Visual Bible PDF
Visual Bible PDF
Visual Bible PDF
THE COMPLETE
BIB L E
A LAVISHLY ILLUSTRATED TOUR OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS
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INTRODUCTION .... ..... .. .... . .. .. .. .... .. 6 MICAH ....... ..... .. .. ........... .. ........ ... 274
1,2 CHRONICLES .............. ....... 142 ACTS .................... ... .. ..... ............ 396
EZRA ........................... .. ... .. ......... 152 ROMANS ....................... .. ........... 414
NEHEMIAH ................................ 158 I, 2 CORINTHIANS ................... 422
ESTHER ...................................... 162 GALATIANS ............................... 436
.JOB .. ......... ....... ..... ..... ..... ... ..... ... 168 EPHESIANS ...... .. .... .... .. ......... ... 440
PSALMS ..... .... ........... .... ..... ..... .... 176 PHILIPPIANS .......... ... .. .......... .. 448
PROVERBS .. .......... ... .............. ... 184 COLOSSIANS .... ... .......... .. ...... ... 454
ECCLESIASTES .......... .. ............. 194 I, 2 THESSALONIANS .............. 460
EZEKIEL .................................... 232 .JAMES ...... ....... ....... ....... .. ......... . 494
DANIEL ...... .. ...... .. ... .. ....... .. ........ 242 I, 2 PETER ........... .. .......... .. ....... 502
HOSEA ........... .. ........... .. ... .. ........ 254 I, 2, 3 .JOHN ................ .. ............ 512
.JOEL .......................................... 258 .JUDE .......................................... 520
AMOS ............ ... .. .... .. .. ..... ........ ... 262 REVELATION ........ ....... .. ......... ... 522
OBADIAH ...... ... .... . .. .. ................. 266
.JONAH ................ .. .. .. ....... .. ...... .. 268 ART CREDITS ....... .. ........... .. ...... 542
INTRODUCTION
6 I Introduction
that works only for religion insiders-as though Paul K. Muckley, Barbour editor. God gave
I'm singing to the choir, when what I want to do him the perfect quality for a soul trapped between
is sing to the rest of the world. a writer pleading for excellence and a production
So today, on the last day of another year's long crew swamped with work: grace under fire.
work-a day before the start of a new year on a Donna Maltese, freelance copy editor and fact
new book-an atheist writes to tell me he has checker. I requested her because her attention to
heard my song, and it's not so bad. detail on a previous book [ wrote convinced me
I wonder. What would an atheist say if I told she's a cyborg.
him that he, an unbeliever, has become the voice Kelly Williams, Annie Tipton, Ashley Schrock,
of God-heaven-sent to encourage a believer? Ashley Casteel, and the rest of the in-house team
Coincidence is not a deity, he might argue. at Barbour keep these big projects moving along,
Not always, I would agree. Bur sometimes. toward the light at the end of the runnel.
Today, perhaps. The team at FaceoutSrudio designed the pages
for beauty and readability.
A WORD OF THANKS Shalyn Hooker, Barbour marketing manager.
Without Shalyn and her team, my books would
I write this book alone, like a monk isolated hear the sound of one hand clapping.
in his cell. God bless each one of these people.
Yet I'm not the only human bringing this book And God bless you as you read this book, and
to life and putting it into your hands. There's a more importantly as you read his Book.
team at work. And I'd like to name names.
Linda Miller, my wife. She has let me work in Steve
the risky business of full-time freelance writing STEPHEN M. MILLER
for more than 15 years. That makes her a sancti- STEPHEN MILLER BOOKS.CO M
fied gambler.
Becca Miller, my daughter. She got her Face-
book friends to join the fan page my publisher
asked me to start. She has more friends than
most pastors have eyeballs staring at them on
Sundays.
Brad Miller, my son. His online market-
ing company has helped market my books:
sheppix. net.
Virginia Miller, my mom. I send her copies of
each book I write, and she always says she loves
the book. Let me tell you, it doesn't hurt.
Steve Laube, my agent. He's a bit like the Holy
Spirit in a bone bag. He's my advocate, helper,
counselor, and sometimes my comforter.
Introduction I 7
T EST A E N T
/I DON'T EVEN TRY THINKING OF THE BIBLE AS A BOOK. /I
IT'S NOT.
It's a library of books written over a stretch
of a thousand years. Maybe more.
This is the Jewish Bible. It (faces the story of the This is the Christian add-on to the Jewish Bible.
Jewish people-from their founding father, Abra- It (faces the story of the Christian movement-
ham, to their near annihilation by invaders from from the birth of Jesus to the spread of Chris-
what is now Traq. Home to 39 of the Bible's 66 tianity throughout the Roman Empire about a
books, the Old Testament makes up the first two- century later.
thirds of the Bible.
HOW THE JEWS SETTLED on which books to include
in their Bible, the Old Testament, is anyone's guess. Scholars
speculate th at the oldest stories-like those about Abraham
and Moses-were passed along by word of mouth for gen-
erations. Then when David became king, as one theory goes,
palace offi cials starting writing down th e stories to document
their nation's history.
Moses had apparently done som e writing earli er, since
God told him to write down the 10 C om ma ndm ents and
other Jewish laws (Exodus 34:27). Those laws appear in th e
first fi ve books of the Old Testam ent. And this was the first
secti on of th e Bible that Jews embraced as sacred. Jesus him-
self described the stories in those books as "the writings of
Moses" (M ark 12:26).
Later, Jews added the books of the prophets to their sacred
collection. And finally the rest of their Bible--a diverse assort-
ment of writings including sacred lyrics called Psalms, a collec-
tion of wise sayings known as Proverbs, and the sad tale of Job.
T his is the Bible Jesus read-the Jewish Bible. It's also the
Bible the apostle Paul was talking about wh en he sai d:
'"
" ... .... .... .. .. ...... l> /I ... . ....... .. .. . ................ .. . . ... .. .. ... .. .. .... . .. .. . . ........... . ... .
"U
"U
'"
0 4.5 BILLION Be 4500 Be Ocean breaks through Bosporus Strait, flooding
WORLD " freshwater lake that becomes Black Sea 200 miles (322 km)
Geologists est imate birth
HISTORY
"
l>
'"
~ of ea rth and solar system north of Mount Ararat (see page 14 for map).
G E N E 5 I 5
PARADISE POLLUTED
BEFORE TH E B EGI N N I NG, a great nothing exists. least200 years before Moses. At the start
of that story, called [numa [fish, heaven
Genesis describes it: formless, empty, dark. There is no
and ear th are unformed . Th eir raw mate-
universe.
rial mingles together in th e "water s of
There are just "deep waters," (Genesis 1:2). Many inter- chaos," personified as the goddess Tia-
pret this as a symbol of pre-creation marrer, chaotically scat- mat. Babylon's chief god, Marduk, kill s
tered . Presumably, God supplies these creation building Tiamat and divides her body. With half
blocks and then forms them into the un iverse. he crea t es the heavens, and half th e
earth. Genesis says it was God, not Mar-
He does all this in six days, which some Bible students
duk, who turned chaos into creation.
take literally as 24-hour days. Others read it figuratively.
Under God's spoken direction, creation unfolds like a cos-
mic drama in six acts.
Act seven: God rests. Not that God's tired. Rest, many schol-
ars say, is a symbolic model for humans to follow: Take a day
off. Moses later cites God's day of rest as the reason for the Sab-
bath, the law that God's people should rest evety seventh day.
SAUDI
ARABIA
GARDE ........lrJ:crfo-~
SOUTH THEORY
QUEST FOR EDEN I The Bible's clue of a river flowing out of Eden and branching off into four rivers has led to
many theories about where Eden was. One theory puts it in the mountains of Turkey. Another puts it in the Persian
Gulf, a former river valley until the ocean flooded it.
HOMELESS CAIN I Forbidden to farm anymore after pol luti ng the ground with the blood of his brother, whom
he murdered, Cain moves east of Eden. There, he raises a family and lives as a nomadic herder.
Genesis I 15
GENESIS 6-8
the planet's critter life.
For 40 days water attacks the land from above
Flood zone: Earth and below: pummeling rain and erupting ground-
water. In the end, all breathers outside the boat lie
GOD PUTS UP WITH HUMANITY'S SIN dead. Even those who scrambled to the highest
for 1,656 years. Assuming, as many do, that the mountaintops lost their footing. Earth looks like
Bible's genealogy of Adam's descendants is literal Waterworld.
(see Genesis 5). Five months after the first raindtop, Noah's sal-
By that time the human race has tanked. vation barge grinds to a halt somewhere in the
There's only one blameless man left standing: Ararat mountain range. But all on board have to
600-year-old Noah. wait inside for another seven months. In all, Noah
In a creation do-over, God decides to give and passengers stay in the boat a little more than a
humanity a fresh start. Noah will become human- year. That's how long it takes the land to dry.
ity's new founding father. God tells him, HI am Afterward, God makes a promise to Noah-a
about to cover the earth with a fl ood that will contract he signs with a rainbow:
desttoy every living thing that breathes" (Genesis
6:17). "[ will never again destroy all living
Using God's design specifications, Noah builds things. As long as the earth remains, there
a survival barge-a fl oating warehouse. It will will be planting and harvest, cold and
protect him and his family. He'll also take along heat, summer and winter, day and night. "
male-female pairs of land an imals to help reboot GENESIS 8:21-22
ONE-YEAR CRUISE. To survive a comi ng flood, Noah builds a barge big enough to hold his family, a zoo-
load of animals, and enoug h suppl ies to sustain them all for the 12 month s the y' ll stay aboard. The barge is
longer th an a football fie ld and half as wide- and about half the size of crui se ships t oday. Length: 150 ya rds
(137 meters). Width: 25 ya rd s (23 meters). Height: 15 yards (14 meters).
SUPER-HUMAN L1FESPANS DID PEOPLE LIVE HUNDREDS OF YEARS?
Before the flood they did . So says a literal read of
the Bible- as we ll as a 4,OOO - year-old clay prism
. .
from Sumeria (right), the wor ld's first known clvi-
TlmelIne dates are In Noah years: 2. 7.600 IS month two and day 17 of Noah's 600th year of /lie.
WAS ALL THE EARTH FLOODED? Many ChrIStians say yes, and that today's lay of the land was shaped by
this flood. Others side with most scientists who insist there's no evidence of such a flood. But there is eVidence that
floods wiped out cities in the ;rigrls and Euphrates river valleys, where cIvilization began with the Sumerian Empire.
As far as the ancients were concerned, many scholars say, this area In the Fertile Crescent was their entire world.
Genesis 17
GENESIS 11
They're proposing a monument to themselves.
Not a lofty idea, God apparently concludes.
Tower of Babel What God does about this, some scholars say,
spins a play on words in the original language.
ONe E UPON A TI ME humans spoke just one The people plan to mix up mud for bricks.
language, according to the Bible. Instead, God mixes them up like the dust of the
Not hard to believe if we figure Genesis got it earth they are.
right-that the human race started with one cou- God confuses them by making them talk in
ple, and then rebooted after the flood with only different languages. It's the United Nations work-
Noah's family. ing on a construction crew without translators.
Ftom the Ararat mountains, many of Noah's Project "Stairway to Heaven" falls on its face. In
descendants-if not all-migrate "to the east" time, the people scatter abroad, apparently by
and settle in "a plain in the land of Babylonia" language groups.
(Genesis 11 :2). That's how the Bible says the would-be
There, they get cocky. tower town "came to be called Babel, because
They say, "Come, let's build a great city for there GOD turned their language into 'babble' "
ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. (Genesis 11:9 MSG).
This will make us famous and keep us from being When Jews in Bible times spoke of Babylon,
scattered allover the world" (Genesis 11 :4). they used babel-as in, "Babble on."
GENESIS 11-12
Quite a promise to a 75-year-old man with no
kids-and little hope of producing any. Not with
Abraham leaves home at 75 his 66-year-old infertile wife.
Abraham packs it al l up and moves anyhow.
IT ISN'T GO~'S IDEA for Abraham to leave his He takes his Rocks, servants, and the family of his
hometown of Ur and move to what is now Israel. orphaned nephew, Lot.
Not as the Bible tells it. Perhaps a couple of months later they reach
Abraham's father, Terah, comes up with the Shechem, a highland village in the heart of what
idea. But he settles his family in Haran instead, a is now Israel.
city two-thirds of the way to Canaan. There, God adds zip to his earlier promise: "I
It's only after Terah dies that God tells Abra- will give this land to your descendants" (Genesis
ham to pick up where Terah left off 12:7).
As if Abraham had any.
"Leave your native country, your relatives, Yet in response, Abraham builds a stone altar
and your fothers fomily, and go to the land and worships God.
that I will show you. I will make you into
a great nation. "
GENE S I S 12:1-2
GENESIS 15-18
at the time of the vision, figures she can't have a
child. So she offers Abraham her servant Hagar
Contract signed in blood as a surrogate mother to produce a child for the
family. A son is born, Ishmael.
ABRAHAM IS CIRCUMCISED when he is But this isn't the son God has in mind. So God
99 years old. This procedure is a stipulation in a appears to Abraham again. By this time, Abraham
contract he makes with God-a covenant, many is 99 years old. Young Ishmael is about age 13.
call it. God says that by this time next year, Sarah will
This contract formalizes the promise God first have a son. It's to the descendants of this son that
made to Abraham almost 25 years earlier, and God "will give the entire land of Canaan .... It
repeated about a decade later in a vision: will be their possession forever, and I will be their
God" (Genesis 17:8).
"Look up into the sky and count the stars if God formalizes this promise, turning it into
you can. That's how many descendants you a contract. Abraham's responsibility is to obey
will have! . .. J am the LORD who brought God and to circumcise the foreskin of his penis.
you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you His descendants are to do the same, circumcising
this land as your possession. " every boy on the eighth day after his birth.
GENESIS 15:5, 7 A year later, Sarah gives birth to a son, Isaac.
His name means "laughter." Sarah had laughed
Abraham and his wife, Sarah, apparently mis- at the idea she'd get pregnant at age 89. And now
understand this promise. Sarah, at about age 75 she's laughing for joy.
GENESIS 19
The angels blind the men and tell Lot to round
up his relatives. He rushes out to tell the fiances
Torching Sodom and Gomorrah of his two daughters that God is about to destroy
the city, but they think he's joking. Or perhaps
ABRAHAM'S FLOCKS grow so huge that enjoying some late-night wine.
Abraham has to part company with his nephew By dawn, only Lot, his wife, and their daugh-
Lot. The land can't support both flocks. ters hit the ground running.
Lot moves to the city of Sodom, where he can "Don't look back or stop anywhere in the val-
graze his flocks in the fertile Jordan River Valley. ley," the angels warn, "or you will be swept away!"
But Sodom and its twin city of Gomorrah, along (Genesis 19: 17).
with satellite villages in the valley, earn themselves Lot's wife pauses to look back, as Sodom bursts
a bad reputation. Think pre-Flood bad. God into flames. She turns into a pillar of salt.
seems to. And he decides to purge the valley, this The devastation is so widespread that Lot's
time with fire instead of water. daughters conclude that they and their father
God sends two angels disguised as humans to are the last three people on the planet. The
warn Lot to get his family out of town. Pronto. As daughters get Lot drunk enough to impregnate
if Sodom needed to confirm its bad rep, a gang of them, to reseed the planet. Their sons, Moab and
men surrounds the house and order Lot to send Ben-ammi, become the founding fathers of the
out the guests, "so we can have sex with them!" Moabites and the Ammonites-Arab tribes in
(Genesis 19:5). what is now Jordan.
GENESIS 22
They take firewood , fire, and a knife. When
Isaac asks why they don't have a sheep to sacrifice,
Abraham almost sacrifices Abraham says God will provide one. Some schol-
his son ars say that's a clue that Abraham doesn't expect
God to make him go through with this.
"TAKE YOUR SON ... AND SACRIFICE HIM," Abraham piles up some srones, making an
(Genesis 22:2). altar. On top, he arranges the wood. Then he ties
That's God talking. He's telling Abraham to up his son , lays him on the altar, and picks up
kill Isaac-Abraham's only son with Sarah. The the knife.
son through whom God promised to build Abra- "Don't hurt the boy," an angel calls out. "Now
ham a nation of descendants. I know that you truly obey God, because yo u
The news shocks Sarah to death, a Jewish leg- were willing to offer him your only son" (Genesis
end says. She dies at age 127 (see Genesis 23: 1). If 22: 12 CEV).
th e legend is true, that puts Isaac at about age 37. The angel promises to bless Abraham with a
The Bible doesn't report his age. large family of descendants who will:
Abraham and Isaac leave their home in Beer- /I defeat th eir enemies
sheba, in southern Israel. They travel three days II take over the cities of their enemies-presum-
north. At about 20 miles (32 km) a day-an aver- ably a reference to the conquest of Canaan
age day's walk-that would put them in range of during Joshua's days
Jerusalem, about 50 miles (80 km) north. Jewish /I and beco me a delight to all the nations on
tradition says that's where they went. earth.
GENESIS 25. 27
ESAU AND JACOB are twins born mom ents apart, sons
ofIsaac and Rebekah. Esau arrives first. Jacob next, clutching
Esau's heel.
That's not all he'd grab of Esau's.
As the first to exit the uterus, Esau earned a big perk. By
custom, he'd get a double share of Isaac's inheritance-two-
OVERPRICED SOUP.
thirds fo r him , one-third for Jacob.
Famished from a hunt, Esau agrees
As a bonus for being a daddy's boy, Esau was fai rly cer-
t o tr ade his inh erit ance rights as the
tain to get a favorable bl essing from his father. It was a oldest son for a bowl of his you nger
custom for fathers to pass on words of hope and blessing to broth er's sou p. The oldest son gets a
their children. double share of inherita nce.
Genesis I 23
GENESIS 28-30
Not a pleasant surpnse. The Bible's vague
description of Leah implies she's not easy on the
Jacob's payback eyes.
Jacob confronts Laban about the switcheroo.
RUNNING FOR HIS LIFE from the broth er he Laban simply says it's the custom to marry off the
cheated, Jacob fl ees about 700 miles (1,100 km) oldest daughter first. But he says Jacob can have
north, from Beersheba to Haran. Rachel in seven days if he agrees to work seven
That's where his mother, Rebekah, grew up, in more years.
what is now Tutkey. It's also where her brother, Done deal.
Laban, lives with his family-including two The women enter into what looks like a compe-
daughters: Leah, the oldest, and Rachel. tition for who can give Jacob the most sons. Each
Jacob falls in love with Rachel, who has "a woman even gives him her maid as an add-on sur-
beautiful figure and a lovely face" (Genesis 29: 17). rogate mother. Together, the four women give Jacob
Trouble is, he needs to pay Laban a bride fee- 12 sons-forefathers of the 12 tribes ofIsrael.
and he left home with nothing much more than
his survival instinct. So he works for Laban for
seven years, as payment.
After a nighttime marriage-apparently to
a heavily ve iled bride-Jacob wakes up in the
morning next to Leah.
As the special so n, Joseph gets a special robe-a gift from People in many ancient cultures taught
that the gods comm unicate to people
his father that sets him apart as Daddy's Boy. While Joseph
through dreams . Jews taught that, too,
wears what amounts to a top-of-the-line designer outfit, his
of God. Prophets generally re ce ived
broth ers get standard-issue shepherd wear. their messages from God in drea ms as
Prompting added hate value, Joseph grows into a tattle- well as daytime visio ns or trances.
tale--a 17 -year-old little brother who does what little brothers
do: tel l Daddy every bad thing they see their big brothers do.
BEAUTIFUL ROBE.
But it's a pair of dreams that prod his brothers to retaliate.
Bible experts aren 't sure what distin'
In dream one, Joseph and his brothers are bundling grain
guished Jo seph's "beaut iful robe," as
stalks in the field. "Sudden ly my bundle stood up, and some Bible translation s describe it.
your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before Some speculate the original Hebrew
mine!" (Genesis 37:7) . words refer to a robe with long
In dream two, "The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed sleeves or perhaps with man y co lors.
One other person wears a robe like
low before me! " (Genesis 37:9).
this : King David's daughter, Prin cess
Even his father gets ticked. "What kind of dream is that?"
Tamar (see 2 Sa muel 13:1B).
Jacob scolds. "Will your mother [apparently represented by
the moon] and I [sun] and your brothers actually come and
bow to the ground before you?" (Genesis 37:10).
Joseph's brothers get their chance to shut him up a short
time later. They have taken their flocks about a three-day
walk north ftom their home in Hebron to graze the pastures
of Dothan. At first, they plan to kill him. Unti l slave traders
happen by, headed for Egypt.
They sell li ttle brother down the desert. They keep his tai-
lored robe, dip it in goat's blood, rip it up li ke a wild animal
had chewed on it, and then send it to their dad . Heart-
broken, old Jacob assumes so me beast ate his boy.
Genesis I 27
GENESIS 42-50
Benjamin, is with their fath er. Joseph slaps
th em in priso n for three days, long enough to
Joseph's family reunion overhear them expressing regret for selling him
into slavery.
THE PREDICTED DROUGHT COMES. And He releases them but holds one hostage until
so do Joseph's brothers, hoping to buy grain some- the others rerum with Benjamin. Old Jacob at
where in the drought-resistant Nile River Valley. first refuses ro let his son go. But as the drought
Since Joseph's in charge of all the stockpiled lingers, he needs more grain from Egypt. So he
grain, his brothers have to come and bow before sends his boys back with Benjamin.
him-in what looks like fulfillm ent of Joseph's I n a second test, Joseph threatens to enslave
dream perhaps 20 years earlier about their stalks Benjamin, ro see if the brothers hate Rachel's
of grain bowing to his. other son. Judah, the oldest son, offers to take
The men don't recognize their little broth er. But Benjamin's place as a slave.
he recognizes th em. They're all there, all 10 who Joseph bursts into tears. "I am Joseph," he cries.
sold him into slavery. The only brother missing "Is my father still alive?" (Genesis 45:3). Jacob is. So
is Benjamin-Jacob's youngest son, and Joseph's Joseph invites his father's entire extended family-
only full brother; both are sons of Rachel. 66 souls-to move to Egypt where they can
Joseph tests the men, accusing them of being weather out the drought.
sp ies. They in sist they're brothers buying food
for th eir fam ily, and that their other brother,
DROUGHT-RESISTANT NILE RIVER . When droughts struck the Middle East, foreigners flocked to the Nile
River to graze their livestock and to plant crops. Most fields and farmland in the Middle East of Bible times relied
on rainfall . But in Egypt, the land relied on the ever-flowing Nile River, which nourished a narrow strip of land as
it sliced through the desert.
Genesis 29
EXODUS 14 : 29
Caught between the Egyptian army and a body of water,
fugitive Jews watch in awe as God creates a path through
the water, and then drowns Egyptians who try to follow.
» 1520 Be
BI BlE r
r
Moses born
HISTORY "....
»
~'"
» . . .... . .. . ... ... . .. . .... .. . . .. .. . .... .
""
'"
~ Code of Hammurabi, Irrigation machine for
WORLD -
;:: first known set of laws lifting water from Nile
»
HISTORY .... 1700 Be 1500 Be
'"
E X 0 D u 5
JEWS ON THE MOVE
- 1440 Be
Exodus to Canaan
1400 Be
Moses dies; Jews
1290 Be
Alternate date
10 Commandments invade Canaan of the Exodus
Exodus I 33
EXODUS 2-4
on fire-yet it's nO( burning up.
As he approaches, a voice calls our from inside
A burning bush that talks the bush: "I am the God of your father-the God
of Abraham" (Exodus 3:6).
DRAWN TO HIS PEOPLE, 40-year-old Moses God says he has heard the cries of his enslaved
rides our ro the slave fields. When he sees an people, and he has chosen Moses ro free them and
Egyptian slave driver beating one of the Jews, lead them back to their homeland.
Moses murders the Egyptian. Moses politely declines, offering four excuses.
Word gets back ro the king, who probably /! He's a nobody. God promises to go with him,
knows Moses was born a Jew. The king orders and God's a somebody.
Moses caught and execured. /! The Jews will ask for the name of the god
Moses runs for his life. He heads east through who sent him. God says to tell them, "[ AM
the Sinai Peninsula and into the land of Mid- has sent me" (Exodus 3:14).
ian. There, he meets a Midian priest with seven /! The Jews won't believe him. God promises ro
daughters. Good odds for a single guy. He marries convince them with miracles.
one of the ladies: Zipporah, who gives birth ro /! He gets tongue-tied. God says he made the
their son, Gershom. mouth. And for added support, God sends
At age 80, Moses is still working as a shepherd Moses' older brother, Aaron, to help as his
for the family. He takes the flock several days from spokesman.
home, looking for grazing pasture. He ends up at Excuses exhausted, Moses returns to Egypt.
the foot of Mount Sinai. There, he notices a bush
EXODUS 5
Pharaoh-who portrays himself as the son of
Re, powerful sun god in this desert country-says
"Let my people go" he's never heard of this Lord of the Jews. If this
Lord is so great, Pharaoh must think, why has he
TEMPORARILY. That's the implication of the abandoned the Jews to slavery? It must be because
request Moses and Aaron make ro Pharaoh. Egypt's gods are stronger.
While Moses and Aaron talk with Pharaoh,
"The LORD God says, Let my people go into it seems the Jews have stopped working and are
the desert, so they can honor me with a cel- waiting to hear good news from Moses. Pharaoh
ebration there. " complains about their "lazin ess," and says all they
E XODUS 5:1 CEV really want is a vacation.
He figutes if they have enough spare time to
What Moses and his brother fail ro mentIon stand around doing nothing, they can cut their
is that after the festival, Pharaoh doesn't need ro own straw for the mud bricks-without reducing
wait up. The Jews won't be coming back. their daily quota of bricks.
Leaving that out makes it seem like Moses and The Jews aren't happy. They tell Moses and
Aaron are afraid to tell Pharaoh the whole story- Aaron , essentially, "With friends like you, who
that God is taking his people home to Canaan. needs a slave driver?"
As it turns out, they have good reason to
think that. Pharaoh won't let the Jews leave even
temporarily.
EXODUS 7-11
to the L ORD" (Exodus 8:8) . Moses does. God
does. Pharaoh doesn't.
10 plagues for one king And Pharaoh doesn't six times: plagues of frogs ,
Aies, hail, locusts, darkness, and death of firstborn.
STUBBORN doesn't seem li ke a word strong Yet it's not a wrestling match. It's a series of
enough ro describe Pharaoh-not given what he plagues. And not just any plagues. T he selection,
puts his country through, for the sake of his pride. some scholars say, looks like a direct challenge
In fairness to him, God takes some of the to some of Egypt's most revered gods-including
blame: "I will make the king so stubborn that he Pharaoh.
won't listen to you" (Exodus 7:3 CEV). God says
he wants everyone to know he's no would-be god Battle of the gods?
or a wimp of a god compared to Egypt's gallery of
gods. H e's the real God-the one and only. BIBLE EX PERTS wonder why God chose th ese
But it's unclear how much "stubborn" God has particular plagues ro arm-twist Pharaoh into free-
to add to a king who already says he's a god him- ing the Jews.
self, son of Egypt's chief god Re, no less. Some say the plagues prove God's power over
What follows sounds a little like a wrestling the Egyptian gallery of gods.
match. Moses gets Pharaoh in a headlock. Pha- Others speculate the plagues may have fol-
raoh says, "Uncle. " Moses lets him go. And Pha- lowed a three-season cycle of natural disasters,
rao h says, "Fake out. " starting with the autumn Aood of the Ni le and
An example: After frogs swarm th e land in ending with th e springtime harvest of contami-
plague two, Pharaoh says, "Plead with the LORD nated crops. For a visual overview of that theory,
to take the frogs away from me and my people. I see the chart at right.
will let YOut people go, so they can offer sacrifices
PLAGUE 1: PLAGUE 6:
Nile River tu rn s blood red Boils
GOD OVERPOWERED: GODS OVERPOWERED:
Hapi, god of annual Nile flood
NATURAL DISASTER:
Tox ic bac t eria fro m decayi ng algae
J Isis and other hea lt h gods suc h as Ptah
NATURAL DISASTER:
Sta ble flies ca r ry diseases
was hed int o th e river fr om ups trea m that produce blist er s
swamplands during au t um n flood season
PLAGUE 2 : PLAGUE 7:
Frogs Hail
GOD OVERPOWERED: GOD OVERPOWERED:
Heqet (Heket), goddess of chi ldbi rth , Shu , god of dr y air
pict ured wit h frog head NATURAL DISASTER:
NATURAL DISASTER: Har vest begi ns in Februa ry,
Frogs flee th e po isoned wa t er and hail ca n wipe out a crop
PLAGUE 3 : PLAGUE 8:
Fl ying gnat s Locus t s
GOD OVERPOWERED: GOD OVERPOWERED:
Thot h, god of magic, ca n't Min, god of fe r tile crops
he lp Egypt's mag icians NATURAL DISASTER :
NATURAL DISASTER: Even wit h pestic ides today,
Mosqu itoes, mi dges , and other insects loc ust s are sti ll a problem
breed in pools of receding floodwater
PLAGUE 4: PLAGUE 9:
Fli es Three-day darkness
GOD OVERPOWERED : GOD OVERPOWERED:
Pta h (Pet h, Peteh), creator god, Re, su n god
can't cont rol the flies NATURAL DISASTER :
I NATURAL DISASTER: A lin gering, spr ing time sandstorm
!
1
Stab le flies lay eggs in
decayi ng f rogs, wet straw
ca lled Khamsin (A rabic: "SO days"),
blowing in from Sahara Dese rt
Suddenly, the pillar of light that has been leadi ng the Jews woman and two kids for each man, that's
about 2.5 million. If they walked in rows
moves ro the rear, berween the Jews and the Egyptians. As
100 yards (91 meters) wid e, the line
night falls, Moses acts on God's command:
crossing th e sea cou ld have stretched
around 20 miles (32 kilometers). Many
"Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Bible students say God cou ld have man-
Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the aged a group thi s size in the Si nai bad-
middle ofthe sea on dry ground. " lands. others pitch theories li ke these,
In the Exodus adventure srory that follows, Jews will face etc. A later ce nsus puts the exact num-
ber at 603,550 (see Exodus 38:26). Add
other enemies. Bur not the Egyptians. That threat is dead
Moses and you have 603,551. That's th e
and gone.
total when you add the numbers linked
to the commo n Hebrew phrase "so ns of
Israel," im plying that all the Jews were
there-however many there were.
Sweet water
God shows him a hunk of wood and tells him to toss it But there's bitter disappointment if the
wa t er t astes like the rusted fender of a
in to th e water. Sure enough, the wood seems to neutralize
Buick. That's what greets Exodus trek-
the bitterness.
kers when th ey reach the oasis of Marah.
MARAH.
The location of this oasis, like many
sit es mentioned in this story, remains
a myste r y.
BITTER WATER.
Mineral-laced soil in the Sinai Peninsula-
ric h in sa lt and alka line-leaves some
of the water tasting metallic and bitter.
WOOD IN THE WATER I Botanists That's a giant step down from wha t
say th ere 's no known wood that cou ld have the Jews were used to: sweet water of
neut ralized the sa lty taste of the water. the Ni le. Some Si nai water holes are so
Yet some Bible commentators specu late bitter t hat even today nomadic herders
t hat t he barberry bush mi ght have done avoid them.
the j ob. Egyptians used berries of
the barberry bush t o treat cuts,
diarr hea, and even to ward of f
the plague dur ing the Middle
Ages. Ot her scholars wond er
if t he wood was mo re of a
reminder of the par tin g of
the sea since Moses used
Barberry a sta f f t o cue the wind.
(Berberis vulgaris)
exodus I 41
EXODUS 19-20
they ask Moses a big favo r: "Don't let God speak
directly to us, or we will die!" (Exodus 20: 19).
Fire on the mountain Here on out they say they'd prefer God to talk
to them through Moses. "You speak to us," they
TWO MONTHS INTO FREEDOM, the Jews tell Moses, "and we will listen" (Exodus 20:19).
arrive at the foot of Mount Sinai. This is where it
had all started-where God first contacted Moses
perhaps a year earlier, speaking from a fiery bush.
Now God decides to reveal himself to all the
Jews. As he explain s it to Moses, "Then they
will always trust you" (Exodus 19:9).
God makes quite an entrance. A thick cloud
drapes the mountain peak as a trumpet blast terrifies
the crowd. God arrives on the mountain in the form
of a fire that churns the sky into smoke. Even the
earth trembles as though quaking in fear.
"[ am GOD," he says, "your God, who brought
you out of the land of Egypt" (Exodus 20:2
MSG) .
10 COMMANDMENTS
IN A BOX, TO GO .
HOLY TERROR I God appears to the Jews in a fire on Mount
Jews carried the stone slabs etched
Sinai. Earthquakes rumble as God himself recites the 10 Com-
with the 10 Commandments-their most
mandments . This terrifies the Jews so much that they ask Moses
sacred object-in a chest called the Ark
to serve as their intermediary-so they don't have to go through
of the Covenant. Covenant means "con-
anything like this again.
tract." The chest measured roughly 4
feet long by 2 feet wide and high (more
accurately, 115 x 69 centimeters). Resting
LONG ROUTE, SAFE ROUTE I Moses decides against the
on top was a lid crowned with a pair of
quick route to Canaan, along a coastal road guarded by Egyptian
golden angelic beings.
forts. Instea d, he takes a road less traveled. Which road remains
unclear. But it leads him into the Sinai badlands, to the "mountain
of the LORD," and eventually to the Kadesh oasis, where the Jews
spend most of their 40 years in the badlands wilderness.
EXODUS 25-26, 36-38
bringing rheir requesrs. They'll also bring rheir
sacrifices ro express grarirude for God's blessings
A tent for God or regrer for sins rhey commirred.
Jews pirch God's rent in rhe center of rhe
GOD WANTS TO LIVE IN A TENT and travel camp. As a Jewish man approaches ir, leading a
wirh rhe Jews on rhe Exodus. So he rells Moses, sacrificial lamb, rhe firsr rhing he sees is a wall
"Have rhem make a sacred rent for me. I will live of linen currains surrounding rhe rent and rhe
among rhem" (Exodus 25:8 Nlrv). courryard in front of rhe rent-an area 50 yards
This rent will become known as rhe Taber- (46 merers) long and half as wide.
nacle, Israel's firsr worship center. It's a mobile Inside rhe fabric-walled courryard, he sees a
version of rhe Jerusalem Temple rhar King Solo- bronze alrar. Ir sirs in front of rhe rent. Ir looks
mon will build in a few cenruries. a bir like a barbecue pir, hollow in rhe center for
Ir's nor rhar God needs a place ro lay his wood rhar will burn rhe sacrifi cial meat.
weary head. Insread, rhis faciliry is a way of mak- The rent sirs ar rhe back end of rhe courtyard.
ing himself avai lable ro rhe people. And it's a The inrerior is shaped like a railroad boxcar, 15
reminder rhar rhey're nor alone. It's ar rhis holy yards long and 5 yards wide and high (14 by 4.5
place rhar rhe Jews will come ro worship God, merers). The snap-rogerher frame is acacia wood,
covered with plates of gold and silver. Covering this frame WHERE DID THE GOLD
are four layers of cloth and leather. The inside layer, which COME FROM?
Gold, silver, fine linen, and other supplies
forms the interior roof and walls, is crafted of fine linen ,
used to build the worship center came
decorated with angelic beings: cherubim. Bur only priests
from an offering the Jews gave for the
see these, for only priests are allowed inside. And only the project. They got th e supplies the night
high priest is allowed into the back room-the holiest room they left Egypt. Egyptians gave them
in this sacred tent of God. It contains the Ark of the Cov- "clothing and articles of silver and gold"
enant, the chest that holds the 10 Commandments. (Exodus 12:35).
'"
" .. ........... .. ...... l>
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0 Chinese priests lead worship Sun god Aton becomes
WORLD of ancestors, nature gods Egypt's only official god
HISTORY
"
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1400 Be 1350 Be
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~
LEV I T I c u 5
JEWISH RULE BOOK
960 Be
First Jewish Temple replaces
tent worship center
THIS J EWISH GUIDEBOO K for how to wo rship God kaustos (burn t). That's also why the
execution of th e Jews during Wo rld
and live in peace wirh orhers srarrs wirh bad news for
Wa r II is called the Hol oca ust. Bodie s
livestock.
of mil lions were incinerated.
Leviticus reports hundreds of laws and rituals God
expects th e Jews to observe. But it srarts with the most
imporrant ritual of all: animal sacrifice. WORLD'S FIRST SACRIFICE .
Wirh derail fit for a butcher, Leviticus ex plains how to In the beginning, si n was a capi tal
offe nse. God wa rn ed Ada m and Eve if
slice and dice sheep, goars, bulls, and birds and burn th e car-
they ate t he forbi dden fruit, " You will
eass parrs on an altar.
die" (Genesis 3:3). In ti me, th ey d id -
The first sacrifice Leviricus describes is called th e burnr whic h is how so me speculate death
offering. In a se nse, ir's a sincere apology to God for si n. The entered God's perfect creat ion. But
entire anim al gers burned. With other offerin gs, the wor- before th ey died because of their si n, a
shipper gets to keep and eat parr of the animal. critter died beca use of their sin. After
sinning, the y grew embarrassed about
God explains why animals have to die for humanity's sins.
the ir nakedne ss. To hide that effect of
In th e eyes of a holy God, sin is a capital offense. But God
their sin, "God made clothing from ani-
says he will accepr rhe death of animals as a substitute for
mal skins for Adam and his wife" (Gen-
hum ans. esis 3:21). It was th e first tim e an animal
died for the sins of peop le.
"The life of each creature is in its blood. So [ have
given you the blood ofanimals to pay for your sin on
the altar. "
L E V ITICUS 17:11 N l rV
AARON'S MIRACLE ALMONDS I An almond tree blossoms. That's what happen ed to Aaron's staff one
night. To stop questions about the right of Aaron to lead the people as high priest. Moses collected wooden staffs
from each of the 12 tribal leaders. He put them in the tent wo rship center, by the chest called the Ark of the Cov-
enant, which held th e 10 Commandments. Th e next day, Aaron's staff "had sprouted, budded, blossomed, and pro-
duced ripe almonds!" (Numbers 17:8).
JUS T 5 A Y NO to buttered lobster. Observan t Jews do. meats-especially the larvae of a worm
called Tri chin el la. other experts say God
But they've got God's go-ahead for crunching down on
is focused mainly on teaching the Jews
deep-fried grasshoppers and salted crickets.
to obey him, and on creating customs
In what could sound like a divine joke or a streak of anti- that set Jews apart from other people-
Semitism, God sets up a Jewish menu that takes some fine so the world knows these are his people.
delicacies off the table and serves up insects instead.
God doesn't explain why some meat makes the menu
while other meat doesn't. But he does explain why Jews can't
eat a red, juicy steak-or any other meat with blood in it:
"B lood is life. That is why blood pays for your sin. So I say
to the people of Israel, 'You must not eat meat that sti ll has
blood in it'" (Leviticus 17:11 -12 NJrv).
