"With 3 columns of print and up to 74 lines to a page, this atlas is physically both broader and ‘thicker’ than most works that describe themselves as atlases. The Sacred Bridge is also broader and thicker in content than most atlases. Its breadth reaches to include disciplines of archaeology and linguistics that touch upon questions of geography and political history. It also includes a broader area than traditional Bible atlases, paying special attention to Transjordan, Lebanon, and Syria, and giving some consideration to many other regions of the ancient Near East. It is broader in its inclusion of periods before the biblical era (second millennium B.C.) and after (through the Roman period). Its density is revealed in the detail and analysis that the atlas contains. Close consideration of specific examples of place-names, biblical texts, and other geographical information provide in-depth analysis of key geographic issues." — Richard S. Hess, Denver Seminary in Bulletin of Biblical Research
"This very impressive volume is lavishly illustrated with maps, photographs, and charts... This atlas is a tremendous piece of work and probably will replace many resource and reference books that have been previously in use. The beautiful maps, tables, photographs, and the careful research that went into all of this make this volume a must for everyone who cares about biblical history and the history of the ancient Near East. The use of colors and different fonts enable the reader to zero in on certain points in the text that otherwise might be lost." - Oded Borowski, Emory University in Review of Biblical Literature, August 2007
"The great strength of The Sacred Bridge is the abundance of historical- geographical data related to the Bible that one will find gathered here and in no other place. By their thorough attention to, and analysis of, non-Israelite historical and geographical texts, the authors provide readers with one of the most reliable and comprehensive histories of the region written to date. As such, this work provides a valuable resource against which the biblical text itself might be read. . . . The straightforward arrangement of the The Carta Bible Atlas and the priority it gives to illustrating biblical events means that it will continue to find a place in the libraries of those interested in understanding the geographical aspects of the biblical text. . . . Readers whose curiosity extends to non-Israelite geographical texts and to the more specific contriversies within the discipline of historical geography will find Rainey and Notley's work to be a valuable purchase." - Brian P. Irwin, Knox College, Toronto School of Theology, in Toronto Journal of Theology 23/2
"Receiving this book has been an extremely pleasant surprise for me. Knowing the quality of Carta atlases, I ordered it expecting a top-quality up to date biblical atlas. However, I found it a superb, well-documented treatise of the pre-biblical, biblical and post biblical world, through the Bar Kokhba revolt, illustrated with high quality maps and photos. Although these illustrations, by themselves, are highly instructive, they do not make this unique volume as valuable as it will be to any serious biblical scholar. The authors compiled tremendous amounts of historical and archeological information that would be hard to retrieve otherwise. Although experts may argue about details of the information presented on the interpretation of certain biblical passages, as these depend on the academic school they represent, this book provides an unprecedented wealth of up to date information; information that will allow interested biblical scholars to go to the sources and expand their horizons. Last but not least, this treatise documents in great detail the robust connection between the biblical text with the geography of the ancient Jewish homeland and with relevant recent archeological findings. It is, therefore, also of substantial timely value when the veracity of biblical history is being questioned not be scholars but by biased political parties." - Dr. Michael Anbar
"This is a magnificent biblical atlas on a grand scale. It replaces The Macmillan Bible Atlas by Y. Aharoni and M. Avi-Yonah and takes its title from the fact that Palestine forms a land bridge between Asia and Africa. It is concerned as much with biblical history (which is treated womewhat conservatively) as it is with biblical geography, the introductory material and the period from the Early Bronze Age down to the Persian era being dealt with by Rainey, while Notley covers the Hellenistic and Roman periods down to the Bar-Kochba revolt. The volume provides a splendid and detailed atlas of both the OT and NT and all that falls in between. The whole work is impressively learned, with many texts (referred to in red print) cited by Rainey in their original languages or transliteration (printed in light blue) as well as in translation (printed in dark blue), and there are approximately 2,400 items in the bibliography. The print is rather small and the volume is printed on glossy paper, making it quite heavy to hold. Overall, this is a remarkable piece of work." - J. Day, Book List
"...this atlas is a most valuable work. The breadth of learning and the range of scholarly literature cited in the References is indeed impressive. The excursus sections in particular provide most helpful summaries of well-known problems of biblical history and geography. The colour-coded citation of texts in the original language, with transliteration and translation where required, the full provision of source references, and the presentation of toponyms in both Arabic and Hebrew forms for the sake of clarity, demonstrate the effort put into the project by authors, editors and publishers alike.... Anson Rainey and Steven Notley and their editors and publishers deserve our congratulations and thanks on the production of such an informative volume." - J. R. Bartlett, Trinity College Dublin, in Bulletin of the Anglo-Israel Archaeological Society 2007, Vol. 25
