Jump to content

Carta: New Century Handbook & Atlas vs Sacred Bridge


Rick Ausdahl

Recommended Posts

I'm considering a purchase of either Carta's New Century Handbook and Atlas of the Bible or The Sacred Bridge.  ​I know the Handbook and Atlas is a condensed version of the Bridge (about half the content), but I've not been able to get a very good idea of what has been cut out.  My impression is that much of what is missing from the condensed version is original language text.  If that's the majority of what has been cut I'd be fine with the condensed version because I don't even read Greek or Hebrew, let alone any of the other ANE languages that might be in the Bridge.

 

If anyone is familiar with the content in both resources (or has a more definite knowledge of the content differences in them), I would appreciate knowing if you feel there is much in the Bridge other than original language text, that is missing in the condensed version and would make the Bridge worth considering over the condensed version for the person with no knowledge of original ANE languages.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rick, while you are waiting, There is a bit of info and you can down load a few sample pages from the Carta site so you can get a feel.

 

http://store.carta-jerusalem.com/bible-studies/46-cartas-new-century-handbook-and-atlas-of-the-bible.html

 

According to their site there are 280 pages in the slightly physically smaller handbook compared to the 448 pages in the sacred bridge. I don’t think sacred bridge is over the top on original language (see sample pages and screen shots on Accordance.

Edited by ukfraser
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Haven’t used the handbook but I do really like the sacred bridge and do not in anyway find it inaccessible.

 

-dan

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rick,

 

Here are some details about the New Century Handbook.

http://blog.bibleplaces.com/2007/11/carta-new-atlas.html

 

Another consideration is that Sacred Bridge was revised after the New Century Handbook was published, so the latter will not have corrected, expanded and updated content that Sacred Bridge does. This blog post details some of the changes made in Sacred Bridge, 2nd edition.

 

A.D.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks to everyone who has replied.

 

Perhaps the most helpful information I've come across so far is in A. D. Riddle's first link regarding the condensed version (Handbook and Bible Atlas).  I've pasted in an excerpt from that link below.  It describes to some extent how the condensed Handbook and Bible Atlas is different from The Sacred Bridge.  I'm not sure what is meant/included in item number one when it refers to "in-text references removed in shorter edition", but I'm pretty much fine with the other differences listed.  And on the plus side, it indicates typos from content in the first edition of The Sacred Bridge were corrected before using it again in the Handbook and Bible Atlas, much as it was before reusing it in the second edition of The Sacred Bridge, so that's a good thing.

 

IF nothing more was cut in the abridged version than what is indicated below, I think I'd be fine with it and am leaning in that direction.  Of course, if anyone has additional info, I'd love to know.

 

EXCERPT

 

UPDATE (11/19): Author Anson Rainey told a friend of mine that the differences between the two editions are these:

1) Bibliography and in-text references removed in shorter edition

2) Original language texts removed but translations remain

3) Two chapters on Bronze Age reduced to one

4) Typographical errors corrected

Thus it seems that with CNCHAB you get about 80% of the content for 50% of the price.

Edited by Rick Ausdahl
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rick,

 

Note also I mentioned that the corrected, expanded and updated content found in the second edition of Sacred Bridge would be "cut" from the New Century Handbook.

 

I do not have the New Century Handbook, but the in-text references would those show in red from these excerpts from Sacred Bridge:

One letter, EA 24, was seen to be written in a strange language which we now know is Hurrian (cf. G. Wilhelm apud Moran 1992:71 n. 1, for bibliography). Two other letters are in Hittite (EA 31 and 32; cf. V. Haas apud Moran 1992:101–105). All the rest are in dialects of Akkadian. Only one letter, EA 16, is in Middle Assyrian (Grayson 1972:48–49); the Kassite correspondence is in Middle Babylonian (Aro 1955), in fact it includes some of the best examples of that dialect (EA 6–13).

 

The knowledge of Seti’s own expeditions is derived mainly from reliefs and inscriptions at the Karnak temple (Epigraphic Survey 1986); copies of his topographical lists appear at some other shrines as well (Simons 1937:137–17; cf. Noth 1937c:209–228 = 1971:22–36; Faulkner 1947; Aharoni 1979:178–179). It is still not possible to determine the dates of some of his campaigns but his fifteen years of reign were full of activity.