(continued next page)
FRESH MEAT I An osprey-also known as a sea hawk-swoops up a kosher meal. Fi sh wit h scales and fins are
among the anima ls Jews are al lowed to eat. The osprey isn't. It's on the list of forbidden birds, along with other kinds
of hawks and birds of prey.
Leviticus I 51
KOSHER - ALLOWED KOSHER - fORBIDDEN
ALL BIRDS NOT ON THE "FORBIDDEN" LIST: SCAVENGERS AND BIRDS OF PREY:
Chicken, turkey, duck, quail, dove ....
GRASSHOPPER LADYBUG
'Cud: Food in stomach that returns to mouth for a second chewlng_ On purpose.
IT'S THE HOLIEST DAY OF THE YEAR for Jews. ani mal: "goat of removal ," aka "scape-
goat." Still other s say it 's the name of a
They call this autumn day Yom Kippur (yahm KIP erl. T hat's
demon or the devil-which could be a
Hebrew for "Day of Atonement."
bit like the Jews telling th eir sins, sym-
The Bible says God set up this annual holy day during bolized by th e goat. to go t o hell.
the Exodus. H e intended it as a way of calling his peo ple to
repentance for their sins during th e past year. H e wanted to
purifY them-to wipe the slate clean.
The Day of Atonement takes place on the tenth day of the
Jewish lu nar month called Tishri , putting it in September or
October. Jews are to treat this like the Sabbath-no work
allowed.
It's on this day that Aaron, the high priest, enters the most
holy toom in the tent worship center. The room where the
Jews store their most sacred object: the Ark of the Covenant,
the chest holding the 10 Commandm ents. Aato n and high
priests after him sacri fice a bull to cover any inadvertent sins he
and his fami ly may have committed during the past year. And
he spri nkles some of its blood on rhe sacred chest. H e does the
same with the blood of a goat, sacrificed for the people.
A seco nd goat, famous as the scapegoat, symbolically
carries away the sins of the people. Aaron lays "both of his • FORESHADOWING .JESUS.
hands on the goat's head .... In this way, he will transfer the One New Testament writer says the Day
people's sins to the head of the goat" (Leviticus 16:2 1l. of Atonement ritu als point to Jesus as
both the high pri est and sacrifi ce. " He
entered the Mo st Holy Ro om by spilling
hi s own blood. He did it once and for all
time. He paid th e price t o se t us free
fr om sin forever" (Hebrews 9:12 NlrV).
<01 SCAPEGOAT.
Jews chase off a goat, running it into
the ba rr en Sinai badlands on the Day of
Atonement (Yom Kippur). The goat sym-
bol izes the si ns they've committed dur-
ing th e past yea r. And they wa nt nothing
more t o do with th eir sins or the goat.
Leviticus I 53
LEVITICUS 23. 25
There's a cycle to the holidays.
Most come once a year, like Passover and the
Happy holy holidays Jewish New Year's Day. All but the solemn Day of
Atonement (Yom Kippur) are happy times of cel-
GOD LIKES TO PARTY, it seems-in a good way. ebration with food, music, and dancing.
The clue is that he sets up a calendar ragged with The Sabbath comes weekly, ftom sunset on Fri-
religious holidays. Most are intended to give the day through sunset on Saturday. Jews rest and wor-
Jews an opportunity to express their happiness. AI; ship. No work. Not even cooking.
in happiness for food at harvest time. Or for God's
long history of taking care of the Jewish people.
LEVITICUS 26
/I bumper CtopS in nonstop harvests ftom early
spring to late fall
Contract with carrots, sticks II lots of kids to help with the harvest
DISOBEY AND SUFFER:
A DEAL THEY CAN'T REFUSE. That's what /I disease
God offers the Jewish refugees. They're barely a II rainless skies and parched earth
nation. Just getting organized. They don't even /I raiders stealing CtopS and livestock
have a king, except God. /I defeat by enemies
Yet God promises them h eaven on earth-as God further warns that if these tough conse-
long as they comply with the laws he has given quences don't turn them back to compliance, life
them. will get even tougher.
If they don't, the consequences become hell on "I will scatter you among the nations and bring
earth. out my sword against you. Your land will become
Sounds like a no-brainer. desolate, and your cities will lie in ruins .... You
OBEY GOD AND ENJOY: will die among the foreign nations and be devoured
/I peace-no need to lock doors in the land of your enemies" (Leviticus 26:33, 38).
/I an enemy-free zone-J 00 Jews will chase
away 10,000 enemies
NUMBERS 13 : 25-35
Camped on the border of Canaan, Moses sends scouts
to find out what's ahead. Scouts bring back evidence
of a fertile land. They also tell tall tales of giants and
walled cities, which terrify the Jews.
» 1440 Be 1400 Be
BI BlE r
r
Jews leave Jews invade Canaan
HISTORY "....
»
Egyptian slavery
~'"
.......... .... .. .. .... »
""
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0 Egyptian children learn to write by Pharaoh Akhenaton sets up one-
WORLD -
;:: copying ancient Egyptian works god worship: sun god Aton
»
HISTORY .... 1400 Be 1350 Be
'"
NUMBERS
SENTENCE: 40 YEARS IN THE BADLANDS
1290 BC
Alternate date
of Exodus start
They don't fight. And they won't get any plug of territory.
Instead , they'll live in 48 cities scattered throughout the 1/1/1/1/IJi
Reuben 46,500
land-so all the Jews are relatively close to a worship leader.
The census tally comes in at 603,550. This represents "all
the men ofIsrael who were twenty years old or older and able
1/1/1/1/I1l
Gad 45,650
1/1/f1/_
Ephraim, son of Joseph 40,500
1/1/1/IJi
Benjamin 35,400
1/1/1/~
Manasseh, son of Joseph 32,200
603,550 SOLDIERS.
Though some scholars take this number
literally, many don·t. For theories about
TALLY-HO I Before pressing on to Canaan, Moses takes count how to interpret this number, see note on
of how many men he has of fighting age. Final count: 603,550. page40.
FOOD POISONING.
Bacteria spoils unrefrigerated meat.
Eaten, spoiled mea t ca n produce symp-
toms in two to six hours: cramps, dia r-
rhea, fever, nausea, and vomi t ing. Some
QUARTER - POUNDER TO GO I The stu bby quail wit h a
food poisoning, such as botu li sm, left
repeating name Colurnix colurnix weigh s in at a qua r ter pou nd
untreated, can kill. Thi s may have been
(113 grams) and st retc hes half the lengt h of a foot- lon g doggy
the plague t he Jews su ff ered after eat-
(15 cm). Migrating ancestors of this bird, many say, f ed the meat-
ing the quai l, say some Bible experts.
hungry Exodus crowd.
Numbers I 61
NUMBERS 13-15
Intel report:
mission impossible
FIN ALLY, about a year and a half after escapin g Egypt, the
Jewish refugees arrive at Canaan's border. They camp in the
W ilderness of Paran at Kadesh oasis. The likely oasis, many
say, is on Egypt's si de of the border with today's Israel.
Moses sends a dozen scouts ahead into Canaan, one scout
ftom each tribe. T heir mission: gather intelligence.
CAN A A N IT ES. Are there a lot of them ? Are they weak
or stro ng?
CITIES . Protected by walls or open li ke camps?
LA N D. Good for farms and pasture or good for nothing? Camped at Kadesh oasis, Moses sends
spies ahead to scout Canaan.
CROPS . Bring back samples.
Scouts spend 40 days venturing at least as far north as
Hebron, a distance of about 75 miles (120 kilometers). They GIANTS.
return with good news and bad news. These were the desce ndants of Anak,
The land is wonderful. Plenty of crops. But th e people are a wa rri or hero famous for his height.
strong. They live in cities surrounded by thick walls. G iants Thin k NBA player. Maybe shorter. Burial
them ro stay put until a newer, braver ge neratio n grows up. The ent ire generation of adu lt s who
refused to invade died in th e dese rt.
Only Moses, Joshua, and Caleb lived t o
see the Promised Land .
~ HEALTH FOOD.
Jewish scouts bring Moses a sample
of the la te-summer harves t in Canaan.
Tha t' s t he good news-the harvest is
huge. Unfortunately, so are some of
the farmers. "Next to them," the scout s
rep ort, "we felt like grasshoppe r s"
(Numbers 13:33).
NUMBERS 16
"Holy" is a clue that Korah thinks he's good
enough to serve as a priest, many scholars say.
Revolt of wanna-be priests Moses decides that if Korah and his insurgents
want to be promoted to the priesthood, let them
A GANG of 250 Jewish leaders follow a sin- audition before God. After all, the Bible says it
gle man-Korah-inro a revoIr against Moses was God who chose Aaron's family as priests.
and Aaron. Moses tells the 250 leaders ro bring metal con-
Korah is from the same tribe as Moses and tainers of burning incense to the worship center.
Aaron. He's a Levite. Not priests, Levites were That's a priest's job-presenting fragrant incense
from the extended family responsible for taking offerings to the Lord.
care of the tent worship center. But that's not good God cracks open the ground and swallows up
enough for him. He challenges the right of Moses Korah and two other rop leaders of the revolt. As
and Aaron to lead. for the rest of the rebels who thought it would be
His argument: "This entire community is holy okay to bring fire ro God, he brings fire to them.
and GOD is in their midst. So why do you act like Whether it comes as lightning or something
you're running the whole show?" (Numbers 16:3 otherworldly, it burns them to death.
MSG).
NUMBERS 20 MERIBAH.
Thi s is the name of the place where
Moses produced water from rock, after
There's water in the rock the Jews complained about not hav-
ing water. In Hebrew, Meribah means
"argue." Location is uncertain. Some
GOD OVERREACTS and dooms Moses to death , vowing
say it's the new name Moses gave for
that the Jewish leader will never step foot in the Promised
th e oasis they had been camping at for
Land. So it certainly seems-at least to many readers of one
40 years: Kadesh. others say it was
famous story in the Bible. nearby.
The Jews are nearing the end of their 40-year sentence
in the badlands south of Canaan. They've run out of water,
just like they did at the same location in a story reported in RERUN FROM EXODUS 17,
WITH AN ALTERNATE ENDING?
Exodus 17. They're complaining, too, like they've done a lot
The nearly identical stories of "water in
throughout the trip.
the rock" are different versions of the
In the Exodus story, God tells Moses to strike a rock,
same story, many Bible experts say. Oth-
promising that water will burst out. He does, and it does. ers say it's t wo stories in one location,
In the Numbers story, God tells Moses to simply talk to the separated by decades. In Exodus, Moses
rock, promising that water will burst out. Instead, Moses hit s the rock at Meribah and water
thumps the rock with his wooden staff. Twice. And he tells comes out; no punishment mentioned.
off the people. Perhaps worse, he seems ro take credit for the
miracl e.
THEORY ABOUT WHAT GOT
"Listen, you rebels!" he shouts. "Must we bring you water
GOD ANGRY.
from this rock?" (Numbers 20: 10). Moses didn 't follow God's instru ction s.
Something Moses does or doesn't do tips God over. With- And at this early stage when the Jews
our explaining what it is, God simply says, "Because you are learning the importance of obey-
did not trust me enough to dem onstrate my holiness to the ing God, disobedience from a leader is
a big deal.
people of Israel , you will not lead them into the land I am
giving them! " (Numbers 20: 12).
NUMBERS 21
That requires turning south-in to the harsh-
est parr of the badlands. This is where the Jews
Snake-bit, snake-healed complain about the lack of food and water. And
as for God's miracle food: "We hate this horrible
COMPLAINING ABOUT GOD'S COOKING manna!" (Numbers 21:5).
gets the Jews in big trouble. God sends poisonous They repent when the snakes arrive. God tells
snakes to bite the life out of them. Moses to make a bronze snake, sayin g when
In the backs tory, the Jews have left Kadesh snake-bit people look at it, they'll be healed.
oasis, bound for the Promised Land. For some
unexplained reason, they decide to take the long
route. Again . Just as they had done to get to
Kadesh (see map page 43) .
Now, instead of heading north into Canaan,
they head east, apparently intending to enter
Canaan from what is now Jordan. Perhaps Moses
wants to avoid another fight in Canaan's south-
\
land; they've already fought at least three battles-
\
and lost two (see Numbers 14:45; 21 :1-3).
Moses sends ambassadors to Edom, asking for
perm ission to pass through their land peacefully.
Edom refuses. So Moses decides to detour around
SNAKES ON A PLAIN I Refused passage
the nation.
through Edam, Jews turn sout h where t hey encoun -
ter an infestat ion of poisonous snakes.
Battles before the invasion curse rhe Jews, Moab's king orders his army (0
» 1440 Be 1400 Be
BI BlE r
r
Jews leave egypt Moses dies
HISTORY "....
»
'"
~
...................... »
"0
"0
'"x
0 egypt's Thutmose /II defeats Seaport trade thrives in Phoenician
WORLD -
;:: Hittites in Canaan cities of Tyre and Sidon (Lebanon)
»
HISTORY .... 1468 Be 1400 Be
'"
DEUTERONOMY
THE LAST WORD OF MOSES: OBEY
1250 BC
Alternate date for
invasion of Canaan
Metalworkers perfect
Gold idol of Phoenicia iron tools, weapons
1200 BC
DEUTERONOMY 1-6
God. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and fore hea d and left arm . Moses t old th e
J ews to tie th e laws "to yo ur hands and
with all your soul. Love him with all your strength. "
wear them on yo ur for ehead as remind-
D EUTERONOM Y 6:4-5 N Ir V
ers" (Deuteronomy 6:8). Many J ews,
howeve r, don't t ake t his lit erally.
Worship 101
gallery of gods. But the top god children: Ahaz and his grandson
was EI, father of many gods , Manasseh (see 2 Kings 16:2-3; 21 :6)
Deuteronomy I 71
DEUTERONOMY 17
II have the king write out a copy of God's
laws in front of the priests
Rules for the king keep a copy of those laws and read some
" of them every day
ISRAEL WON'T HAVE A KING for at least
two centuries. Maybe more, depending on which DON'T:
scholars are right abour when the Jews arrive in " let the king build a large stable of horses
Canaan-in the 1400s BC or 1200s BC But for himself
Moses is already warning the Jews about kings buy horses in Egypt-never go back there
who abuse their power. " let the king marry a lot of wives
If the Jews decide they want a king-like other " let the king amass great wealth
nations have-Moses warns that Israel's king bet- "
Moses explains that these rules are intended to
ter not be like those other kings. keep kings from thinking they're better than the
Moses offers a checkli st of do's and don'ts about people they're supposed ro serve. Obeying these
Jewish kings. rules, Moses adds, "will ensure that he and his
DO: descendants will reign for many generations in
" let God choose the king Israel" (Deuteronomy 17:20).
Otherwise, don't count on it.
" crown a Jew, not a foreigner
That land was Canaan-roughly the same area /I LOCATION: The story starts in what is now
today as Israel along with Palestinian territories. the Arab country of Jordan. Jewish invaders fight
Abraham's extended family had just returned their way to what are now Israel and the West Bank
from more than 400 years in Egypt. They went (see map page 86).
there as guests to escape a drought in Canaan. But
they ended up enslaved. Moses led them to free- /I TIM E: The story is set in the 1400s BC, or
dom. Then, at age 120, he died. the 1200s Be. Scholars debate which.
That's where the book of Joshua starts.
It's up to Moses' successor, Joshua, to lead the /I AUTHOR: Unknown. Because Joshua is the
Hebrews across the Jordan River and into Canaan. starring character and there are some scenes only
There, they begin a crusade to take back their he would have known about, ancient Jewish tra-
homeland from pioneers who had settled there. dition says he wrote most of it.
The first ciry of many to fall is Jericho.
1250 Be
Alternate date
of invasion
HOUSE OF PROSTITUTION.
Rahab's house may have been an inn,
and a natural place for travelers to spend
the night. An inn sometimes doubled as a
house of prostitution. Owners provided the
extra amenity for those who requested it.
Even if Rahab's house was strictly for pros-
titution, the spies may have figured they
wou ld draw the least attention there. It's
a place where strangers passing through
might go-and a place locals might avoid.
of us" (Joshua 2:24) . > 135 meandering miles (217 km) long
as a fish swims
Joshua orders the Jews to break camp at Acacia Grove and
> Jordan River Val ley averages 6
head toward the Jordan River, about six miles (nine km) west. miles (10 km) wid e
It's springtim e and the river has topped its banks. But
God dams the Jordan upstream "at a town called Adam"
(Joshua 3: 16).
O nce the Jews cross into Canaan, they camp "at G ilgal,
just east of Jericho" (Joshua 4:19). There, Joshua builds a
memorial to commemorate the crossing: a dozen stones, one
for each tribe.
GOD LAYS OUT THE WELCOME MAT I Whe n priests ca rr y ing the sac red chest that holds th e 10 Com-
mandments reach the Jordan River, God stops the water upstream at Adam-maybe wit h an ea rthqu ake, some say.
Some wonde r if the 150- foot cliffs nea r Adam cru mbl ed into the river and stopped the flow.
JOSHUA 5-8 WHY SOME DOUBT THE
JERICHO STORY
Je ri cho was a 150-year-old ghost town
Jericho's walls tumble by the time Joshua arrived, many
archaeologists agree-perh aps most.
DOUBLE WALLS surround Jericho, a CIty bui lt on a They're siding with one of their kind,
Kathleen Kenyon . She excavated Jeri-
mound rising 70 feet (2 1 meters) above the valley plain. It
cho's ruins from 1952-1958. She dated
looks impregnable.
the city's fall to about 1550 BC, long
Unti l the walls fall down . before Joshua arrived.
God gives Joshua these instructions for capturing the city: One of two earlier archaeolog i-
DAYS 1-6. March one time around Jericho each day, cal teams agreed : Ernst Sellin and
accompanied by seven priests continually blowing ram horns Carl Watzinger (1907-1909; 1911). But
and other priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant. another archaeologist disagreed: John
Ga r stang (1930-1936). He dated the fall
DAY 7. Ditto. But this time march around the city seven
to about 1400 BC, the time some say
times. Then have the seven priests signal a long blast with their
Joshua arrived.
horns-a cue for the Jewish army to join in and empty their Date problem aside, archaeologists did
lungs with primal screams. uncover evidence supporting the Bible
The walls fal l. "The Israelites charged stra ight into the stor y: crumbled walls, charred remains,
town and captured it" (Joshua 6:20). and jars full of springtime grain.
QUAKE AFTERSHOCK?
Some Bible students wonder if God lev-
eled the playing fie ld wi th an aftershock
from an earthquake that da mmed the
Jordan River more than a week earlier.
The Bible doesn't say how God man-
aged eith er miracle.
<01 FALL!
Jewis h warri ors scre am, whil e priests
carry the sac red chest holding the
10 Commandments and blast on ram
horns. It's the combo cue for Jericho's
wa lls to collapse.
FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN I Nablus, a predominately Palestinian city, has swallowed up the valley where the
town of Shechem once stood. Joshua built an altar of uncut stones on Mount Ebal. Afterward, th e Jewish nation
stood on the slopes of both mounts Ebal and Gerizim and pledged th eir allegiance to God.
.JOSHUA 9-10
aren't negotiating peace treaties with the locals-
other than to help them rest in peace.
Battle that stopped the sun Joshua and the Jews buy the li e. They agree to
an alliance "in the name of the LORD ... but they
THERE SHOULDN'T have been a battle at all. did not consu lt the LORD" (Joshua 9:18,14).
The Bible suggests there wouldn't have been W hen Joshua finds out the ambassadors out-
if the Jews had consulted God before making a maneuvered him, he still feels obligated to honor
peace treaty with strangers who suddenly show up his vow. Instead of killing the citizens of Gibeon,
in their camp at Gilgal. he puts them to work. T hey haul wood and water
Introducing themselves as ambassadors, they for the tent worsh ip center, perhaps for washing
say they come "from a distant land" (Joshua 9:6). and burning animal sacrifices.
They have the moldy bread, ragged clothes, and Jerusalem's Canaanite king hears about the
patched sandals to prove it. alliance. He forms an alliance of his own, with
Truth is, they come from th e village of fout other city kingdoms in the area: Hebron, Jar-
G ibeon-a day's walk west. muth, Lachish, and Eglon.
They have heard about the miraculous exploits (continued next page)
TE STI NG TH E IR METAL I In hi ghl and battles, Joshua's ligh tly armed militia easily outmaneuvers the heavi ly
arm ed Canaan ites and their chariots .
regions, and races, including Hazor's neighboring "Do not be afraid," God tells Joshua. "By this
(Owns of Mad on, Achshaph, and Shimron. time (Omor(Ow I will hand all of them over (0
For the army's staging area, Jabin selects Merom. Israel as dead men" 00shua 11 :6).
It's famous for its ample supply of spring water, Jews cripp le the enemy horses, burn the chari-
which a massive army would need. Fortunately for ots, and then run down the fleeing soldiers and
Joshua, it seems (0 have been located in the hills kill them so they don't live (0 fight another day.
a few miles north of the Sea of Galilee, and near
forests from which Joshua could have launched a
surprise attack.
JOSHUA 13-21
Jacob's favorite son, Joseph, also misses out on
tribal land named after him. But his two sons,
Putting Israel on the map Ephraim and Manasseh, each get a tribe of their own.
Manasseh works both sides of the Jordan River.
IF JOSHUA MAKES A MISTAKE, it's in fig- Together, these tribes take the name God gave
uring that the hardest job is over and all that's left their forefather Jacob: "From now on you will be
is to mop up the Canaanite stragglers. called Israel" (Genesis 32:28).
Joshua divides the land among the 12 tribes
and tells each tribe to finish the job of conquering
its own territory. (See map on page 97.)
It doesn't quite work out that way. Many will
learn to get along with their Canaanite neighbors.
The tribe of Dan gets assigned the sourhern
coast near the Gaza Strip. Unfortunately, that's
where Philistine invaders are settling. They're
fierce warriors. Dan will end up heading for the
hills, settling near Mount Hermon.
Israel's tribes take their names from the sons of
Jacob. Descendants of one son, Levi, get no ter-
ritory. These Levites serve as priests and worship
assistants, maintaining the worship center. Oth-
ers live in 48 Levite cities scattered among the
tribes, so all Jews have worship leaders nearby.
Six of those cities become justice centers called
"cities of refuge." People charged with crimes can
Aee to these cities for a trial rather than face the
blood vengeance of a victim's family and friends.
Joshua I 87
JUDGES 16 : 19
When Samson's Philistine girlfriend, Delilah, finds out
that the source of his strength lies in a vow not to cut his
hair. she arranges a haircut-and reaps a hefty reward.
l>
BIBLE r
r
1375 BC
0 Joshua dies (1200 Be
HISTORY l>
-<
~ alternate date)
'"
" .. ........... .. ...... l>
'U
'U
'"x
0 Paved roads in some
WORLD Middle Eastern cities
HISTORY
"-<
l>
~ 1200 BC
J u D G E 5
HEROES ON CALL
1150 Be 1075 Be
Gideon and 300 drive off Delilah helps Philistines capture Samson
735,000 invaders
They even worship Canaanite gods, especially Baal and fami ly, the amount of har ves t, and th e
number of li vestock. Some ancient Mid-
Ashtoreth .
dle Eas tern record s, including some in
That's when God invokes the penal ty clause in the agree-
Egypt, ca ll Ashtoreth by the name Ishtar.
ment he has with Israel. C ue the foreign raiders to sweep into
Israel and take whatever they want.
~ FERTILITY GOD.
Worshipped as a god of fertility in Bible
time s, thi s marble fig urin e still enj oys
a pedestal-in a Dalias museu m. Jews
began wor shippi ng idols like this after
settling in Canaan. Th e Bibl e says that' s
why God unl eashed raiders on them.
JUDGES 4-5
Again, the Jews call on God's help. God tells
Deborah to have Barak, the Jewish general , recruit
Madam General 10,000 men from the northern tribes of Naphtali
and Zebulun. He's to stage them on high ground,
THREE JUDGES DEEP into Jewish history, along the slopes of Mount Tabor above the wide
Deborah comes along. She's a prophetess as well Valley ofJezreel.
as a judge in the legal sense; she settles disputes. Barak refuses. He won't go into battle unless
But she's about to start a war. Deborah goes with him.
The Jews have already suffered through a trio Fine, she says, "But understand that with an
of sin-salvation cycles. They'd sin and then call on attitude like that, there'll be no glory in it for you"
God to save them. God sent a savior each time: (Judges 4:9 MSG) .
Othniel, then Ehud, and finally Shamgar. A sudden rainstorm turns the valley stream
Now, the Jews are 20 years into a fourth cycle into a flood, washing away some enemy chariots
of sinning. That's how long the northland Jews and trapping the rest in mud. Suddenly chari-
have been oppressed by KingJabin of the Canaan- oteers become infantrymen-on the run. Jews
ite ciry of Hazor, north of the Sea of Galilee. His charge down the hill and into the valley. They win
army includes 900 iron chariots. As far as infan- the day and, in time, kill the enemy king. Debo-
try is concerned, that's the ancient equivalent of rah's generation enjoys peace for 40 years.
tanks. Foot soldiers hate to see them coming.
Judges I 91
.JUDGES 6-8
32,000 rally around him-four-to-one odds
against the Jews. But God has Gideon whittle
Gideon's 300 down his army to a strike force of only 300-
producing terrible odds of 450 to one.
CENTURIES BEFORE 300 SPARTANS took With an ancient version of smoke-and-
on Xerxes and his Persian hordes, estimated by mirrors trickery, Gideon's men eliminate the
various ancient sources at anywhere ftom 80,000 camel advantage. They surround the enemy camp
to 2 million invaders-300 Jews take on 135,000 at night. Then they blow ram horns, smash jars,
Arab invaders. light torches, and scream.
Unlike the Spartans, the Jews win. So says the Quite a wake-up call for the raiders.
Bible. In the pitch black of night, they're so confused
For seven years, camel-riding raiders ftom Mid- they start killing each other. Some survive to run
ian in what is now Saudi Arabia swarm into Isra- for their lives. But Gideon calls on his full army to
el's most fertile farming area: Galilee, in northern join the chase and run them down. Gideon brings
Israel. They invade at harvest time, stealing crops back the heads of the Midian commanders.
and livestock-dooming many Jews to starvation. In gratitude, Jews offer to make Gideon king.
Jews finally callan God for help. He sends an But he insists they already have one: the Lord.
angel to tell Gideon to muster an army. Some
AND THEY'RE OFF I Camels sprint across a Middle Eastern field, in a friendly race. But in Gideon's day, Arab
raiders harassing the Jews stormed in on camels, which can sprint up to 40 miles (64 km) an hour. Quite the ele-
ment of surprise.
GALLERY OF THE GODS I Worshipped as gods, stone figurines like these may have been on display at a
Jew ish shr in e in Israel. Wor se. the shrin e was run by a Lev ite. a Jewish wor ship leader.
JUDGES 19-21
husband steps ourside the next morning and sees his wife 11 tribes united against the lone tribe
of Benjamin conve rge on Gibeah in the
lying there, he tells her to get up so they can go home-as
center of Israel. They alm ost complete ly
though she's well rested.
wipe ou t the trib e of Benjamin.
She's dead.
He cuts her up and sends her body parts to the tribal lead-
ers, calling for justice. Livid, they muster an army and attack
the unrepentant tribe of Benjamin, nearly exterminating ir.
O nly 600 men of Benjamin survive-without women or
children. Afterward, Israel's tribal leaders are sorry they took
the payback that far.
To make amends, they agree to give each survivor a
woman, so Benjamin's tribe will li ve on.
T heir extreme solurian: wipe our a Jewish village that didn't
fight in the war-Jabesh in Gilead-bur save their virgins . CONCUBINE.
That nets 400 women. For the last 200, th ey allow the men The man's wife was a concubine, wh ich is
a lesser, seconda ry wife. Concubines were
of Benjamin to raid a Jewish festival at the worship center in
often from a poor family. Sometimes they
Sh iloh, snatching unmarried women who are dancing.
were slaves captured in a battle.
The writer ends th is dismal story with what sounds like
a plea for a king who can end the anarchy: "In those days
Israel had no king; all the people did whateve r seemed right BODY COUNT.
in their own eyes" Oudges 2 1:25). Israel's coa lition army of 400,000
decimated Benjamin's army of about
L EFT Y I Benjamin's army included 700 left-handed sling ers 26,000, leaving on ly 600 survivor s.
"who cou ld slin g a rock at a target the size of a hair and hit it every Israe l lost more than 40,000 me n dur-
Judges I 97
RUTH 1:16
Widowed Naomi tells her two widowed daughters-in-law
to go back to their fathers_ But Ruth refuses to leave the
old woman by herself, and goes with her to Israel_
BIBLE 1250 Be
Jews invade Canaan
HISTORY (1400 BC alternate date)
1150 1065 Be
Ruth marries Saul becomes
Boaz Israel's first king
MOAB.
Peop le in this Arab nat ion were distant
relati ves of the Jews . They descended
from Abraham's nephew, Lot.
•HOME IS A CAVE.
Beth lehem widow outside her cave home.
ARAB AT LARGE I Most Bedou in traveling herders,
The shawl she's wearin g-tattered but
like this youn g woman in Israel, are Arab. So was Ruth,
clea n-is the best she has. She swapped
th e mother of Israel' s mo st revered dynasty of kings.
it from her everyday shawl for the photo.
Ruth became th e grea t-g randm oth er of King David .
Ruth I 101
RUTH 2-3
Ruth. So she tells Ruth (0 take a bath, pour on the
perfume, and dress in her best clothes.
Ruth proposes Boaz and some of his workers are sleeping out-
side to guard the grain. So Naomi tells Ruth to
UNDER A BLANKET seems like an odd place wait until Boaz is asleep-then crawl under the
(0 propose marnage. covers with him, lying at his feet. "He will tell you
The scene gets even weirder. In this man-run what (0 do" (Ruth 3:4).
world, it's Ruth doing the proposing. The startled And it probably won't be (0 rub his feet.
listener-who doesn't have a clue what's com- He wakes. She proposes. And the old man says,
ing-is an older man, Boaz. "The LORD bless you" (Ruth 3: 10).
He's rich.
The two had met just a few weeks earlier, at the
beginning of the barley harvest. Jewish law allows
poor folks (0 follow harvesters and pick the left-
over crops. Ruth had asked permission (0 do that
in the fields of Boaz.
Some would call it a lucky break. Boaz had
heard of Ruth, and he admired her incredible
devotion (0 Naomi. So he not only approved,
he (Old his workers (0 leave extra for her. He also
GOT IT COVERED I A Paris groom covers his
invited Ruth (0 eat with the harvest workers, and
bride with his prayer shawl (Hebrew: talli!). It's a
(0 stay throughout the barley harvest and the
symbol of his vow to protect her. Ruth proposed
wheat harvest that followed . marriage by asking Boaz to do that for her: "Spread
Naomi is ecstatic. She knows Boaz is a close rel- your cover over me, because you are a relative who
ative, and by Jewish law a contender for marrying is supposed to take care of me" (Ruth 3:9 NCV).
RUTH 4
It's a boy
» 1065 Be
BI BlE r
r
Young Samuel raised Saul anointed as
HISTORY "
»
... by priest Eli Israel's tirst king
~'"
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. »
""
'"
o
WORLD x
;::
»
...
HISTORY
'"
1 r 2 SAMUEL
FIR 5 T KIN G : A DONKEY HERDER
STORY LINE David dead, and seems to think of little else. Per-
haps that's one reason the Philistine army is able to
A DONKEY HERDER REPLACES GOD as outmaneuver him on the battlefield. Saul loses the
Israel's king. battle, his life, and the lives of most of his sons.
For several generations, Jews in Israel don't The tribes soon rally around their national
both er with a king. Elders run the dozen tribes. hero and appoint David as king.
God runs the country. When the people call on He, too, is a fine warrior. He secures Israel's
God for help, he sends leaders to rally the tribes. borders. H e's also a man of God-but Aawed.
Bur now the Jews ask for a king, "like all the other Especial ly in family matters. He has an affair. He
nations have" (1 Samuel 8:5). doesn't punish his son who rapes his own half-sister
The prophet Samuel appoints God's choice: (they have different mothers). And that so angers
Saul, a content donkey herder who does n't want the woman's full brother, Absalom, that he murders
the job. But with a little convincing, he takes it the rapist and leads a coup against his father.
anyhow.
H e turns our to be a fine warrior, but he gets /I LOCATION: Most stories take place in what
greedy. He keeps livestock as spoils of war though is now Israel (see map page 119).
God had ordered him to destroy everything the
enemi es owned. /I TIM E: During the 1000s BC
Later, he grows insa nely jealous of a shepherd
boy named David who's hailed as a national hero. /I AUTHOR: Unknown. The two books were
Young David killed a Philistine champion warrior originally one, but were later divided to fit on
in mortal combat: the giant Goliath . Saul wants standard-size scrolls.
1011 Be
David becomes
Israe!"s second king
City of
Damascus founded ~~ Alpha
Hebrew alphabet . ............ :
starts to develop:
Chinese invent
icehouse refrigeration
1050 Be 1010 Be : 1000 Be
1 SAMUEL 1
her. When he hears that she's pouring out her
soul to God , he blesses her and asks the Lord to
The prophet warns that because Eli let his second time, Eli says if
it happens again Samuel
sons get away with dragging worship through the
should say, "Speak, LORD,
mud, the family name would become mud. Eli's
your servant is listening"
family dynasty will end with his so ns. Worse, "all (1 Samuel 3:9).
the members of your family will die before their
time. None will reach old age" (1 Samuel 2:3 I).
1 SAMUEL 4-6
Jews lose rhe firsr barrie. Bur rhey figure rhey
can win rhe nexr if rhey bring rhe Ark of rhe Cov-
Lost: Three priests, sacred Ark enant ra rhe banlefront-figuring ir has special
power.
IN A SINGLE DAY, Israel loses perhaps every T hey figure wrong. Eli's sons die in rhe barrie
symbol of God's holiness rhey hold dear. along wirh 30,000 Jewish soldiers. When 98-year-
All rhree of rheir priesrs die. Philisrines sreal old Eli gers rhe news larer rhar day, he falls back-
rhe Ark of rhe Covenant, Israel's mosr sacred ward our of his chair. The fall breaks his neck,
relic, kepr in rhe holiesr parr of rhe worship cen- killing him.
rer. And rhe Shiloh worship center irself is likely Philisrines rrear rhe Ark as a war trophy. They
desrroyed. pur ir on display in a remple-ar rhe foor of a
Ir's rhe resulr of a war losr ra rhe Philisrines. statue of Dagon, rheir rap god. Mysreriously,
The Philisrines live on Israel's sourhern coasr and Dagon's sratue crumbles. And wherever Philisrines
are apparently expanding rheir turf farrher inland take rhe Ark, a plague breaks our, producing sores.
and north. In rime, Philisrines decide ro send the Ark back.
1 SAMUEL 7-10 SAMUEL'S WARNING.
Samuel warns the Jews that a king will
draft young men for the military and
Saul, from donkey herder to king wome n for palace labor. He' ll confiscate
the bes t property for himself and take
IS RAE L' S FIR S T KIN G seems to prefer donkeys to people. a tenth of the crops. "You will be his
slaves," Samuel says (1 Samuel 8:17).
Saul, rhe son of a donkey herder, doesn'r wanr rhe job
of king. And Samuel, rhe narion's spirirual leader and chief
judge, doesn'r wanr Saul for a king, eirher. SAUL.
Bur Samuel is gening old. And rhe people apparendy fear "Sau l was the most hand some man in
whar life will be like when Samuel's fWO crooked sons srarr Israel-head and shou ld ers t al ler than
running rhe counrry. They borh rake bribes. anyone else in the land" (1 Samuel 9:2).
A member of the tribe of Benjamin, he
The Jews ask Samuel for a king-like orher narions have.
grew up in the vi ll age of Gibeah, a few
Samuel feels offended. Bur God consoles him: "Ir is me rhey
miles north of Jerusa lem. He was 32
are rejecring, nor you. They don'r wanr me ro be rheir king
years old when he beca me ki ng, and
any longer" (1 Samuel 8:7). he reigned 42 yea rs (see 1 Samue l 13:1).
God selecrs Saul. Bur when Samuel rakes Saul ro town to He and his wife, Ah inoam, had five sons
presenr him to rhe rriballeaders, Saul disappears. He hides. and two daughters. He also had two
God poinrs him our: "He is hiding behind rhe baggage" so ns by his concubin e, a seco nd ary wife
of less stature.
(1 Samuel 10:22 CEV). And perhaps wirh rhe criners rhar
carry rhe baggage: donkeys-which would ger him back into
his comforr zone.
1 SAMUEL 16
king-one of Jesse's eight sons. Samuel is impressed by one cou ld refer to a pri est or a king.
pur him on sheep patrol so rhe older boys could greet Sam uel dates to about 100 years after David. It's
a stone eng raved wit h the words "House
and share a meal wirh him . Bur rhe prop her rells Jesse ro
of David," an ancient way of refe rring to
bring him in .
David's dynasty.
"H e's rh e one!" God rells Samuel. "Pour the olive o il on
his head" (1 Sam uel 16: 12 CEV).
DAVID.
Isra el's most famou s king grew up as a
shepherd in Bethl ehem. A gifted musi-
cian, he was someti mes called on t o
soot he t he troubled King Sa ul by play-
in g the harp-m usic t herapy, it 's ca lled
today. But David is most famous as the
teenager who kill ed a heav ily armed
gia nt, Golia th, with on ly a slin gs hot-
a heroic act that even tua lly propel led
GOD'S ANOINTED I Samuel, prophet and spi ritu al leader of him t o Israe l's throne. David's dynasty
Israe l, pou r s olive oil on young David . It's a ritual anoi nting him co ntinued 400 yea rs, until Babylonian
God's choice as th e ki ng who will someday replace Sa ul. invaders wiped th e Jew ish nation off
the political map in 586 Be.
PHILISTINE RETREAT / Once David stunned the Philistine army by killing its best warrior, the soldiers ran to
their closest walled cities: Gath about 7 miles (11 km) west and Ekron about 10 miles (16 km) northwest.
1,2Samuel/111
As David walks into the Valley of Elah and The Philistine army is supposed to surrender.
crosses the stream, he picks up five smooth Instead, they run back to the protection of their
stones, loading one into his slingshot. walled cities at Gath and Ekron-with the sud-
Goliath is insulted. Moments later, he's dead. denly brave Jewish militia charging after them.
AMALEKITES.
Persistent enem ies of Israel whom
David defeated, the se nomad s lived
in what is now sou thern Israel. They
attacked the J ews during their Exodus
ou t of Egyptian slavery. Th ey were also
among the raide r s Gideon drove off.
Saul foug ht th em, too. And Samuel got
David, king of Israel bv age 30 mad at him f or not exte rminating th em.
DAVID'S
CDNQUEST
DF
JERUSALEM
2 SAMUEL 6
ping to offer sacrifices, and then resuming the trip, dancing is the bedrock thres hin g floor David
bought as a plat form for the altar he
and jumping for joy-to the cheers of the crowd and th e
built, and for the temple that his son
blarin g blast of ram horns-an ancient version of ai r horns.
