Biblical Theology: Past, Present, and Future (I)
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 55, No. 2 – Spring 2013
Managing Editor: Terry L. Wilder
By Todd Bolen. 18-volume collection. 4 DVDs. Revised and Expanded. BiblePlaces.com, 2012. $389.
High quality pictures can add an indispensable dimension to teaching and preaching the Bible. However, finding appropriate, accurate, and high-quality pictures can often be beyond one’s computer and Internet abilities or available time.
BiblePlaces.com comes to the rescue. This vast collection is an excellent resource with over 17,500 high-resolution photographs from Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Crete, and Malta. The original collection is from Todd Bolen, Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at the Master’s College. He taught in Israel for ten years, and his picture collection spans the last twenty years; however, there are also pictures in this collection from over forty other photographers.
Accuracy is extremely important in showing Biblical pictures. One can use Internet search engines to find pictures; however, a typical Internet search will give a number of false findings. For instance, searching Google Images for “Peter’s house excavations Capernaum” produces only nine accurate results out of the first twenty. So, unless one has physically been to a site in order to recognize its picture, verifying accurate pictures from an Internet search engine can be a daunting task. However, in the Pictorial Library one can quickly find accurately identified and labeled pictures.
Accessibility is another helpful aspect of this DVD collection. The pictures are in two formats: jpeg (up to 2420 x 1600 pixels) and in 400 ready-made PowerPoint presentations. Most users will probably use the PowerPoint pictures because they are easy to add to one’s PowerPoint presentation, and they have the caption and notes already attached to the slides. The pictures in the slide shows are 1029 x 768, which are the finest quality most projectors can display. One can build a professional picture slide show on a given Bible subject in mere minutes.
The annotations are a valuable feature of the Pictorial Library. They appear in the Speaker’s Notes section under a number of the PowerPoint slides. Not every slide has notes. For instance, they appear in the first picture in a group of pictures on the same subject. The notes are sometimes extensive, giving: (1) Biblical information, such as nine actions of Jesus in Capernaum from Mark 1-2 (Capernaum, slide 23), (2) historical citations, such as a translation of a quotation from Egeria’s 4th-century diary that Peter’s house was turned into a church (Capernaum, slide 26), and (3) archeological information, such as a discussion of the original location for Bethsaida: et-Tell, el-Araj, or el-Misadiyye (Bethsaida, slide 8). The notes attached to the last slide in most slideshows lists some helpful resources for further study; however, it would be helpful to give a larger list of resources and include a list in all slide shows.
Most of the slide shows begin with helpful maps that identify the cities and areas that appear in the slide show. Sometimes aerial views have labels that identify where ancient buildings once stood, such as the aerial picture of Hierapolis from the west (Hierapolis, slide 12). However, in the slide show the bare picture appears first, and the labels appear with the next mouse click. This arrangement is well thought out and handy for teaching purposes.
The pictures are of excellent quality. Each shot is well composed, with sharp images and vivid colors. Not only are they much better than the average shutterbug can take, they include 400 aerial shots that are beyond the ability and resources of most people. There is also a sufficient variety and quantity of pictures in this collection. This reviewer has led groups to most of the cities and countries that appear in the Pictorial Library, and Bolen has well covered each site.
Volume seventeen, Cultural Images of the Holy Land, is a noteworthy collection. One could visit the Holy Land on a tour group many times and not see many of the excellent cultural scenes in this collection. There is a wide range of subjects, such as a host of animal and bird pictures—each one properly labeled. Grouped pictures appear in sequence, ranging from the interesting process of sheep shearing to the bloody skinning and gutting of sheep in Jericho. Both Christian and Jewish holy days and holiday celebrations in Israel are well photographed and documented. The scribe slide show depicts a number of modern scribes copying the Hebrew Scriptures as well as tools of their trade and the finished product—certainly of interest to anyone who loves God’s Word.
There are occasional typographical errors, such as “Bethsaid” (Bethsaida, slide 8, line 16) and “didrachamae” (Bethsaida, slide 21, line 4), and inconsistent capitalization (“el-Araj” and “El-Araj,” Bethsaida, slide 8, lines 15, 18). However, Bolen welcomes feedback on errors or updates via e-mail. He plans to make corrections and update archeological information in future editions (“Annotations,” line 17).
Here are three more suggestions for improvement. For pictures not covering an entire slide, a black background is easier on the eyes than the white background provided in these slide shows. Of course, one can easily change the background with PowerPoint editing tools. Next, there are times one could use more description, such as identifying the areas of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Easter processional (Christian Holidays—Easter), identifying the location of cities such as Kom Ombo—a city in Upper Egypt (Pottery Making, slides 11, 13-15), and explaining how an olive beam press works (Olive Harvest, slides 36-43). Finally, when conditions calm down, complete this collection with volumes on Syria, Iraq, and Iran.
Although anyone can view the PowerPoint slides with a free reader, one must own the full PowerPoint software to read the annotations. One can also view the slides on free programs, such as OpenOffice, but there are sometimes issues with reading the slide labels. However, purchasing PowerPoint is a good investment and will give one the best usage of the Pictorial Library.
This collection of high-resolution pictures and PowerPoint slide shows is a superb resource for pastors and Bible teachers (ranging in effective use from Vacation Bible School to sermons to seminary classes). It is also a valuable tool for anyone interested in learning more about the Bible. Viewing each slide, reading its annotation, and looking up relevant Bible verses can provide weeks of valuable learning about the Bible. This is an excellent resource with a wide range of applications.
