Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Gospels

by Barry Beitzel

2019 Christianity Today Book Award Winner in Biblical Studies 2019 ECPA Finalist in Biblical Reference Many familiar Gospel narratives are filled with geographic details that people gloss over because of their distance from the Holy Land.

Yet climate, landscape, natural resources, and other features of geography leave a lasting mark on the societies and cultures that have developed within them. In a world of dirt roads and dry riverbeds, where shepherds watch their flocks in the hills and fishermen mend their nets by the sea, Jesus taught from hill and plain, using the surrounding landscape as the backdrop for his teaching. Jesus' parables and illustrations are often brimming with geographic clues, but the significance of these distinctive details is often lost. The Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Gospels puts readers in the sandals of the disciples as they travel throughout Israel with Jesus, explaining the significance of geography for mining the riches of the biblical text.

Genres: Christian

600 pages, Hardcover

Published April 18, 2018

Reviews

[Michel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique commentary with a specific focus on the relevance of geography for the interpretation of the biblical texts. As such it regularly gives a surprising and worthwhile perspective.
The commentary is thematically ordered, from Jesus’ birth to resurrection, as it accounts for the many parallel passages in the Gospels. That makes it sometimes hard to navigate or find the relevant chapter (but Logos Bible Software takes care of that!).
The book is a collection essays, some of which are edited and updated articles from more than 30 years ago. There is often a lot of overlap between the articles, which is disturbing if you read the book cover to cover, but it is useful when using it as a reference book.

[Jimmy Reagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I call this book a discovery. What is uncovered is the fact of how much we need this book though I had no idea of its importance until I saw it. There’s an incredible amount of geographic information in the Gospels that affect the understanding of passages. This attractive volume will be a handy reference to answer every question about geography, questions that even major commentaries often overlook, that you will encounter as you read the Gospels.

A fine team has been assembled to put this book together. Barry Beitzel, who has already produced well-received Bible Atlas materials, is the editor and head writer in a group that includes Paul Wright, Todd Bolan, J. Carl Laney, and John Beck among others. You might call that something of a dream team.

A quick scan of the contents page will show you the Scriptures addressed in the commentary. Once you peruse these chapters you will quickly see how central geography’s role was in each one of them. In addition to the fine writing, there’s plenty of helpful maps, diagrams or illustrations, and pictures. As one who owns most every Bible Atlas in print today, I’m pleased to report that the maps and pictures are not just repeats from other works. In other words, it will truly give you an additional benefit beyond your favorite outstanding Bible Atlas. I especially appreciated some of the pictures of modern archaeological dig sites too.

The book achieves quality scholarship, copious footnotes, and real theological development of the geographic material. The first thing I thought when I picked it up was – this volume looks nice! Using it only strengthened that assessment. I suspect that this will become a greatly-loved and widely-used resource.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this as a reference work, thinking it would useful on my shelf. Then I thought, "Maybe I'll see what this is all about by reading a sample chapter." So I did--and it was so good that I sampled another chapter, and so on, until I read the entire work.

If you love the Bible and love history and/or geography, you'll understand why. The book goes bit by bit through the Gospels' record of Jesus' life, explaining everything to why Jesus was laid in a manger (and where that was--likely in the middle of the house!) to where Jesus' tomb was likely located. You learn about every port on the Sea of Galilee, on the towns of Nain and Nazareth and Emmaus and many, many more.

The work is an excellent combination of historical spadework and insights from literal spadework. At times it can be repetitive (different scholars wrote different articles on the various portions of the Gospels; since many of those overlap geographically, so do some of the articles), and a few had slightly less than orthodox views of inerrancy, but the material is great nonetheless.

It looks like Lexham is intending to cover the entire Bible. So far I also have the Pentateuch volume, which is even longer--no word yet on whether it will be read cover to cover by this reviewer. But in any case I can't wait to spring obscure historical data on unsuspecting listeners!

[Charity U · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could scarcely be happier with this volume. It has 48 chapters by a whole range of talented scholars, academics, researchers, and archaeologists. They cover everything from "What Type of Storms Did Jesus Calm: Wind or Rain?" to "Pig Husbandry in Israel During the New Testament" to "The Vine, the Branches, and What It Means to Abide" to "Magnificent Stones and Wonderful Buildings of the Temple Complex." If you have a gospels question, this book likely has something to add to your thought process. Each chapter is also connected to one or several gospel passages, all listed in a nice index at the end. I'm finding it indispensable as I teach through Luke this semester. It's academic enough to help on that level, but not so high as to confuse a curious Bible-believing Christian who just wanted to know more. Highly recommended.

[Philip Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The articles on Jesus’ birth and the pertinent geography are excellent. I’ve also read some of the other articles and they’re all fascinating. The emphasis on geography might not be everybody’s thing but it is a crucial aspect for following what the Gospel writers are doing. The book also contains helpful maps and pictures (e.g. the typical 1st century Israelite house).

[Aleah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this cover to cover as a devotional. A wonderful resource that's helped me gain a more comprehensive picture of the intersection of scripture and geography of the Holy Land. Highly recommend! (& looking forward to future volumes)

[Randy Mccracken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have frequently heard it said that a tour of the land of Israel is worth two years of Bible College.  My experience of visiting the land of Israel on a number of occasions has confirmed to me the validity of this statement. Geography may not be everyone’s forte, but becoming familiar with the “lay of the land” is an eye-opening experience when it comes to studying the Bible. Learning about the hills and valleys, the ancient cities and climate of the various parts of Israel, adds a third dimension to Bible study that provides greater insight into the various events described in its pages. Lexham Press has done everyone a great service toward this end by producing a new Geographic Commentary series. The first offering in this series concentrates on the Gospels and the second, soon to be available, is dedicated to Acts through Revelation.
For the rest of the review see: http://www.biblestudywithrandy.com/20...