Solomon later bu ilt.
--
Dethroning Dad
enough of a following that David Bees Jerusalem . Bur he son. But when David 's ge neral, Joab,
sees Absalom dangl ing from the tree like
leaves behind a palace advisor to fake loyalty to Absalom and
a bull's-eye, it 's too temp ting. Absalom
give him bad advice.
gets three daggers to the heart.
Absalom accepts this advisor's bogus advice to build a
massive army before going after David. This works to the
advantage of David, a seasoned warrior. It gives him tim e to HEBRON, CITY OF KINGS.
round up his loyal , experienced soldiers. A day's wa lk south of Jeru sa lem, about
20 miles (30 km), Hebron is where Absa-
Absalom dies in the battie, despite David's orders that no
lom declare s him se lf king of Israe l. It's
one harm him.
the bigg es t city of Judah, in his triba l
regi on. And it 's the city that fir st crowned
David king seve ral decades ea rlier.
»
BI BlE r
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960 Be 930 Be
places of prayer. It's on a hilltop in Gibeon, Fake Mom is okay with it. Genuine Mom IS
near Jerusalem. There, Solomon sacrifices 1,000 horrified. She pleads with Solomon to give the
animals. boy to the other woman instead.
God's generous offer comes that night, while Mystery solved. Boy returned ro rightful
Solomon's dreaming. mother. Case closed.
Solomon's reply: "Please make me wise and
teach me the difference between right and wrong.
Then I will know how ro rule your people"
(1 Kings 3:9 CEV).
If this exchange had taken place on Facebook,
God may have hit the "Like" button, since he
certainly likes Solomon's answer. God is pleased
that Solomon's top request-his top priority-is
wisdom. It's not wealth, a long life, or power over
enemIes.
God gives Solomon the works: the wisdom he SPLIT DECISION I Two women each claim a
asks for, along with the wealth, health, and power baby boy belongs to them. King Solomon flushes out
the fake mother by offering to cut the boy in two.
he didn't bother to mention.
Fake Mom says it sou nd s fair to her.
And to prove Solomon gets his top request,
the storyteller showcases Solomon's wisdom in
1 KINGS 5-9
"No noise ftom hammers and chisels and
other iron tools. "
Israel's prefab temple 1 KINGS 6:7 MSG
GOD'S HO M E ON EARTH gets an upgrade. So lomon wanted the stones sized at the
He has been living among his people in a sacred quarry and fined together on site, like a giant
tent since the Exodus-for "480 years" (1 Kings Lego building.
6: 1). But now, God has agreed to let Solomon Nearly 200,000 men-all drafted-work
build Israel's first permanent worship center: the seven years to complete the sanctuary. It's a build-
Jerusalem Temple. ing that stretches 30 yards long, 10 yards wide,
Out of respect for the holy site, where the mas- and 15 yards high (27 x 9 x 14 meters). About the
sive altar has been in operation for decades, Solomon size of a four-story building. (See painting next
issues an order that would have stunned any builder: page, bottom righr.)
Jews keep their holiest relic, the gold-covered chest con- At th e turn of th e 1900s, seve ral men
inspect limesto ne quarries under J eru -
taining the 10 Commandments. Only the high priest can
salem. So lomo n'S stonecutters may
enter this room, an d only once a year: Yo m Kippur (Day
have chise led some of their Temple
of Atonement), a national day of repentance. blocks from thi s ancient qua rr y. Visitors
to Jeru sa lem in Bibl e time s described
1, 2 Kings I 129
1 KINGS 10
with rare spices, jewels, and 9,000 pounds (4,000
kilograms) of gold.
Sheba, the shopping queen These might be lavish gifts. But the context of
the srory suggests they're trade goods-same as
A TRIP TO THE SHOPPING MALL mightbe cash-for an outing at what amounts ro the King
a fair way ro explain why the queen of Sheba trav- of Israel Shopping Mall.
els some 1,500 miles (2,400 km) from the oppo- Clues:
site end of the Red Sea to visit King Solomon. /I "King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba
The writer hints that curiosity drives her: whatever she asked for, besides all the cus-
"When the queen of Sheba heard abour the fame romary gifts he had so generously given"
of Solomon and his relationship to the LORD, (1 Kings 10:1 3).
she came ro test Solomon with hard questions" /I After telling the Sheba story, the writer jumps
(1 Kings 10: 1 TNIV). Solomon passes the test. to a report of Solomon's annual revenue from
Sheba, however, brings more than questions. traders. As though report and story are linked.
She brings a massive caravan-camels loaded
1 KINGS 11
hearts to their gods" (1 Kings 11 :2). That's just
what happens to Solomon.
Solomon, the marrying kind After a promising start as a wise young ruler, he
ends up an old man worshipping the idols of his
PEACE AND QUIET is what King Solomon foreign wives. At least three idols-Ashtoreth, Che-
wants. So he marries 1,000 women. mash, and Molech-and probably many more.
Worse, 700 are high maintenance-each a For this, God vows to take away most of the
princess used to constant attention. kingdom from Solomon's family-though not
Doesn't seem wise. the whole kingdom, out of respect for David.
Not given earlier Bible stories about tensIon
and rivalries in families with more than one wife.
Jacob's rwo wives competed for his affection by
running a baby-making race. Some in David's
dysfunctional family raped and killed each other.
The peace Solomon has in mind is along his
borders, with neighboring kingdoms. !t's cus-
tomary in his day to sign a peace treaty and then
marry one of the daughters from the allied king's
DINNER FOR FOUR I ATurkishmanandhiswives
harem of wives.
share a meal at the turn of th e 19005. In Bible times,
Solomon's wives wear him out, spiritually
rich men someti mes married more than one woman.
speaking. By law, Jews aren't supposed to marry King Solomon, described as the ri chest man of hi s day,
idol worshippers "because they will turn your married 1,000. He lived to regret it.
1 KINGS 12
around David with a chant: ects. They worked in shifts, each tribe
taking a project for a period.
But now the new generation sings a new so ng: Dan. It's politics. He's afraid if northern
Jews head south to worship at Jerusalem's
Temple in Judah, they'll eventua lly want to
"Get lost, David!
reunite with David's family of kings. He'd
Weve had it with you, son ofjesse!" be out of a job, and missing a head.
1 KING S 12 :16 MSG
answer IS yes.
2 KINGS 9-10
pray. " LORD, please remember that I have always obeyed you . Stair-step shadow clocks are one of
th e ea rl iest known sundia ls, used to
I have given myself com pletely to you and have done what
tell time. Egyptians invented them
you said was right" (2 Kings 20:3 NCV) .
around 1500 Be, about the t ime many
That's al l it takes. Somehow, this prayer changes God's plan say Moses lived. Six steps faced east
for him. Isaiah isn't even out of the palace before God rurns and six faced west. The number of
him around, headed back to H ezekiah with a new message: ste ps the shadows cove red indicated
"[ have heard your prayer and seen your tears.. . . I will the approximate time of day. Lunch-
time: no steps.
add fifteen years to your life" (2 Kings 20:5-6).
As proof, God sends a sign. At Hezekiah's request, God
moves the shadow on the palace sundial backward 10 steps. DID GOD CHANGE HIS MIND?
Why would an al l-knowing God change
hi s mind, some wonder- as though God
ONE PRAYER WORTH 15 YEARS I King Hezekiahgetsan didn't know how Hezekiah would react.
extra 15 years to settle his affairs-thanks to a prayer. On his sick' Others tack le this question by argu-
bed, he get s word he won 't recover and that he should make out ing that it wasn't God who changed.
his wil l. Instead, he prays. God grants him 15 more years. Somehow, the prayer changed Heze-
kiah. So God's plans for Hezekiah had
to change, too.
FLAMMABLE I Traditional Arab headdress. keffiyeh (kuh'FEE'uh), crowns a Middle Eastern boy. Sons were
prized above daughters in Bible t imes. They were also considered top-of-the-line sacrifices for select Middle Eastern
gods such as Molech. At least t wo Jewish kings sacrif iced their so ns in fire to Molech-perhaps burning them alive.
2 KINGS 24-25
The big difference is the superpower. Babylonians
have replaced the Assyrians, after destroying Assyrias
Hammering the Holy City capital of Nineveh in 612 BC and finishing off their
army at the Battle of Carchemish in 605 Be.
SLOW LEARNERS when it comes to dealing Babylon's king, Nebuchadnezzar, makes three
with international bully empires, the Jews lose just hostile visits to Judah:
abour everything important to them. Their free- 1/ 604 Be. He orders King Jehoiakim to pay
dom. Their homeland. Their holiest city. Stone by heavy taxes to the new empire-which the
stone, Jerusalem gets dismantled. Leveled. king does for three years, before stopping.
With that, the last surviving Jewish nation dies. 1/ 597 Be. He comes to coLlect the back taxes.
All that's lerr ofJudah are ruins-and Jewish refugees, And as punitive damages, he takes: all trea-
exiled and scattered thtoughout the Middle East. sures from the Temple and the palace, the
Many folks consider it the worst event in Jewish royal family of King Jehoiachin (son and suc-
history, with the possible exception of the World cessor of Jehoiakim), the families of all the
War II holocaust slaughter of six million Jews. officials, and thousands of the country's best
Judah's fall begins with a hunger for soldiers and skilled workers. He leaves only
independence-the same thing that killed the the poorest people, with a new puppet king,
northern Jewish nation of Israel a little over a Mattaniah, whom he renames Zedekiah.
cenrury earlier, in 722 Be.
JERUSALEM'S LAST
STAND I Jewish defenders of
Judah's capita l hold out against
a Babylonian siege for two and a
half years. But once the invaders
break through the walls, all is lost.
ing their own babies as food, and of the disman- Tunnels. Dig tunnels under the city walls. Collapse
the tunnels until part of the wall collapsed, too.
tling of Jerusalem and the deportation of most
Jewish survivors.
King Zedekiah and his army abandon the
city, making a run for it. Babylonians overtake
Zedekiah on the Jericho plains, a day's ride away.
They make him watch as they slaughter his sons.
Then they gouge our his eyes, chain him, and lead Roman'built ramp to Masada hilltop fortress
him captive ro Babylon. Ramps. Build dirt ramps up the side of the city walls,
under the cover of shields and perhaps hostages.
» 960 Be 930 Be
BI BlE r
r
Solomon builds first Jewish nation splits: Judah
HISTORY "....
»
Jewish temple (south), Israel (north)
~'"
... ..... ...... .. .. .. .. »
""
'"x
0 Pharaoh Shoshenq I invades
WORLD -
;:: both Jewish nations
»
HISTORY .... 928 Be
'"
1r 2 CHRONICLES
THE BRIGHT SIDE OF ANNIHILATION
STORY LINE The Jewish fam ily tree shows that God has
had a plan for Jews from the very beginning. The
A SUGARCOATED RERUN ofIsrael's history. upbeat history shows how God has taken care of
That's what 1, 2 Chron icl es sounds like to some them throughout the centuries.
people-a Jewish sp in doctor's take on the stories Now they're home. And that's proof that God
of 1,2 Samuel and 1,2 Kings. kept his promise. Moses said God would give them
It starts off boring, many charge: eight numb- a second chance: "He may send you to the ends
ing chapters of genealogy that take us clear back to of the earth, but he will gather you and bring you
Adam. Some 2,000 names. Then another boring back" (Deuteronomy 30:4 NCV) .
list of names: Jews returning from exile in Babylon. This is the story of a clean slate and a fresh start.
But that's the clue to understanding 1,2 Chroni-
cles, originally written as a single book but separated /I LOCATION: Most stories are set in Israel,
later to fit on uniform-sized sctolls. The exile is over. followed by exile in Babylon, in what is now Iraq.
Jews have come home-at least some of them.
But to what? Clearly they broke their agreement /I TIM E: First and Second Chronicles span
with God by worshippin g idols. That's what their about 500 years, from Israel's first king in the 1000s
spiritual leaders said cost them their country. BC until the Jews return from Babylonian exile in
Now they're asking themselves tough questions. the 500s Be.
Are we still God's people? Is the Promised Land
still our land? /I AUTHOR: Unknown. Ancient Jewish tradi-
Yes . That's the answer the writer gives them. tion says Ezra wrote it, a priest who helped rebuild
He uses this upbeat history to make his point. the nation after its 50-year exile in Babylon.
586 Be 538 Be
Assvrians conquer Babvlonians conquer Persian King Cyrus
Israel Judah, exile Jews frees Jews to go home
tual center. He does this by setting up a sacrifi cial altar and by paring the nation for what becomes a
golde n age of prosperity, King David
bringing to town the most sacred Jewish object: the Ark of the
becomes the measure of an ideal king.
Covenant, a chest containing the 10 Commandments.
A t housa nd years late r, during Rome's
From there, he marches out to batde--for the first time in occupation of Israe l, Jews will fin d t hem-
Israel's history the Jews enjoy secured borders. The first hos- selves wish in g for a leader like him-
tile neighbor David defeats is the one that manh andled them a messiah.
durin g th e time of the Judges and Kin g Saul: the Philistin es.
Egyptian forces overrun both Jewish nations, nations, north and south.
» 586 Be 538 Be
BI BlE r
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Jerusalem destroyed, Persia frees
HISTORY "....
»
Jews exiled Jews to go home
..............
~'"
...................... »
""
'"x
WORLD
0
-
Babylon surrenders ... ... .. . .. . ..
;:: to Cyrus of Persia
»
HISTORY .... 539 Be
'"
E z R A
EXODUS, PART DEUX
STORY LINE Ezra, however, isn't among the first Jews back.
He isn't even born yet. He returns almost a cen-
AFTER 50 YEARS OF EXILE a thousand- tury later. He's highly motivated to go because in
mile (1 ,600 km) walk from Jerusalem, Jews are Babylon, he's a Jewish priest without a Temple.
free to go home and rebuild their Temple and Back in Israel, he begins teaching the Jews the
their nation. laws of Moses-laws that most had forgotten, or
Babylonians in what is now Iraq had over- never knew existed.
run the Jewish nation, destroying the cities and
exiling the citizens. But a ruler named Cyrus /I LOCATION: Cyrus frees the Jews who have
of Persia, in what is now Iran, overpowers the been exiled and scattered throughout what are
Babylonian Empire. In one of his first acts, he now Iraq and Iran. They return to Israel (see map
frees the Jews. A clay cylinder from his century page 155).
confirms that he freed all Babylon's political
priso ners and sent them home to rebuild their /I TIM E: The story covers about 80 years, from
nations with his blessing. the time Cyrus frees the Jews in about 538 BC
After a generation abroad, many Jews decide until Ezra arrives in 458 Be.
to stay in the only home they've known. Others
long for their native homeland and return in one /I AUTHOR: Unknown. Ancient Jewish tradi-
of many waves of refugees. tion says Ezra wrote it.
The first wave back builds a new Temple. It's to
replace the Temple that Solomon built, which the
Babylonians destroyed.
516 Be 45B Be
New Temple Ezra arrives in
completed Jerusalem
IRANIANS RESTORE ISRAEL about haifa century after that t he book of Isaiah was written
over seve ral centur ies, by two or more
the Iraqis destroyed it.
writers. Others insist Isaiah wrote the
That's if we use modern map equivalents. Iraq is the land
entire book during his lifetime, and that
of Babylon, the empire that leveled Jerusalem and exiled the his mention of Cyrus is a prophecy, not
Jews. Iran is the land of Persia, the empire that overpowered history passed off as prophecy.
Babylon and freed Babylon's political prisoners.
Oddly, a prophet named Isaiah who lived 200 years earlier
CYRUS THE GREAT
not only predicted Israel's return from exile, he named the
(ABOUT 590-530 BC).
emancipator. "Cyrus ... will command, 'Rebui ld Jerusalem';
Cyrus II was the first king of the sprawl'
he will say, 'Restore the Temple' " (Isaiah 44:28). ing Persian Empire. Historians in ancient
That's just what the book of Ezra says happens. Ezra times, such as Greek writer Xenophon,
reports Cyrus making this announcement to the Jews: portrayed him as a tolerant ruler who
respected the customs and religions of
the many nat ions he ruled.
"The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the
kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build
him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of
you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah
to rebuild this Temple of the LORD. "
E ZRA 1:2-3
..
oners t o return to t heir ho meland and re buil d th eir te mples.
Cyr us. He asks "a ll t he gods I se ttl ed In th eir sacred cen t ers"
to Interce de on his be half so he mig ht live a long life.
f.zra 155
EZRA 3-6
Jews begin construction in the spring of 536 Be.
When they lay the foundation, young Jews cel-
Old-time religion ebrate. Older Jews, however, cty. Perhaps they
realize they'll get what they're paying for, and that
WORSHIP IS OUT OF THE QUESTION for this new Temple will be a shack compared to Sol-
Jews in exile. At least traditional Jewish worship, omon's majestic worship center.
with sacrifices. God has approved only one place Local non-Jews who settled in the land during
for Jews to offer sacrifices: the Jerusalem Temple. the exile convince Persia's new king to order a halt
But Jerusalem lies in ruins, destroyed by Babylo- to the work. These locals apparently fear they'll
nian invaders in 586 Be. lose their land if the Jews rise to power again. So
When freed Jews return home in 538 BC, they they remind the king that the Jews have a long
give top priority to rebuilding the Temple. They history of rebellion.
starr by rebuilding the altar on its form er site. This Work finally resumes a decade later, when Jews
allows them to offer sacrifices right away, and to convince the next Persian king that Cyrus ordered
begin celebrating th eir annual religious festivals. them to build the Temple. This king, Darius, con-
Next, they take a collection to buy supplies and firms this in the records and notices that Cyrus
to hire construction workers for the Temple. The ordered the Temple built with empire funds. So
returned refugees come up with half a ton of gold he orders his governors to use tax money for th e
and three tons of silver. Not much compared to the proj ect. It's completed by 516 Be.
approximately 4,000 tons of gold and 40,000 tons
of silver King David stockpiled for the first Temple.
EZRA 7-10
Some Jews h ave married non-Jewish women .
Jewish law, strictly interpreted, forbids that.
Ezra condemns mixed Besides, marriages like this led to the exile-
marriages and might lead to an encore exi le, some fear.
It was King Solomon's foreign wives who lured
NOT THAT GOD APPROVES, but the book him into idolatry. This idolatry, which per-
of Ezra closes with a harsh order. Some 113 Jew- sisted in Israel for cenruries, became the peo-
ish men have married non-Jewish women. They ple's main sin-th e reason God punished them
get the order to divorce the ladies-and to aban- with exi le.
don them and their children. Acting on the suggestion of a mysterious
The order comes ftom Ezra, a priest who arrives leader named Shecaniah, Ezra orders all Jewish
in Jerusalem in 458 Be, about 80 years after the men who married non-Jewish women to "send
first wave of returning Jews. Though a latecomer, away all these women and their chi ldren" (Ezra
he still carries pres tige as a worship leader. 10:3 TNIV) .
Several Jews bring a complaint to him: "The
holy race has become polluted by... mixed mar-
riages" (Ezra 9:2).
NEHEMIAH 6 : 15
Threatened by hostile non-Jews who oppose the rebuilding
of Jerusalem, Jewish construction teams rebuild the city
walls in just 52 days-shocking everyone with their speed.
» 586 Be 538 Be
BI BlE r
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HISTORY "....
»
Jerusalem destroyed, Persia frees Jews ........... .
Jews exiled
~'"
... ..... ...... .. ... ... »
""
'"
0 Babylon builds famous
WORLD ~
;:: Ishtar Gate entrance
»
HISTORY .... 575 Be
'"
N E H E M I A H
REBUILDING JERUSALEM FROM
THE GROUND UP
STORY LINE Nehemiah says he's too busy for a meeting.
He organizes the Jews into construction crews
JERUSALEM'S CITY WALLS lay in a heap. that fast-track the job, finishing in less than two
That's a shocker. Jews have been living there for months.
almost a century, since returning from exi le. Even Nehemiah's enemies consider that feat a
News of Jerusalem's wrecked walls reach miracle.
Nehemiah, a Jewish win e taster for Persia's king,
Artaxerxes. /I LOCATION: The story starts in Susa, capital
Nehemiah can't believe his fellow Jews are con- of the Persian Empire in what is now Iran. It ends
tent to let the walls lie. Depressed, he stops eat- in Jerusalem, more than a thousand-mile (1,600
ing. Artaxerxes takes notice, asks what's up, and km) walk west, following the caravan routes along
gives Nehemiah a leave of absence to oversee the the rivers (see map page 155).
rebuilding of Jerusalem's wal ls.
Nehemiah even manages to sweet-talk the king /I TIME: The story takes place In the mid-
into a military escort along with a letter ordering 400s Be, more than a century after Jews returned
the manager of a regional forest-perhaps the from exile in what is now Iraq.
cedars of Lebanon-to supply the necessary wood.
Non-Jewish settlers in Israel oppose the project. /I AUTHOR: Unknown. Ancient Jewish trad i-
They don't want the Jews to turn Israel back into tion says Ezra wrote it.
a Jewish homeland, leaving non-Jews high, dry,
and landless. So they plot to assassinate Nehemiah
during a proposed meeting.
» 516 BC
BI BlE r
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Jews rebuild 300 Spartans
HISTORY "....
»
Jerusalem Temple fight to the death
~'"
... ..... ...... .. .. .. .. »
""
'"x
0 King Xerxes begins
WORLD -
;:: 21-vear rule
»
HISTORY .... 486 BC
'"
E 5 T H E R
JEWISH QUEEN OF I RAN
STORY LINE uninvited can be executed, queens included-
Esther puts her life on the line.
INS ULTED BY A JEW who refuses to bow to Esther tells the king that Haman's plot would
him, a top Persian official named Haman concocts end in her death and the death of all her people.
a plan to wipe out all Jews in the empire and con- The king kills Haman in stead, and fills the job
fi scate their property. King Xerxes signs off on it, vacancy with Mordecai.
apparently without bothering to ask which race
Haman intends to annihilate. /I LOCATION: Susa, capital of the Persian
As genocide goes, it's a fine plan-except that Empire. It's now Shush, Iran. (See map of Persian
the queen is a Jew. Haman's handlers don't turn Empire page 249; of Susa page ISS.)
up that inte!' Queen Esther is keeping her heritage
under wraps for so me unexplained reason-hiding /I TIME: The story is set about 30 years
it ftom even her husband. The only person who before Ezra arrives in Jerusalem. King Xerxes
seems to know she's a Jew is the cousin who raised (Ahasuerus in the Bible) reigned 21 years, from
her: Mordecai. He also happens to be the culprit 486-465 BC
who refuses to bow when Haman walks by.
When Mordecai hears of Haman's planned holo- /I AUTHOR: Unknown . Writing style is simi-
caust, he convinces Esther to take a stand for the lar to stories in Ezra and Nehemiah.
Jewish people. Though visits to King Xerxes are
by invitation only-and anyone who shows up
473 Be 45B Be
Esther stops holocaust Ezra arrives
of Jews in Jerusalem
» 2100 Be
BI BlE r
r
Abraham leaves
HISTORY "....
»
Ur in today '5 Iraq
~'"
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. »
""
'"
o
WORLD x
;::
»
HISTORY ....
'"
J o B
NOT so PATIENT AFTER ALL
2000 Be 19005 Be
Job loses his herds, Jacob fathers 12 sons,
children, health ancestors of Israel's 12 tribes
IT S 0 U N D S H A R S H . And it's not the answer most people refers to the work of a good angel: the
Angel of God se nt to intercept a pagan
want to hear when they ask why God allows good people to
seer named Balaam (Numbers 22:22).
suffer. But in Job's story, God agrees to let some kind of a
There. some Bib les translate satan as
spirit-being-perhaps the devil himself-run Job through a "b lock" or "stop."
gauntlet.
It all starts with a meeting in heaven. A being called
the Accuser (Satan in Hebrew) says he has been patroll ing IS JOB'S STORY FACT
OR FICTION ?
the earth.
Scholars who respect the Bible argue
"What do you think of my servant Job?" God asks. "No
both sides of this debate. Some say it·s a
one on earth is like him-he is a truly good perso n, who story that really happened. and that the
respects me and refuses to do evil" (Job 1:8 CEV). details in the story track with life about
"Why shouldn't he respect you?" Satan replies. "You make the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
him successful in whatever he does . . .. Try taking away others, however, call it a spiritual folk,
tale. They compare it to a parable, say'
everything he owns, and he will curse you to your face" (Job
ing it 's intended to teach a spiritua l truth.
1:9- 11 CEV).
In this case, one truth is that we should
God agrees to let Satan put Job to the test. trust God, rather than try to figure him
out. Another: Sin isn't the cause of all the
bad things that happen to us.
spins around what on earth Job did to deserve all ELI H U: "Job, you deserve the maximum pen-
this torment. That's the point his friends make. alty" (Job 34:36).
Their premise is that God's in charge of life and
JOB 4-31
"You, God, are the reason I am insulted
and spit on . ... I complain to you, my God.
Job pleads not guilty Don't just condemn me! Point out my sin. "
JO B 17:6; 10:1-2 C EV
BIBLE
l>
r 1440 Be 1010 Be
r
0 Miriam sings a song after David writes a funeral
HISTORY l>
God parts the sea song for King Saul
'"
~
'"
" ............. .. ...... l>
"U
"U
'"x
0 1200 Be Hindus create
WORLD three-tone system of chants
HISTORY
"
l>
for reciting sacred writings
'"
~
P 5 A L M 5
SONGS SUNG BLUE TO GOD
STORY LINE This downer of a song ends on an upbeat note:
''I'm singing at the top of my lungs, I'm so full of
FORGET THE STORY LINE. There isn't any. answered prayers" (Psalm 13:6 MSG) .
This is a co llection of so ngs. It's the closest th ing Still, it feels odd to sing complaints to God. Yet
Jews in ancient tim es had to a hymnbook. that's apparently a key message behind this collection
A lot of the lyrics shower God with thanks and of songs. God wants to hear from us. Whether we're
praise-like worship songs do today. That's why happy, mad, worried, or hopeful. He can handle the
Jews call the book Tehi/lim (ruh-hee-LEEM). It's full range of human emotions-from rants to raves.
Hebrew for "praises. )) When it comes to us, his door is always open.
But most psalms wouldn't qualify for a smi-
ley face. Many are songs sung blue. The writer is /I LOCATION: Most psalms are set in Israel.
upset -so metimes at God.
Some songs are tough to imagine singing in a /I TIM E: The songs span about a thousand
worship service. years, from the time of Moses as early as the
1400s Be to the time of the Jewish exile in Baby-
Long enough, Go~ lon (Iraq) in the 500s BC
you've ignored me long enough.
I've looked at the back ofyour head /I AUTHOR: Like a church hymnbook, Psalms
long enough. Long enough is a collection of song lyrics by various writers.
I've carried this ton oftrouble, David is credited with either writing or inspiring
lived with a stomach foil ofpain. 73 of the 150 psalms. Other psalms are linked to
P SALM 13:1-2 MSG Solomon, Moses, Korah, and Asaph .
458 Be
Jews back from exile sing to
God (see Ezra 3:11)
But in each case the songwriter seems to have a history 1,000 yea rs ago: the Gregorian chant.
If the music of Psa lms was as rich and
with God-and apparently feels that given God's track
diverse as the lyrics, the sounds may
record, the Lord deserves the benefit of the doubt.
have ranged from the droning moans
of ram horns to the soothing strum of
harps to the excited chatter of cymba ls.
be afraid. You are with me, and your shepherd's rod makes me
feel safe" (Psalm 23:4 CEV).
HOW MANY PRAISE
SONGS ARE THERE?
(con tinued next page) Psalms are tough to classify because
many fit into more than one category.
But most scho lars agree that psalms of
praise rank a close second after psalms
asking for help. By some counts, each
of the se two categories has about 70
songs, with some crossover songs
working both labels .
Psalms I 179
Portrait of a Shepherd
PSALM 3, 13, 22
groans and come to my rescue? I cry out day
and night, but you don't answer" (Psalm
God works the complaint desk 22: 1-2 CEV) .
SOME SOUND A LITTLE WACKED:
IF EACH PSALM STOOD IN LINES li kecus- /I "Rescue me, my God! Slap all my enemies in
(Omers at a service counter, the longest line would the face!" (Psalm 3:7).
be the saddest line. Many of the songs express raw human emotion-
There are plenty of happy psalms. But there some emotions not so saintly, like revenge. But
are more sad songs: complaints, laments, cries for that's the point of these psalms, Bible experts say.
help, and frantic pleas for forgiveness. T hey show us that God can take whatever we di sh
SOME PLEAS SOUND HEARTFELT: out. Including delusional accusations, pent-up
/I "How much longer, LORD, will you forget anger, and screams for justice.
about me? W ill it be forever? How long will Yet at rant's end, most songwriters calm down.
you hide? How long must I be confused and As one worked-up poet put it in his complaint's
miserable all day?" (Psalm 13:1-2 CEV) . finale, "I trust in your unfailing love" (Psalm
/I "My God, why have you deserted me? Why 13:5).
are you so far away' Won't you listen to my
LO N G T RIP 5 and music are a matched set. Perhaps they Priests and other worship leaders
educated in the laws of God were able to
have been since the first barefooted traveler discovered the
steer the Jews away from warped ideas
hum. Psalms preserves more than a dozen road so ngs. Jews
about God. It worked sometimes. other
sing them whenever they're traveling-especially when times, not so much.
they're headed to Jerusalem.
And they go to Jerusalem a lot. It's the only place in Israel
they're allowed to offer sacrifices to God, at the Jerusalem LYRICS FOR THE LONG HAUL
I look up to the mountains-
Temple.
does my help come from there?
Jews call these psal ms "songs of ascent. " As in so ngs to
My help comes from the LO"D,
sing wh ile climbing the hi lls to Jerusalem. Whenever Jews who made heaven and earth!
said they were going to Jerusalem , they sa id they were going P SALM 121:1-2
"up" to Jerusalem-even if they lived in Galilee and were
heading south, down to Jerusalem . No matter which direc- Just as Jerusalem is protected
by mountains on every side,
tion they come from , they have to climb hills. Jerusalem sits
the LO"D protects his people
on the crest of ridge just west of the Mount of O lives ridge,
by holding them in his arms
across the narrow Kidron Valley.
now and forever.
That's why several of the road songs talk about moun- P SALM 125:2 CEV
tains. Others talk about protection along the way, from rob-
bers and wi ld animals.
... WALKING TUNES .
Some psalms were travel tun es, appro-
priate for trips to Jerusalem or for life's
journey in general: "S how me the right
path, 0 LORD; point out the road for me
to follow" (Psa lm 25:4).
PSALM 72
just his representative. So the Jews not only pray
for the king, they sing songs praising him. They
Songs about the king also sing some of their prayers for the king.
Psalms has a dozen songs that Bible experts call
SONGS ABOUT THE PRESIDENT or other royal psalms: 2, 18,20,21,45,6 1, 72,89, 101,
political leaders today don't usually produce the 110, 132, 144. A sampling:
kind of lyrics we'd expect ro hear in a church- "Yes, our protection comes from the LORD,
though maybe in a bar. and he, the Holy One of Israel, has given us our
Jews in Bible times seem to think of their king" (Psalm 89:18).
king not as a political leader, bur as God's cho- "Please help the king to be honest and fair just
sen leader. That's where the king's title comes like you, our God" (Psalm 72: 1 CEV) .
from: Anointed One. Messiah in the Hebrew "Add many years to the life of the king! ...
language. Christ in Greek. May he reign under God's protection forever"
As far as many Jews are concerned, God's their (Psalm 61:6-7).
true king. The current resident of the palace is
» 970 Be 930 Be
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Solomon becomes Solomon dies
HISTORY "....
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king of Israel
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»
HISTORY .... writes Egyptian proverbs
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PROVERBS
WISE GUYS WITH SNAPPY ONE-LINERS
STORY LINE Much of the sage advice crosses the age and gen-
der boundaries.
IMAGINE JEWISH FORTUNE COOKIES- Which is one reason Proverbs has become one
each stuffed with a snappy one-liner. That's of the most quoted books in the Bible. It has wide
what the book of Proverbs sounds like to some appeal. Besides that, it's not abstract religious phi-
folks. losophy. It's religion going toe-to-toe with the real
It's as though someone hijacked a truckload of world.
kosher fortune cookies, cracked open the cookies,
and copied the wise sayings into a book. /I LO C ATI 0 N: Israel.
Don't look for a plot in Proverbs, or a story, or
a character-at least not a heto or vi llain with an /I TIME : During Solomon's reign, from about
honest-to-goodness name. 970-930 Be.
Heroes and villains in Proverbs are more general
than specific. Bad guys include loose women, lazy /I AUTHOR: Most are attributed to King Sol-
men, and kids dumb as a bag of lug nuts (Proverbs omon, and some to a group of wise men.
21:9; 26:14; 15:20). Good guys include business-
savvy wives, appreciative husbands, and friends
who don't ask us to cosign their loans (Proverbs
31:24,31; 6:1-5).
This is a practical book written by grand-
fatherly graduates from the school of hard knocks:
old men offering their best advice to young men.
700 Be
Hezekiah orders collection of Solomon'S
proverbs (see Proverbs 25:1)
If bad companions tempt you, don't go along with MAKING TIME FOR GRAND-
them. If they say- "Lets go out and raise some hell" DAUGHTER .Pausing at a wedding
.... don't listen to them for a minute. celebration, an elderly leader among
P RO V ERBS 1: 10-11 , 15 M SG
Ha sidic Jews pauses to give his grand-
dau ghter a hug. As a Proverbs sage once
put it, "Gra ndchi ldren are the crowning
Good-far-nothin g "friends" like that, the sage warns, are
glo r y of the aged" (Prover bs 17:6).
dumb enough to think they're setting traps for other people-
peop le they think they'll rob and kil l. In stead, they're setting
traps for themselves. THE OLD MAN ' S ADVICE FOR KIDS
"They gang up to murder someone, bur they are the vic- Sages of Proverbs offer the following
advice, targeted just t o yo ung sters.
tim s. The wealth you get from crime robs YOll of your life"
(Proverbs 1: 18- 19 CEV) .
> Show good sense: "C hildren with
good se nse make their parents
hap py, but foolish children are hate-
ful to them" (Proverbs 15:20 CEV) .
Count on God
pain in your gut, a wound in your heart. She's dancing > Dress for testoste rone; accentuate
the protuberances.
down the primrose path to Death; she's headed straight
> Take a strol l at dusk, as night begi ns
for Hell and taking you with her. " to thicken.
PRO VERBS 5:3-5 MSG > Target a man with the com mon sense
of a gopher ho le.
''Adultery is a brainless act, soul-destroying, self > Greet him like you r long-lost lover:
touchy, feely, huggy, kissy.
destructive; expect a bloody nose, a black eye, and a
reputation ruined for good. "
> Invite him home for sex like he wou ldn't
bel ieve.
PRO V ERBS 6:32 - 33 MSG
> Lead him gently, like a jackass to the
glue factory.
~ KOSHER NAP.
A Jeru salem st udent catc hes a fe w z's
in a Yeshiva, a sc hool fo r t he stud y of
sacred Jewish wr it ing s. Proverbs urges
parent s to point th eir kids in the right
dire cti on-a ph rase th at many sc holars
say means right behavior, co nduct that
wou ld please God.
PROVERBS 11:24; 21:13; 28:27
REWARDED.
"If you won't help the poor, don't expect to be heard A man on a park bench plants one on his
when you cry out for help. " beloved. He might not know it, but he's
P ROVERBS 21 :13 CEV following the last sentence of advice
in Proverbs-advice about how a man
shou ld treat his wife: "praise her in pub-
THE PROMISE :
lic" (Prove rbs 31:3 1CEV) .
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ECCLESIASTES
SMARTEST MAN VS. TOUGHEST QUESTION
Ecclesiastes reports an epic battle. Humanity's /I TIM E: 900s Be, if Solomon wrote it.
smartest person takes on life's toughest question.
Spoiler alert. Solomon can't figure it out. /I AUTHOR: "Teacher. " A code name that
And he seems really bumm ed about it: "Noth- stro ngly hints at King Solomon: "These are the
ing makes sense! Everything is nonsense" (Eccle- words of th e Teacher, King David's son, who
siastes 1:2 CEV). ruled in Jerusalem" (Ecclesiastes 1:1). If we
He says humans don't make any lasting differ- called th is book by an English name, it might be
ence. We're born. We live. We die. But the sun "The Teaching." But Bible translators stick with
rises the next day, the wind blows, and the river the Greek ekklesiastes, meaning "the one of the
flows-as though we never made any difference assembly."
to them.
His conclusion: Enjoy life and treat it as a gift
ftom God.
Life: What's the point? Nor quite what we'd expect to hear from a
preacher. But this writer calls himself the Teacher.
LIFE IS THE MOVIE GROUNDHOG DAY- And he's just getting started.
one recycled day after another.
"Everything that happens has happened
before," Solomon complains. "Nothing is new"
(Ecclesiastes 1:9 CEV) .
He thinks about what he has done w ith his
life: enjoying the pleasures of many wives, build-
ing massive wealth, and earning a rep as the wisest
guy o n the planer.
But what's the point of any of it, he wo nders,
when the rich and the poor, the w ise and the
dumb end up the same way: dead in the dirt.
.JACKS ARE WILD. I So are monks from time to
Ditto for good people and bad people.
time. Relatively speaking. Some scholars argue that
"I've seen it all in my brief and pointless life,"
Solomon was n't preaching aga inst being good and
he writes. "H ere a good person cut down in the godly. He was arguing against overdoing it-against
middle of doing good, there a bad person living a holier-than-thou contro l freaks who stress them -
long life of sheer evil. So don't knock youtself out selves to death in the process.
ECCLESIASTES 3:1-15
The difference between the seasons of weather
and the seasons of life is that with the weather, we
Time for war, time for peace know which season is coming next. With life, we
don't have a clue. We'd love ro know: "God has given
A FOLK SONG ABOUT PEACE "Turn, Turn, them a desire to know the furure" (Ecclesiastes 3: 11
Turn," written by Pete Seeger in 1954, sets music NCV). Bur only God knows what lies ahead.
ro a paraphrase of Ecclesiastes 3. The best we can do, Solomon says, is to trust God
through each season, believing, "He does everything
To everything (turn, turn, turn) just right and on time" (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NCV).
Like Solomon, the folksinger recites the flip- quake survivor gets a
drink of water from US
side seasons of life, which are as opposite as sum-
Army Sergeant Kornelia
mer and winter. There's a time ro be born and a
Rachwal during an airlift in
time to die. In between, there are times to: kill/ October 2005. The quake
heal; cry/laugh; hug/push away; find/lose; tear! in the Kashm ir region
mend; love/hate. killed more than 73,000.
ECCLESIASTES 4:13-16; 5:8-17
HOLY LAP OF LUXURY I A servant delivers a drink to a guest in the lavishly appointed home of Jerusalem·s
high pr iest. Many Jews considered wealth a blessing from God-and poverty a curse. The story of Job and the
teachings of Jesus, some Bible experts argue, see m to refute that theory.
