The Holy Land for Christian Travelers: An Illustrated Guide to Israel

by John A. Beck

A trip to the Holy Land is on the bucket list of many Christians. But planning a meaningful trip in a place so filled with significant sites is an imposing task. Most travel guides are not prepared to link the Bible and land in an accurate and meaningful way because they are written for people of all faiths. So how can a Christian traveler prepare a trip that will illuminate God's Word and reveal the Lord's presence? In The Holy Land for Christian Travelers, John A. Beck provides a guide to the Holy Land for Christians with explanations of the biblical significance of important sites. The entries provide key Scripture references for reflection and a guide to the land that will encourage communion with God and a genuine spiritual experience for travelers as they walk in the footsteps of Jesus. A trip to the Holy Land can be a worship-filled, once-in-a-lifetime spiritual journey. This book puts a biblical scholar and experienced Holy Land guide at the reader's side.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Biblical Studies

291 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2017

Reviews

[Elijah Caskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A recommended book for anyone who is a christian traveling to the Holy Land. I was so lucky to go there myself with some of my favorite people in this world my parents, my grandparents and my siblings.

[Meagan | The Chapter House · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful!

This is an insightful read for folks planning their own trips to Israel, folks who have been and would like a recap of the significance of the places they visited, and the armchair travelers who just want to learn more. I do wish it had more actual pictures in addition to the illustrations, but I still enjoyed it and found it helpful.

[Derek Winterburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is unconventional as books on the Holy Land for Christians go. It doesn't miss-sell itself in that it is a useful book for people who are Christians, but I don't consider a full guidebook. The writer is less concerned about what a visitor might see (especially in Jerusalem) than how a place connects to the Bible. For example there are three and half pages on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre compared to twelve pages in Murphy O'Connor (a book only twice its length). Clearly the author has focussed his comments on what he considers important, but this book will not explain what a visitor actually sees before them when visiting churches built over ancient sites.

The author is helpful on the land outside the capital. There are comments on the various National Parks, beyond the 'pilgrim trail'. Being an OT specialist, there are good explanations of places mentioned in the OT. He clearly likes panorama views; a number of such are described in detail (including building cranes). Further there are interesting comments about geology and meteorology.

There are a good number of maps, although one could not use them to navigate on foot in Jerusalem or by car in the Land! I am puzzled by the reviews that describe this book as well illustrated. For sure there are some artistic reconstructions but there are next to no photographs or even sketch maps of the sites described. I also found the alphabetical ordering of the articles frustrating, I think it would have been more helpful to order according to their location.

In my view Murphy-O'Connor, even if older and opinionated, is still the best book to take with you to the Holy Land.

[SusanwithaGoodBook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This guide is wonderful. I found it very interesting and informative. I'm not doing the actual planning for our trip (we're on a guided tour) but if I was this would be an invaluable resource. I particularly appreciated the Biblical references associated with each location and the little tips of places to escape the crowds. Highly recommended.

[Delores Winegar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended to anyone thinking of traveling to Israel. Full of history, facts, and what to see. Even for those not traveling, it is a wonderful book of information. I used many of the historical notes in my new novel, "Mary, the Lord's Servant."

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for pilgrims

If you are planning a trip this is must. Great information with lots of background content. I would highly recommend.

[Abby Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to have if you're traveling to Israel or for friends going to Israel, get them this book!

[Ivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book (it’s an “illustrated guide”) to take with you to the Holy Land. The maps, site explanations, and timelines are invaluable.

[Evelyn Lilyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent travel guide! It has lots of pictures, diagrams, maps and keys. I like that it gives historical information about the different places as well, as Biblical background information. It contains invaluable information about the climate, sites, how to dress in certain places, how much you can expect to pay for certain entrances, and even which routes to take. The guide is divided into sections corresponding to the different regions of Israel: Jerusalem, coastal plain, Central mountains south, Central mountains center & central mountains north. It also includes itineraries. It's a good size, not too bulky that you can easily fit inside a bag or backpack.

I'm planning on going to Israel in the near future, if the Lord permits, and will definitely take this guide along. If you're planning a trip, I definitely recommend this guide even if you're going to travel with a tour, this little book has a lot of useful information.

