As Helen pointed out in the previous post, a picture is indeed worth a thousand words. The Bible Lands PhotoGuide and other graphical resources (now on sale) can be used to illustrate a sermon or lesson in ways that would be difficult to depict verbally. Now, if a picture is worth a thousand words, what is the value of a picture of a thousand words?
One of my favorite articles in the PhotoGuide is the one entitled “Inscriptions and Ancient Texts.” This article contains in one convenient place all the photos of ancient inscriptions and texts in the PhotoGuide. These include hieroglyphic inscriptions such as the Rosetta Stone and the Egyptian governor’s house at Beth-shan. It includes cuneiform inscriptions such as the Law-Code of Hammurabi and the black obelisk of Shalmaneser III. It includes important Hebrew inscriptions like the Gezer calendar, the inscription from the tomb of the Royal Steward, and the inscription from the pool of Siloam.
The Inscriptions article also includes the Copper scroll and other Dead Sea Scroll fragments, as well as one of the Lachish letters. It includes Greek inscriptions such as the sign warning Gentiles not to enter the Herodian temple in Jerusalem. It includes Semitic inscriptions such as the Mesha stele or “Moabite stone,” as well as Latin inscriptions like one from Caesarea which mentions Pontius Pilate. These ancient texts corroborate, illustrate, and shed light on numerous Biblical narratives, and far from just showing you pictures of them, the PhotoGuide explains their significance in detail.
Of course, that’s just one of the articles in the PhotoGuide. If you have the PhotoGuide, be sure to check out the Inscriptions article. And if you don’t have it yet, now is the time to get it.
By the way, I haven’t seen anyone hazard a guess yet as to who is in the photo Helen included in her previous post. There are two very valuable members of the Accordance team shown there, as well as a third individual who typically helps us out at the annual SBL conference. If you’re brave enough to hazard a guess, be sure to post it in the comments on her post.