Ecclesiastes I 199
SONG OF SONGS 7:8
Comparing his lover to a slender palm tree, the man says,
"I'm going to climb that palm tree! I'm going to caress its
fruit! Oh yes! Your breasts will be clusters of sweet fruit to
me" (MSG).
» 970 Be 960 Be
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HISTORY "....
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WORLD -X
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SONG OF SONGS
THE LANGUAGE OF LOVEY-DOVEY
STORY LINE symbol of God's love for Israel. Christians said it
symbolized Christ's love for the church.
THERE'S PLENTY OF EROTIC SEX in this Only in the 1800s did scholars begin to accept
poem. No God, though. He's a no-show. it as a song about a man and a woman expressing
That's a problem. their deepest feelings of love in both words and
People who revere scripture-Jews and Chris- sexual intimacy-God-approved sex.
tians alike-have wondered what a sexually
explicit song about two people in love is doing in /I LOCATION: Israel. Mentioned sites: Jeru-
the Holy Bible. salem, Mount Carmel, Sharon Plain, Mount
Whipping out unapologetically sensual words, Hermon.
a woman expresses her desire to make love with a
man. The man outdoes "Ditto," vowing to climb /I TIM E: During Solomon's rule, from about
his lady like a date tree and fill his hands and 970-930 Be.
mouth with the fruit of her breasts.
Whoa, Nellie. /I AUTHOR: The original Hebrew language
That certainly can't mean what it sounds like calls this a song "of Solomon," which could mean
it means. At least that's what Bible-loving schol- it was by him, about him, or perhaps for him-as
ars concluded for most of 3,000 years since Solo- a song performed at one of his weddings.
mon's day.
Instead, they agreed, this book that sounds like
the love letters of two youngsters juiced up on
hormones is a metaphor. Jews presented it as a
930 BC
Solomon dies,
leaving 1,000 widows
mon, and rhen saw rhem show up in prinr. C learly, rhese rwo are working up ro
This is one gal and guy who know how ro ralk somerhing-and ir's nor a meraphor. So say
rhe ralk, sraking passion from a dry spark ra a mosr scho lars raday.
sweary inferno.
SHE: "Kiss me-full on rhe mourh!" (1:2 MSG).
HE: "Your lips are jewel red .... Your breasrs are
like fawns .... The kisses of your lips are honey,
my love . . . . You're a secrer garden ... a whole
SONG OF SONGS 2. 7
delicious love." As for the man, the lady reports,
"His eyes feasted on me!" (Song of Songs 2:3-4
Love feast MSG).
even if it's literal and not a poetic way of talk- Most Bible experts today agree that she's prob-
in g about the bedroom, the meal comes across as ably not talking about fruit as we know it or jam
foreplay. Sutrounded by an orchard of fruit, the preserves in a pickle jar.
lady says, "All [ want is to... taste and savor his (continued next page)
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• • • • • • • • !
DESCRIBING ONE
LOOKER OF A LADY
Thighs: "works of ar t. each one a jewel"
Navel: "a wine glass filled to overflowing"
Body: " t all and slender "
Breasts: "ful l" . .. [and soft as] "twins of
a dee r "
Neck: " li ke ivory"
Eyes: "sparkl e li ke t he pools of Heshbon"
Head: "held hig h like Mount Carmel"
Hair: "so lovely it holds a king pri soner"
Lips: "more delicious t han . . .th e fines t
wine"
SONG OF SON GS 7:1-5, 7, 9 CEV
SONG OF SONGS 8
"Hang my locket around your neck, wear my
ring on your finger" (Song of Songs 8:6 MSG) .
Torrents of rain can't quench the fire, the young RING AROUND THE BRIDE AND GROOM I
Bu ll s-eye of attention, a Jew ish br ide and groom find
lady says. Floods can't drown it. Yet this death-
themselves in the middle of a ring of dancing men. In
derying force is free. It can't be bought or sold.
the Song of Songs, a young lady asks a young man to
T he lady gives her love freely. But she wants consider her a seal over his heart. When it comes to
something in return: commitment. romance, no one else gets in.
ISAIAH 53
Isaiah predicts that an innocent man, interpreted by New
Testament writers as Jesus, will die for the sins of others:
"the LORa gave him the punishment we deserved" (53:6 CEV).
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I 5 A I A H
ERASING ISRAEL
rhe Jewish people. When Isaiah volunteers, God T HOW TO PURIFY A PROPHET I An angel takes
warns rhar rhe Jews won'r lisren. a burning coal from a censer and touches it to Isaiah's lips
Bur rhar's nor rhe worsr news. in what appears to be a painless, sym bolic act. Purified,
Isaiah can now speak God's words to the Jewish people.
ISAIAH 7
conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and wi ll call him book of Isaiah. They call it the Fifth
Gospel, putting it in the same ballpark
Immanuel (wh ich means 'God is with us')" (Isaiah 7: 14) . By
as the four New Te stament books that
the time this mystery chi ld is eati ng solid food and under-
tra ck the life of Jesus: Matthew, Mark,
stands the difference between right and wrong, Isaiah prom- Luke, and John.
ises, Israel and Syria wi ll be deserted. The reason: Some of Isaiah's prophe-
Ahaz isn't convinced. H e turns to Assyria for help any- cies about Jesus seem dead-an-more
way. It obl iges by defeating Israel and Syria. But it also turns like the report of an eyewitness than
vague prophecies 700 years ahead of
Judah into a nation that serves Assyria and supports the
time. Gospel writers saw the connections
empire with high taxes.
to Jesus and quoted Isaiah some 50 times,
tells the Virgi n Mary she Peace child. "A child is born to us ....
send a sign-a virgin would it s peace wil l never end" (Isa iah 9:6-7).
to a woman in his day, New Gentiles... will be filled with glory" (Isa'
iah 9:1).
Testament writers linked
the prophecy to Mary as Healer. "When he comes, he will open
well. Isaiah's Hebrew word th e eyes of the bli nd and unplug the
"young woman." But the Buried in rich tomb. " He was buried
Greek word used in Mary's like a crimin al; he was put in a rich
EDOM. Long-term hatred between Edam and Jews began after Edam refused to let
Moses and the Exodus ~ ews cross their land In peace. They plundered :Jerusalem after
Babylon destroyed It.
The land will lie deserted from generation to
generation. No one will live there anymore" (Isaiah 34:10).
ETHIOPIA . In Bible times, thiS was what is now southern Egypt and Sudan.
"Their dead bodies will be left for the birds of the mountains to eat" (Isaiah 18:6-7 NlrV) .
MOAB. Fought many wars With the Jews. The Moabite Stone reports Moab's success-
ful war of Independence from the :Jews_
"Within three years ... the glory of Moab will be ended" (Isaiah 16:14). Perhaps a refer-
ence to Assyria's Invasion about 715 Be.
Isaiah 213
ISAIAH 11, 32, 45, 52, 55, 60 HAS THE MESSIAH COME?
Chri stians tend to see Jesus as the
myste rious ruler Isaia h talks about-a
A better day's a-comin' "rig hteous ki ng" (Isa iah 32:1). But ma ny
J ews say Jesus couldn't possi bly have
THE EN D OF THE JEWISH N ATIO N isn'r rh e en d of been th e Mess iah beca use the world is
anyth ing but peaceful. Christia ns argue
Israel's sro ry.
that th e peace Jesus brought was spiri'
Isaiah-like all rh e Bible prophers who predier rh e desrruc-
tu al, not politica l.
rion of rhe Jewish homeland-promises a fresh srart. Israel
will rise again.
"Though I have desrroyed you in my anger," Isaiah quares PROPHECY AS POETRY.
God , "I will now have mercy on you" (Isaiah 6 0: 10). Most Bibl e prophecy is written as
poet ry, a genre ric h in symboli sm.
Israel's resurreerion srarts wirh somerhing Isaiah describes
Tha t's why ma ny Bi ble translat ions
as a shoor fro m rhe dead srump of a tree. H e gives rhe tree
print the lines in poetic fo rm. That's
srump a name: Jesse, rhe farher of King David. Jr's his poeri c also why ma ny sc hola rs are slow to take
way of saying rhar from D avid's descendants God wi ll send a some of the messages literally, prefe r-
righreous ruler. For a change, "The poor and rhe needy will ring to grant the proph ets some poetic
be treared wirh fa irness and wirh jusrice" (Isa iah 11 :4 CEV). lice nse. (For tips on how to interpret
Peace will come. Isaiah describes ir wi rh whar sounds like Hebrew poetry, see page 17B.)
a meraphor, bur which some rake lirerally: "In rhar day rhe
wolf and rhe lamb will live rogerher. . .. And a linl e child will PREDICTING CYRUS ZOO
lead rh em" (Isaiah 11 :6). YEARS AHEAD OF TIME.
Good rimes won'r be limired ro jusr rh e Jews, Isaiah says. One reason some sc holars doubt Isa-
Everyo ne wi ll be welcome in rhe coming kingdom ruled by ia h wrote the entire book is beca use
God's law of co mpassion and jusrice: he seems to na me the Persian king
who frees the Jews from their Iraq i
(Ba bylo nian) ex ile. "I will raise up Cy rus
"[s anyone thirsty> Come and drink. ... It's all free!"
to fu lfill my rig hteous purpose .... He
I SA I A H 55:1 will restore my city and free my cap-
tive peopl e" (Isa iah 45:13). Proph ec ies
"So turn to me and be helped-saved!-everyone, aren't usually this spec ific. Yet many
whoever and wherever you are. [ am GOD, the only pe op le of fa ith say God co uld have
God there is, the one and only. " given Isa iah thi s in sig ht.
I SA I AH 45 : 22 MSG
THE LAST JEWISH NATION DIES-kill ed Babylonians lay siege to Jerusalem for a year
by two empires. and a half, breaking through the walls in the sum-
First, Assyrians from what is now northern Iraq mer of 586 BC Jewish King Zedekiah and his
take our most of Judah's walled cities in 70 1 Be army run for their lives. Bur Babylonians capture
(see Isaiah 36). Forry-six cities fall, says a report the king a day's ride away. T hen the invaders burn
from Assyrian King Sennacherib. Jerusalem and dismantle the buildings and walls.
It happens near the end of Isaiah's watch, and
he reports it in chapter 36. The Assyrians are
responding to King H ezekiah's poor decision to
team up with several neighboring nations try-
ing to win their independence from the Assyrian
Emp ire. Assyria crushes the revolt. Only a miracle
spares Jerusalem, sending the Assyrians running
for their lives from what sounds like a plague (see /
page 137). (
T he death blow co mes more than a century
later, as Isaiah seemed to predict in several proph-
ecies. Babylonians conq uer Assyria and comrol Frantic note from Lachish, under attack
much of the M iddle East. T hen they invade Judah
LACHISH: A FALLEN CITY ON THE RECORD
after the Jews try again ro win their independence
l One of the Jewish cities to fall was Lach ish. As
by withholding taxes to the emp ire.
Babylo nians swept through Judah, a Lac hish defender
wro t e his commander a desperate note fou nd in the
"Your country lies in ruins, andyour towns city's charr ed guardhouse. It reads, in part: "May God
are burned. " grant that you, my lo rd, will hear news of peace. Even
IS A I AH 1:7 now. Even now" (AUTHOR'S PARAP HRASE ).
ISAIAH 53 THE JEWISH VIEW OF WHO
THIS MYSTERY MAN IS.
Most Jews say they do n't see J esus
The suffering savior in Isaiah 's descrip ti on of a "suffer-
ing servant." Some say they see the
ISAIAH'S MYSTERY MAN who is tortured and exe- Jew ish nat ion, suffe rin g through
the Baby loni a n exi le. Othe rs say
cuted-saving o rners in the process-is Jesus. That's what
Isa iah was ta lkin g abo ut an inno-
C hristians have been saying since Jesus' own century.
cent minorit y of Je ws who suffered
Whoever this mystery man is, Isaiah introd uces him because of dec isions made by their
like he's the same justice-seeking ruler who brings peace to sinful lead ers-dec is ion s suppo rted
the planet. The peacemaker grows up like "a shoot" (Isaiah by a sinful majority.
11: 1). The man of suffering grows up "like a ten der g reen
shoot" (Isaiah 53:2).
T JESUS ON TRIAL.
Many ofIsaiah's d escri ption s match the story of Jesus -
"He was condem ned to dea th with-
so m e in rem arkable ways. (See " Finding Jesus in Isaiah ," out a fai r trial" (Isaiah 53:8 cev). This
next page.) is one of many of Isaiah's pred ict ions
about an unidentified man of suffering,
which seems to track with the stor y of
Jesus' execution. At least that's how
most Christians rea d the prophecy.
Most J ews, however, beg to differ.
DESPISED. LED TO SLAUGHTER. SILENT.
..
"He was despised "Like a lamb to the slaughter" (v. 7). "As a sheep is silent before the
shearers, he did not open his
••
SINLESS.
...
WHIPPED.
Isaiah 217
JEREMIAH 52
Two and a half years into their siege of Jerusalem, Babylonian
invaders break through the walls. They arrest survivors but
release Jeremiah because he urged the Jewish king to surrender.
» 627 Be
BI BlE r
r
Jeremiah's Jeremiah dictates his
HISTORY "....
»
ministry begins prophecies to a scribe
'"
~
.......... .... .. .. .. .. »
"0
"0
'"x
0 Babylonians destroy Babylonians defeat Assyrians
WORLD -
;:: Assyrian capital of Nineveh in Battle of Carchemish
»
HISTORY .... 612 Be 605 Be
'"
JEREMIAH
WATCHING ISRAEL DIE
588 Be 586 Be
Babylonian soldiers Babylonians destroy
surround Jerusalem Jerusalem, exile Jews
It's a thankless job in Judah, a nation with TH E JOB I Moses offe red severa l excuses: He
was a nobody. the Jews wouldn't believe him. and he
generations of expertise in breaking God's laws.
was n't a good speake r (see Exodus 3). Jonah didn't
No one wants to hear the messages Jeremiah bother arguing. Ass ign ed to go t o Nineveh in what is
will deliver. Messages of tragic consequences: now northern Iraq, Jonah booked passage on a ship
"Disaster will come from the north and strike headed in the opposite direction (see Jonah 1).
.JEREMIAH 2, S, 7, 17
"Off you went, vis iting every sex-and-religion shrin e on the and dating to ro ughly 1000 Be. Jer-
emiah rid icu led people who worshipped
way.... J [God] satisfied their deepest needs, and then they
idols: "To an idol chiseled fro m a block
went off with the 'sacred' whores, left me for orgies in sex
of stone they say, 'You are my mot her'"
shrines!" Oeremiah 2:20; 5:7 MSG). (Jeremiah 2:27).
BREACH OF CONTRACT (breaking the laws of Moses, an
agreement their ancestors made with God). "Keep the Sab-
bath day sacred! I gave this command to your ancestors, but JEREMIAH BAD-MOUTHS IDOLS .
Jeremiah not only condemns people
they were stubborn and refused to obey or to be corrected"
who worship idols, he implies they're
Oeremiah 17:22-23 CEV) . Ditto for the current generation.
dumber than th e block of wood the y
Worshipping only God and honoring the Sabbath as a day
worship: "They chop down a tree, carve
of rest and worship are 2 of the 10 Commandm ents. These the wood into an idol , cover it with sil-
10 most basic laws of the Jewish religion , the laws on wh ich ver and gold, and th en nai l it down so it
all others are based, are intended for th e benefit of God's peo- won' t fall over. An idol is no bett er than a
ple. When the Jews break these laws, they hurt th emselves- scarecrow. It can' t speak , and it has to be
carried, because it can't wa lk. Why wor-
and they invite the terrible consequences written into their
ship an idol that can't help or harm you?"
ancient agreement wi th God (see Deureronomy 28: 15-68).
(Jeremiah 10:3-5 CEV).
CALL TO WORSHIP I
A t emp le priestess waits SEX SHRINES .
to wor sh ip. Th e J ews Adultery was a perfect symbol of Judah's
may have engaged in sex sin, scholars say. When th e Jews wor-
rituals wi th priestesses shipped idols instead of God, it was a
devoted to fe rti lity gods bit like cheating on a spouse. Both sins
such as Baal and Ashera h. involve breaking an exclusive contra ct.
Some paga n worship ritu als seemed to
involve literal adultery-havi ng sex with
temple prostitutes. Some apparently
believed th at when Canaan's fertilit y god
Baal wa tched worshippers having sex, it
sexually stimulated him, causing him to
re lease his semen: rain, which fert ilized
the dry land.
Jeremiah I 221
.JEREMIAH 7
been destroyed. Beat up, certainly. But never
destroyed.
Refuting religious hogwash Assyrians tried taking Jerusalem a century
earlier, overrunning every other Jewish city they
THERE'S A RELIGIOUS REASON most targeted except Jerusalem. God sent them run-
Jews ignore Jeremiah's warning that Jerusalem ning for their lives, unleashing what sounds like
is doomed. a plague (see 2 C hronicles 32:21).
Jerusalem is God's hometown, at least on earth: Jeremiah, however, reminds the Jews that God
"He lives in Jerusalem" (Ezra 7:15 Nlrv). The has the option of relocating if the neighborhood
Temple is God's home, his "dwellin g" (Deuter- goes sour.
onomy 14:23 TNIV) . The Ark of the Covenant- Quoting God, Jeremiah says, "Don't be fooled
the chest holding the 10 Commandments in into thinking that you will never suffer because
the Temple's holiest room-is "God's footstool" the Temple is here. It's a li e! Do you really think
(1 Chronicles 28:2). yo u can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and
As far as most Jews are concerned, there's no burn incense to Baal and all those other new
wayan earth God would let anyone destroy his gods of yours, and then come here and stand
hometown or chase him out of his own house. before me in my Temple and chant, 'We are
In the Court of Common Sense, Jews would safe!'-on ly to go right back to all those evi ls
offer nearly 400 years of history as evidence for again?" (Jeremiah 7:8- 10).
the defense. That's how long So lomon's Temple
has stood inside the Jewish city that has never
JEREMIAH 14
They're wrong. After some 400 years of break-
ing their ancient agreement with God to obey
God stops listening to prayer his laws, they're about to witness God invoke the
penalty clause:
JEWS REACH THE POINT OF NO RETURN.
They know they're in big trouble, bur they don't The LORD will make the sky overhead
have a prayer. Literally. seem like a bronze roof that keeps out the
rain. and the ground under your fiet will
The L ORD said to me, "Do not pray for become as hard as iron. Your crops will be
these people anymore. When they fost, J scorched. . . . The LORD will let you be
will pay no attention. When they present defiated by your enemies. and you will
their burnt offerings and grain offerings scatter in all directions.
to me, J will not accept them. Instead, DEUTERONOMY 28:23, 25 CEV
A lO-year sentence
"[ will gather together all the armies of the north under Seal of Baruc h th e scribe
Thi s is the year that King N ebuch adn ezzar of Babylon t he long er, formal names of him self
and hi s fath er. It reads: " Belonging t o
crushes the last remnant of th e Assyrian arm y, at the Batri e
Berekya hu son of Neriya hu th e sc rib e."
of Carchemi sh. And it's th e year Nebuchadn ezza r pays a
Ma ny sc holars say it's a forge r y; oth er s
visit to Jerusalem to announ ce th at he's now the boss of disagree.
th e M iddle East. H e takes many Jewish leaders home with
him , aga in st their will, whi ch effect ively makes h is po int.
A seco nd ex ile will follow in 597 BC, when Nebu chad-
nezzar crushes a Jewish revol t. Th e big ex il e wi ll co me in
586 BC, with the fa ll of Jerusalem.
Seve nty years end after Persians defeat the Babyloni ans
and free the Jews, who begin returnin g home in 538 Be.
T hat's actually about 67 years. But "70" might symbolize
a generatio n-a round number representing the average
hu man lifespan (see Psalm 90: 10).
Most survivors are taken to Babylon in exile, The Jews go anyhow, taking Jeremiah with
832 of them (see Jeremiah 52:29). Only the poor- them against his will. He is never heard from
est stay behind, to tend the vineyards and fields again.
so Nebuchadnezzar can continue to collect taxes
ftom the produce. Left in charge is a Babylonian-
LAMENTATIONS 4:10
Jews trapped inside Jerusalem during the Babylonian army's
two -and-a-half-year siege resort to cannibalism. Mothers eat
their own children.
» 605 BC
BI BlE r
r
Babylon orders Judah to Babylon at tacks Jerusalem,
HISTORY "....
»
submit and pay taxes tears down waifs
'"
~
.. .. .. .. . . ......... . .. »
'0
'0
'"x
0 Babylon defeats
WORLD -
<: Assyria, Egypt
»
HISTORY .... 605 BC
'"
LAMENTATIONS
THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT
IN JERUSALEM
5 TOR Y LIN E He weeps until his eyes burn red. And he prays
for God to restore his nation.
NOT JUST THE SADDEST BOOK in the Bible,
Lamentations is perhaps one of the saddest songs /I LOCATION: Jerusalem.
ever sung blue.
It is a song. And it's written as though Jews /I TIM E: The writer describes Babylon's siege
would sing it to commemorate one of the most of Jerusalem that began January 15, 588 BC, fol-
tragic moments in their long history: the death lowed by the city's fallon July 18, 586 BC The
of their nation. writer doesn't mention the Jewish return from
The musician writes like an eyewitn ess to the exi le in 538 BC So scholars guess the book was
fall of Jerusalem. Graph ic details suggest he expe- written sometim e during that 50-year window.
riences the fear, deprivation, and starvation inside
the Jewish capital city while Babylonians lay siege /I AUTHOR: Unidentified. Jewish tradition
to it for two and a half years. credits the prophet Jeremiah. He wrote another
The songwriter then watches helplessly as these book in this genre: "The Book of Laments"
invaders burn Jerusalem , dismantle the city walls, (2 Chronicles 35:25).
and exi le most of the survivors to Babylon, in
what is now Iraq.
Shtouded in grief, he pens this ballad about a
Jewish people who now have no king, no country,
no Temple for worshipping God.
586 BC 538 BC
Babvlon destroys Persia frees Jews
Jerusalem, exiles Jews to return home
LAMENTATIONS 2. 4
As for the poet, he says he's on a mission. He's
going (0 contact God who has "shur our my
Jerusalem's slow death prayers" and "blocked my way with a high s(One
wall" (Lamentations 3:8-9).
TRAPPED INSIDE JERUSALEM-the Jewish His strategy: ''I'll sob until the Lord looks down
capital city surrounded by Babylonian invaders- from heaven. I'll cry until he notices my tears"
a poet describes the misery he sees. (Lamentations 3:50 Nlrv).
God does n't enjoy punishing his peop le, the poet writes, you despise us so mu ch that you don't
wan t us?" (Lamen t ati ons 5:22 CEV).
though he says they deserve it. The poet pleads with his fel-
low Jewish survivors to admit their sin s an d ask for God's
forgiveness. T hen he pleads with God: "Resto re us, 0 LORD,
and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we
o nce had!" (Lamentations 5:21).
» 597 Be 593 Be
BI BlE r
r
Babylonians deport Ezekiel's 22-year
HISTORY "....
»
Ezekiel from Jerusalem ministry begins
~'"
... ..... ...... .. .. .. .. »
""
'"x
0 Babylon defeats
WORLD -
Assyrian Empire
;:: Archers behind shield
»
HISTORY .... 605 Be
'"
E z E KI E L
NIGHT TERRORS: VISIONS OF ISRAEL'S FUTURE
586 Be 571 Be
Babylonians destroy Ezekiel's ministry ends
Jerusalem, deport more Jews
Babylon
surrenders to Persia
539 Be
EZEKIEL 1-3
transported on a chariot, escorted by angelic
beings. This is a symbol of the Jews' most sacred
Ezekiel's bizarre visions object, many say-the Ark of the Covenant, kept
in the Jerusalem Temple. This gold-covered chest
MINDING HIS OWN BUSINESS in exi le, that held the 10 Commandments, described as
sourh of Baghdad, Ezekiel suddenly finds him- the Lord's "chariot, " was topped with angelic
self transported into what could sound like a beings called "cherubim" (1 Chronicles 28:18).
Stephen King horror novel. Some readers spec- A voice, presumably God's, calls Ezekiel "son
ulate he encountered a UFO and alien beings of man" (Ezekiel 3: 1) and assigns him the job of
because he describes humanoid creatures and a prophet. The voice orders Ezekiel to eat a scro ll
flying object with wheels inside wheels, reminis- filled with words-apparently to symbolize that
cent of gyroscopes. the words Ezekiel will speak as a prophet are
Bible experts, however, say Ezekiel experienced God's words.
a vision rich in imagery that's tailored for a Jewish "When I ate it," Ezekiel says, "it tasted as sweet
priest. H e sees what appears to be God's throne as honey" (Ezekiel 3:3).
~
... . B.bylon
~ • Damascus
·",erus.lem
,
EZEKIEL 5-7
Perhaps more than any other ptophet, Eze-
kiel has a flair for the dramatic. When it's time
Ezekiel's close shave to condemn the people for worshipping idols on
mountaintop shrines, he addresses the mountains
A TRIM AND A SHAVE becomes a message of on behalf of God. " J will kill your people in ftont
horrifYing doom for the Jewish nation. of your idols" (Ezekiel 6:4) .
God tells Ezekiel to shave his head and beard, And the idols-blocks of wood and stone-
and then divide the hair into three equal piles. won't be able to do a thing about it.
/! BURN ONE PILE OF HAIR ON A BRICK.
PROPHET IN HEAVEN
The brick should have a picture of Jerusa-
I Visions transport Eze-
lem sketched on it. Burning the hair on the kiel to heaven, where he
picture represents that a third of the Jews gets instructions on how
trapped inside Jerusalem during Babylon's to warn the Jews about
siege will die of disease and starvation. their coming disaster.
A R A B NAT ION 5 surrounding Judah face their When Alexander the Great attacked Tyre,
loca ls retreated to an island fortress just
own judgment day-kingdoms in what are today
offshore. Alexander scraped Tyre bare,
known as Lebanon, Jordan, Palestinian territo-
using stones from the city walls and
ries, and Egypt. bui ldings to lay a causeway to the island,
Ezekiel gives special attention to Egypt (four where he overran the fortress. Many Bible
chapters) and to the wealthy Phoen ician port city experts say this ful fill s Ezekiel's prophecy.
ofTyre, Lebanon (three chapters) .
Ammon,
Cheered Judah's defeat Nomads will conquer them (Ezek iel 25:1-7)
in modern north Jordan
Moab, cent ral Jordan Said Judah is noth ing specia l Nomads wil l conquer them (Ezek iel 25:8-11 )
Philistia,
Took revenge on conquered Jews Utter destructio n (Ezekiel 25:15-17)
Palestinian Gaza Strip
Sidon, Lebanon port city Treated Jews wit h contempt A plague will slaughter them (Ezekiel 28:20-24).
l> 605 Be
BIBLE r
r
o Daniel deported to Babylon,
HISTORY l>
-< serves king
~
'"l>
'U
'U
'"
o Draco of Athens writes Phoenicians take three years
WORLD X
the first Greek laws to sail around Africa
HISTORY
"-<
l>
~ 620 Be 600 Be
D A N I E L
DREAM LOVER, L ION TAM E R
586 Be 538 Be
Babylon destroys Jerusalem, Persians free Jews to go home,
deports more Jews Daniel stays to serve king
Vegetarian Jews
stretch ing into rhe sky. Loaded with fruit, this tree feeds rhe INSANITY LAST?
Th e onl y hint offered in th e Bible is that
world. A vo ice fro m heaven orders, "Cut down th e tree ... .
it last s "seve n peri ods of tim e" (Da nie l
But leave rhe srump and rhe roots in th e ground" (Daniel
4:32) and t hat his fi nge rn ails and toe'
4: 14- 15). nails grew as long as bi rd claws and his
W hen the king rells D aniel about the dream and asks for hair as long as eagle feat hers. Seven
an explanarion, Daniel takes a few moments to compose sym bolizes completion-as in "as lo ng
hi mself. as God co nside rs approp riate." Fin ge r'
"I wish the events foreshadowed in this dream would hap- nails grow about one and a hal f inches
(four cm) a yea r, and sta rt to look claw'
pen to your enem ies, my lord, and not to you! " Daniel says
like at about an in ch (2 .5 cm).
(D aniel 4: 19).
The tree re presents the king. H e will temporari ly lose his
abi lity to rule- and eve n to reason. "You will be drive n from
hum an society, and you will live in rhe fields with the wild
animals. You will eat grass like a cow" (D aniel 4:25) .
D aniel pleads wirh the king to stop sinning and to trear
rhe poo r with mercy, a requesr apparently ignored .
A year later, insani ty srrikes rhe king. H e remains sick for
at least several months.
W hen he fin ally comes to his senses, he worships God ,
call ing him "rhe King of heaven" (D aniel 4 :37).
GENERAl SHERMAN
sense of the four words. Neither can anyone else Babylon. Medes we re from north Iran, Persians from
south Iran-before they united. Cyrus was the king of
at the parry:
Persia at the time. Darius may have been his genera l,
"Numbered. Numbered. Weighed. Divided."
some scholars say. A Babylonian record cred its a Per'
The king's mother remembers Daniel. He comes sian general with capturing Babylon. others say "Dar'
and offers a bleak interpretation that paraphrases ius" could have been a Babylonian name Cyrus adopted.
DANIEL 6
The king searches for a loophole in the law.
Finding none, he's forced to arrest Daniel and
Cats send him to the lions. Sponsors of the irrevocable
law insist.
DANIEL BECOMES A BULL'S-EYE, tar- Darius endures a sleepless night, refllsing enter-
geted by political rivals who want his job as top tainment or food. In the morning he rushes to the
administrator in the Persian Empire-new super- lions' den and calls out for Daniel, who replies:
power of the Middle East. "My God sent his angel to shut the lions' mouths"
Lower-level officials search for dirt on Dan- (Daniel 6:22).
iel. They can't find any. So they hatch a plot to Darius, furious at being manipulated, orders
manipulate the king into approving a law they the sponsors of the law and their entire families
know Daniel will break. thrown to the lions-which tear them apart.
Appealing to the king's abundant ego, they
sponsor a law ordering everyone to pray to no one
DANIEL PRAYS FACING JERUSALEM I By
but the king for a month. Lawbreakers will get fed
facing west towa rd Jeru sa lem, Daniel may have been
to the lions.
acting on King Solomon's prayer of dedication for
King Darius agrees and signs the irrevocable law. the Temple. Solomon prayed that if th e J ews sin and
Darius soon regrets it when the sponsors report are exiled, they would face the Temple and pray (see
that Daniel is praying three times a day to God. 1 King s 8:46-50).
FRAMING DANIEL I Prayer gets Daniel arrested and thrown into the lions' den. For what? Ambitious, rival
administrators plotting to get him out of th e way talk th e king into passing a prayer law. The y kno w Daniel prays
every day to God. So the law they sponsor makes it illegal for an entire month to pray to anyone but the king.
» 775 Be
BI BlE r
r
Jonah convinces Nineveh
HISTORY "....
»
Assyrians to repent
'"
~
.......... ........ .. .. »
"0
"0
'"x
0 Solar eclipse Massive earthquake rocks
WORLD -
;:: reported in Nineveh Hosea's home region
»
HISTORY .... 763 Be 760 Be
'"
H o 5 E A
MY W IF E THE HOOKER
750 Be 722 Be
Hosea begins Assyrians conquer
ministry Israel, exile citizens
LO-RUHAMAH, A DAUGHTER. Her name means "'Not happen. Rabbis Ibn Ezra and Radak, from
the AD llDOs, said the story was just the
loved'-for I will no longer show love to the people of
report of a vision or a dream. others
Israel" (Hosea 1:6).
suggest it may have been a parable-
LO-AMMI, A SON . His name means " 'Not my peo- a fictional story with a spiritua l message.
ple'-for Israel is not my people, and I am not their God"
(Hosea 1:9) .
MINOR PROPHETS.
Hosea is the first of a dozen books
ca ll ed "Minor Prophets." It's not that
they're less important. They're shorter.
Sixty-seven chapters combined. That's
just one more than Isa iah's 66 chapte rs.
Hosea comes first because it's the
longest. It's also first on the timeline-
at the start of 300 years covering the
Minor Prophets, stretching from the
700s-400s Be. (For a map showi ng
where the prophets ministered, see
page 208).
Runaway wife
l> 7ZZ BC :
BIBLE r
r
0 Assyrians conquer Israel, :
HISTORY l>
-< destroy capital: Samaria :
~
'"x
0 Firs t record of winners at
WORLD Olympic Games Boxing
HISTORY
"-<
l>
~ 776 BC
J o E L
DAY o F THE LOCUST
5868e 445 Be
Babylonians conquer Jews rebuild
Judah, destroy Jerusalem Jerusalem's walls
AMOS 5:23-24
God is sick of watching Jews go through the motions of
worship, with sacrifices and music. "Awav with the noise. ...
Let justice roll on like a river" (TN /V).
» 793 Be 760 Be
BI BlE r
r
Jeroboam II Approximate start
HISTORY "....
»
becomes king of Israel of Amos's ministrv
~'"
... ..... ...... .. .. .. .. »
""
'"x
0 Women barred from first Earthquake rattles region (see Amos 1:1).
WORLD -
;:: recorded OIVmpic Games Eviden ce found in damaged walls of Hazar
»
HISTORY .... 776 Be 760 Be
'"
A M o 5
FAT cows MIL K THE POOR
CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS come to this fig /I selling the poor into slavery to recoup debts
farmer, Amos, for the Bible's most damning as tiny as the price of a pair of sandals.
quotes about how rich and powerful people The country's top religious leader-rather than
exploit the poor. Quotes like this: support him-orders him to go back where he
came from.
"They walk on poor people as if they were
dirt, and they refose to be fair. " /I TIM E: During the reign of Judah's King
AMOS 2:7 NCV Uzziah (about 792-742 Be).
To deliver a message like this, God doesn't /I AUTHOR: These are "The words of Amos"
choose a prophet with uppity status and palace (Amos 1: 1 NRSV).
privileges. He picks someone who knows what it
means to struggle for a living. Amos says, "I'm not /I LOCATION: Amos lives in the village of
a professional prophet, and I was never trained Tekoa in the southern Jewish nation of Judah.
to be one. I'm just a shepherd, and I take care of But he takes his message to Samaria, capital of the
sycamore-fig trees" (Amos 7:14). northern Jewish nation of Israel, and to Israel's
Humble though Amos may be, he unloads worship center in Bethel (see map page 264).
bold messages-warning Israel's fat cats to stop:
/I bribing judges
/I mixing grain with filler chaff to punch up
their profit margin, and
722 Be 586 Be
Assyrians conquer Israel, Babylon destroys
destroy Samaria Jerusalem, exiles Jews
Amos's main compl aints: about an inch (2- 3 cm) long, th ese figs
were so wide ly ava il able th ro ughout
/I exploitation of th e poor (see 2:6-7)
th e Mediterranea n world th at peo pl e
/I sexual imm orality (see 2: 7)
ca lled th em " th e poor man's fo od."
/I corruption (see 3: 10; 8:5)
/I injusti ce in the courts (see 5:7, 12)
/I greed and self-indulgence (see 6:1-6)
/I worship of idols (see 7:9) .
to lean. Tear it down and start over. Bashan" (Amos 4:1 NCV), it was a wa rn-
in g. The butcher's coming.
FAT COWS ARE HEADED TO THE SLAUGHTER .
"Yo u cows of Bashan on the Mountain of Samaria. You take
things from the poor and crush people who are in need .. ..
The time will come when you will be taken away by hooks"
(Amos 4: 1-2 NCV) .
SELLING DIRT WITH GRAIN. "You say to your-
selves .... 'O ur wheat is ready, and we want to sell it now.
We can't wait to cheat and charge high prices for the grain
we sel l. We will use dishonest scales and mix dust in the
grain' " (Amos 8:5-6 CEV).
NOSE HOOKS.
Amos says the "cows of Bashan" will be
dragged away "by hooks" (Amos 4:1-2 NCV)
Amos I 265
OBADIAH 14
Jews on the run from Babvlonian invaders flee to the
neighboring nation of Edam, where some are murdered
and others are captured and turned over to the Babvlonians.
» 586 BC
BI BlE r
r
Babvlon conquers Judah, destroys
HISTORY "....
»
Jerusalem, deports Jews
'"
~
...................... »
'0
'0
'"x
0 Greek philosopher Anaximander says the world
WORLD -
comes from substance called the "unlimited"
HISTORY
'"
»
.... 575 BC
'"
o BAD I A H
HOW NOT TO TREAT WAR REFUGEES
538 BC
Narrow passage leading into Persians free
rock city of Petra. Edam Jews to go home
'"x
0 Homer, father of Greek literature, writes the Iliad
WORLD (fall of Troy) and the Odyssey (travels of Ulysses)
HISTORY
"-<
l>
~
BOO B C Ulysses resists the sirens
J o N A H
FISH CATCHES MAN, THROWS HIM BACK
722 Be
Assyria conquers
Israel, deports Jews
Pouting prophet
Jonah feels discredited-a prophet whose prophecy failed . himself outside the city and su lks.
you wanted me to spare," God says, "but it's not okay for me repentance. The story reminds them to fol-
low the example of the Assyrians by asking
to feel sorry for 120,000 human beings, and spare them'"
God to forgive them of their sins.
(Jonah 4:9, 11 AUTHOR'S PARAPHRASE).
... NINEVEH.
Now a ruin most ly buried under a
mound of dirt. Nineveh was the oldest
and most popu lated cit y in the Assyr-
ian Empire. It s wa ll s ran about 7.5 miles
(12 km) long and in some places were
148 feet (45 meters) high. This one-
time capital of the Assyrian Empire lies
Walls of Nineveh, visible in aerial photo alo ng the east bank of the Tigris, across
the river from Mosul, Iraq.
Jonah I 273
MICAH 5 : 2
Out of Bethlehem, a ruler of Israel will come-"whose family
goes back to ancient times" (CEV). Many Jews later said Micah
was talking about the Messiah (see Matthew 2:4-6).
Wedge-shaped
cuneiform
5868e
Babylonians conquer
Judah, destroy Jerusalem
" SHAVE YOUR HEADS . . . . Bald as a goose egg, " II Round one: bad news (1:1-2:11); good
news (2:12-13).
M icah tells the Jews (Micah 1: 16 MSG) . He's talking about an
II Round two: bad news (3); good news
ancient ritual for extreme mourning. The Jews are about to
(4:1-5:1 5 ).
have good reason to mourn to the max. /I Rou nd three: bad news (6:1-7:7);
Micah is del ivering this bad news to people in both Jewish good news (7:8-20).
nations: Israel and Judah. God is going to send conquerors to
destroy both nations. Israel's capital of Samaria and Judah's
EXILE 1940 • •
capital of Jerusalem "will be plowed" (Micah 1:6; 3: 12).
