When former American president Ronald Reagan visited Moscow at the close of the Cold War, Mikhail Gorbachev greeted him with the words of a Russian proverb: “It is better to see once than to hear 100 times.”
In the Bible, we hear repeatedly about people, places, and practices which are foreign and unfamiliar to us. The Bible may describe the course of a battle by mentioning a few place names, but unless we are familiar with the terrain we cannot understand who held the high ground or whether the attack consisted of a frontal assault or flanking maneuver. The Bible describes the ancient Israelite sacrificial system in minute detail, but it can be hard to understand how and why certain practices were performed. Knowing the “lay of the land” and being able to picture each scene helps us to understand the Bible in color and three dimensions. If we can see once, we can more fully understand what we have read many times.
That’s why we are extremely excited to offer a new collection of first-rate atlases and visual guides to the world of the Bible from Carta. Headquartered in Jerusalem, Carta is a publishing house which specializes in producing the finest maps, atlases, and books about the history and geography of the Bible. The depth and breadth of these resources is absolutely incredible, as is the quality of the maps and images which adorn nearly every page. Now Accordance users can instantly access that wealth of material in order to “see once” and better understand the text of the Bible.
What’s available in this new Carta collection?
There are research-grade atlases like The Carta Bible Atlas (the fourth edition of the best-selling Macmillan Bible Atlas) and The Sacred Bridge. Meticulously researched and comprehensive in detail, The Sacred Bridge promises to be the Bible Atlas of record and standard work for the coming decades. Can you guess which Bible software the authors relied upon to produce such a remarkable achievement?
In addition to these scholarly works, there are atlases aimed at every student of the Bible. The New Century Handbook is an abridgment of The Sacred Bridge which offers the scholarly insight of its larger counterpart without all the scholarly detail. The Bible History Atlas by F. F. Bruce is an excellent introduction to the history and geography of the Bible aimed at beginning students.
The new Carta collection also includes a number of books which focus on the city of Jerusalem and the history of the temple. The Illustrated Atlas of Jerusalem offers an incredible level of detail about the ancient and modern city, while Carta’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem is a treasure-trove of information and vivid illustrations of every part of the First-Century temple. Leen Ritmeyer’s The Quest chronicles the archaeological exploration of the Temple Mount in rich detail and offers meticulous architectural reconstructions.
All of the books I’ve mentioned so far offer a wealth of information and a vast collection of illustrations, but Carta also publishes concise guides to the Biblical world, the city of Jerusalem, and the Temple Mount. These resources are perfect for quick insights and helpful images, and they’re extremely affordable. These include The Illustrated Bible Atlas with Historical Notes, Carta’s Historical Atlas of Jerusalem, The Holy Temple of Jerusalem, Jerusalem in the Time of Nehemiah, and Jerusalem in the Year 30 A.D..
Available only from Accordance, this new collection of resources from Carta offers the most comprehensive information about the Biblical world coupled with the highest-quality illustrations you can find. If it is better to see once than to hear 100 times, these resources from Carta will open your eyes to a world you’ve previously only heard about.
You can buy each of these Carta resources separately, or choose from several cost-saving combo collections. See this page to learn more, and be sure to watch Dr. J’s informative new podcast about all the Carta modules.