, they are rooted in them. Geographical data inform our understanding of activity in the land of the Bible, while the Bible’s own description of these events, embedded deeply in the realia of the land itself, helps us better understand the living context in which these events took place. When we develop a skill set that allows us to read the land of the Bible as fluently as we might read the text, we stand not only to gain a better appreciation of the divine-human events of Scripture, we also gain an understanding of how these events become relevant to us in our own particular living contexts. Chapters include: Exploring the World of the Bible Building Blocks of Biblical Geography The Land of Ancient Israel: The Southern Regions (Judah/Judea) The Land of Ancient Israel: The Central Regions (Israel/Samaria) The Land of Ancient Israel: The Northern Regions (Galilee) Transjordan Afterword: Geography of the Heart Biblical geography has great apologetic value. The biblical writers had to be accurate when presenting geographical material. Unlike some matters of history and doctrine, their assertions about the realities of land forms and climate, or about the relation of one city to another, or about the use of strategic routes could easily be verified both by their first readers as well as by contemporary readers. Verifiable geographic information provides a solid foundation on which to place and evaluate the veracity of other truth claims in the biblical text.

Jesus’s teaching gains fresh relevance through this fascinating study of Bible stories separated by centuries, but related by shared geography. In Along the Road, John Beck delves into the conversations that would naturally occur if you had walked with Jesus along a first-century road. Journey with Beck as he weaves the Old Testament context of each locale into Jesus’s experience there, and discover how these easily overlooked geographical and cultural details can enhance your understanding of God's Word.

True to Our Native Land is a pioneering commentary of the New Testament that sets biblical interpretation firmly in the context of African American experience and concern. The second edition includes updated commentaries and essays.

Pastor and Bible teacher Randy McCracken offers an intimate look at lesser-known members of 1 and 2 Samuel's four main families--those of Samuel, Eli, Saul, and David. Examining characters unfamiliar to many Bible readers, he reveals important lessons for today.

In a region where most artifacts remain in the field, the enormous work of documenting and analyzing the early history of Christianity is open to original research. Often the first scholar to reach isolated communities in remote parts of Turkey who guide his work, Dr. Fairchild has taken over 200,000 photographs capturing the remains of churches and Christian homes in remote locations. This second edition of Christian Origins in Ephesus and Asia Minor adds the current research underway on the cities of Priene and Tripolis in western Turkey to Mark Fairchild's work, documenting isolated and previously unstudied sites across eastern Turkey, some that have not been visited in the past 1,400 years. In the first two centuries after Christ, the cradle of the Early Church was in Asia Minor, modern day Turkey, home to Ephesus, Colossae, and all twelve churches addressed in the book of Revelation. The ancient city of Ephesus was the largest city in Asia Minor, where the gospel was first shared in the middle of the first century. Gathering together a wealth of information, original photographs, and detailed maps of the region, Christian Origins in Ephesus and Asia Minor describes the progress and perils of the developing Christian community as it struggled to find its way in a hostile world. This volume provides crucial context for the biblical account with historical information gathered from ancient literary sources, archaeological discoveries, and a variety of early Christians, charting the growth and development of the early Christian church as ministry from the community at Ephesus produced Christian congregations throughout Asia Minor.