Many Jews lucky enough to have
Among God's many charges, and his sentence for each
survived the Holocaust lost their faith in
offense: God. They couldn't understand why God
would allow Nazis to mu rder six mi llion
"When you want a piece of land, you find a way to of them-a question that lingers for
seize it" (Micah 2:2). For this, God will take your land. perhaps most people of faith. In Bible
times, the exi le and slaughter had the
opposite effect. The generat ion of Jews
"You have evicted women from their pleasant homes"
after the exile saw firsthand that the
(Micah 2:9). God will take your homes from you.
prophets' warnings came true. So these
Jews seemed more committed than
"Merchants. .. use dishonest scales" (Micah 6'11). God ever to observing Jewish trad itions.
will take every coin you ever cheated away from an They didn't want to make the same
'"x
0 701 Be
WORLD Taylor Prism, an Assyrian Assyrians destroy
HISTORY
"-<
l>
~
report of war with Judah 46 cities of Judah
N A H u M
THE DISAPPEARING I RA Q I EMPIRE
STORY LINE Nahum may well have lived to see his proph-
ecy fulfilled.
ASSYRIAN BULLIES are about to meet their
match-and their Maker. /I TIM E: Clues In the book suggest Nahum
Nahum delivers the same message Jonah had experiences this vision sometime during a 50-year
delivered about a cen rury earlier: Nineveh- span: after the 663 BC fall of Egypt's capital in
capital and oldest city of the Assyrian Empire-is Thebes, which Nahum mentions, but before the
about to be destroyed. 612 BC fall of Assyria's capital in Nineveh, which
One difference: Jonah delivered his message in Nahum predicts.
person to the Assyrians, but it seems Nahum stays
home and delivers his message mainly to his fel- /I AUTHOR: Nahum, or a wnter reporting
low Jews. Here, it's a message of conso lation and Nahum's visions.
a promise of justice. Brutal Assyrians have already
dismantled the northern Jewish nation of Israel. /I LOCATION : Nahum lives in Elkosh, a site
Also, by the empire's own count in sutviving that remains a mystery. He targets Nineveh, capi-
records, their armies have destroyed 46 cities in tal of the Assyrian Empire. The ruins lie near the
the southern Jewish nation of Judah. northern Iraq i town of Mosul (see maps pages
God's message to Assyria: "You will have 273,281).
no more children to carryon your name. I will
destroy all the idols in the temples of YOut gods. I
am preparing a grave for you" (Nahum 1: 14).
» 722 Be
BI BlE r
r
Assyria conquers northern
HISTORY "....
»
Jewish nation of Israel
~'"
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. »
""
'"
o
WORLD -x
;::
»
HISTORY ....
'"
HABAKKUK
GIVING GOD WHAT FOR
"How long, 0 LORD, must J call for help? /I TIME: Uncertain. Most scholars guess it's
But you do not listen!" during the quarter century after 612 Be, the year
H A B AKK U K 1:2 Babylonians destroy Assyria's capital of N ineveh,
but before 586 BC, when Babylonians destroy
Then when God does something-vowing Jerusalem.
(0 send Babylonian invaders (0 punish the
Jews-Habakkuk criticizes him for doing too /I AUT H 0 R: Habakkuk or someone reporting
much. the messages he received in visions.
612 Be 586 Be
. . • • • . . • • • .• Habakkuk ministers as a Babylon conquers southern Jewish nation of Judah,
prophet in Judah destroys Jerusalem, exiles survivors
in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous" Roman Ca th olic priest Martin Luther
pagan as the Assyrians ever were. So he asks the obvious havi ng fa ith in God.
MOUNTAIN CLIMBING I
A stag pauses on a mountain
meadow. Facing a mountain range
of trouble, Habakkuk says, "The
Lo rd God is my St rength, and he
will give me the speed of a deer
and bring me safe ly over the
mountains" (Habakkuk 3:19 TLB).
ZEPHANIAH 1: 2-3
"'I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth:
says the LORD. "I will sweep away people and animals alike. ..
The birds of the sky and the fish in the sea."
'"x
0 Nineveh falls Greeks use science instead of gods
WORLD to Babylon to explain unusual phenomena
HISTORY
"...
l>
~
612 Be 600 Be
ZEPHANIAH
LOSING THE HUMAN RACE
586 Be 538 Be
Babylonians conquer Ishtar Gate entrance Cyrus of Persia frees
Judah, exile Jews the Jews to go home
» 530 Be 520 Be
BI BlE r
r
Persian king orders Jews to Haggai tefls Jews to
HISTORY "....
»
stop rebuilding Jerusalem finish the Temple
~'"
... ..... ...... .. .. .. .. »
""
'"x
0 Darius begins his 35-vear reign
WORLD -
;:: over Persia (centered in Iran)
»
HISTORY .... 522 Be
'"
H A G G A I
GOD HOMELESS
516 BC Jerusalem
Temple is completed Temple
on March 12
11
ZECHARIAH 9 : 9
Crowds in Jerusalem cheer when their king comes to town,
"humble, riding on a donkey." New Testament writers say
Jesus fulfilled this prediction on Palm Sunday.
'"x
0 King Darius begins
WORLD reign of Persia
HISTORY
"-<
l>
~
522 Be
ZECHARIAH
HAPPY NEWS FOR JEWS
520 Be 515 Be
Zechariah backs up Haggai, Jews finish Cockfighting tournament
convincing Jews to finish building the Temple the Temple near Kabul, Afghanistan
Zechariah I 299
MALACHI 1:8
Instead of bringing the best of their livestock as sacrifices at
the Temple-as Jewish law requires-many Jews bring the
worst: the crippled and diseased.
'"x
0 Instead of speaking Hebrew, most Jews of Israel
WORLD speak Aramaic, which they learned in Babylonian exile
HISTORY
"-<
l>
~
535 Be
M A LA c H I
REHAB JEWS SUFFERING A RELAPSE
515 Be
Jews finish rebuilding Approximate time of
Jerusalem Temple Malachi's ministry
J EWS LOVE TRADITION . Even in the ancient times of Christian governm ent s throug hout
the ce nturi es often funded ch urches
Malachi , some 2,400 years ago, they are already famous for
with t ax money. That ended in the United
their patterned lifestyle. Resting every Sabbath. C ircumcising
States in 1833 , when political lead ers
newborn boys on the eighth day after their birth. Observing rescinded church' funding t ax laws.
each religious holiday, such as Passover. Mini ste rs sta rt ed looking for a new
The prophet Malachi says they have another tradition : sin. way t o fund th eir churches and th e
Even the death of the Jewish nation and the ex ile of Jew- growing miss iona r y movement. Many
latched on to the J ewish tra dition of
ish survivors into Babylon-God's punishment for ce nturies
tithing . They began preach in g that
of sin-hasn't broken the nasty pattern , or changed Jewish
Christians shoul d brin g 10 perce nt of
behavior much at all.
their in come to God's "storehouse"
Malachi levels Go d's charges against desce ndants of (Malachi 3:10), which t hey int erpreted
the ex il e: as the loca l church instead of the Jew'
/! THE Y SK IP THE TITHE , a tenth of their in come. It ish Temple.
"A new day is coming . .. . I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel. .. . It will not be like the
covenant I made with their people long ago. ... They broke my covenant. ... I will put my law in their
minds. I will write it on their hearts."
JEREMIAH 31:31-33, NIC V
A TESTAMENT IS GOD'S agreement, or covenant, just to the Jews. "The Friend is the Spirit of truth
with the Jews. But the Jews broke their agreement. . . .and he will be in you .. .. H e will teach you"
T hey trashed even the most basic laws God gave Qohn 14: 17, 26 Nlrv) .
them: the 10 Commandments. So God vowed ro Sad news for many tradition-minded Jews, this
put his most important laws inside them. He'd closed the book on their old-time religion.
bypass their thick heads and go straight for the heart. No more animal sacrifices needed; Jesus became
New Testament writers say Jesus did just that, the last sacrifi ce. No more hundreds of laws to fol-
and then some. H e did this by offering the H oly low; the H oly Spirit would guide them so they'd
Spi rit as a guide ro anyone who seeks God- not know right from wrong.
As one New Testament writer put it, "When God speaks of
a 'new' covenant, it means he has made the fi rst one obsolete.
[t is now out of date and will soon disappear" (Hebrews 8: 13).
[n fact, the entire Jewish sacrificial system disappeared about
40 years after Jesus' crucifixion. That's when Romans leveled
the Jerusalem Temple-which has never been rebuilt.
Four writers penned the story of Jesus, each from a differ-
ent perspective. They gave us the Gospels of Matthew, Mark,
Luke, and John.
Paul , Peter, and other church leaders wrote letters to
churches throughout the Roman Empire. So me of these let-
ters got copied and passed around from one church to another,
where C hristians read them out loud in wors hip services.
By the end of the first century, preachers were already quot-
ing so me of these writi ngs as sacred. [n AD 397, church lead-
ers met in a council and declared all 27 books now in the New
Testament as inspired by God. They did this because they said
the books were:
» 6 BC AD 30
BI BlE r
r
Birth of Jesus John baptizes Jesus
HISTORY "....
»
(estimates range from 7-4 Be) (AD 2B alternate date)
'"
~
...................... »
"0
"0
'"x
0 King Herod the Pontius Pilate begins 70 years
WORLD -
;:: Great dies as Judean governor
»
HISTORY .... 4 BC AD 26
'"
MATTH E W
THE CASE FOR JESUS AS MESSIAH
STORY LINE pacifist rabbi from David's family to free all peo-
ple from the damage caused by sin.
A V I R GIN named Mary gives birth to a son Marrhew makes his case not only by citing ful-
through the power of the Holy Sp irit. filled prophecies, but by reporting the miracles
"You are to name him Jesus," an angel tells and the insightful teachings of Jesus.
Mary's fiance, Joseph. But the child's destiny Jewish leaders, however, see Jesus as a heretic, a
is that people will "call him Immanuel, which fal se messiah, and a threat to the Jewish nation. Fear-
means 'God is with us' " (Matthew 1:21,23). ing he might spark a doomed revolt against Rome,
The writer-Matthew, according to early they accuse him of insurrection and they convince
Church leaders-says the virgin birth and the the Roman governor, Pilate, to crucifY him.
nickname Immanuel fulfill a prophecy of Isaiah Jesus doesn't stay dead.
from 700 years earlier. This is just one of about 60
prophecies Marrhew says Jesus fulfilled, proving /I TIM E: Lifetime of Jesus, from about 6 BC-
that Jesus is the Messiah, the savior the Jews have AD 33, give or take a few years.
been wai ting for.
The salvation Jesus brings, however, comes as /I AUTHOR: Unknown. Church leaders as
a surprise to everyone. It's such a surprise that early as the AD 100s said it was written by Jesus'
Matthew feels compelled to build a case for disciple Matthew, a former tax collector.
Jesus-presenting him as the real Messiah.
Jews are expecting a warrior king from David's /I LOCATION: Israel. Most of Jesus' mInIstry
family to free them from Roman occupiers and takes place in northern Israel.
to restore the glory of Israel. But Jesus comes as a
AD 33
Death, resurrection of Jesus
(AD 30 alternate date)
IJI'm pregnant lJ
Bible experts. He asks them where the promised Messiah (RULED 37-4 BC).
The King of the Jews was an Arab.
will be born. They tell him that the prophet Micah predicted
Herod's father, Antipater, ruled Idumea,
Bethlehem (see Micah 5:2). So Herod advises the strangers
in what is now southern Israel. Decades
to go there, six miles (10 km) south. He asks if they find the before Herod, Jews forced Idumeans
child to report back so he can worship him, too. to convert to the Jewish faith or die.
The sages find Mary, Joseph, and Jesus and gIve them When Romans invaded, they appointed
expensive gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But they don't Antipater governor of the Jewish
homeland. He assigned his son Herod
report back to Herod. God warns them in a dream to bypass
to rule Galilee. Ruthless, Herod quickly
Jerusalem on their return home.
pacified the region. Rome took notice
Furious, Herod orders the execution of all boys in Bethle- and after Antipater was assassinated,
hem under the age of two-perhaps a clue that the wise men they made Herod king. He's famous for
first spotted the sign two years earlier. expanding the Jewish Temple into the
Jesus escapes the slaughter because God warns Joseph in largest worship center the Jews ever had.
a dream to take the family to Egypt. They stay there until But most Jews considered him anything
but their king-more of an outsider
Herod dies.
teamed up with the Roman occupiers.
STAR OF BETHLEHEM, A THEORY. It wasn't a star that led the
.......................................... .
wise men to Bethlehem, according to one theory. It was an unusual
alignment of Jupiter and Saturn beside the Pisces constellation. GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, MYRRH.
/! Jupiter represented kings. Ideal gifts for the wise men to bring,
/! Saturn represented Jews who worship on the day named after they were expensive enough for roy-
the god Saturn: Saturday. alty yet easy to carry. The gold may
/! Pisces, meaning "fish," represented the land beside the Medi- have been in coins, jewelry, or utensils
terranean Sea, including the Jewish homeland. such as bowls. Frankincense and myrrh
Perhaps knowing the Jews were expecting a Messiah king any came in the form of fragrant, dried sap.
moment, the sages concluded this was the moment. People could burn it as incense or blend
it into oil to make perfume. Mary and
Joseph may have used these as cur-
rency to pay for their trip to Egypt.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• j
MAGI.
Another name for the wise men, it's the
plural of magus, meaning "magician."
The first-known reference to magi,
about 600 years before Christ, puts
them in Persia. That's modern-day Iran.
Later, their neighbors in what is now
Iraq adapted the word to describe advi-
sors who served the king as experts in
astrology, fortune -telling, and magical
incantations.
Looking South of Jerusalem toward Bethlehem, 7 BC
"People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that that th ough the Jews failed the test
and had to spend 40 years in the desert
comes from the mouth of God."
because of it. Jesus passed. Links:
EGO . Next, Satan takes Jesus to the highest po int in the
Temple, perhaps to the wall surrounding the courtyard. He > Water to desert. Jews crossed the
tel ls Jesus to prove he's God's Son by jumping, since angels water in or near th e Red Sea and we nt
will catch him. Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6: 16: "You must to the Sinai badlands. Jesus went
not test the L ORD your God." from the Jordan River to the Judean
following Jesus may have filled both, starting near ARGUMENTS. "Don't lose a minure. Make
him in the field with others behind them, sitting the first move; make things right" (Matthew 5:25
on the hill that rose like a natural amphitheater. MSG).
Jesus starts his sermon with a list of Beatitudes ASSETS. "Do n't hoard treasure down here
such as "Blessed are those who suffer for doing what .... Stockpile treasure in heaven" (Matthew 6: 19
is right" (Matthew 5:10 Nlrv) . His sermon is both MSG).
radical and concise, a combo that many scholars say CHARITY. "When you do good deeds, don't
the people would have had a hard time absorbing in try to show off" (Matthew 6:1 CEV) .
one sermon. So the scholars say Matthew is prob- WORRY. "Can all your worries add a single
ably reporting highlights from many sermons. mom ent to your life?" (Matthew 6:27).
/I paralysis
Bizarre med ical t reatment that didn 't wo rk helped drive th e sick The f our New Tes t ame nt books about
Science writ er Pliny (A D 23-79) recorded hundreds of the J ohn-are known as Gospels. Gospel is
treatm ents in a collect ion of boo ks called Natural History. Among an Old Eng lish word t hat means "g ood
severa l t hat Jes us is sa id t o have cured with a touch of hi s hand: news ." Bi ble st udents oft en use it to
t alk abo ut th e sto ry and teachings of
J esus,
AFFLICTION: Poor eyes ight
Matthew I 319
MATTHEW 9:18-26
The girl's mourners, however, aren't convinced.
When Jesus tells them the girl is just sleeping, they
Back from the dead reverse gears-they stop crying and start laughing.
At least until the girl stands up.
BEFORE JESUS RISES FROM THE DEAD Then they start spreading the word. "The
after his crucifixion, he raises several others from report of this miracle swept through the entire
the dead. countryside" (Matthew 9:26).
/I The son of a widow from Nain; he had prob-
ably died that day (see Luke 7:11-15) .
/I Lazarus, who had been dead four days (see
John 11).
/I The daughter of synagogue leader Jairus
(JI-rus) in Capernaum, who had "just died"
(see Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26; Mark 5:22-
24,35-43).
Jairus is apparently so impressed with the heal-
ings he has seen Jesus do in his village that he
RISE AND SHINE I "She's on ly asleep," Jesus
believes Jesus can take it to the next level. "You tel ls a group of peop le mourning the death of their syn·
can bring her back to life again if you just come agogue leader 's daughter. Then Jesus "took the gi rl by
and lay your hand on her" (Matthew 9:18). the hand, and she stood up!" (Matthew 9:24-25).
MATTHEW 12:22-50
in trouble: demon-possessed, blind, and unable to
speak. And instead of attributing this miracle to
The unforgivable sin the power of God, the Pharisees said, "No wonder
he can cast out demons. He gets his power from
CUSSING GOD is not the unforgivable sin that Satan, the prince of demons" (Matthew 12:24).
Jesus warned about, Bible experts say. Nor is tell- Scholars interpret Jesus' warning a variery of
ing the Holy Spirit to go to hell. Or calling Jesus ways. Among the theories about what the unfor-
an SOB conceived out of wedlock. givable sin is:
None of these is polite. But each one is forgiv- /I giving the devil credit for God's work
able, scholars and New Testament writers agree: /I rejecting the work of the Holy Spirit, who is
"If we confess our sins to God, he can always the one who calls us to God, and
be trusted to forgive us and take Out sins away" II talking ourselves out of believing in Jesus.
(1 John 1:9 CEV). Pharisees saw the proof of God's power with
Yet Jesus warns a group of Pharisees, "Every their own eyes but refused to believe it. God won't
sin and blasphemy can be forgiven-except blas- forgive people who refuse to admit their sin and
phemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never repent.
be forgiven" (Matthew 12:31). For people worried that they've committed the
Bible experts say the way to understand what unforgivable sin, scholars say, their worry itself is
Jesus meant is to look at what provoked him to evidence they haven't committed it. God forgives
say that. He had just healed a man triple-dipped everyone who asks for forgiveness.
MATTHEW 13
FA R M LAN D. It represents the world.
SEE D. It's the message Jesus is delivering, the
Tale of a farmer good news about what God's spiritual kingdom is
like and how people can become citizens of God's
JESUS TELLS STORIES. Not just to enter- kingdom.
tain. But to get his point across in an interesting PACKED DIRT. Hard-hearted people who
way-without boring his audience into the head- hear the message but don't even bother trying to
bobbing brink of unconsciousness. These stories understand it.
are called parables, each with a spiritual message ROC K Y D I R T. People who accept the mes-
woven into the story lin e. sage but don't let it sink roots deep in their life.
In one story, Jesus tells about a farmer planting Their shallow faith dies.
what sounds like wheat-a popular crop in the THO R N Y D I R T. People who accept the mes-
fertile fields of Galilee. The farmer throws his seed sage but let the worries of life and the lure of
in a sweeping motion, left to right, as he walks the wealth crowd it out of their life.
plowed field. FERTILE GROUND. People who take the
This seed falls on four kinds of soil-some message to heart and spread the word to others,
fertile, some not. The farmland, seed, and four producing a bumper crop for God's kingdom.
kinds of soil are all symbols. Jesus explains these
symbols to his disciples.
MATTHEW 14
As evening approaches, Jesus' disciples urge
him to send them home so they can eat.
Two fish for 5,000 "You feed them," Jesus replies (Matthew 14:16).
hungry men All they can round up is a sack lunch from a lit-
tle boy: five small loaves of bread and two cooked
JOHN THE BAPTIST IS DEAD, executed by fish. Jesus prays a blessing over the food, breaks
Galilee's ruler, Herod Anti pas. When Jesus gets the food into pieces, and has the disciples dis-
the news, he climbs into a fishing boat and sails to tribute it. The food is not only enough, there are
a remote area to be alone. leftovers: 12 baskets, one carried by each disciple.
Crowds from several villages have been follow-
ing him-some for healing, some to hear more of
his teaching, and some because they think he may
be the promised Messiah. By the thousands, they
manage to keep his boat in view and follow him
along the shoreline.
By the time Jesus arrives at the isolated place
where he may have intended to pray alone and
mourn, it's not isolated anymore. Five thou-
sand men are waiting for him-in addition to
women and children traveling with them. Perhaps
FOOD FOR THOUSANDS I A Holy Land tourist at
10,000-20,000 souls.
a Sea of Gali lee cafe holds up a plate of SI. Peter's Fish, a
Moved by their devotion, he heals the sick
mild-tasting tilapia common to the lake. All four Gospel
among them. writers report the miracle of Jesus feeding the crowd.
MATTHEW 15:1-20
have to wash before offering a sacrifice (see Exodus 30:2 1). Jews who think he's the Messiah who will
free them from Roman occupation. If Jesus
But Pharisees say it's a good rule for all Jews to follow before
says no, he could be arrested for insurrec'
eating-a nd that not obeying it is a sin .
tion. Jesus answers with a question: Whose
In a blunt response, Jesus says these traditions are as picture is on the coin used to pay the tax?
kosher as hogwash. Worse, Jesus says, so me actually "violate Caesar, they answer. '"Give to Caesa r what
the d irect commandmen ts of God" (Matthew 15:3). belongs to Caesar, and give to God what
H e cites one. God says we're to honor our father and belongs to God'" (Matthew 22:21).
• RITUAL BATH .
A Sikh pilgrim in India cleanses himself
in a r itual bath so he's pure enough to
wo rship. Jews in Jesus' day took ritual
baths to wash off spiritual contamina-
tion such as from t ouch ing a corpse.
Matthew I 325
MATTHEW 16
Elijah. He will come before the day of the LORD
arrives" (Malachi 4:5 Nlrv).
Peter says Jesus is God's Son Jesus turns to Peter and asks his opinion.
"You are the Messiah," Peter answers, "the Son
ON A WA L K to Caesarea Philippi, a scenic ciry of the living God" (Matthew 16:16).
at the base of Mount Hermon, Jesus asks his dis-
ciples who people say he is.
"Some say John the Baptist," they reply, "some
say Elij ah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the
other prophets" (Matthew 16:14).
Those guesses aren't surprising. Jews of the day
have been expecting God to send a messiah-a
leader from King David's descendants to free
them from their century-long Roman occupa-
tion. Many expected this leader to be a prophet,
perhaps one coming back from the dead.
Moses said, "The LORD your God will raise up HOME OF THE GODS I Caesarea Philippi was a
wo rship center for Greek and Roman gods. (1) Temple
for you a propherlike me" (Deuteronomy 18:15).
of Caesar Augustus, (2) Cave of Pan, (3) Court of Pan
This may help explain why Matthew works so
and the Nymphs, (4) Temple of Zeus, (5) Temple of
hard to compare Jesus to Moses. Sacred Goats, (6) Temple of Pan. Near here is where
Malachi wraps up the Old Testament by prom- Peter declares Jesus the Son of the " li ving God" (Mat-
ising that the Lord will "send you the prophet thew 16:16), as opposed to dead and imaginary gods.
MATTHEW 17
Matthew I 327
MATTHEW 19:16-30 WHO WAS THE RICH MAN?
Some Bible experts guess he was a
Pharisee because he seemed obsessed
Jesus' advice for a rich man wit h earning salvation by keepin g al l
th e rul es.
When Jesus tells him to obey the 10 Commandments, the money was his god.
man says he does, bur he'd like to know what else he has to
do-as if 11 is the magic number.
CAN A CAMEL GO THROUGH THE
That's when Jesus says if th e man wants perfection, he EYE OF A NEEDLE?
can buy it. Bur th e price is everything he owns. Not until someone bui lds a bigger
Deal breaker. T he man walks away. need le. Jesus did n't mean rich people
Jesus rurns to his disciples and says, "It is easier for a camel wo n't make it into heaven, most schol -
ars agree. He was using a metaphor-a n
to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to
exagge rated word picture of the region's
enter the Kingdom of God!" (Matthew 19:24).
largest an imal trying to sq ueeze thro ugh
the sma ll est opening. Jesus' poi nt was
that it's tough for rich people to live like
LAP OF LUXURY I Elega ntl y appoin t ed, a merchant's house cit izens of God's kingdom when th ey're
in Sepphoris, a village nea r Naza reth , may rep resent the kind of foc used on building their own.
lifest yle Jesus told a ri ch young Jew to give up.
- ------- -
-
MATTHEW 21
"Praise God for th e Son of David! Bless ings on the one what becomes the first Palm Su nday
/I Monday: chased merchant s from
who co mes in the name of the LORD! Praise God in highest
th e Templ e
heaven! " (Marrhew 21 :9).
/I Tuesday: t aught crowds at th e
Temple
/I Wednesday: Judas arr ang ed to
bet ray him
/I Thursday : Last Supper, arrest in
Ga r de n of Geth sema ne
/I Friday: overn ig ht tria l and mo rn -
in g crucifixio n
II Saturday : Roma n guard s post ed at
his tomb
II Sunday : Resurrectio n
thew 23:5). To let everyone know how religious they are, they: " Thank God I'm not a sinner like t hi s t ax
col lector," a Phari see prays, in a para ble
/I wear wide prayer boxes on th eir forehead and arms
Jesus tell s. Then Jesus said, "It was t he
/I wear prayer robes with ex tra long tassels
tax collector and not th e Pharisee who
/I sit at the head of a table was pleasin g t o God. If you put yourself
/I refer to th emselves with honored titles, like "Rabbi." above ot hers, you wi ll be put dow n. But
These aren't God's children, Jesus says. T hese are children if you hum ble you r se lf, you will be hon-
of hell. ored" (Luke 18:14 CEV).
Matthew I 331
MATTHEW 25:14-30 AND THE POINT IS?
Jesus didn't spell out what he meant
by this parable. But many Bible experts
Parable of the investment brokers say it means God expects us to use
the talent s he gave us-whatever they
are-to build his kingdom.
ONE LA Z Y WOR K E R and two go-getters help Jesus make
a point about what it's like to serve God. At least that's what
many Bible expertS say is the point of the story. HOW MUCH MONEY?
Jesus says a man leaving on a trip entrusts three employees Each bag of silver weighed about 75
with money. One man gets five bags of silver. Another gets pounds (34 ki lograms). In Bible times,
two. The last man-who turns out to be the lazy one- each bag was worth about 15 yea rs of
The two go-getters invest the money for their boss. Each
man doubles his investment. Five bags of silver beco me 10.
Two bags become four. When the boss gets back, he praises
both men and promises to give them more responsibilities-
promotions, we could call them.
The one-bag fell ow, however, still has just one bag.
"1 was afraid 1 might disappoint you," he explains. "So 1
found a good hiding place and secured your mon ey. Here it
is, safe and sound down to the last cent" (Matthew 25:25
MSG) .
instructing each disciple, "Take this and eat it, for this is ) Commun ion. "The cup of blessing
which we bless, is it not the commu'
my body." Then he passes around a cup of wine and says,
nion of the blood of Christ? The bread
"Each of you drink from it, for th is is my blood . . .. It is
which we brea k, is it not the commu'
poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many" (Mat- nion of the body of Christ?" (1 Corin-
thew 26:26-28). thians 10:16 NKJV).
(continued next page) ) Eucharist (Greek for "thanks"). "He
took a cup of wine and gave thanks to
God for it" (Mark 14:23).
) Mass (Latin missa, for "dismissed").
Early Christians used this word from
Rome's preferred language to con-
THE LAST SUPPER, AT NAPOLEON'S REQUEST I
Jesus shares a final mea l with his disciples in this life- sized mosa ic clude the ritual: /te, missa est. "Go,
you are dism issed."
copy of Leonardo da Vinci's painti ng. Napo leon commi ssioned Ital'
ian artist Giacomo Raffaelli to produce the art in 1809. Weighing
about 20 tons, the tile image covers the wall of a church in Vienna.
ARE COMMUNION BREAD AND
WINE THE REAL BODY AND
BLOOD OF .JESUS? I No way,
say most Protestants; they are just
symbolic reminders of Jesus' sac-
rifice. Most Catholics and Eastern
Orthodox Christians beg to differ.
They argue that Jesus said the
bread and wine "is my body... is my
blood" (Mat th ew 26:26, 28). Not
"is a metaphor." The first known
Church manual, the Teaching, per-
haps written in the early AD 100s,
makes no mention of the bread and
wine changing into the body and
blood of Jesus.
MATTHEW 26:36-46
any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want .... drop these verses. Schola r s specu-
late it's because early Church leaders
If there is no other way than this ... I'm ready. Do it your
thought it made Jesus look too human.
way" (Matthew 26:39, 42 MSG).
Many Chri stians in the first seve ral
Security guards from the Temple arrive. They arrest Jesus centuries were Gnostics (NA H-s tick s),
and take him to into the city for an overnight trial. part of an influentia l move ment later
dubbed a heresy. Gnostics taught that
Jesus wasn't really human-that he
on ly appeared to look human .
A PLACE TO PRAY I An olive grove in Israel shows what
Gethsemane may have looked like in Jesus' day. Under a can'
opy of olive trees is where Jesus chose to pray, as he wa ited for
arresting officers to arrive and tak e him into custody.
GETHSEMANE.
Thi s is probably a composite word, Bib le
experts say: gat semanim is Hebrew for
"oil press." There's evidence that a cave
on the Mount of Olives once contained
an olive press. It had a notch like those
used for weighed beams that pressed
baskets of olives. The first Holy Land
pilgrim on record, a woman named Ege-
ria writing in the AD 300s, sa id pilgrims
went " into Gethsemane" with candles
"so they can see." Jesus' disciples may
have waited in side the cave wh ile he
prayed out side.
Matthew I 335
MATTHEW 27:57-66
Sabbath, th e Jew ish day of rest, begins at
sundown on Friday. By law, Jews can't work on
A savior dead and buried the Sabbath. And preparing a body for burial
is work.
JESUS IS FOUND GUILTY of disrespecting In a shocker of a revelation, Matthew reports
God by calling himself God's Son. The verdict that Jesus had the support of at least one mem-
comes within hours of his arrest-after a secret, ber of the Jewish council: a rich man named
overnight trial before the Jewish council, which Joseph , from the village of Arimathea. If Joseph
functions a bit like a Supreme Court for Jews. hadn't done it earlier, he boldly outs himself. He
The Jews take him to Pilate, the Roman asks Pilate for permission to bury Jesus in his
governor-the only person who can legally con- own family tomb.
demn someone to death. Pilate refuses to execute There's just enough time to quickly wrap
Jesus for a religious crime. But he gives in when Jesus in a shroud and lay him in the tomb. John's
the Jews say Jesus is an insurrectionist who claims report adds that Joseph included 75 pounds
he's King of the Jews. (about 33 kilograms) of scented ointment with
By 9 o'clock that Friday morning, accord- the shroud-to mask the smell of decay. Arrer the
ing to Mark's report, Jesus is nailed to a cross- Sabbath, Jesus' close friends could come back to
the method of execution reserved for the worst wash his body and give him a decent burial.
offenders. About six hours later, around 3 p.m., That's the plan.
Jesus is dead.
MATTHEW 28
everyone they fell asleep on duty and that the dis-
ciples stole the corpse.
Jesus, back from the dead Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb at day-
break, apparently with several other women
ROMAN SOLDIERS SHAKE. rattle, and roll ro according to Luke's version of the story. The angel
the ground in a dead faint. Or perhaps they were tells the ladies, "He isn't here! He is risen from
just paralyzed with fear. In either case, they froze. the dead, just as he said would happen" (Matthew
The soldiers were guarding the tomb of Jesus 28:6).
when an earthquake shook them and a glowing Sure enough, Jesus shows up. He tells the
angel rolled aside the disk-shaped rock blocking women to have the disciples meet him on a hill in
the tomb. Perhaps they saw Jesus walk out, roo. Galilee, perhaps a favorite spot of his. There, he
Jewish leaders had asked Pilate to post the gives them a mission:
guards because they heard about Jesus' promise to
return from the dead in three days. The Jews said "Go to the people of all nations and make
they thought Jesus' disciples would try to steal the them my disciples. . . . Teach them to do
body and then tell everyone he's alive again. everything I have told you. I will be with
That's the story the Jews stick with. When the you always, even until the end of the
fainting soldiers wake up, they report directly to world. "
the Jewish leaders who bribe them into telling MATTHEW 28:19-20 CEV
WOMEN AS UNRELIABLE WITNESSES I ~
Many Bible exper t s say th at a Ch ri st ia n writ er
inventi ng t he resu rrecti on story wouldn't
have rested his case on th e wo rd of women.
J ews and Roma ns both trea t ed th e testimony
of women like cou r ts today tr ea t minors-
wit h ca utio n.
Fi rst-ce nt ur y hi stor ian Josep hus offered
t his advice: " Don' t accept evidence from
women. Rash and frivo lous by natur e, t hey
shouldn't be t aken seriously."
Another fir st-cen t ury hist oria n, Phil o
(about 15 BC- AD 4 5), called wome n "i r ra ti o-
nal" and untrust wo r thy.
l>
BIBLE r AD 30
r
0 John baptizes Jesus Death, resurrection of Jesus
HISTORY l>
(AD 28 alternate date) (AD 30 alternate date)
'"
~
'"
" ............. .. ...... l>
"U
"U
'"x
0
Pontius Pilate begins 10
WORLD
HISTORY
"
l> years as Judean govenor
'"'" AD 26
M A R K
JESUS' STORY FOR THE EASILY BORED
AD 65
Mark's Gospel
is written
that. He speaks as though he knows what he's talk- James and Jo hn.
"When you plant the seed," Jesus says, "it becomes the
largest of all garden plants. Its branches are so big that birds HOW MANY PEOPLE TODAY
can rest in its shade" (Mark 4:3 1-32 Nlrv). CALL THEMSELVES CHRISTIAN?
About 2.1 billion. That's almost a third
Many Bible experts say Jesus is talking about his own min-
of the world 's population of 6.B billion
istry of pointing people to God. His ministry starts small,
sou ls. Musl ims rank second, with about
with just himself preach ing out in the boonies of Israel. But
1.5 billion. Hindus rank third, with about
the movement he starts soon sweeps through the country. 1 bill ion. As for Jews, th ere are around 14
And in time, throughout the world. million. Almost half that many died in the
Holocaust,6 million Jews.
Mark I 347
MARK 6:45-56
climb into the boat. And the windstorm dies. have so little faith" (Matthew 14:31).
MARK 7:24-30
Mark I 349
MARK 8:31-38
Jesus promises that three days later he will rise
from the dead. Bur the disciples ptobably mis-
Jesus predicts his death understand that, too. Many Jews of the time say
the soul lingers by the body for up to three days
JESUS RETREATS FROM THE CROWDS. before moving on. That's what the disciples may
W ith his disciples, he heads north to Caesarea have understood Jesus to be saying.
Philippi, a long day's walk from the Sea of Galilee, Peter pulls Jesus aside and pleads with him to
abour 25 miles (40 km). stop aLI this negative talk. Bur Jesus assures him
There, he shocks them with news that must there's more to life than Aesh and blood. Perhaps
seem unbelievable. Jewish leaders will turn on looking toward the martyrdom that Church writers
him, and he'll be killed. say most of the disciples would face, Jesus says, "If
This is unbelievable because they think he's you give up your life for my sake and for the sake
the Messiah sent from God. They expect the of the Good News, you will save it" (Mark 8:35).
Messiah to save Israel from Roman occupiers,
not to die trying.
MESSIAH, WHAT .JEWS EXPECTED I Jews at
What they don't understand, scholars say, is
the time expected the Messiah would be a warrior king,
that the salvation the Messiah is bringing isn't like David, who wou ld lead Israel to victory over her ene-
political and temporary. It's spiritual and eternal. mies. In Jesus' day, her enemy was the Roman Empire,
which had already occupied Israel for a century. Jews
expected the Messiah to drive out the Romans and restore
Israel's sovereignty as an independent nation. They drew
this conclusion by li nking promises from severa l prophets,
including that God would send
a descendant of David to
save t he nation (see Jer-
emiah 23:5-6). "His
government and its
peace will never
end" (Isaiah 9:7).
WHEN IT C OMES TO DIVORCE, Jesus sounds like his adultery, perhaps as an example of
what her hu sba nd could do (see John
Father's Son.
8:4-11). Many Bible experts say Jesus,
"r hate divorce! " God says, through one of his prophets.
li ke Moses, wou ld allow for divorce on
"To d ivorce your wife is ro overwhelm her with cruelty" other grounds, too-rather tha n f orc-
(Malachi 2: 16) . ing someone to rema in in an abusive
Jesus says much the same thi ng when a group of Bible marriage. They argue that Jesus was
scholars known as Pharisees ask him if it's okay for a man to simply giving the counterpoint-e xag-
gerated for effect-to the pre vaili ng,
divorce his wife. Jesus admits that Moses allowed it-even
male-friend ly view of divorce.
on the vaguest of grounds: "He finds so mething objection-
able abour her" (Deuteronomy 24: 1 NRSV). But Jesus said
Moses allowed divorce because some people are more callous ANCIENT JEWISH
than caring. The intent of the law, so me scholars say, is to GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE,
work li ke a pressure valve-to give an out for a man who One famous rabbi, Shammai (about 50
m ight grow hateful and abusive toward his wife. BC-AD 30), taught th at adu ltery was
th e only grounds fo r divorce. Anoth er
But divorce wasn't God's plan for a husband and wife,
rabbi, Hil lel (about 70 BC-AD 10), sa id
Jesus says. " 'The (wo wi ll become one Aesh.' . .. What God
a man cou ld divorce his wife for any
has joi ned together, let no one separate" (Mark 10:8-9 T NIV) . displeasu re she caused. In cluding: not
That seems to surprise Jesus' disciples. W hen they ask looking pretty, not healing quickly from
h im about it privately, he adds that if a man or woman get a a dog bite, or ta lking to a strange r in
d ivorce and then remarry, he or she is comm itting adultery. publ ic. The re was no procedure for a
woman to divorce her hu sband. It was
(continued next page)
a man 's world.
Mark I 351
SMOOCHING IN THE PARK I Enjoying his golden yea r s, a
Jewish man plants a wet one on his lady. When sch ola r s asked Jesus
if it was okay for a man to divorce his wife, Jesus said God intended
for marriage to last a lifet ime. But Jesu~ admitted that the Bible
allows some accommodation because of "hard-hearted" sou ls.
MARK 10:13-16
"Let the children come ro me," he says. Then
he seizes the opportun ity to teach his disciples
Jesus gives children clout what it means to be a citizen of God's kingdom:
"The Kingdom of God belongs to those who are
JESUS GETS DISTRACTED wh ile teaching like these children" (Mark 10: 14) .
the crowds one day. At least that's how the dis-
ciples see it.
"Some parents brought their children to Jesus IN WHAT WAY DOES GOD ' S KINGDOM
so he could rouch and bless them. Bur the disci- BELONG TO CHILDLIKE PEOPLE? I Some
schola rs say Jesus was making the point that instead
ples scolded the parents for bothering him" (Mark
of being bossy, li ke the disciples were when they
10:13).
drove away the child ren. God's people shou ld be sub-
Perhaps the disciples thought of it like we would
missive-with the att itude of a servant. Jesus sa id
if a politician got interrupted at the podium by a much the same thing a few ve rses later: " If you wa nt
parent holding a baby that needed kissing. to be great, you must be the servant of al l the others"
But Jesus doesn't think of it as an in trusion (Mark 10:43 CEV).