I received a copy of this book from Baker in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Holy Land for Christian Travelers is an unexpected book. What do I mean by that? Well it has unbelievable pictures, pictures that move you when you think “this is where my LORD walked, talked, prayed.” It gives you advise such as what kind of clothes to wear and how to always keep your id and passport on you at all times because you could be stopped at anytime and asked to produce it. You are told where you best not. What special clothing to wear where, there are maps now and in CHRIST’s Day and in Solomon’s Day. There is oh so much more – believe it or not – you need to get this book whether you are going to go there or not if you ask me – I am so glad I have it – I am going to treasure it so very much. I received a copy of the book from the Publisher; all the opinions expressed are my own.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Holy Land for Christian Travelers is a very unique and cool book. I really enjoyed thumbing through the different maps, learning about the different culture aspects of Israel and just letting my mind wander to that kind of lifestyle it would be. This book is full of color, pictures and is an amazing travel guide. I can't imagine going to Israel without it! I have pages with sticky notes and others that have notes come out of it because I learned so much about the historical sites, some of the inccuarcys, etc. This book is truly a gift and I highly recommend you reading it. I give this book 4/5 stars. Thank you to the publisher for providing me a complimentary copy. A favorable review was not required.

[LAMONT D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a great find as I continue to prepare for my journey to the Holy Land next year. There are plenty of helpful maps, charts, and illustrations as well as a Bible Timeline plus an extensive index of the locations in the book. There is so much detail that he gives regarding the Biblical references including the relevant ancient history of the location being described and what is currently there now that I will see. I have seen other books with pictures that help tell the story, so this author tends to describe in written form what you might see and gives advice on how to approach your trip. Published a few years ago it may be a little bit dated, but certainly the majority of material would be applicable to anyone's travels in Israel.

[victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very encourage and inspire with guide us to the land of the Bible that most of the famous place in the world of Christian would like to visit one time in their life. This book was full of information about the history associated with the site and this will guide us around the site to the most important to see, explaining them as necessary and the most important, this guide will build the vital link between the location and what you are seeing and to build to your Bible reading. I recommend to everyone must to read this book. “ I received complimentary a copy of this book from Baker Books Bloggers for this review “.

[Felix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a travel guide for the devoted Christian travelers to Israel. Most of the book have detailed information on holy sites in Jerusalem and even corresponding passages in the bible to read upon reaching those places.

There is no mention of Tel Aviv which is of course a very modern city and probably best avoided by devoted Christian travelers :-)

All in all, it's an okay book. I was actually looking for information on Tel Aviv travel, so this was not it :-)

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
Highly recommended reading in preparation for a trip to the Holy Land. John Beck combines thorough knowledge of the Bible with the history, topography and geography of the Holy Land to make the perfect book for a Christian pilgrimage or an indepth visit. The only thing Beck could have improved would have been to make sure that the great included diagrams/maps all matched up with the adjacent reading.

[Jackie Ritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book because my family is heading to Israel on a guided tour but wanted to read something that connected historical sites to the Bible. This book did just that! I plan on bringing it with me to Israel when we go!

[Kylie Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource whether you are going or you aren’t! Learned so much about the places Jesus walked out his ministry here on earth and places that impacted the stories of the Bible BC and AD. Highly recommend.

[Julie Crooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The site explanations, timeline, and biblical significance is super informative. I had it spiralbound so I can highlight and take notes along the way. It is a great biblical history lesson whether you are planning a trip or not!

I am planning to read it several times before my upcoming trip!

[Teri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could have used more pictures, but otherwise a good read before we go in February.

[Rick Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book you MUST take to Israel with you if you are interested in Biblical sites. I marked it up and carried it in my back pocket.

[Ayden Tilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

DNF
Great and detailed book on the land of Isreal. Tells about each site, how to get there, and the history of it.

[Maryann · Rating 4 out of 5]

iPad. Informative and full of Bible references and maps

[Jason Poling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprised by how devotional this was. Also, learned some new and insightful aspects about Scripture.

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missed going to Israel and finishing out this book in person!
Praying for peace.

[Pacific Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely needs more pictures and illustrations. Opening maps are misprinted (misalignment between pages). This seems like it would be more useful for individuals planning an itinerary on their own, as opposed to those going as part of a group.

If you are preparing for a trip, I recommend reading "The Story of the Holy Land: A Visual History" by Peter Walker, or the "Atlas of the Bible" by Rasmussen.

[Brett McDonald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Works both as a field guide for someone in Israel as well as someone wanting more detail on the actual archaeology and geography of the biblical narrative. Worth a read even if you’re not going to Israel.