 

 

Sacred Bridges uses in-text citation as opposed to footnotes or endnotes. All bibliographic information that corresponds to these references is also removed from the end of the book, about 30 pages of small-type material. The references and bibliography are a gold mine. As a researcher using Sacred Bridge, this is a huge loss for me (along with removal of the original language texts), but it depends on what you need/use it for.

 

A.D.

Edited by A.D. Riddle
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rick,

 

Note also I mentioned that the corrected, expanded and updated content found in the second edition of Sacred Bridge would be "cut" from the New Century Handbook.

 

I do not have the New Century Handbook, but the in-text references would those show in red from these excerpts from Sacred Bridge:

One letter, EA 24, was seen to be written in a strange language which we now know is Hurrian (cf. G. Wilhelm apud Moran 1992:71 n. 1, for bibliography). Two other letters are in Hittite (EA 31 and 32; cf. V. Haas apud Moran 1992:101–105). All the rest are in dialects of Akkadian. Only one letter, EA 16, is in Middle Assyrian (Grayson 1972:48–49); the Kassite correspondence is in Middle Babylonian (Aro 1955), in fact it includes some of the best examples of that dialect (EA 6–13).

 

The knowledge of Seti’s own expeditions is derived mainly from reliefs and inscriptions at the Karnak temple (Epigraphic Survey 1986); copies of his topographical lists appear at some other shrines as well (Simons 1937:137–17; cf. Noth 1937c:209–228 = 1971:22–36; Faulkner 1947; Aharoni 1979:178–179). It is still not possible to determine the dates of some of his campaigns but his fifteen years of reign were full of activity.

 

 

Sacred Bridges uses in-text citation as opposed to footnotes or endnotes. All bibliographic information that corresponds to these references is also removed from the end of the book, about 30 pages of small-type material. The references and bibliography are a gold mine. As a researcher using Sacred Bridge, this is a huge loss for me (along with removal of the original language texts), but it depends on what you need/use it for.

 

A.D.

Thank you very much for posting the examples.  I can see how the abridged version would result in major loss to a researcher such as yourself, and considerable loss to those familiar with ANE languages, even if they are not researchers in the sense that you are.

 

In general, I really do like having biblical study resources that are generally considered among the best, most complete, and most useful.  Having said that, there are a few excellent commentary series that I have opted not to purchase simply because I could see they were too technical for a lay person without Greek/Hebrew language training (at least for this one) because of the manner their extensive use of original language material was formatted and presented to the reader.  And I've encountered a few other commentary series I decided not to purchase because they spent so much of their digital real estate on issues of debate, that as a lay person I simply didn't have time to get bogged down in.  By the same token, as a lay person I still find quite a range of commentaries very helpful: NICOT/NICNT, WBC, ZECOT/ZECNT, UBS, NAC, NIVAC, Pillar, Tyndale, Calvin's, Black's, Lenski's, Langes, ACCS, Socio-Rhetorical, Expositors, Bible Speaks Today, Boice's Expositional, etc., etc..

 

This is one of those cases where I really like "the thought" of having The Sacred Bridge, but as someone who is not a researcher per se, nor someone with ANE original language training, I'm thinking most of the benefits of The Sacred Bridge over the abridged Handbook and Bible Atlas would be lost/wasted on me.

 

I'm still kicking it around (I have until 11:59 PM :rolleyes: ), but in an effort to let financial stewardship override pride-of-ownership, I'm leaning toward the less expensive abridged version.

Edited by Rick Ausdahl
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I want to thank everyone again who posted their thoughts and helps.

 

I decided this time around to go with the abridged Handbook and Atlas for reasons stated in my previous couple of posts.  I guess I won't know for sure if that was the best decision unless/until I'm able to actually see a complete copy of The Sacred Bridge, but I hope to find enough useful and interesting information in the Handbook and Atlas to make it a worthwhile purchase and to  provide enough material to keep me busy for quite some time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...