BIBLE
l>
r 6 Be
r
0
Birth of Jesus (estimates
HISTORY l>
-< range from 7-4 Be)
~
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0 Herod begins expanding Herod the Great dies, :
WORLD three sons take over:
the Temple
HISTORY
"-<
l>
~ 20 Be 4 Be :
LU K E
JESUS, THROUGH THE EYES OF A DOC
AD 30 AD 33 Death and
Jesus begins his ministry resurrection of Jesus
(AD 28 alternate date) (AD 30 alternate date)
Birth announcements
from heaven
you will name him Jesus. He will be very great MENT I Gabriel tells Mary, an unmarried virgin, that
she wi ll soon have a son she's to name Jesus.
and will be called the Son of the Most High ....
His Kingdom will never end!" (Luke 1:31-33).
LUKE 2
Luke I 361
LUKE 2:21-40
Jerusalem Temple and dedicated to God. By Jew-
ish law, Mary has (0 wait another 33 days after
The dedication of Baby Jesus the circumcision before she can go (0 the Temple.
This waiting period is pan of the ritual purifica-
JESUS IS BORN INTO A POOR FAMILY. tion after the bleeding associated with childbinh.
The evidence shows up at his infant dedication Dedicating Jesus is an old priest named Sim-
40 days later. His parents bring the offering that eon. God's Spirit had promised Simeon he would
Jewish law allows for poor people: a pair of doves see the Messiah before he died. Simeon somehow
or pigeons (see Leviticus 12:8). Families that can recognizes Jesus as the Messiah, calling him "a
afford it bring the birds along with a year-old light (0 reveal God (0 the nations" (Luke 2:32),
lamb. Listening in is Anna, an 84-year-old prophetess.
Like other Jewish boys, Jesus is circumcised She joins in praising God, too, and spreads the
and given his name eight days after his binh. Bur word that the Messiah has finally been born.
as Mary's first ch ild, he must also be taken (0 the
LUKE 2:41-52
T hey find him at the Temple, wowing schol-
ars with his questions and answers. Mary, not
Jesus, the 72-year-old impressed, scolds him: "Why have you done this
to us? Your father and I have been frantic, search-
JOSEPH AND MARY are faithful Jews, if their ing for you everywhere" (Luke 2:48).
frequent trips to the Jerusalem Temple are any Jesus says he doesn't understand why they
measure of faith. Luke says they traveled there needed to search. "Didn't you know that I had to
every spring, to celebrate Passover. That's about be here, dealing with the things of my Father?"
a four-day trip each way ftom Nazareth, some 90 (Luke 2:49 MSG) .
JeFusalem temple
of Jesus' day
Luke I 363
LUKE 4:14-30
It happens on the Sabbath . H e stands up and reads a Bible sc ripture with out touchin g th e scr oll ,
which wo ul d so il it with body oil. As a
passage th at many Jews say refers to the Mess iah.
respect ed rabbi returnin g home, Jesus
was invi t ed to read the day 's passa ge
"The Lord's Spirit has come to me, because he has cho- and ta lk about it. The home town crowd
sen me to tell the good news to the poor. The Lord has was in for a surprise.
sent me to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight
to the blind, to free everyone who suffirs. "
WHY DIDN ' T TH E NAZARETH
L UKE 4: 18 , QUOTIN G I SAIA H 61:1 C EV
.JEWS BELIEVE .JESUS WAS
THE MESSIAH?
Reading this isn't the problem. Most J ews didn't ex pec t God's prom-
The pro blem is what Jesus says next: "The Scripture you've ised Savior t o co me from th e famil y of
just heard has bee n fulfilled this very day!" (Luke 4: 21). In a poor carpenter. Nor did th ey ex pec t a
other words, ''I'm the M essiah. " pa cifist rabbi. Th ey we re lookin g for a
Jesus doesn't ex pect them to believe it. H e does, however, fig hter fit t o become a kin g.
CAPERNAUM FLATTOPS I Roofs of Capernaum homes, li ke most roofs th roug hout a ncient Israe l, we re
flat. Outside stairs or ladders all owed people to climb up, us ing the roof as a place to wo rk or relax. Most roofs
were probably built of mUd, st icks, and thatch. Some were covered with tiles of baked mud. Severa l men once
dug through a roof to reach Jesus. -
\... , \\
. ,'
LUKE 7
"I know this because I am under th e authoriry
of my superior officers, and I have authority over
Pacifist Jesus helps a my soldiers. I on ly need to say, 'Go,' and th ey go"
man of war (Luke 7:7-8).
Astonished, Jesus replies: "I tell you, I haven't
A ROMAN 0 FFI C ER is worried. seen faith like this in all Israel!" (Luke 7:9) .
He's a centurion, commander of a unit of 100 W hen the officer and his friends return home,
soldiers. And he's concerned about one of his ser- they find the boy healed.
vants who is "sick and near death" (Luke 7:2) . Mat-
thew's version of the story says the servant is a boy
"paralyzed and in terrible pain" (Matthew 8:6).
Piecing the two stories together, it looks like
the soldier, who's station ed in Capernaum , sends
some respected Jewish elders to Jesus. They ask
Jesus to come and heal the boy, commending the
soldier: "If anyone deserves yo ur help, he does ...
for he loves the Jewish people and even built a
synagogue for us" (Luke 7:4-5).
Jesus heads toward the so ldier's home. Along
the way the soldi er meets him. H e tells Jesus he's
not worthy of having him in his home. CENTURION'S RABBI I When the se r vant of a
"Just say the word from where you are, and Roman co mmande r falls deathly ill, th e soldier cal ls
my servant will be healed," the soldier says. on Jesus for he lp.
LUKE 8:22-25
give orders to th e wind and the waves, and they
obey him! " (Luke 8:25 CEV).
Jesus, the storm soother
LONG-WINDED, SELF-PROMOTING
P RAY E R S are apparently all roo common in
ancienr Jewish circles-if (he advice Jesus gives
his followers is any clue.
"When you pray," he (ells (he crowd during
his famous Sermon on (he Mount, "don'( be like
(he hypocrites who love ro pray publicly on street
corners and in (he synagogues where everyone
can see (hem. I (ell you (he (ru(h, (ha( is all (he
reward (hey will ever ge(" (Ma((hew 6:5).
Luke's version of (his sermon says (he disciples
ask Jesus ro (each (hem how ro pray.
Off (he cuff, i( seems, Jesus speaks a shorr,
simple prayer-the most famous in (he Bible:
The Lord's Prayer.
But Abraham replies, "If they won't listen to the Mount of Olives where he begs for dona ti ons from
tourists. The ridge top behind him is a favor ite photo
Moses and the prophets, they won't listen even if
spot- t he best view of Jerusalem. As in Bible times,
someone rises from the dead" (Luke 16:31). This
beggars fol low the money hoping for mercy.
is a jab, some schol ars say, at the prevailin g Jewish
response to Jesus after his death and resurrection.
LUKE 17:11-19 SAMARITAN .
See page 369.
O N HIS WAY TO JERUSALE M , where he will be cru- Docs today call it Hansen's Disease. It's
an infection caused by the bacterium
cified, Jesus co mes to a village on th e border of Galilee
Mycobacterium leprae, treated today with
and Samaria.
antibiotics. It produces lesions on the skin,
Ten lepers see him but by Jewish law aren't allowed to including patches th at numb the nerves.
approach. So they cry out, "Jesus, M aster, have mercy on Without the sense of feeling, lepers can
us!" (Luke 17: 13) . ignore injuries until life-threatening infec-
H e does. H e tells them to go the vi llage priest so he can tions set in, requiring amputation.
LEPER I Finge rtip s lost to leprosy, a woman pauses for a pa r' WHY LEPERS KEPT THEIR
t rait in the Mutemwa Leprosy Settlement in Zimbabwe. The disease DISTANCE FROM HEALTHY PEOPLE.
destro ys ner ves in t he skin. Wi th out th e sense of touch, patients Jewish law required it (see Nu mbers
some tim es leave inj uries untreated, which can ca use infectio n that 5:2).
re quires amputatio n.
PRIESTS AS PHYSICIANS .
People healed of skin di seases had to get
the priest's okay to return to society-
but only after undergoi ng an eight-day
clean sing ritu al described in Leviticus
14. An ancient Jewish collection of tra-
ditions, ca lled the Mishnah, tells priests
to sea rch for anyone of four shades of
white patches on the skin--<:onsidered
tell tale signs of leprosy: bright like snow,
soft white like limestone, eggshel l white,
and wool white.
Luke I 373
LUKE 19:1-10
overtaxed- four shekels for every shekel he extorted. tax of up t o 20 - 25 percent of their
harves t and new li ves tock, collected
For Jesus, it's a mission accomplished: "The Son of Man
by fell ow Jews who bid for th e right to
came to find lost people and save them" (Luke 19: 10 NCV) .
collect taxes for Rome. Jews also paid
Jesus declares Zacchaeus saved. a personal tax equa l to a day's labor,
along with toll taxes of 2-5 percent of
the products they were transporting to
market. Tax men like Zacchaeus, backed
up by Roman sold iers, were notorious for
overcharging and pocketing the extra.
TREE-CLIMBER'S DELIGHT I To
catch a gli mpse of th e crowd-swa rm ed
Jesus, Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore
RABBIS UNITED
tree-perhap s lik e thi s one in Ramat
AGAINST TAX MEN.
Gan, near Tel Av iv.
Rabbis we nt on the record in ancie nt
writings-such as the revered Tal-
mud and Mishnah-tell ing Jews not to
take anything from tax collectors. Not
change back. Not donations fo r t he
poor. The rabbis add that it's okay to lie
to tax men. " It's perfectl y acceptab le
to tell. .. tax collectors ... th at you're a
member of th e kin g's family and exempt
from taxes" (Mishnah, Nedarium 3:4 ).
LUKE 22-23
/I CAIAPHAS. He's the current high priest. By
daybreak, the Jewish high court known as the
Five trials of Jesus Sanhedrin, led by Caiaphas, convicts Jesus of
blasphemy for claiming to be God's Son.
JESUS ARRIVES IN JERUSALEM on what /I PONTIUS PILATE. Roman governor of
will become known as Palm Sunday. The city is Judea, Pilate is the only local official who can
crowded with Jewish pilgrims. They've come to sentence Jesus to death. Pilate finds no cause
celebrate the Jewish festival of Passover. for that. When he learns that Jesus comes
Many welcome Jesus as the Messiah, pav- from Galilee, he gladly sends him to the Gali-
ing his path with palm branches and cloaks. lean ruler, who's in town for the Passover.
Through Thursday, they listen to his teachings in /I HERO 0 ANTI PAS. Ruler of Galilee and
the Temple courtyards (see Luke 21:37-38). But executioner of John the Baptist, Herod toys
on Thursday evening, while he's praying on the with Jesus. Then he sends him back to Pilate
Mount of Olives, Temple guards arrest him. dressed in a royal robe-a joke. Pilate and
This begins what so me say are five overnight H erod become friends over this.
and early morning trials, none fair. The judges: /I PONTIUS PILATE. After resisting Jewish
/I ANN AS. He's the retired high priest and pressure to crucifY Jesus, Pilate caves. Jesus is
father-in-law of the current high priest. This hanging on the cross by about 9 a.m. on Fri-
is Jesus' first stop, possibly for an interroga- day, as Mark reports it. He's dead sometime
tion if not a preliminary trial. between 3 p.m. and sunset (see Luke 23:44).
LUKE 24:13-34
For some reason, rhey don'r recognize him.
They say rhey're ralking abour Jesus, and rhey're
A walk with resurrected Jesus disappoinred rhar he wasn'r rhe Messiah.
Jesus rhen srans relling rhem abour Bible prophe-
JESUS RISES FROM THE DEAD on Sun- cies rhar said rhe Messiah would have ro go rhrough
day morning. H e firsr shows up ourside rhe romb, exacrly rhe kind of suffering Jesus endured.
appearing ro women who have come ro finish Srill, rhe men don'r recognize Jesus unril he
preparing his body for burial. sirs down wirh rhem for a meal in Emmaus and
Luke reporrs rhar larer in rhe day Jesus rakes blesses rhe food. He breaks bread, hands ir ro
a walk. Two of Jesus' foLlowers, including a man rhem, and disappears.
named Cleopas, have lefr Jerusalem and are appar- Wirhin rhe hour rhe men are on back on rhe
endy walking home ro rhe village of Emmaus. road ro Jerusalem, ro repon rhe news.
Jesus suddenly shows up on rhe (fail and begins
walking wirh rh em, asking whar rhey're ralking
abour so inrenrly.
LUKE 24:35-53
»
BI BlE r
r
Jesus is born (estimates
HISTORY "....
»
range from 7-4 Be)
'"
~
...................... »
"0
"0
'"x
0 Herod Antipas rules Galilee
WORLD -
most of Jesus' life
HISTORY
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»
.... 4 Be
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J o H N
JESUS' STORY FOR DEEP THINKERS
STORY LINE him to the crowd as the Lamb of God who has
come to take away the sins of the world.
IN THE BEG INN I N G Jesus is there. At Creation. John spends the first half of his book reporting
Long before his birth in Bethlehem. the teachings of Jesus. The second halfhe devotes
That's how John begins his unique take on the mainly to Jesus' final week-from what is now
life and ministry of Jesus. And it is unique. Unlike called Palm Sunday, when he arrives in Jerusalem
the first three Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. to cheering crowds, to Easter Sunday when he
Bible experts call those three the Synoptic Gos- rises from the dead.
pels, after the Greek word that means "viewing
/I TIM E: Lifetime of Jesus, from about 6 BC-
together." They're so much alike that it's easy to
AD 33, give or take a few years.
compare the stories side by side.
Not so with John. This writer skips the parables. /I AUT H 0 R: He identifies himself only as one
He skips most of Jesus' miracles, too. He mentions of the 12 disciples (see John 21:24). At least as
only seven of them, which he calls signs. These signs, early as the AD 100s, ch urch leaders said he was
along with most everything else John reports, point John-one of Jesus' three closest friends, along
to the one purpose driving his book-the reason he with Peter and John's brother, James.
wtote it: "so that you may believe that Jesus is the
/I LOCATION: Israel. Most of Jesus' ministry
Christ, the Son of God" (John 20:31 NCV) .
takes place in Gali lee, in what is now northern
After placing Jesus at Creation, John jumps to
Israel.
the launch of Jesus' earth ly ministry. Jesus' rela-
tive, John the Baptist, baptizes him and presents
AD 30
John baptizes Jesus Death, resurrection of Jesus
(AD 28 alternate date) (AD 30 alternate date)
IT S OU N D S LI K E A C ODE NAME-maybe to pto tect dri ves ever ythin g. Jews understood
Word differently. God crea ted th e uni-
the writer from Jews with stones.
ver se by speak ing th e word . "God said,
The mysterious person John introduces is the "Word. "
'Let th ere be li ght: and th ere was light "
John says th e Word "was God" and "existed in the begin - (Genesis 1:3). So with thi s sing le wo rd-
ning with God" (John 1: 1-2). As though this Word is some- Word- J ohn is t elling th e peo pl e of t wo
how separate fro m God , and yet the sam e as God. cultures, Gree k and Jew, th at J esus is
As if that's not confusing enough, John adds that "God th e divine force behind al l of Creatio n.
It's a re markable th esis. John spends
created everyth ing through him, and nothin g was created
th e rest of his book tr ying to prove it.
except thtough hi m" (John 1:3).
T he Word is Jesus. John doesn't say it outright, but the
cI ues are there: THE "WORD " OF HERACLITUS
/I " [He) became hum an, and made his home among us. " (ABOUT 535-475 BC) .
/I "H e came in to the very world he created, but the wo rld A Greek phil osoph er in Ephesus, he sa id
didn't recogn ize him." "all thin gs come to be in acco rd ance
with thi s Word ."
/I "H e came to his own people, and even they rejected him"
John 1:10- 11 , 14.
"God loved the world so much that he gave his one NICODEMUS, AN ENCORE.
He shows up two more times in John's
and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him
story of Jesus. Nicode mus defends
will not perish but have eternal life. "
Jesus, asking, "I s it legal to convict
J OHN 3 :16
a man be fore he is given a hearing?"
(John 7:51). And aft er Jesus is cruci-
The conversation begins with the Jewish leader, Nicode- fied, Nicodemus teams up with anoth er
mus, tell ing Jesus he knows God sent him; the miracles prove Jewish leader, Joseph of Arimathea, to
help with the burial. Nicodemus buys 75
it. Jesus says that's not enough.
pounds (about 33 ki lograms) of burial
"I tell you the truth, unless you are born aga in," Jesus says,
sp ices (see John 19:39).
"you cannot see the Kingdom of God" (John 3:3). Nicodem us
is a Pharisee, a branch of the Jewish faith famous for trying to
obey al l the Bible teachings-sometimes going to extremes. .JOHN 3:16, A PROTESTANT'S VIEW.
Nicodemus objects to Jesus' teaching, saying it's impos- Ma r tin Lu ther (1483-1546) called
sible. "I can't go back inside my mother! I can't be born a this verse the "Gospe l in a sentence."
Luther was the Catholic priest who
second time!" (John 3:4 Nlrv) .
launched th e re lig ious revolt against
Jesus says he's talking about a spiritual rebirth , not a physi-
abuses in th e Church, starti ng the
cal one: "People give birth ro people. But the Sp irit gives
Protestant movement.
birth to spirit" (John 3:6 Nlrv) .
rest at about the halfway point, near the vil- The woman seems to think he's talking about
lage of Sychar in Samaritan territory-a region magical water that forever quenches thirst. He
many Jews avoid. explains that he's talking about the spiritual
The disciples have gone into the village to source of eternal life. He also admits to her that
buy food whi le Jesus waits by a wel l. When the he's the Messiah.
woman arrives, Jesus asks her for a drink of water. She runs back to get the vi llagers. They wel-
She's shocked that he would say anything to her. come Jesus and host him for two days-"long
For one thing, Jews and Samaritans avoid each enough for many more to hear his message and
other. And for another, she has been divorced five believe" (John 4:41).
JOHN 6:22-60
T he crowds s(i ll don't get it. T hey know him
as Joseph's son , nor as a God who came down
Jesus, bread of eternal life from heaven. And (hey have no idea how (hey're
supposed to ear his Aesh. Even his disciples don't
AFTER FEEDING THOUSANDS of hungry understand.
men and (heir families with a measly pair of fish
and five loaves of bread, Jesus has everyone's a((en-
(ion. When he leaves, (he crowd follows.
The next day, when he shows up a( (he Caper-
naum synagogue, (he crowds are (here.
"You want to be with me because I fed you,"
Jesus said, "no( because you understood (he
miraculous signs" (John 6:26).
Then he explains (he miracle.
"Oon'( be so concerned abour perishable (hin gs
like food .... I am (he bread of life. Whoever
comes to me will never be hungry again" (John
6:27,35).
In a Aashback, he compares himself to (he MATZO BREAD: TASTE OF FREEDOM I
manna of (he Exodus, saying he's (he true bread Jews celeb rating Passove r each sp ring ea t cracker'
like bread made without yeast. It's a reminder of th e
who comes down from heaven.
hu rried meal -for-th e-road that th eir ancestors at e th e
And in a Aash-forward, to (he Communion
night God freed them from Egyptian slavery. When
rimal he will inaugurate a( (he Las( Supper, he Jesus called himself the "bread of life," some Jewish
says anyone who ears (he Aesh of his broken body Christians reading the st ory like ly saw th e Passover
will live forever. connection: Jesus delivers people from slavery to sin.
.JOHN 9:1-41 WHY DID JESUS USE SPIT
TO HEAL THE MAN?
Perhaps to help build the man's faith by
Blindness Rx: spitball drawing from a fami liar treatment. First-
century Roman author, Pliny (A D 23-79),
A MAN BORN BLIND is probably begging on a Jerusalem included these two treatments in his 37-
volum e work called Natural History:
street w hen Jesus and his disciples walk by. The disciples ask
"To cure inflammation of the eyes,
Jesus a question about that.
was h the eyes each morning with spit from
"Wh y was th is man born blind? Was it because of his own yo ur overnight fast" (Source: Remedies
sins or his parents' si ns?" (John 9:2) from Living Creatures, chapter 10).
"This happened so the power of God could be seen in him ," "To protect yo ur eyes from developing
Jesus answers. "I am the light of the world" (John 9:3, 5). eye diseases including inf lammation of the
Jesus spits o n the ground, picks up the mud, and smears it eyes, do this and you will never ever again
develop an eye disease. Eac h time you
OntO th e man's eyes. Then he tells the man to wash his eyes
was h the dust off your feet, touc h your
in the pool of Si loam .
eyes three times with the muddy water"
T he man is healed . On the Sabbath . Pharisees consider it (Source: Remedies from Living Creatures,
si nful to practice medicine on the God-ordained day of rest chapter 10).
and wors hip. So w hen they get word of the healing, they
interrogate the man and his parents.
WHY DID THE DISCIPLES ASSUME
T heir conclusions: THE BLIND MAN DESERVED HIS
/I T hey "refused to believe the man had been blind" BLINDNESS?
(verse 18; see also 32). Many Jews believed that God blessed
/I Accused hi m of being a disciple of Jesus (see verse 28). fai thfu l people with health and pros-
/I "T hrew him o ut of the synagogue" (verse 34). perity, and punished the unfa ithfu l with
sickness and poverty. The book of Job
/I Declared Jesus a sinner for practicing medicine on the
seemed to teach otherwise, since Job
Sabbath (see verses 16,24).
suff ered in spite of his faithfuln ess. But
many Jews didn't make that connec tion.
much the same as he had said earlier, about the man born ing pigs on the altar. For the Temple
rededication, Jews needed the Temple
blind-that this tragedy would reveal God's power.
menorah lamp to burn eight days, long
Lazarus is four days dead and smelling like it by the time
enough to prepare more co nsec rated
Jesus arrives. Jesus orders the tomb opened, over the objec- oil. But they had only enough for one
tion of Martha. Then he raises Lazarus with a single sen- day. Miraculously, according to Jew-
tence: "Lazarus, come out!" 00hn 11 :43). ish tradition , th e one-day supply lasted
Ironically, the response of the Jewish leaders to this man eight days . That' s why Hanukkah is also
known as the Festival of Li gh t s.
who can raise the dead is to kill him. They begin plotting his
arrest, trial , an d execution.
.JEWISH BURIALS.
CHURCHOFS~LAZARUS
Jews in this hot region of the world usu-
I This Fran cisca n church all y gave their dead same-day burial s.
in Bethany com memo rat es The typical process in Jesus' day:
the miracle of Jesus raising > wash the body
Lazarus fr om the dead. It's > dress the body
located near an anc ient, rock- > wrap the body in cloth strip s
cut t om b said to be th e tomb > scent th e body wi th spices suc h as
of Lazarus. myrrh, aloe, and spi ken ard
> cover the face wit h a separate cloth
> wrap th e entire body in a shroud-
a long roll of cloth stretching from
head to toe, front and back
> sea l tomb after a week of mourning
> put the bones into a bone box once
the corpse had decomposed, after a
yea r or two.
388 I The Complete Visual Bible
.JOHN 13:1-17
Peter, the lead disciple, obj ects to the very idea
of a renowned rabbi-let alone the Messiah-act-
Jesus washes feet of disciples ing like a slave and washing the feet of his students.
"You will never wash my feet!" (John 13:8).
JOHN SKIPS THE LAST SUPPER-at least Jesus convinces him otherwise, explaining that
the meal part of the event, which gave the C hris- this foot washing is an object lesson. It's a clue
tian Church the ritual of communion. He doesn't about the job description of these men who will
mention it. launch the C hristian movement-"an example to
Instead, he tells the story of Jesus washing the follow" (John 13: 15) .
feet of the discipl es sometim e during the meal. Instead of thinking of themselves as high and
This is just a few hours before Jesus' arrest, which mighty leaders-like CEOs who deserve huge
leads to his execution the next morning. bonuses-they're to think of themselves as servants.
Jesus takes off his robe, wraps a towel around "If I can wash th e feet of others," Jesus says,
his waist, pours water in a basin, and starts wash- essentially, "you can, too."
in g the feet of his disciples.
AFTER THE LAST SUPPER, Jesus offers a tender prayer can be "sa nctified" in what th ey describe
as a second, definite work of God's
for himself, his disciples, and for everyone who will believe in
gra ce-a work as distinctive as getting
him as a result of their future ministry. "Father, the hour has
saved by asking for forgi veness. But in
come," Jesus says (John 17:1). He's talking about his cruci- thi s work, Christian s ask to be entirely
fixion , which will fo llow in the morning. sanctified. In doi ng so, they're asking
A PRAYER FOR HIMSELF. "Now, Father, bring me into God, in a spiritual sense, to rewire th em
the glory we shared before the world began" (John 17:5). so th ey're better connected to him-and
more inclined to do right th an to do
A PRAYER FOR HIS DISCIPLES . "Keep them safe
wrong.
from the evil one. They do not belong to this wo rld any
more than I do ... . Just as you sent me into the wo rld, I am
se nding them into th e world" (John 17: 15-1 6, 18) .
A PRAYER FOR ALL BELIEVERS. "I am praying
not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever
believe in me through their message. I pray that they will all
be one, just as you and I are one- as you are in me, Father,
and J am in you. And may th ey be in us so that the world will
believe you se nt me" (John 17:20-2 1).
JOHN 18
1/ Others ask if he's a disciple. Peter denies it.
1/ A household servant related to a man whose
Peter chickens out, ear Peter had cut off during the arrest asked if
rooster crows Peter was there in the olive grove with Jesus.
Peter denies it.
"DIE FOR ME?" Jesus says when Peter boasts "Immediately a rooster crowed" (John 18:27).
that he'd give his life for Jesus. "Peter-before
the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you
will deny three times that you even know me"
(John 13:38).
That conversation had taken place earlier in
the evening, during the Last Supper. Since then,
Temple police reinforced by Roman soldiers had
arrested Jesus while he prayed in an olive grove,
and had taken him to the home of Caiaphas, the
high priest.
Giving some credit to Peter on the most
humiliating night of his life, he at least has the
courage to follow along with another unidenti-
fied disciple, perhaps John-traditionally con-
STRIKE THREE ON PETER I Jesus hold s up
sidered the writer of this Gospel. Peter waits in three fing ers, predicting that Peter will deny knowing
the high priest's courtyard, standing by the fire him three times before the morn ing rooster crows.
with others. This artwo r k decorates the front door of the Jeru-
II A woman asks him if he's one of the disciples. sa lem church commemorating Peter's denial: the
Peter denies it. Chu rch of the Gal licantu (Latin: "Rooster Crowin g"J.
.JOHN 19
Killing Jesus
CRUCIFIXION HORROR:
ROMANS ON RECORD
"Each criminal who goes to execution
must carry his own cross on his back."
Plutarch (AD 46-about 120), Sera, 554
John I 393
NA ILI NG. Roman soldiers nail Jesus to the When someone dies, the blood separates into two
cross and throw dice to see who gets his clothes. forms: clear liquid (serum) and red, solid blood
He hangs on the cross anywhere from about three cells used in clotting.
to nine hours before dying. One Jewish leader who had been a secret fol-
LANCING. A Roman soldier wants to make lower of Jesus-Joseph of Arimathea-finally
sure Jesus is dead, so he pierces him in the side goes public, asking Pilate for permission to bury
with a spear. Blood and water pour out. The water, Jesus. Pilate grants permission.
physicians speculate, may have been blood serum.
Antonia f'ortrus
---~~w:o:un:t:~;:OI~IY:';'~~~~~~~~~~~_
Mon.. t.ry of Fla41JIation
B E ATIN G
.JOHN 20 THOMAS .
Early church writers sa id he sta rt ed the
church in India in AD 52, before being
One disciple doubts the Resurrection spea red to dea th there (AD 72). Today,
the Syro'Malaba r Ca tholic Church based
DOUBTING THOMAS can't believe the news he hears on in India claims Th omas as founder. The
church, worldwide, claims about fou r
Sunday evening.
milli on members.
"We have seen the Lord!" the other disciples tell him
(John 20:25). He's alive, walking, and talking.
Jesus rose from the dead before daybreak on Sunday. Mary WHY WERE THE
DISCIPLES HIDING?
Magdalene sees him first, in the cemetery garden. Then that
Now that the Jewish leaders had man'
eveni ng, Jesus appears ro the disciples who are keeping a low
aged to silence the controversial rabbi,
profile inside a locked house.
the disciples may have figured, th ey
Thomas isn't th ere. Perhaps he's out getting food for wou ld go after the rabbi's students
the group. W hen he gets back and hears what the others next-to completely snuff out the Mes'
say, he remains skeptical: "I won't believe it unless I see siah movement Jesus had started .
invites him to touch his wounds. No need. "My Lord and resurrected from the dead. The Bible
reports no such thing. Jesus does invite
my God!" Thomas replies (John 20:28).
Th omas to touch his crucifixion wounds.
"You believe because you have seen me," Jesus says. "Blessed
But Thomas-who had doubted earli er
are those who believe without seeing me" (John 20:29). reports that Jesus was alive-simply
responds: "My Lord and my Godr' (John
20:28).
ACTS 2:1-13
The Holy Spirit arrives, roaring into a meeting room with
the sound of a windstorm. An aura that looks like glowing
tongues of fire settles on each person.
» AD 33 Death, resurrection, AD 46
BI BlE r
r
ascension of Jesus; Holy Spirit Paul's first
HISTORY "....
»
arrives (AD 30 alternate date) missionary trip
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... ..... ...... .. .. .. .. »
""
'"x
0 Romans fire Pilate as
WORLD -
;:: governor of Judea
»
HISTORY .... AD 36 ...... .. ... "
'"
ACT 5
AFTER JESUS: BIRTH OF THE CHURCH
AD 57
Paul arrested Peter and Paul
executed in Rome
Good-bye Jesus
"You will be my witnesses, telling people ASCENSION OF CHRIST / Impression istart ist
about me everywhere- in Jerusalem, Salvador Dali sa id his painting of the Asce nsion was
throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the inspired by a vividly colorful dream in wh ich he saw
ends of the earth. " the nucleus of an atom. In Acts, the discip les of Jesus
pillar of the C hurch: "You are Peter (which means ' rock'), and
upon this rock I wiLl build m y church" (Matthew 16: 18). Peter
BEAUTIFUL GATE .
starts to see the C hurch rise up around him after his first ser- It's un clea r which gate thi s was . Many
mo n, which produces 3,000 converts. Now comes an encore. schola rs guess it was th e Nic anor Gate,
Peter and Jo hn go to the Temple for the regular Jewish which leads into the Templ e's innermost
afternoo n praye r time, at three o'clock. A m an crippled for court ya rd where priests burned a nimal
sacrifices on the a ltar. First-century
4 0 years sits beggin g by one of the entrance gates, call ed
Jewish historian J osephus sa id t hi s
the Beautiful Gate. When the man as ks Peter and John for
gate was made of shimmering bronze
money, Peter replies, " I don't have any silver or go ld for you . (see The Jewish War, 5:3).
But I'll give yo u w hat I have. In the name of Jesus C hrist the
Nazarene, get up and walk! " (Acts 3:6) .
The man does just that, jumping arou nd and pra ising "IN THE NAME OF JESUS"
(ACTS 3:6) .
God. H e goes with Peter and John to So lom o n's Co lon nad e,
Peter heal ed the man by invoking the
a m eetin g area for C hristians in the Temple courtyard . M any
powe r of Jesus. It's not a phrase with
recognize him as the form er cripple, and it causes such a stir magical power like an inca ntat ion, schol-
that a crowd form s. ars say. It's Peter sayi ng that he's not th e
Peter knows an audience when he sees one. So he preaches powe r behind the healing. Jes us is.
his second sermo n. H e tells the Jews that proph ets had pre-
dicted that through their race, "all the fam ilies o n earth
wi ll be blessed " (Acts 3:25) . Peter says that Jesus-a Jew-
fu lfilled this p ro mise by offering forgiveness to everyone.
Another 2,000 souls join the movem ent, for a total o f
5,000 m en , not countin g women and children (Acts 4 :4) .
~ FIRST CHURCH .
Jewish Christians met for worship at a
colo nnade si milar to th is one in a mon-
astery (see Acts 5 :12). Ca lled Solomo n's
Colonnade, it was an open-a ir wal kway
along the eastern wal l of the Temple
courtyard. It stretched about 300 ya rds
(275 meters), wit h pi llars supporting a
cedar roof.
ACTS 4:1-22
deny rhe miracle. They see rhar rhousands are
praising God for it.
Jewish court order: Stop it Rarher rhan spark a flor, rhe courr simply
orders Perer and John to never again speak in rhe
TEMPLE SECURITY GUARDS supported name of Jesus.
by priesrs and Jewish scholars interrupr Perer's "Do you rhink God wants us to obey you
sermon. They arresr Perer and John, jail rhem rarher rhan him?" rhe disciples reply. "We cannot
overnighr, and rhe nexr day rake rhem before rhe stop relling about everything we have seen and
Sanhedrin, rhe same Jewish COUf( rhar had sen- heard" (Acrs 4: 19-20).
renced Jesus to dearh a few weeks earlier.
"By whar power, or in whose name, have you done
this?" the courr asks Perer and John (Acts 4:7).
Perer boldly replies, "Rulers and elders of our
people, are we being quesrioned today because
we've don e a good deed for a crippled man? .. .
He was healed by rhe powerful name of Jesus .. .
rhe man you crucified bur whom God raised from
rhe dead" (Acrs 4:8-10).
Suddenly, rhe Jewish leaders are facing rhe
Jesus problem all over again. They rhoughr rhey
laid ir to resr when rh ey killed Jesus. But neirher DEJA VU FOR JUDGES I MembersoftheJewish
high court orchestrate the execution of Jesus, thinking
Jesus nor rhe problem srayed dead.
th ey've silenced a heretical movement. Several weeks
They want to punish Perer and John for reach- later, two of Jesus' disciples appear before the same
ing whar rhey consider a heresy, bur rhey can'r court, charged with doing miracles in Jesus' name.
ACTS 4:32-5:11 DID GOD KILL ANANIAS
AND SAPPHIRA?
Most likely, many Bible experts say.
You lie, you die That 's how they interpret the writer's
original language. If they' re ri gh t. some
ALL THEY WANTED, it seems, was a little recognition for Christians today wo uld argue, God 's
behavior see ms li ke ironic overki ll-
their charitable givi ng. They were a husband and wife named
Ananias means "God is me rcifu l." But
Ananias and Sapphira.
appa rentl y not always. So me st ud ent s
They appare ntl y saw the attention the apos tles lavished of th e Bib le defend God's actio n by
on a Jew named Joseph , from the island of Cyprus. H e so ld say ing the deaths produced a snap· to
so me property an d gave the money to th e apostles to distrib- effect. Members of th e emerg in g Chri s'
ute am ong the poor. Grateful for the gift, the apos tles gave tia n movement saw they'd bette r not
J oseph a n ickname of endearment: Barnabas, w hi ch means mess with God or his min isters.
on charges of blasphemy and sroned ro death The Jews prove Stephen right. They kill
by an angry mob. Bur the job seemed to give a him, too.
man named Stephen an opportunity to run his
mourh , too. That's what gets him killed.
As the Church's compassionate ministry pro-
gram grows, Jesus' disciples decide to delegate the
job of distriburing food each day to widows and
other poverty-stricken believers. They appoint
seven men of faith, Stephen among them.
One day some Jews starr debating him, most
likely abour Jesus and his teachings. These Jews
are from one of the synagogues in Jerusalem, the
Synagogue of Freed Slaves. They apparently lose
the debate and are terribly sore losers. They con-
vince some men to lie, charging Stephen with
speaking disrespectfully abour the Jewish laws
STONING OF STEPHEN I Jews stone Stephen
and Temple.
for in sulting the high court. calling them murderers. It
Stephen is brought before the same Jewish high probably didn't help that at the end of his closing state-
court that had arranged the execution of Jesus ment, Stephen saw a vision of Jesus standing beside
and had ordered Peter and John to stop preach- God in heaven, and he told the court about it-th e same
ing about Jesus. Instead of denying the charges cou rt that had orchestrated the crucifixion of Jesus.
ACTS 8-9
high priest, demanding that distant synagogue
leaders cooperate in the hunt for heretics.
Saul, the most famous convert Somewhere along the way, a beam oflight hits
him, shocking him to the ground and blinding
JEWS CATCH THE SCENT OF HERETICS him. A voice, identifYing itself as Jesus, asks why
after executing Stephen. His death unleashes a Saul is persecuting him. "Get up," Jesus says, "Go
wave of persecution throughout Jerusalem. into the city, and you will be told what you must
The target: Jews who follow the teachings of do" (Acts 9:6).
Jesus. To avoid arrest and possible execution, Colleagues traveling with Paul lead him to
many Jewish Christians scatter ro distant cities. Damascus. There, God orders a man named
One Jew tracks them down-like a bounty Ananias to heal Paul's blindness.
hunter hoping for a divine reward. His Hebrew Paul's encounter with Jesus, followed by the
name is Saul, but he's better known roday by his healing, convinces him that he has been on the
Roman name: Paul. wrong side of the religious debate. He says so pub-
He heads off ro Damascus, north about 150 licly, declaring in the synagogues of Damascus that
miles (240 km). He's armed with letters from the Jesus "is indeed the Son of God!" (Acts 9:20) .
--. ~~
I .. -__
44 46 48 49 52 57 60 64
First Starts church Arrested in
missionary trip in Corinth Jerusalem
WHY DID JESUS TAKE SUCH EXTREME MEASURES TO CONVERT PAUL? I The closest Jesus
comes to expla ining that is to tell Anan ias, "Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to
kings, as we ll as to the people of Is rael" (Acts 9:15). Perhaps Jesus knew that the best way to battle intolerant Jewish
traditionalists was with the insight of a former intolerant Jewish traditionalist.
CAESAREA MARITIMA I A long day's waUl north of Joppa, ab t 30 miles (50 kilometer s), this coa stal
city wa s Rome's headquarters in the Jewi sh homeland-the Roman cap!t I of what is now Isra el. Herod the Great
rebuilt this once-tiny town, turning it into a th7roughlY Roman-style city wi a harbor, theaters, a hippodrome for
horse- racing. palaces, and an aqueduct. channeling water from a spring abo 0 mill!s (16 kilometers) away in the
foothills of the Mo~rrnel range. -
ACTS 11:19-30
Jesus in his hometown-just as he had done in
Damascus within days of his conversion.
Co-pastors: Barnabas and Paul Antioch is where believers are first called Chris-
tians-a hint, scholars say, that Gentile believers
JEWISH CHRISTIANS flee the persecution are starting to develop their own identity (see Acts
in Jerusalem. Some end up in Antioch of Syria, 11 :26) . Jewish C hristians call their movement
about 300 miles (482 km) north. There, they "the Way" (Acts 9:2).
tell the story of Jesus to non-Jews. Many of these
Gentiles embrace the teaching, and start meeting
regularly to hear more.
