Carta’s New Century Handbook and Atlas of the Bible - Review

"This work represents an epitome of the work by the same authors, The Sacred Bridge: Carta’s Atlas of the Biblical World (Carta: Jerusalem, 2006). The new work is considerably shorter in terms of the text and smaller in terms of the physical size of the volume (making it that much easier to use). The purpose of this shorter volume is to meet the need for a readable work that would encompass the main points of the larger work without requiring the reader to wade through all the technical support for an understanding of the text; that is, to provide a student edition.

"The work thus serves as a useful text for introducing the history and geography of ancient Israel at university, seminary, and graduate school levels. . . . while the NT section is shorter in both volumes, it is a larger part of this newer work.

"Although there are fewer photos, drawings, and maps in this reduced and more recent volume, there are many new illustrations that appear here for the first time. . . .

"At half the price of the original, this new edition will well serve the purposes of the student in search of a history and geography of the Bible that ascribes authenticity to many of its traditions and provides a resource that integrates all significant extrabiblical evidence. The teacher will find this to be a useful textbook for courses on the history and geography of ancient Israel as well as the NT period." - Richard S. Hess, Denver Seminary, in Bulletin for Biblical Research