Customer Reviews

The New Moody Atlas of the Bible

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I don't think I could be any later on publishing this review, but I didn't want to forget to thank Moody Publishing for sending me a copy of The New Moody Atlas of the Bible.

Long a trusted resource for scholars and Bible students, this terrific atlas has been updated and expanded to reach a broader audience. The new Bible atlas contains more graphics, 20% more maps and an additional forty-eight pages! Barry Beitzel has blended the topographical and historical in multicolored maps that accurately reflect evangelical Christianity. Pages of timeless information aid in sermon preparations, Sunday school lessons, or personal Bible study. The unique high quality maps, fact-filled text, and new additions make this the best Bible atlas available today.

This is something that I think is going to be invaluable to our family for years. As a social studies education major, I loved my geography class ... and to this day, I enjoy maps and globes. (Little known fact, my grandfather was a geologist and a map maker! It's in my blood. :)) This resource is a wonderful addition to our library. Every time I read about Paul, I love having my Bible open to the back, trying to figure out Paul's missionary journey routes. And several years ago, when my women's Bible study went through Genesis, a good map was invaluable as we studied about the land God promised Abraham or where the 12 tribes of Jacob eventually ended up settling.

If you are looking for a good Bible atlas for personal use or to add to a homeschooling library, I heartily recommend this one. Thank you to Moody for the copy to review and enjoy!

Without question, The New Moody Atlas of the Bible is a landmark achievement. It opens up the reader's understanding to Bible lands in an incredible way. Instantly, I can visualize the depths within the Sea of Galilee and see where ancient Roman ports were located. No other Bible atlas provides so much incredible state-of-the-art information and imagery. Best of class in every way. Highly recommended!

Dr. Beitzel was my geography professor in graduate school. Now I teach biblical geography. This book is marvelous. It exceed the original edition which I didn't think was possible. No one will be disappointed with the maps and descriptions in this volume. Dr. Beitzel has many years of experience both in the classroom and on site in the Middle East. He presents all alternatives to a biblical question and then provides his own arguments for the solution (ex: crossing of reed sea). I encourage everyone to enjoy this book like I am. I am devouring every page of my copy.

Dr. Bur Shilling

Faculty, Bowling Green State University

Lecturer, Jerusalem Center for Biblical Studies

Just received this product last thursday, though I still yet to go through all the contents but from the first few chapters it covers a great deal of details on biblical world since the time of Adam in the Garden of Eden and for every serious bible believer this New Moody Bible Atlas is a great resource, may God bless Dr Barry J. Beitzel for such a gifted depth on biblical scholarship.

Every year the 'Evangelical Christian Publishers Association awards its Christian Book Awards in six categories: Bibles, Bible Reference & Study, Christian Life, Fiction, Children & Youth, and Inspiration & Gift. In 2010, the award for Bible Reference & Study went to the New Moody Atlas of the Bible with good reason: this altlas is one of the best published in recent years and is a must have for those who wish to study the Bible.

The first obsticle to creating a new book like this is justifying its existence in light of the internet. Why should we pay $50 for a hard bound book instead of just using Google to look up the maps and info? The answer is as clear as the reason why Snopes.com exists. You can't trust the internet completely because you never know where the info on the internet came from.

With Beitzel's atlas you know where it comes from. Moody has a long and storied history of publishing solid scholarly references and Beitzel (Dr. to you and me,) is professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical University and his mapwork has been published in some of the Bibles readers probably carry with them, like the NLT Study Bible, the ESV Study Bible, and the NIV Study Bible.

This solid scholarly work has one more thing going for it that the internet just doesn't: there isn't an equivelent to pulling a chair up to a table, grabbing all your reference books, the Word, and a notepad and digging into the scripture. Tablets and PCs just can't compete against the satisfaction of having the book on your desk in front of you and in your hands. Seeing in full clarity, not dealing with lo-res images.

But if you must have these maps and info online, Moody has a special treat. Everyone who buys the book gets a code to unlock all the images and info online as well.

This is a great reference that all students of the Word should consider.

Review originally published at BookGateway. This book was provided by the publisher as a review copy.

I am currently using this book for online college and it is very nicely put together. It is a very good study resource for biblical studies. Also it helps to put otherwise unknown areas into perspective when leading study groups.

I bought the kindle version and tested on my kindle, kindle software on ipad, on Mac, and icloud.

On kindle, all the map is not readable as you expect for black and white version. On ipad, even ipad has zoom function, because the maps are not in high quality, all the small legends become blurred and can't read it clearly and it becomes worse on Mac and icloud because you can't zoom it.

Not all the maps, but a large portion of maps have this problem. Before you buy the kindle version, you should be aware of this problem.

This product does not qualify as a Bible atlas for one simple reason: it does not show the Land of Israel!

Beitzel relies on non-Biblical writings from ancient Assyria and Egypt to hold that the land belongs to the Philistines, not the Jews. Yes, it does floor you, particularly since the Philistines were the last group to enter the Promised Land, coming later than the Jews.

No reason is given why Moody would adopt the Catholic, Replacement Theology view that God does not keep His promises, but there it is. Given that the author cannot find the Land of Israel, the Land of Canaan becomes the Land of Palestine, but in so doing he plays havoc with Bible chronology. For example, Abraham sojourned circa 2000 BC in the Land of Canaan, but the chapter title here is Abraham in Palestine. Hmm, Abraham in the land of the Philistines 800 years before the Philistines came to the land. The same error recurs with "The Patriarchs in Palestine." Pure nonsense.

Reflecting 21st Century politics more than Biblical history, the settlement of Reuben, Gad, and East Manesseh on the far side of the river Jordan is termed "Israel's Occupation of Transjordan." Occupation? Oh really.

In short, if you want to support Islamic fundamentalist viewpoints, buy this book. If you are looking for good Bible scholarship, don't.