Jesus' disciples and other Church leaders still
in Jerusalem hear about the congregation. They
decide to send Barnabas as their representative
to check it out. He's apparently impressed with
them, and they with him. He stays on as pastor.
Barnabas travels some 150 miles (240 km)
north to Paul's hometown of Tarsus and recruits
CHRISTIANITY STARTS HERE I Women
Paul to come down and help out. Paul has been
wait for a bus in Antakya, Turkey-known as Antioch
a believer for perhaps a decade. Though the Bible in Paul's day. It was in this city with its predominate ly
says little about him during those years, scholars non-Jewish congregation that followers of Jesus
say it's a fair guess he had been preaching about first got the nickname Christ ians. It stuck.
ACTS 13-14
a message: "Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work In the city of Lystra, Paul and Barnabas
heal a man who had been crippled since
to which J have called them" (Acts 13:2).
birth. Witnesses mistake the two for
There seems to have been more to the message than that
gods: Barnabas becomes the top god,
because rhe two leave for the port city of Seleucia and sail Zeus; Paul-who apparently did most
for the island of Cyprus, Barnabas's homeland . There, they of the talking-becomes Zeus's son, the
travel from one end of the island to the other, teaching in the messenger god Hermes, also known as
synagogues about Jesus. They even manage to convert the Mercury. When priests from the temple
of Zeus come to them with sacrifices,
Roman governor, Sergius Paulus.
Barnabas and Pau l tell them, "We are
From Cyprus, they catch a ship sailing north to what
merely human beings-just like you! We
is now Turkey, preaching in several towns before heading have come to bring you the Good News
home. The entire expedition seems to have taken about two that you should turn from these worth-
years, covering some 1,400 miles (2,250 km), round trip. less things and turn to the living God"
Afterward, they return ro their home base in Antioch . (Acts 14:15).
TARGETING NON-.JEWS.
During thi s trip, Jews became so hostile
toward Paul that he decides to concen-
trate in the future on ministering to non-
Jews. For support, he quotes a famous
Jewish prophet: "I have made you a
light for those who aren't Jews. You
will bring sa lvation to the whole earth"
(Acts 13:47, quoting Isa iah 49 :6 NIrV) .
Acts I 407
ACTS 15 DID THE COMPROMISE WORK?
No. J ewish Christians known as Juda-
izers (J EW-day-EYES-u r s) continu ed
Church split t o press hard against Pau l, followi ng
hi m and te ll ing his convert s th at they
Y OU CAN' T B E A G OOD CHRISTIA N if you're not needed to obey Jewish laws , too. Paul
eve ntually abandoned t he comp ro-
a good Jew. T hat's what some Jewish Christians are telling
mise, as well , t ell ing his co nve rt s t hat it
non-Jewish co nverts. In other words, C hristians should eat
does n't matter what th ey eat as long as
only kosher food, honor the Saturday Sabbath , and fo llow th ey tr y not to off end those eati ng with
all the other laws of Moses-including the painful ritual of th em (Roma ns 14 :2-3; 1 Corinthians 8).
circumcision for th e ge nts.
Peter, Paul , and Barnabas all beg to differ.
So C hurch leaders convene a summit meeting in Jerusa- STRANGLED ANIMALS.
James pro hibited eating animals stran-
lem, led by James, a btother of Jesus.
gled to death, probably because the stran-
T here, Peter tells the coun cil that he saw the Genti le fam-
gling was intended to keep the blood in the
ily of Co rn el ius fill ed with the H oly Spiri t. Paul and Barn a- animal-which to some made the meat
bas tell of God bless ing the non-Jews in Antioch as well as in more tasty: rare meat versus well done.
the many cities they visited on their miss ionary n ip.
James settles on a compromise. N on-Jewish C hristians
have to observe only these rules:
/I Do n't eat food offered to idols.
/I Don't eat meat with blood in it.
/I Don't co mm it sex si ns.
Animal sacrifice
» AD 33 AD 46
BI BlE r
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Paul becomes a Christian Paul begins first
HISTORY "....
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missionary trip
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HISTORY ....
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R o M A N 5
WHAT REAL CHRISTIANS BELIEVE
AD 57 AD 60
Paul writes leiter to Paul arrives in Rome
Christians in Rome
Romans learn to use soap, Nero becomes Roman Rome burns, Paul
from the French (Gauls) Emperor (dies AD 68) executed in Rome
..... ....... .. ... AD 50 AD 54 AD 64
ROMANS 1
can clearly see his invisible qualities-his eternal
power and divine nature. So they have no excuse
Paul's question for atheists for not knowing God" (Romans 1:19-20).
To be an atheist, Paul implies, people have to
PAUL SEEMS TO WONDER how any human amp up their faith big-time. They have to con-
beings in their right mind can work up the faith it vince themselves that in this universe, playing by
takes ro become an atheist. the rules of physics, it's possible for nothing ro
He admits that it takes faith ro become a become something.
Christian, roo. After all, he says, we have ro trust
in the teachings ofJesus-"This Good News tells
us how God makes us right in his sight. This is
accomplished from stan ro finish by faith . As the
Scriprures say, 'It is through faith that a righteous
perso n has life'" (Romans 1:17).
Bur Paul impli es that it takes even more faith LAMININ I A cell-ad hesion
ro ignore God as the anist responsible for the molecule, it 's the glue that holds
masterpiece on creation's canvas. together the body of every living
organism on ea rth . Shaped like a
"They know the truth abour God because he
cross, it reminds some Christians
has made it obvious ro them. For ever since the
of something Paul wrote about
world was created, people have see n the eanh Jesus: ·'He holds everyth ing to-
and sky. Through everything God made, they gether" (Colossians 1:17 NtrV) .
ROMANS 3 SALVATION ROAD.
Calling it the "Roman road to sa lva-
tion," Bible experts say Paul's letter to
Why Jesus died the Romans works like a spiritual map.
Paul points readers in the direction he
5 I N IS A CA PITA L OFFEN 5 E. in the eyes ofa holy God. says they should go.
> "Everyone has sinned" (Romans
Any sin. It's as incom patible with God's spiritual kingdom as
3:23).
matter is with antimatter in our physical world.
> "Th e wages of sin is death" (Romans
Jes us died, Paul says, to make sinful people compatible 6:23).
with God and his kingdom . > "God showed his great love for us by
During the 1,400 years or so between the time of Moses send in g Ch ri st to die for us whi le we
and Jesus, Jews fOllnd forgiveness by sacrificing animals as were sti ll sinners" (Romans 5:8).
substitutes for themselves. "The life of an animal is in the
> "If you confess with your mouth that
Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart
blood. I have provided the blood for you to make atonement
that God raised him from the dead,
for your lives on the Altar; it is the blood, the li fe, that makes you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
atonement" (Leviticus 17: 11 MSG).
Bur Paul says God had promised a new and better sys-
tem that would work for everyone, Jew and non-Jew. And he THE .JEWISH BIBLE PREDICTED
answer is in Jesus C hrist our Lord" (Romans 7:24-25) . won't try to satisfy your selfish desires"
(Romans 13:13-14 CEV) •
... ADDICTED.
Powerfully addic tive, cocai ne has been
abused for more th an a century-a nd
eaten as coca leaves for thousands of
years. That makes it one of the old ,
est known drugs. Paul's description of
how sin latches on to people sounds
strange ly similar to an addiction: "I
don't want to do what is wron g, but I do
it an ywa y. ... This power makes me a
slave" (Romans 7:19, 23).
Romans I 419
ROMANS 9-11 THE LAW.
Thi s refers to the Jewish laws of behav'
ior. preserved in th e fi rst five books of
Jews aren't the only the Bible. The most basic laws are the
ones chosen 10 Commandments. But there are hun'
dreds of others that grow out of those 10.
ple, I will make them my people. I will treat with love those t o feel so rro w deep in our hearts. Thi s is
the kin d of sacrifice you won·t refuse '"
nations that have never been loved'" (Romans 9:25 CEV) .
(Psalm 51:16-17 CEV) .
Th is does n't mean God has rejected th e Jews, Paul adds. If
it did, Paul's in trouble since he's a Jew. Instead , it means "Jew
and Gentile are the same in th is respect .... For 'Everyone .... GOD'S NEW CHOSEN PEOPLE.
who calls on the nam e of the LORD will be saved' " (Romans A Jew himself. Paul says God chose the
10:12-13). Jewish peop le to launch his plan of salva'
tion. But Paul says that Jesus takes that
plan to the next level, offering salva tion
t o everyone. Sadly. Paul add s. many Jews
couldn't make the climb. For them, Jesus
became '"a huge rock in the middle of the
road. And so they stumbled into him and
we nt sprawling'" (Romans 9:32 MSG) .
ROMANS 12-15
II Don't take revenge; leave that for God.
II Submit (0 governing authorities. T hey'll
What a real Christian looks like answer (0 God.
II Don't argue with new Christians; accept them
CHRISTIANS ARE ODDBALLS compared as they are, as C hrist accepted you.
(0 non-Christians-at least in the way they think
and act.
T hat's Paul's hope, anyway. He tells Christians
in Rome, "Don't become so well-adjusted to your
culture that you fit into it without even thinking"
(Romans 12:2 MSG) .
Paul's (O-do list of "the best" includes: CHILLING, AMISH STYLE I An Amish man
dresses in black. II's the preferred color of a Christian
II Love each other with genuine affection.
group known for its simple li festyle, which includes
II Work hard, and don't be lazy.
stern lim it s on modern technology and on co lor ful
/I Be patient when you're in trouble, and keep clothing. Just as today's Am ish stand out in looks,
praying. Paul says should all Christians shou ld stand out in
II Help others in need. be havior.
1 CORINTHIANS 5
A man in Ihe church is living in sin wilh his slepmolher. Paul
orders Ihe church 10 remove him from Ihe fellowship in Ihe
hopes il will convict him and convince him 10 repent.
AD 57
Paul writes letters to Paul arrested in Jerusalem
Corinth
AD 64
Rome burns, Paul
executed in Rome
1 CORINTHIANS 1-4
/I PET E R. Some may have favored Peter's bal-
anced apptoach to the heated debate about
Who's the church boss? Jewish Christians and non-Jewish Christians:
Jews obey Jewish laws, non-Jews honor the
A CHURCH SPLIT IS BREWING. With comptomise worked out at the Jerusalem
Paul, their founder, gone, the church of Corinth summit (see page 408).
can't seem to agree on who's in charge. At least /I J E 5 US. Some may have appealed to Jesus,
four factions develop-perhaps representing dif- who observed Jewish traditions, to justifY
ferent worship styles or different slants on con- their hard-line stance that all Christians obey
troversial ideas. Jewish laws.
/I PAUL. Some may have favored a worship Paul pleads for unity. He says it doesn't mat-
leader who, like Paul, emphasizes that we're ter who builds the church from this point on, as
saved by faith, not by following Jewish laws. long as they build on the foundation he laid: the
/I APOLLOS. Famed as an "eloquent speaker" teachings of Jesus.
(Acts 18:24), he visited Corinth as a guest "After all," Paul writes, "who is Apollos? Who is
minister. Some may have wanted to appoint Paul? We are only God's servants .... Each of us did
him as pastor. the work the Lord gave us" (J Corinthians 3:5).
1 CORINTHIANS 5, 6:9-20
MOTHER DEAR I A man at the young church in Corinth is law that forbid s a man from having sex
sleep ing with his stepmother, while church leaders ignore the sin . with "your father's wife."
Paul has a sugge stion: Ignore the man instead. Shu n him by remov'
ing him from the fellowsh ip.
CORINTH'S BAD REPUTATION.
Corinth had a reputation as the go-to town
for sex. There was probably some truth to
that, scholars say, because it was a heav-
ily traveled crossroad s town for sailors
and home to Aphrodite, goddess of love.
But much of the bad PR came from writ-
ers in the competing town of Athens. Aris-
tophanes, a playwright there, turned the
city's name into a verb: corinthianize. lt's a
crass way of sayi ng " fornicate." Plato, also
in Athens, invented the phrase Corinthian
girl as a euphemism for "hooker."
UNTIL NOW, Paul has been dealing with Corinth church Lord's wo rk and th inkin g how to please
him. But a married man has to think
problems he has only heard about. But at this point, he starts
about his ear thl y responsibi lities and
answering questions the chutch asked him in a letter.
how to please hi s wife... . I wa nt you
Based on Paul's answer, some Bible experts say it sounds to do whatever wil l hel p yo u se r ve the
like the question was a two-parter that went something like Lord best , with as f ew di straction s as
this: possible" (1 Corinth ia ns 7:32-33, 35).
"Is it better to stay single than get married? And if we're
already married, should we abstain fro m sex?"
... BRIDE OF CHRIST.
Paul gives them a two-part answer.
Roman Catholic nuns t ake a vow of
/I CELIBACY BEATS MARRIAGE: chastity, consi dering themselves th e
"I say to those who aren't married and to widows-it's bri des of Christ. Some priests take the
better to stay unmarried, just as I am" (1 Corinthi ans 7:8). same vow, which t hey say frees them
On the oth er hand, he says it's better to get married than from famil y duties and gives them more
tim e to devote t o mini str y. Paul wo uld
to live as single peopl e constantly thinkin g about the sex
have app roved , if what he wrote to
they're not getting.
Christians in Corinth is any clu e.
/I IF YOU'RE MARRIED, ENJOY SEX:
"The husband should fulfill his wife's sexual needs, and the
wife should fulfill her husband's needs" (1 Cori nthians 7:3).
1 CORINTHIANS 8 WAS PAUL AN APOSTLE?
Some in Corinth seemed to argue he
was n't.
On the menu: holy cow "Apostle" was the top job in the first-
generation Church. Jesus' 11 su rvivi ng
IS IT WRONG to eat the m eat of ani mals sacrificed to disciples and the one replacement for
pagan gods, such as Jupiter and Aphtodite? Judas (Matthias) were all called apostles.
Cows, sheep, goats, pigs, and other critters are offered as There were two qualifications for
beco ming one of th e 12 apostles.
sacrifi ces on pagan altars. But priests usuall y burn o nly part
First, each ma n had to have kn own
of the anim al. T he rest goes on sale at local butcher shops.
Jesus and traveled wit h him through-
Or it gets eaten onsite in temp le banquet halls -in a holy out hi s ministry (see Acts 1:21-22).
party hosted by the worshipper for fami ly and frie nds. Second, each man had to have been
Paul ad vises against eating in a pagan temple. H e says some among the people Jesus personal ly sent
weaker C hristia ns might get the wro ng idea and co nclude it's on the mission to spread hi s teac hin gs
to al l nations . Apostle means "se nd."
okay to worship God like he's just one of many gods.
Paul considered himse lf an apostle
As for eat ing the m eat offsite, Paul says he sees nothing
for three reasons:
wrong w ith it: "We can't win God's approval by w hat we eat" > He saw Jesus, "Haven't I see n Jesus
(1 Corinthia ns 8:8). our Lord wi th my own eyes?" (1 Corinthi-
On the oth er hand, h e says, if this might cause weaker ans 9:1). He was referring to his mirac u-
C hristi ans to stum ble back into their o ld habit of worship- lous enco unter with Jesus on th e road
ping pagan gods, then he ad vises agai nst eati ng it in front of to Damasc us (see page 404).
> He was commissioned bV Jesus,
them.
"Take my message to the Gentiles and
That wo uld be a bit like taking a recovering alco holic o ut
to kings, as well as to the people of
to dinner and ordering a botde of C hard onnay. Israel" (Acts 9:15).
> He did miracles, "I certai nl y gave you
proof that I am an apos tle. For I patientl y
FOOD FIT FOR A GOD I A Roman worshipper leads a
did ma ny signs and wonde rs and mira -
parade of animals headed for sacrifice at a temple altar, in ar t cles among yo u" (2 Cori nth ians 12:12).
created about the same time Paul wrote 1 and 2 Corinthians.
Christia ns in Corinth as ked
Paul if it was okay to
eat meat left over
from these pagan
rituals.
WO R S HIP S E RV I C ES have spi raled our of control. Pro b- saying Ch ri stians shou ld dista nce th em'
selves fro m pagan wor ship prac ti ces .
lems range fro m folks gening drunk on co mmunion win e
[0 wo rshippers competing for an ention by speaking in
[O ngues- a language thar makes no earthly sense. No t with- WHY SHOULD WOMEN WEAR
our an III rerpreter. HEAD COVERINGS DURING
Paul offers advice in several problem areas. WORSHIP?
HATS I N C HUR C H. Men should rake off rh eir head A gu ess: It was cust omary at th e t ime
for women t o cover t hei r heads whi le
coverings durin g worship. Women should wear rheirs.
out in public, much li ke it 's still a cus'
Scholars [Oday can only guess why (see righr).
tom in some wor ld areas for women t o
COM M UNION. The Lord's Supper isn'r a potluck, Paul wea r veils in pu blic.
says. Bu r Co rinthians are rrearing ir rhar way- and nor shar-
ing. Ri ch people bring lars of food and wine- and drin k [00
much. Poor people go hungry. Paul rells rhe Corinthians [0
WHY DOES PAUL SAY WOMEN
SHOULD ZIP THEIR LIPS DUR-
ear ar home. H e says he'll teach them how [0 celeb rare Com-
ING WORSHIP SERVICES ?
munion when he visits.
Aga in, Bi ble expert s are left guess ing.
SPEA K I N G IN TONGUES . To co mbar chaos in a wor-
Paul allows wo men to pray and proph'
ship service, Paul says, "No more rhan two or rhree should esy in church (see 1 Corinthi ans 11:5).
speak in [Ongues. They musr speak one ar a rim e, and some- But he later t ells th em t o "be sil en t " in
one musr interprer whar rhey say" (1 Corinthi ans 14 :27). ch urch (1 Cori nt hians 14:34). Th ey ca n't
do bot h. Sc holars look to th e co ntext
for cl ues. In t he " be silent" sect ion,
Paul mig ht be t elling th e ladies not to
pub licly quest ion th e pro ph ecies of
th eir hu sban ds, pot entially embarrass'
ing t he ge nts . If th e wo men have ques'
tion s, " th ey should as k th eir husba nds
at home" (1 Cori nt hians 14:35) .
No Resurrection, no Christianity
"(0
. "
more than 500 believers at the same time
(I Corinthians 15:6 Nlrv).
Next, Paul appeals (0 logic: How can anyone
who believes Jesus rose from the dead say there's
no such thing as resurrection?
"If there is no resurrection of the dead," Paul
adds, "then Christ has not been raised either"
(I Corinthians 15: 13).
RISING TO THE OCCASION I When the last
If Jesus stayed dead, then Christianity is a trumpet sounds, Paul promises, the dead wil l rise to
fraudulent religion-and Christians are a sorry live forever. As for Christians st il l alive at the time,
lot of losers, "more (0 be pitied than anyone in "our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal
the world" (1 Corinthians 15:19). bodies" (1 Corinthians 15:53).
2 CORINTHIANS 2-4:7
TEA TIME I A Bedouin herder pours tea in a tent at Wadi Rum, Jordan. Paul, a tentmaker by trade, compared
the human body to a tent. He said it 's just a temporary place fo r us to live until God gives us an ever lasting body
when we die.
"They gave even more than they could .. .more Whether the gift is cold cash or a warm gesture.
than we expected" (2 Corinthians 8:3, 5 Nlrv). cheerful givers are welcome folks.
2 CORINTHIANS 10-13
/I "Five times the Jews gave me thirty-
nine lashes with a whip. "
Paul puts his life on the line /I "Three times the Romans beat me
with a big stick. "
PAUL HAS CRITICS. Some arrive in Corinth /I "Once my enemies stoned me. " (They
after he's go ne-so he's not there to defend stopped because they thought he was
himself when they start pummeling him with dead [see Acts 14:19}.)
sharp words. /I '1 have been shipwrecked three times,
H e's a liar, they say. He's a preacher for ptofit. and I even had to spend a night and a
He's a self-promoting egomaniac. And he's more day in the sea. "
blow than go, writing stern letters that he doesn't /I '1 have gone hungry and thirsty. "
back up in person. /I '1 have been cold from not having
Paul 's response? enough clothes to keep me warm. "
H e'll be there in person soon enough, and he 2 CORINTHIANS 11:24-25, 27 CEV
» AD 46 AD 48
BI BlE r
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Paul's first Paul writes Galatians
HISTORY "....
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mission trip (mid-50s alternate date)
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HISTORY .... AD 41
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GALATIANS
CLASH OFT HE CHURCH TITANS:
PETER VS. PAUL
AD 57 AD 64
Paul finishes final Paul executed
mission trip in Rome
Claudius expels Jew from Rome over trouble Nero blames Christians
related to "Chrestus" (possibly Christ) for burning Rome
AD 52 AD 64
GALATIANS 2 WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?
Paul never reports what Pete r had
to say for himself. But Pa ul won th e
Paul gives Peter what for debate. Christians eventua lly aba n-
doned Jewish traditions. By the end of
PETER S HOU L D HAV E KN OW N B ETTER, Paul says. the firs t ce ntu ry, Jewish leaders gave
Jewis h Christia ns a choice. Wo rshi p
Peter shouldn't have refused ro eat with the non-Jewish
in the sy nagog ue as Jews or wo rship
C hristians in Antioch- treating them like they were seco nd-
in church groups with Christians. You
class souls. can 't do both . Many retur ned to th e
For several reaso ns. J ewish religion, whi ch is why sc holars
/I T HE V I S ION . Years earli er, Peter had a vision that say th e book of Hebrews was written-
taught him Gentiles were no longer ritually unclean. to argue that Jesus made the Jewish
After that vision, he brought the H oly Spirit ro a Roman relig ion obsolete.
APOSTLES AT ODDS I Peter and Pau l show up as pa rtne rs in ministry, in this image inscribed onto a tomb in
the AD 300s. But for one tense moment, in what is now a Turkish town, they fi nd themse lves in a duel of words.
GALATIANS 3-5
"Christ has set us free," Paul says, referring to
the hundreds oflaws Jews follow. "He wants us to
Paul goes ballistic enjoy freedom. So stan d firm. Don't let the chains
of slavery hold you .... Don't let yourselves be cir-
GO CUT YOUR TESTICLES OFF! That's cumcised" (Galatians 5:1-2 Nlrv).
Paul's advice to fellow Christians.
Not to C hristians in Galatia, in churches he
started. But to a traveling group of tradition-
loving Jewish C hristians. T hey're talking non-
Jewish C hristian men into getting circumcised-
the most extreme ritual for a convert to Judaism.
Paul doesn't get any angrier than this-at least
not in the Bible:
» AD 53
BI BlE r
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Paul starts church
HISTORY "....
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in Ephesus
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HISTORY .... AD 43
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EPHESIANS
DEAR ABBY ADVICE FOR CHRISTIANS
AD 62 : AD 64
Paul writes Ephesians : Romans execute
: Paul and Peter
Nero executes his wife, Octavia, Nero blames Christians Romans begin building
and marries Poppaea Sabina for burning Rome Rome's Coliseum
AD 62 AD 64 AD 70
EPHESIANS 1-3
"UNCIRCUMCISED HEATHENS."
That's what Jews used to ca ll non-Jews.
Paul said Jews did this to brag about
their circu mcision, "even though it
affected on ly thei r bodies and not their
hearts" (Ephesians 2:11). Paul mentioned
this as a warn ing so Genti le Ch ri stians
wouldn't get too full of themselves and
think of everyone else as an outsider.
"Don't forg et that you Gent iles used to
be outs iders" (Ep hesians 2:11 ).
Ephesians 1443
EPHESIANS 1-3 DOES PAUL REALLY EXPECT
SPIRITUAL PERFECTION?
Probably not in this li fet ime. He con·
A Christian's to-do list fesses in another letter, " I have not yet
been made perfect" (Philippians 3:12
G ROW UP. That's what Paul wants to see newbie Christians NIr V). But perfection is his goal. And he
says he's pushing on toward it.
in Ephesus do-mature in the faith.
Their target: perfection.
"We become like Christ and have his perfection" (Ephe- "DON'T LET THE SUN GO
sians 4: 13 NCV) . DOWN WHILE YOU ARE
The path to perfection, as Paul maps it our, reads a bit like STILL ANGRY"?
J [WISH HISTORIAN
They're weak
Our ancestors. in their wisdom, consid'
ered that all women, because of their
innate weakness, should be under the
control of guardians.
C ,CERO ( 106-43 BC )
SENECA ON SLAVERY.
R OMAN PH I LOSOPHER
Some Rom ans, such as phi los'
opher Seneca (4 BC-AD 65)
They rub us the wrong way
argued that slaves shou ld be
A Roman general who divorced his
treated humanely.
beautiful wife and married another was
Seneca asked why. He held up one of his shoes.
"This is attractive, isn't it? And it 's
new, isn't it? But you can't see where it
PULL DADDY'S BEARD I The lady of the hou se gives her
pinches my foot."
baby an up'close look at the pater familias-"head of the fam ily."
L UCIUS AEMILIU S P AULLUS M ACEDON I CUS
With large families co nsidered a blessing in Bible tim es, homes
(ABOUT 2 2 9 BC-160 BC )
were often a tight pa ck of relatives. Though Paul was a single man,
it didn't stop him from offering some family counseling . R OMAN GENERA L
EPHESIANS 6:10-20
IT'S WAR.
Paul warns Chrisrians rhey're in a barrie rhar's waging
from anorher dimension.
"We are nor fighring againsr fl esh-and-blood enemIes,
bur againsr evil rulers and aurhoriries of rhe unseen world,
again sr mighry powers in rhis dark world, and againsr evil
spirirs in rhe heavenly places" (Ephesians 6 : 12).
Paul advises Chrisrians ro pur on God's armor.
And he does ir in a crearive way, using milirary meraphors
rhar make sense ro non-Jewish Chrisrians who are all roo ARE DEMONS AND SATAN
familiar wirh Roman armor. Yer rhese meraphors produce REAL ENTITIES?
Paul seemed to think so. Jesus did, too.
even deeper connecrions fo r Jewish Chrisrians who know
He exorc ised demons from peop le. He
rheir Bible.
ta lked t o the demons, orde ring t hem
out. He asked one demon, "What is you r
name?" (Mark 5:9) .
PAUL'S MILITARY .JEWISH BIBLE
METAPHOR BACKGROUND
Ephesians 1447
PHILIPPIANS 3:12-21
Comparing himself perhaps to an Olympic runner. Paul says,
"I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the
heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling
us" (verse 14).
» AD 49 Paul starts
BI BlE r
r
AD 46
Paul's first mission trip church at Philippi on
HISTORY "....
»
second mission trip
~'"
> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : . .. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
""
'"
~ AD 41 Emperor Caligula murdered,
WORLD -
succeeded by Claudius, lame and
HISTORY
"....
»
with speech impediment
'"
PHILIPPIANS
A PREACHER'S THANK-YOU LETTER
UNCHAINED MINISTRY I Paul writes the leiter to Philippi " in chains" (Philippians 1:13). But he insists his min-
ist ry continues- i nfluencing his Roma n guards, embolde nin g free Christians in the city, and insp iring local preachers.
PHILIPPI. Greek settlers started this city in about 360 BC, lured into the area by gold and silver in the nearby hills
., Philippi is about 10 miles (16 km) Inland. Alexander the Great's father, King
Philip II of Macedon, captured the settlement a couple of years later, expanded it. and named it after himself. Rome
captured it a couple of centuries later, populated It with retired soldiers, and connected it to other cities with a main
road: the Via Egnat la. Today, It's a rUins visited by tOUrIStS.
PAUL'S WARNING. "You saw me suffer, and you still heac about my troubles. Now you must suffer In the same
: , . , ,. . , ,. ..
destroyed, and It will show you that you will be saved. God wil l make all of this happen" (P ilippians 1:28, 30 CEV). If
Paul wrote this letter In about AD 62, as many scholars guess, Roman persecution of Christians began two years
later, whe Nero blamed Christians for setting fICe to Rome.
Philippians 451
PHILIPPIANS 2
So Paul gives the Philippians a crash course on
the how-to.
Stay humble, keep it real /I "Don't be selfish."
/I "Don't try to impress others."
GET ALONG WITH EACH OTHER. That's /I "Be humble; thinking of others as better
Paul's advice, whether he's writing to a church in than yourself"
trouble-like Corinth-or to churches doing just PHILIPPIANS 2:3
dandy, like Philippi and Ephesus.
In other words, "You must have the same atti-
Make me completely happy! Live in har- tude that Christ Jesus had" (Philippians 2:5).
mony by showing love for each other. Be Jesus left heaven, became human, and died like a
united in what you think, as ifyou were criminal on a cross. That's the flip side of putting
only one person. himself first. Jesus put us first, Paul implies.
PHILIPPIANS 2:2 CEV We should do the same, putting others first
"readily and cheerfully-no bickering, no sec-
That's pretty much what parents want for ond-guessing allowed! Go out into the world
their kids. And it's what ministers want for their uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid
congregations. and polluted society" (Philippians 2: 14-15
Easier said than done. MSG).
PHILIPPIANS 3:12-21
Paul urges the Phil ipp ians ro do the same. "Stick with me,
friends, " he says. "There are ma ny our there taking other
paths." Easier paths that promise wealth and fame. "Bur
easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make
their bellies their gods; belches are their praise" (Philippians
3:17-19 MSG).
Laurel wreath
Philippians I 453
COLOSSIANS 2:18
Fraud preachers are hawking their bizarre ideas about
Christianity- everything from promoting angel worship,
to astrology and circumcision.
l> AD S3
BIBLE r
r
0 Colosse, mound Paul begins three-
HISTORY l>
-< of buried city year stay in Ephesus
~
'"x
0 : London founded
WORLD
: by Romans
HISTORY
"-<
l>
~ : AD 43
COLOSSIANS
FIBBERS AND FRAUDS IN THE CHURCH
AD 62 AD 64
Paul writes letter Romans execute
of Colossians Paul
II "By him everything is held together. " ra n t hrough Laodicea, bypassing Colosse. An ea rt h-
qu ake nearly destroyed Col osse somet ime between
/I "He is the head ofhis body. . .the church."
AD 60 - 64, pe rh aps shortl y aft er Pau l wrote th e let-
/I "He is. .. the firstto be raised from death. "
te r of Co lossia ns. Citizens rebuilt the town but late r
/I "By sacrificing his blood . .all beings in heaven aba ndoned it. pe rh aps beca use of more ea rt hqu akes
and on earth would be brought back to God. " or repeated raids. All t hat's left to day is a moun d th at
COLOS S I A N S 1:15-18, 20 CE V archaeolog ist s haven 't st ar te d excava t ing .
HERE COMES THE SON I Laced in clouds an d f ramed in lig ht , a st atue of Jesus crowns th e mountain over-
looking Rio de Janeiro. Some 30 yea r s aft er Jesus re tur ned t o heaven, Chr ist ia ns apparently were confused enough
about the nat ure of J esus that Paul felt compelled t o give the m a re fresher course.
COLOSSIANS 2
they provide no help in conquering a person's evil
desires" (Colossians 2:8, 23).
Follow Jesus, not manmade rules The way (0 conquer evil desire is by replacing
it with holy desire.
FRAUD CHRISTIANS are spread ing nonsense "You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord.
at the church of Colosse, and perhaps in neigh- Now keep on following him. Plant your roots in
boring Laodicea, (00. Christ and let him be the foundation for your
Instead of preaching the gospel of faith in Jesus, life" (Colossians 2:6-7 CEV) .
they're preaching from their own private rule books.
Some of their rules:
/I EAT AND DRINK APPROVED FOOD.
Perhaps a reference (0 the kosher Jewish dier.
/I HONOR THE SABBATH. And the New Moon,
along with other holy days-presumably Jew-
ish holidays such as Passover in the spring.
/I PRACTICE SELF-DENIAL. Perhaps the
beginning of the ascetic movement, and its
obsession with fasting, beating oneself, and
suffering through other hardships such as
sleeping in the cold withour a blanker.
/I WORSHIP ANGELS. Possibly a reference SPIRITS IN THE SKY I Stars circle above
(0 calling on angels for help. the church of Saint John the Baptist in Stanton,
Paul says the Jewish rules were "on ly shadows England-captured in a time' lapse composite of BO
of the reality yet (0 come. And C hrist himself is photos, each exposed for 45 seconds. Many Romans
and some Christ ians in Paul's day seemed to believe
that reality" (Colossians 2: 17).
t hat celestial spirits, constellations, and planets
As for the other rules, such as self-denial and
(named after Roman gods) affected their day·to ·day
angel worship, Paul says they're "empty philoso- life. But Paul sa id Jesus created everyth in g, ru les over
phies and high-sounding nonsense thar. .. seem it all, and "has set you free from the spi ritua l powers
wise because they require snong devotion .... Bur of this world" (Colossians 2:20).
(continued next page)
PENANCE IN RED I Draped in his own blood, a Roman Catholic in San Pedro Cutud, Pampanga, in the Philippines
observes Good Friday by beating himself with bamboo rods laced to a whip-to express sorrow for his sins . Pau l took a
stand against Church leaders who prodded Christians toward painful practices he ca lled "se lf-denia l" (Colossians 2:23).
CHRISTIANS PURSUE:
/I tenderhearted mercy
/I kindness
/I humility
/I gentleness
/I patience
/I forgiveness for offenders
CHRISTIANS AVOID:
/I anger
/I slander
/I dirty language
/I lies ROMAN PORTRAIT I The likeness of an Egyptian
woman from Roman times, painted on a board and
/I sexual immorality
attached to her mummy. Paul painted word pictures of
/I greed
Christians from his day, portraying them as kind souls
who treat non-Christians with courtesy.
BI seEN
LOOKING FOR THE SECOND COMING
1 THESSALONIANS 4:16-17
"The Lord himself will come down from heaven." Dead Christians
will rise. Then living Christians. They're all headed to heaven,
where they'll live forever.
.. .. .. .. . . ......... . .. »
""
'"x
0 Caligula becomes emperor, Theudas beheaded for :
WORLD -
<: says he's a god claiming he's the Messiah:
»
HISTORY .... AD 37 AD46 :· · · · ·· .... ·
'"
1 r 2 THESSALONIANS
DON'T WAIT FOR JESUS,
WORK FOR JESUS
: AD 49 Paul AD 50 : AD 64
: starts church Paul writes 1, 2 : Romans execute
: in Corinth Thessalonians : Paul
church members in Judea suffered from the spice to a sidewalk ca fe in Thessaloniki, Greece. Times
weren't so upbeat for Jewi sh Christians Paul left behind
Jews" (J Thessalonians 2: 14 Nlrv).
in the city. Tradition 'm inded Jews branded them her'
/I PAUL SUFFERS. He reminds them of his
etics worthy of persecution-for starters, possibly
own suffering, which included beatings and refu sing them servi ce and boycotting th eir products.
jail time.
1 THESSALONIANS 4:13 2 THESSALONIANS 2
Second Coming: the itinerary Holy Spirit, or from someone else, or even that
they read it in one of our letters" (2 Thessalonians
JESUS' SECOND COMING is the headline in 2:1-3 CEV).
both of Paul's letters to the Thessalonians. Paul explains that before Jesus returns, "the
Under the gun of persecution, Christians there man oflawlessness will be revealed .... This man
want to know when Jesus is coming back. And will come to do the work of Satan with counter-
they're wondering what happens to Christians feit power and signs and miracles" (2 T hessalo-
who die before then. nians 2:8-9).
Paul writes like he has seen the divine itinerary: Until then, Paul tells the Christians to get on
with their lives by working hard, helping the weak,
/I RET URN. "The Lord him self will come and trying to do good to everyone they meet.
down from heaven with a commanding (continued next page)
shout, with the vo ice of the archangel, and
with the trumpet call of God."
/I RES U R R ECT ION. "Christians who have
died will rise from their graves."
/I RAPT U R E. "Then, together with them, we
who are sti ll alive and remain on the earth
wi ll be caught up in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air."
/I REWA R D. "Then we will be with the Lord
forever."
1 THES SA LONI ANS 4:16-17
IF YOU DON ' T WORK, YOU DON'T EAT. That's Paul's is coming back any minute. The y
don't see any point in working, since
message to some Christians in Thessalonica who for some
they 'll be leaving the planet soon,
reason have stopped working.
> Saintly Sugar Dadd ies. Other s are
Bible experts can only guess why some of the believers coverin g their expenses, Rich Chris-
"just loaf around and won't do any work, except the work of tians may have taken them under
a busybody" (2 Thessalonians 3: 11 CEV) . their fis ca l wing, much like some rich
W hatever the reason rhey're nor working-and it's not people today take care of an entou-
rage in exchange fo r little more than
because they can't-Paul hares it. He attacks the problem
gratitude, emotional support, and
three rimes:
occasional chores.
/I W hen he visited the city: "Even wh ile we were wirh you,
we gave yo u this command: 'Those unwilling to work
wi ll nor ger to ear' " (2 Thessalonians 3: 10) . WAS PAUL AGAINST A
/I In his first letter: "We urge you to warn those who are WELFARE SYSTEM?
THESSALONICA.
This bustling trade town of perhaps
more than 100,000 souls had the best
naturally protected port in what is now
Greece, Today, with a population of about
364,000, Thessalon iki is the second-
largest cit y in Greece, after Athens,
BIBLE : AD 33
: Paul sees the light,
HISTORY : converts to Christianity
WORLD
HISTORY
1 r 2 TIMOTHY
A MINISTER'S SURVIVAL G U IDE
AD 52 AD 57 AD 64
Paul starts church in Ephesus, Paul arrested Paul writes Paul writes
on third mission trip in Jerusalem 1 Timothy 2 Timothy
OUR SALVATION. "They will say it is wrong to be mar- Born: Lystra, in what is now Turkey
Mother: Eunice, a Jew
ried and wrong to eat certain foods" (1 T imothy 4:3). Jewish
Father: Non-Jew
Christians may be lobbying for the traditional kosher Jew-
Early ministry: Join ed Paul as asso-
ish diet, alongside an emerging Christian idea that celibacy ciate on second mission trip, about
ratchets up our faith a notch. AD 48, serving as troubleshooter and
GETTING IT RIGHT IN THE HEAD IS BETTER courier who de livered Paul's leiters and
THAN GETTING IT RIGHT IN LIFE. Some teachers handl ed church prob lems in Thessalon-
ica and Corinth
have "an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of
Late ministry: Pastor of the church in
words" (I Timothy 6:4). Paul says that those philosophizing
Ephesus
brainiacs see Christian ity on ly as a way to get rich. Paul's Death: Early Church leaders say he
advice: "Don't pay any attention to that godless and stupid became the bishop at Ephesus and died
talk that sounds smart but really isn't" (1 Timothy 6:20 CEV) . a martyr in AD 97
'I' WORSHIP MODE I Modestly dressed. Hair covered. Mouth families suf fered. So Paul was say-
closed. Eyes and ears alert-to listen and learn from the men. That's in g the women didn't need to do any-
how the apostle Pau l sa id he liked his lad ies in worsh ip ser vices. thing more t han live out their faith by
Bible experts don't agree on what he'd say about women at wor- accepting their God-given role as wife
ship today. But some guess he'd be no less politi cally incorrect. and mother.
Good reputation X X
Integrity X
Admired by non-Christians X
Faithful to wife X X
Dependable X
Self-controlled X X
Sensible X
Gentle X
Able to teach X
Clear conscience X
Not violent X
Not quarrelsome X
Not money-hungry X
1, 2 Timothy I 473
1 TIMOTHY 5-6:2
work hard ar borh preaching and reaching" (1 Timorhy 5: 17) . THE STOMACH .
That's Paul's medical advice to Timothy,
DESTITUTE WIDOWS. Take care ofrhem ifrheyhave
"for the sake of your stoma ch becau se
no family who will do ir. "Bur if she has children or grand-
you are sick so often" (1 Timoth y 5:23).
children, rheir firsr responsibil iry is to show godliness ar A small amount of wine can aid diges'
hom e and repay rheir parems by raking care of rhem. This is tion by helping break down food and
somerhing rhar pleases God" (1 Timorhy 5:4). eliminate bad bacteria. Some Bible
SLAVES . Tell rhem ro show respecr for rh eir masrers. And experts won der if Paul was afraid that if
if rheir masrers are believers, rhey should work all rhe harder. Ti mot hy didn·t drink some wi ne, people
might mistake him for one of the self,
denial hereti cs who taught that people
NEAR THE END I On end·of·life hospice ca re. 83-year' 0Id earn their salvation through hardship,
Ginny Lothrop sleeps while her daughter. Susan Myrland, catches like fasting.
some rest. too. Ginny moved from her home in Florida to be near
Susan in California. The apostle Paul urged adult children to take
care of their widowed mothers. But if the children don't, he sa id, the WH Y NOT TELL CHRISTIANS
"Please come as soon as yo u can," Pau l pleads (2 Timo- fix ion . Tha t's how ea rl y Churc h wri ters
said he died, add ing that t he execut io n
th y 4 :9).
took place at mile ma rk er three on th e
"Do your best to get here before winter.... When you come,
Ostia n Way, on th e ou t sk irt s of Rome.
be sure to bring the coat [left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring Marking th e spot t oday is a fit ti ng
my books, and especially my papers" (2 Timothy 4: 13, 2 1). mem ori al to a chu rch planter: a churc h.
Most of Paul's associates had left him , either on assign- It's cal led Saint Paul of th e Three Foun-
ments by him or for self-preservation. Only one rema ins, the t ains. Rom ans built it in the AD 400 s,
after they lega lized Ch ri sti anity.
physician Luke, said to have written the Gospel of Luke and
Acts. But Paul wants his dearest friend, Timothy. And he asks
Timothy to bring John Mark, another associate who's cred- WHY ASK TIMOTHY TO COME
ited with writing what many scholars say was the first of the BEFORE WINTER ?
four Gospels: Mark. Winter weat her made long·d istance
The Bible doesn't report the end of this story. We don't know travel dangerous, by land or by sea.
Rome is abou t as far north as Chicago,
if Timothy made the trip at all, let alone if he arrived in time.
Det ro it. and Beiji ng .
l> AD 33
BIBLE r
r
o Paul becomes a Christian
HISTORY l>
-<
~
'"l>
"U
"U
'"x
o
WORLD
HISTORY
"-<
l>
~
T I T u 5
HOW TO PASTOR A CHURCH OF SCUMBAGS
AD 57 : AD 63
Paul arrested in Jerusalem, : Paul writes leiters
begins four years of prision : of Titus, 1 Timothv
Romans release Paul from Romans arrest Paul: Jews revolt, drive Romans crush revolt, :
four years of imprisonment: again, execute him : Romans out destroy Jerusalem:
................... .. ..... . .......... AD 62: in Rome AD 64 : AD 66 AD 70:
TITUS 1
Titus is supposed to find a few good men who li ve "a blame- PIRATE HISTORY.
Once home to the culturall y advanced
less life" (Titus 1:6). Once Titus finds them , he's to appoint
Minoans, who were named after their leg-
them as church leaders in cities throughout the island.
endary king, Minos, this civilization mys-
Paul lists some of the specific character traits T itus should teriously collapsed by about 1200 Be.
look for-traits much like those on the list he sent to Timo- That's around the time the Exodus Jews
thy in Ephesus. were settling in the Promised Land. Mer-
QUALIFICATIONS: cenaries and pirates bega n using it as
a home base for attacks on ships, until
/I have a good reputation
Romans conquered them and restored
/I be sensible and fair
peace in 67 Be.
/I be faith ful to his wife
/I have well-behaved children
/I be friendly and enjoy having strangers in their home WHERE DID PAUL COME UP WITH
/I stick to the ttue message abour Jesus SUCH AN ANTI-CRETAN QUOTE?
/I correct anyone who teaches otherwise From the Cretans. Writing about 600
years before Paul, Cretan prophet Epi-
/I not be bossy
men ides said his fellow Cretans are
/I not be quick-tempered
"always liars, evi l animals, and lazy peo-
/I not be heavy drinkers ple who do nothing but eat" (Titus 1:12
/I not be bullies NCV) . Another Cretan, poet Ca llimachus
/I not be dishonest in business wri ting 200 years before Paul, repeated
the slam. In time, the ancient word for
Cretan became a Greek verb: Kretizo. It
means "to lie." As in, "You lie!"
SLAV E S. O bey your masters. Don't talk back to them. And Nero (reign AD 54-68). Roman hi sto'
ri ans of th e day di dn ·t pa int him with
don't steal from them. Show them what a Christian looks like.
happy colors. He executed his ow n
ALL THE ABOVE AND EVER YO N E ELSE . Be kind.
moth er. Hi storian Tacitu s (A D 56-117)
Ea rn the res pect of others. And obey your rulers. sa id Nero se nt three assass in s to stab
her so he could divo rce his wife and
ma rry a woma n hi s mother didn· t like .
Ti tus I 481
PHILEMON 21
Paul orders a runaway slave back to his Christian
slave master, but in not-50-subtle hints, lobbies for
the slave's release.
l> AD 57 AD 60 AD 62
BIBLE r
r
0 Paul arrested Paul saifs to Paul writes Ephesians, Colossians,
HISTORY l>
-< in Jerusalem Rome for trial Phifemon, Philippians
~
'"x
0 Romans Jews revolt,
WORLD execute Paul drive Romans out
HISTORY
"-<
l>
~
AD 64 AD 66
PHILEMON
RUNAWAY SLAVE TURNS HIMSELF IN
Romans return to Romans destroy Pompeii slave sells for 625 denarii
crush revolt Jerusalem (working-class salary for one and a half years)
AD 67 AD 70 AD 79
PHILEMON 1 DID PHILEMON FREE ONESIMUS?
Probably. Pau l addressed the let ter to
t he entire church at Colosse. So Ph ile'
Paul twists a slave owner's arm mon would have bee n under intense
peer pressu re to obey t he fat her of th e
TWO LETTERS IN ONE is what Paul wri tes to C hristian Christi an movement in what is now Tur'
key. About 50 yea rs late r, Ch urch leade r
slave owner Philemon.
Ignat ius (died bet wee n AD 98-117 ) wrote
Th ere are the actual words, politely asking Philemon to
a leiter to th e Church leade r in Co losse's
show mercy to returning runaway slave O nesimus. And neigh bor city of Eph esus: Bishop Onesi'
there's the stro nger message, written between the lines. mus. Perh aps th e form er slave.
Philemon 485
HEBREWS 8 : 13
The new covenant Jesus activated leaves the old covenant
agreement God made with the Jews obsolete. As prophets
predicted, God's new agreement is open to everyone.
l> AD 62 AD 64
BIBLE r
r
0 Paul probably released Mystery man writes
HISTORY l>
after Rome trial Hebrews between AD 64-70
""'
~
'"x
0 Nero blames Christians for Rome fire,
WORLD begins persecution, kills Paul and Peter
HISTORY
"
l>
AD 64
""'
~
HEBREWS
OBSOLETE: JEWISH RELIGION
Jews revolt, drive Roman army returns Last stand of Jews at Temple altar
out Romans to crush revolt Romans destroy Jerusalem, Temple
AD 66 AD 67 AD 70
HEBREWS 1
Jesus is no angel
... LAWGIVER,
The greatest man who ever lived, according
to many Jews, Moses carries the 10 Com-
ma ndments down Mount Sinai. He orga-
nizes the descendants of Abraham into a
nation and delivers hundreds of other laws
from God, which will guide the Jews in their
worship as well as their daily lives. Though
Moses set up God's fi rst covenant agree-
ment with Israel, the Hebrews writer says
it's now obsolete because Jesus brought us
a new and better covenant. Instead of keep-
ing the law, God's people keep the faith:
trusting in the salvation that Jesus offers_
Hebrews I 489
HEBREWS 4:14-9
Yet the Hebrews writer says Jesus is higher
than the highest high priest who ever lived . And
Jesus: the best high priest that includes the mysterious Melchizedek (mel-
KIZ-uh-deck)-pomayed in the Jewish Bible
IN THE RELIGIOUS PECKING ORDER, there's as the sp iritual superior of Abraham , father of
no one on earth higher than the high priest. Not the Jews.
among the Jews. The writer makes his case:
The high priest is the spiritual leader of not only
the nation, but of Jews scattered allover the world.
Ministry is t empora ry because he dies Ministry is forever because he rose from th e dead
Offers sacrifices every day Only one sacr ifi ce needed, "once for al l"
HEBREWS 9-10 HOW DOES T HE SACRIFICE OF
JESUS MAKE US HOLY?
Many Bible expe rt s say it's not t hat
Jesus: the best sacrifice of all we' re al r ead y holy, but t hat J esus paid
the price for us to become holy-the
A N I M A L SA C RIFICES were God's remporary fix for entrance fee into holiness. We live our
life wa lk ing on the tollway to holiness,
sin-jusr rhe firsr srep roward a permanenr so lution, accord-
consta ntl y seeki ng it, and following the
ing ro rhe H ebrews wrirer.
road to where it leads: ete rnit y with
In rhe eyes of a holy God, sin is a cap iral offense. Jesus.
GO D ' S T E M PO R A R Y F I X: "I have given you rhe blood
of anim als ro pay for your sin on rhe alrar. Blood is life. Th ar
is why blood pays for your sin" (Leviricus 17: 11 Nlrv). WHY DIDN ' T GOD SKIP THE TEM-
THE PRO B L E M: "The blood of bulls and goars cannor PORARY FIX AND JUMP RIGHT
TO THE PERMANENT SOLUTION,
rake away sins. Ir only reminds people of rheir sins from one
SENDING JESUS IN MOSES' DAY?
year ro rhe nexr" (H ebrews 10:4 CEV).
The writer doesn't say. But in Moses'
GOD ' S PERMANENT FI X: "We have been made holy day, the Jews were just getting orga'
because Jesus C hrisr offered his body once and for all rime" nized into a nation. After that, they had
(H ebrews 10:10 Nlrv) . a learnin g cu r ve to mas ter. Th ey had to
discover how seriou s sin is. They hit bot·
tom in 586 BC when, as the prophets
tell it, ce nturies of sin led God to allow
invade rs from Babylon (now Iraq) to
dismantle the Jewish nation and deport
many Jews. Only after discovering the
seriousness of sin could th ey appreciate
the sacri fice Jesus made .
Hebrews I 491
HEBREWS 11
Prophet Samuel added: "Obedience is better
than sacrifice" (1 Samuel 15:22).
It's faith that matters, not rituals The Hebrews writer then presents his case with
the help of a gallery of witnesses-godly heroes
JEWISH RELIGION in Bible times is loaded who lived before the Law of Moses with all its
with ritual. Animal sacrifices ro atone for sin. ritual.
Baths ro wash away spiritual defilement such as /I NO A H obeyed God by building a boat,
rouching a corpse. Religious holidays ro observe, escaping the Flood.
such as Passover and Yom Kippur. /I A BRA HAM obeyed God by moving ro what
But the Hebrews writer says Jewish religion is now Israel.
was never about the rituals. It was about what the /I MOSES obeyed God and went back ro Egypt
rituals were intended to produce: faith in God, ro free Abraham's descendants from slavery.
expressed in repentance and obedience. Faith, the writer says, is what these men had
A Jewish song writer put it this way: "The sac- in common. "Faith is being sure of what we hope
rifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not for. It is being certain of what we do not see. That
reject a broken and repentant heart, 0 God" is what the people of long ago were praised for"
(Psalm 51:17). (Hebrews 11:1-2 Nlrv).
Gift of life: first-time blood donor (see page 498)_
JAMES 2:17-18
"Faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds,
it is dead and useless . .. . 'I will show you my faith by my
good deeds. '"
» AD 44
BI BlE r
r
Jesus ascends to heaven Herod Agrippa I executes
HISTORY "....
»
after resurrection James the disciple
~'"
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. »
""
'"
o
WORLD x
HISTORY
J A M E 5
GOSPEL OF WATCH YOUR MOUTH
AND GET BUSY
STORY LINE Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-
acts is outrageous nonsense? " (James 2: 15-17
ONE - LIN E R S of wise advice, accessorized with MSG).
AD 50
Paul writes 1 Thessalonians, which many Stoning of
consider the oldest book in New Testament James
Romans execute Peter Jerusalem Jews stone James Romans destroy Jerusalem,
and Paul in Rome the brother of Jesus exile Jews from the city
AD 64 AD 66 AD 70
.JAMES 1:2-18; 5:7-12
HUMBLING THE RICH I A host entertains a guest, while a convinced that he was the Messiah and
serva nt waits nearby. Poverty and wealth are two different kinds of God's Son, at least not in the beginning
su ffering, James seems to say. The rich suffer when th ey lose every- of his ministry. That changed somewhere
thing, or when all th e money in the world ca n·t fix their problem. along the way, perhaps after the resur-
When th at time comes, James says, th ey should look for the value in rected Jesus appeared to James (see
their povert y-w hich may include the strengthening of th eir faith.
1 Corinth ians 15:7).
James the Just, as Church hi sto ri -
ans late r called him, became leade r of
the Jerusalem church. There, he nego-
ti ated a compromise between (1) lead-
ers who wanted Christians to obse r ve
Jewish laws and (2) leaders like Paul
who opposed that (see Acts 15:13-21 ).
Jewish leaders in Jerusalem eventu-
ally charged Ja mes with breaking Jew-
ish law and had him stoned to death .
The execution is rep orted by Jewish-
Roman historian Josephu s (AD 37-100)
and by ch urch writer Eu se bius (abou t
AD 263-339).
Respect the poor James offers two solid reasons why Christ ians
should respect the poor.
A FIGHTER FOR THE LITTLE GUY, James /I THE POOR DON'T PERSECUTE
warns Christians not ro give rich people the VIP CHRISTIANS. And they don't bad-mouth
treatment while ignoring the poor. Christianity, either. "Isn't it the rich who
"Treat everyone the same," he says, implying oppress you and drag you inco coun? Aren't
that they all deserve the VIP treatmen (. they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose
"Suppose a rich person wearing fancy clothes noble name you bear?" (James 2:6-7).
and a go ld ring comes co one of your meetings. /I GOD BLESSES THE POOR. James quotes
And suppose a poor person dressed in worn-out an excerpt from his brother's famous Sermon
clothes also comes. You must not give the best seat on the Moull(: "God blesses those who are
co the one in fancy clothes and tell the one who is poor and realize their need for him, for the
poor co stand at the side or sit on the Roor. That Kingdom of Heaven is theirs" (Manhew 5:3).
.JAMES 2:14-26
Real C hristians multi task. They bel ieve. And they act like
they beli eve.
Even demons believe in Jesus, James argues. But they act Martin Luther (AD 1483-1546)
like the devi l. So they don't qualifY as Christians.
"What good is it, dear btothers and sisters, if yo u say you WHY MARTIN LUTHER WANTED
have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind TO RIP .JAMES OUT OF THE BIBLE.
The founder of the Protestant move-
of faith save anyone?" James asks. "Can't you see that fa ith
ment once called James a "letter of
without good deeds is useless?" (James 2: 14,20).
straw," meaning it had no substa nce .
A former monk who had tried unsuc-
cessfu lly to find sp iritual fu lfill ment
by earning his sa lva tion through good
works and sel f-de pri vatio n, he hated
James's emphasis on good wo rks.
Later in life, Luther retracted his criti-
cism. For like James, he, too, was a
man of action. Which is how the Prot-
estant movem ent got started.
Tiny, however, sometimes packs a wallop. We can't be perfect, James admits. Bur we can
/I A spark ignites a forest fire. be careful.
/I A rudder steers a ship.
/I A steel bit no bigger than an ink pen turns a
horse.
.JAMES 4:1-10 DON'T GET COCKY,
James wa rn s Christians not to get
so ove rconfid ent that t hey assu me
Don't play by the world's rules t heir will is God's wi ll. "You don't eve n
know what will happen tomorrow," he
IF YOU WANT IT, GET IT, It doesn't matter how many says (James 4:14 NIr V), So Chri stians
shouldn't brag about how much money
people you have to scream at, fight with, or ki ll , Whatever it
the y' ll make or what th ey'l l do wit h it.
takes, That's the way the world operates, James says,
"You should say, ' If it pleases the Lord,
But it's not the way Christians operate, we will live and do this or that' "(James
If C hristians want something, James says, "You should 4:15 Nl r V), Keep God on the program ,
pray for it" (Jam es 4:2 CEV), Bur not with sel fi sh motives,
James warns Christians not to fall in love with this
,. MORNING MIST.
world,
"W hat is your life? It is a mist that
"If all yo u want is your own way, Airting with th e world
appea rs fo r a littl e while, Then it dis-
every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his appears" (James 4:14 NIr V). Our life
way" (James 4:4 MSG), is in God's hands, James writes. We
The two worlds run on different rules, written by dif- shouldn't presume it' s in ours.
ferent masters, The devil runs the world, and he promotes
pride, God runs the kingdom of heaven, and he promotes
humili ry,
James's advice: "O bey God, Stand up to the devil. H e will
run away from you" (James 4:7 Nlrv),
.JAMES 5
writers. They say James died prayi ng-ap parently not fast
ONCE SAVED, ALWAYS SAVED?
enough , some might add.
Christians don't agree.
The prayer advice James gives in his lener sounds like he
Pro. Some teach th at once a pe r-
thinks if we have enough faith in God, we can get anything so n is saved, they can't get un saved;
we want. they're headed to heaven on a non-
His brother said something similar: "If you had faith even st op flight. A supp ort text: Jesus says
as small as a mustard seed, you could say (0 this mountain , his sheep "will neve r perish. No one
can snat ch them away fr om me" (John
'Move from here (0 there,' and it would move. Nothing
10:28). Churches th at fol low th is theo-
would be impossible" (Manhew 17:20).
logical tradition popularized by John
Most scho lars say James and Jesus both assum e the person Calvin in clud e many Baptist churches
is praying in the same selfless spirit Jesus did on the night of along with Presbyterians.
his arrest-deferring (0 God's will: Con . other Christ ians teach tha t we
ca n decide to bail out of the flight to
"My Father, if it is possible, take this cup ofsuffering heaven. Backsliding, some ca ll it. James
offers one of the support texts: "If some-
away from me. But let what you want be done, not
one among you wa nders away from th e
what [ want. "
truth and is brought back, you can be
MATTHEW 2 6 :3 9 NIr V sure th at whoever brings the sinner
back will save th at person from death
and bring about the forg iveness of many
sins" (James 5:19-20). Ch urches that fol-
low this theolog ica l tradition popularized
by John Wesley (AD 1703-1791) include
United Methodists, the Salvation Army,
and Nazarenes.
James I 501
1 PETER 4:12-13
"Don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through . ...
Instead, be very glad-for these trials make you partners
with Christ in his suffering."
BIBLE : AD 33
: Peter becomes : Peter preaches first
HISTORY : disciple of Jesus : sermon after Jesus' Ascension
AD 63: AD 64:
Peter writes : Peter writes :
7 Peter : 2 Peter :
eternal life
CHRISTIANS ARE GOD'S CHILDREN and Think of this life as temporary, Peter adds.
they should act like it, Peter says. "This world is not your home, so don't make
"Be holy in everything you do, just as God who yo urselves cozy in it. . . . Live an exemplary
chose you is holy" (1 Peter 1: 15). life among the natives so that your actions will
By that, Peter says he means Christians refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over
shouldn't live ro satisfy their own selfish desires, ro God's side and be there to join in the celebra-
or slip back into their old, sinful habits. tion when he arrives" (1 Peter 2: 11-12 MSG).
1 PETER 2:13-25 IS IT WRONG TO CRITICIZE
POLITICIANS TODAY?
Perhaps it depen ds on which govern'
Respect your boss ment we're talking about. In a free
soc iet y, Peter might have seen nothing
I N ADVI C E THAT MAKES NO SE N SE to many people wrong with expressing the Christian
perspective on a political t opic. But in
today, Peter tells his readers to respect anyone in author-
a strictl y controlled societ y, like the
ity over them-including self-serving politicians and cruel
one in which he lived, both he and Paul
slave masters. advised against bu cking the system.
That advice would have been especially hard to swallow Instead, they see med more interested
for C hri stian s living anywhere in the Mediterranea n world, in convincing leaders th at Christianity
si nce Romans ftom Italy conquered, occupied, and co n- was a religi on of loving service to oth'
ers, and no political threat.
trolled most of that territory.
Peter gives two reasons why Christians should do as he says.
WH Y OBE Y POLITICIANS ? "It is God's will that by ~ THE BOSS.
doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the foo ls who A stern-looking bust of Emperor Caracalla
think you're a danger to society" (1 Peter 2: 15 MSG) . (AD 188-217), described by one historian
W H Y OBE Y CRUEL SLAVE M A S TERS ? "God is as "the common enemy of mankind." He
arranged the murder of his brother and
pleased with you when you do what you know is right and
ordered thousand s of others killed. In
patiently endure unfa ir treatment" (1 Peter 2: 19).
Peter's day, the Roman Senate had little
Jesus is th e perfect example to follow, Peter says. "H e did
authority. Emperors ruled as dictator for
not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge as long as they could survive. Caraca lla,
when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who reportedly, was assassinated by one of his
always judges fairly" (1 Peter 2:23). bodyguards while Caracalla was relieving
himself at the side of a road.
1 PETER 3:1-12 DID PETER HAVE A FAMILY?
Yes. Peter lived with his fami ly in the
fishing vil lage of Capernaum. where
Recipe for a happy family much of Jesus' ministry took place. It
was there that Jesus hea led Peter's
mother-in- la w, who was "sick in bed
CHRISTIAN MEN AGREE. Women need to submit to
with a high fever" (Matthew 8:14).
the authority of their husbands.
Church leader Clement of Alexand ri a,
Peter says so: "You wives must accept the authoriry of your
Egypt, said Peter and his wife had chi l-
husbands" (1 Peter 3: O. dren, and that Peter and his wife both
Paul says so: "Wives. .subm it your husbands as to the died as marty rs.
Lord" (Ephesians 5:22).
Yet even in this man-run world-when the Christian
PAUL'S ADVICE FOR
movement is still young and more focused on changing
HARMONY IN THE HOME.
individuals than changing society-both of these top leaders
See page 445.
urge husbands to do no less for their wives.
Peter: "You husbands must give honor to your wives ....
She may be weaker than yo u are, but she is your eq ual part- PETER'S FASHION
ner in God's gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your TIPS FOR THE LADIES.
"Don't be concerned about the out-
prayers will not be hindered" (1 Peter 3:7) .
ward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expen-
Paul: "Submit to one another... . For husbands, this
sive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You
means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He should clothe yourselves instead with
gave up his life for her" (Ephesians 5:21, 25). the beauty that comes from with in, the
unfading beauty of a gent le and quiet
spirit, wh ich is so prec ious to God"
(1 Peter 3:3-4) .
I, 2 Peter I 507
1 PETER 5 HOMECHURCHING .
Like homeschooling tod ay, Christia n
educa tion and worship in Bible times
How to be a great pastor often took place in a home. One of th e
believers served as th e host-sometimes
IT A LL STARTS WITH ATTITUDE , Peter says. When weal thy Ch rist ians because they often
had larger houses. Someti mes, how-
it comes to leading a congregation, pastors should accept
ever, Christians wou ld gat her at another
the responsibility wi ll ingly: "No t because you have to, but
meeting spo t, such as Solomon's Colon-
because you want to" (1 Peter 5:2 MSG).
nade at the Jerusalem Templ e (see Acts
Beyond that, Peter advises: 5:12) or alongside a stream in Philippi
DO N'T BE ON THE TAKE ; BE ON THE GI V E. (see Act s 16:13). Church buildings didn't
"Don't do it because you want to get more and more money. show up until AD 313, when Rome legal-
ized Christianity and later adopted it as
Do it because yo u really want to serve" (1 Peter 5:2 Nlrv).
t he empire's official religion.
DON 'T BE BOSS Y. "Don't act as if you were a rul er over
those who are under your care. Instead , be examples to the
Rock" (1 Peter 5:3 Nlrv). '" FIRST-CENTURY CAVE CHURCH.
K E E PIT REA L. "Be content with who yo u are, and Jordanian archaeologists work in a cave
don't put on airs. God's strong hand is on you; he'll promote in what some are ca lling th e oldest church
yet discovered-dati ng to the time of
you at the right time" (1 Peter 5:6 MSG) .
Peter's ministry and beyond , roughly AD
DON'T WORR Y. "Give all your worries and cares to
33-70. It's under the Sa int Georgeous
God, for he cares about you" (1 Peter 5:7).
Church in Rehab, 40 miles (65 km) north
of the Jordanian capital of Amma n. Dr.
Abdel-Oader Hussein, leading th e team
of archaeologists, said th e meeti ng place
was likely used by Christian Jews who
fled the persecution in Jerusalem.
2 PETER 1
would have approved (2 Peter 2: I). keep them there unt il he judges them"
(2 Peter 2:4 NIrV). Some scholars say
/I BRAGG I NG. "They brag about themselves with empty,
Peter is ta lking about the destiny of
foo lish boasting" (2 Peter 2: 18).
angels- that they're as good as dead,
/I MONEY-HUNGRY. "They will make up clever li es to eterna lly. Others say Peter is ta lk ing
get hold of your money" (2 Peter 2:3). about the commo n Jewish view that in
/I SCOFFING AT EVIL FORCES . "Angels, who are far the early years after Creation, the "sons
greater in power" wouldn't dare say such things "against of God" (Genesis 6:2) were angels who
had sex with human wome n.
those supernatural beings" (2 Peter 2:11).
/I INDULGING IN EVIL PLEASURES . "With an
appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin WHO WERE THE
those who have barely escaped" (2 Perer 2: 18). FRAUD PREACHERS?
/I NO RULES, NO FEAR. "They ptomise freedom , but Bible experts can on ly guess. One
they themselves are slaves of sin" (2 Peter 2: 19). guess: an ea rl y version of Gnostics
(NOSS-t icks). They taught th at we're
Peter says to avoid rhese frauds because when Christians
saved not by faith or good behav ior,
"get tangled up and enslaved by si n again , they are worse off
but by secret knowledge that leads to
rhan before .... They prove the truth of rhis proverb: 'A dog di vi nity. Ot hers guess Epicureans (EP'
rerurns to its vom it'" (2 Peter 2:20, 22). ah-CURE-ee-ans). They sa id people are
happi est when th ey overcome the ir
fea r of supe rn atural beings, dea th, and
punishment in th e afterli fe.
Psalms is apparen tly the best explanation Peter can offer- with a t hunderous bang, everything
disintegrating in a huge conf lagra'
along with the point that the longer God waits, the more
tion . ... Th e galaxies will bu rn up and
time people have to get saved (or to sin, critics would add).
the ele ment s melt down th at da y"
Yet offerin g an explanation isn't Peter's po int. His point (2 Peter 3:10, 12 MSG ). Though Pete r
is that C hristians should trust in God's timing and be ready may have been speaking poet ica ll y,
when Jesus comes. his words track with some moder n
"And so, dear fr iends, while you are waiting for these things theories. As one theory goes, Earth
will ge t swal lowed up in fire when
to happen, make every effort to be found livi ng peaceful lives
the sun swe ll s into a r ed giant in
that are pure and blameless in his sight" (2 Peter 3: 14).
fi ve billion yea rs . Th e universe wil l
eventuall y stop expand in g, r eve r se
direction, and then collapse into its
pre' Big Bang compressed state-
a co ming catac lysm ni ck named the
Big Cr unch .
1, 2 Peter I 511
3 JOHN 10
John vows to come to town and deal with a maverick minister
who excommunicates anyone in his church who disobeys him
bV welcoming traveling Christians.
'"x
0 Jews revolt, Romans arrive in Galilee, John Romans destroy
WORLD -
;:: drive out Romans and disciples flee Jerusalem Jerusalem
»
HISTORY .... AD 66 AD 67 AD 70
'"
1, 2 , 3 JOHN
NOT o KAY: REINVENTING JESUS
AD 90
Elderly John writes
letters of 1, 2, 3 John
Domitian becomes
Roman emperor
AD 81
1 JOHN 1-2:17
GOD'S PEOPLE DON'T LIVE LIKE THE
DEVIL. "Anyone who says, 'I know God,' but
Heretics in the Church does not obey God's commands is a liar" (1 John
2:4 NCV) .
SPLINTER GROUPS have left the Church, WE'RE ALL SIN N ERS. "If we claim that
taking with them a warped idea of Jesus-and we're free of sin, we're only fooling ourselves. A
spreading it around like it's the real deal. claim like that is errant nonsense" (1 John 1:8 MSC).
Based on John's letter confronting the problem,
many scholars say this sounds like the beginning
of a heresy that nearly took over the C hristian
movement in the AD 100s and 200s: Gnosticism
(NAHS-tah-ciz-um) .
Key teachings:
1/ Everything physical is evil. Only the spiritual
is good.
1/ Jesus was not physical. He didn't really die or rise
from the dead. It was just an act for our benefit.
1/ Since we're physical, we can't live good lives no
matter how hard we try. But we can achieve
holin ess of spirit, even while we're sinnin g
like the devil. Man from Roman times
John begs to differ. His arguments:
GNOSTICISM I A Christ ian -based movement that
JESUS WAS PHYSICAL. "We saw him
teaches people aren't saved by faith in Jesus but by
with Out own eyes and touched him with our own secret sp iri tual knowledge. Key leader: Marcion (about
hands" (1 John 1: I). AD 144). See also page 455.
1 JOHN 2:18-29; 4:1-6 HOW DID CHRISTIANS GET THE
IDEA THAT AN END-TIME ANTI-
CHRIST DICTATOR WAS COMING?
Antichrists unlimited John says, "You have heard that the
Antichrist is coming" (1 John 2:18). That
THERE'S NO ANTICHRIST waiting to make life miser- leads some to suspect John was talking
about one person .
able for C hristians at the end of the world. Not according
Bible historians say that during the
to John , the only Bible writer to brieRy mention the word
early Middle Ages, between AD 600 and
antichrist. 1000, preachers started connecting
Every time John uses this word, he's talking abo ut some disconnected sections of the Bib le
heretics-especially splinter groups that broke away from to form a combo profile of the Anti,
the Church and are building a new C h ristian-l ike move- christ-like piecing together a jigsaw
ment based o n lies abour Jesus (see 1 John 2:19). Some puzzle unti l you can see the full picture.
For example, they linked to the
groups seem to be saying Jesus wasn't human. Oth ers say he
Antichr ist:
was n't divine. But genui ne C hristiani ty, John argues, teaches
Man of Sin
that Jesus was both. That day [of Christ's return} will not
Here's every verse in the Bible that uses the word anti- come until people rise up against God.
christ. Surprisingly, Revelation never mentions it. It will not come until the man of sin
appears. He is a marked man. He is sen'
what makes an antichrist: denying the Father, deny- 2 T HESSALONIANS 2:3-4 NIr V
in some distant end time. He's writing to warn FAKE CHRISTIAN: "Everyone who refuses
about false teachers in his own time, the first cen- to confess faith in Jesus has nothing in common
tury-though many Bible experts insist that his with God" (1 John 4:3 MSG).
liar. If he won't love the person he can see, how can he friends" (John 15:12-13 MSO) .
»
BI BlE r
r
Jesus crucified, resurrected,
HISTORY "....
»
ascends to heaven
~'"
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. »
""
'"
o
WORLD x
;::
»
HISTORY ....
'"
J u D E
SIN I S N r T SEXY
STORY LINE conquer and exile the Jewish nation for wor-
shipp ing idols.
IT'S OKAY TO SIN because God forgives us- Jude's point: Though God forgives the repen-
sex sins included. So says a group of heretics who tant, he punishes those who keep on sinning as
worm their way into leadership roles in the Church. though it's no big deal.
Worse, they practice what they preach.
They: /I LOCATION: This is an open letter to Chris-
> "live immoral lives" tians everywhere. Jude may have written from
> "defy authority" Jerusalem, his Nazareth hometown, or Jesus'
> "scoff at supernatural beings" Capernaum ministry headquarters.
> "are.. .Iiving only to satisfY their des ires"
> "brag loudly about themselves" /I TI M E: Possibly written in the AD 60s, about
> "flatter others to get what they want. " the same time as 2 Peter. Both letters deal with
JUDE 1:8, 16 the same problems: heretical teachers and fallen
angels.
Jude doesn't argue about God's forgiveness.
Instead, he reminds Christians that God pun- /I AUTHOR: "This letter is from Jude, a slave
ishes sin. Then he cites a few examples: God of Jesus Christ and a brother of James" (Jude 1: 1).
ex il ed Cain from his homeland for murdering Most Bible experts say this Jude and James were
his brother; he seared off the planet the twin two ofJesus' four brothers: "James, Joseph , Simon,
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah; he executed and Judas" (Matthew 13:55). Jude is a nickname
Jews who revolted against Moses; he let Babylon for Judas. James led the Jerusalem church.
AD 46 AD 64
Paul's first missionary Jude writes letter
trip spreads the gospel
BI BlE
,.,... AD 64 Paul and Peter
,...
write their final letters
HISTORY ,....o
(2 Timothy, 2 Peter)
'"
'">.
. . . . . . . . . .•. .. . . . . . . ..
"tJ
"tJ
'"><
o Jews revolt, drive Romans arrive in Galilee, John Nero commits
WORLD
,....'" out Romans and disciples flee Jerusalem suicide
HISTORY AD 66 AD 67 AD 68
'"
REVELATION
HEAVEN AHEAD. THE SCENIC ROUTE
AD 95
John writes
Revelation
THE WORST IS YET TO COME. God's scroll is fin ally crush the J ewis h revol t of AD 66-70,
trump et 5 describes th e siege of Jeru-
unsealed and open-with all seven seals broken. Just when
salem, and trump et 7 describes the
John's reader might expect good news, seven angels appear-
fall of the Jewish nation and the emer-
each blowing a mean horn . gence of Christianity. Exam ples of links:
Each horn cues a new disaster, just as the snapping of > Ha il and fire: flaming projectiles
each seal had don e earlier. from Roma n catapults.
TRU M PET/DI S ASTER > Destroyed plants: Roma n general
Titu s ordered all the Jerusalem-
I - H ail an d fire destroy a third of the earth's plant life.
area t rees cut down t o make siege
2-A mountain of fire crashes into the sea, killing a third of
towe rs and oth er weapons.
ocean life.
> Mountain thrown Into the sea:
3-A falling star pollutes a third of all fresh water. Rom ans destroyed th e hilltop city of
4-Darkness blocks a third of light from sun, moon , stars. Jerusalem.
5- A falling star drills a shaft, releas ing underground > Polluted water: Roma ns slaugh-
ANGELS ARMED AND DANGEROUS I John sees a vision of a battle in paradise-angels on the wa rpath.
Michael leads the ange li c warriors of God in driving out of heaven the rogue forces of Satan and his devili sh angels.
Revelation I 529
REVELATION 13
a revived Roman Empire or a similar empire that
runs the world during the end times.
Tag team of bad-boy beasts Links to Rome:
/I SEVEN HEADS, SEVEN HILLS. The
JOHN SEES TWO BEASTS . One comes by beast has seven heads. An angel says , "The
sea. The other by land. T hey're both nasty. seven heads of the beast represent the seven
SEA BEAST hills of the city where this woman [the
Whoever or whatever the sea beast is, it's no friend Great Prostitute of Babylon) rules" (Revela-
of God. It crushes God's people in a war, and it rules tion 17:9). Rome was famo us as the city of
the entire world. Everyone worships this beast. seven hills; it was built on seven hills.
Many Bible expertS see the Roman Empire /I BABYLON, ROME'S NICKNAME. Jews
in this critter. Even many of those who read the nicknamed the Roman Empire "Babylon"
future into most of Revelation see the simi lari- because both empires leveled Jerusalem: Bab-
ties, though they suggest the sea beas t might be ylon in 586 Be and Rome in AD 70.
(continued next page)
EMPEROR 666. Stamped onto Roman co in s. the lette r s "Nero Caesa r " had numerical va lue. Translated
in to Hebrew f rom Gr eek, the letters add up to 666 (see chart page 533). Translated from Rome's language
of Latin into Hebrew, they add up to 616. Early copies of the Bible reported both. The Revelation fragment
(above), written in the AD 200s or 300s, reads 616: XIC in Greek.
Revelation I 531
/I CALL TO WORSHIP. Many Roman wear a mark on their right hand or forehead-the
emperors ordered people to worship them Mark of the Beast.
as a god, includin g the emperor in John's W ithout this mark, no one can buy or sell
time: Domitian. anything.
/I WORLD DOMINATION . Rome ruled the John gives a clue for identifying the beast: "It is
entire Mediterranean world, considered the the number of a man. His number is 666" (Rev-
civilized world of John's time. elation 13:18).
LAND BEAST
T his beast is a miracle-worker who convinces
people ro do what he says. He orders everyone to
ROMAN BEAST I Rome began as ind ividual hamlets on seven hills. John sa id the beast from the sea had seven
heads t hat represent the seven hills of a city. Domitian, Roman emperor when John is be lieved to have written Rev -
elation, orde red the people to worship him-as did the sea beast in John's vision.
so
,
200 6
, j
SO
P
100 60
,
200 =
Hebrew
666
N E
,, R 0 C
p
A E 5 A
,
R Latin
Hebrew
A DROUGHT evapora t es th e Euphrates River that camp of God 's people and the city that his people
courses throug h Sy ri a and Iraq . "Ki ng s from th e eas t " love" (Revelatio n 20:9 CEV) .
seize the moment, marchi ng their armies across the > There's a bloodbath. "B lood flowed ... in a stream
dry riverbed, which point s them in t he ge neral direc' about 180 miles [296 km] long and as high as a
Among today's we ll · known nat ions to the rive r 's > A fireball destroys the invaders. " Fire fr om heaven
eas t: Iran, Chin a, Japan, Russia . came down on the attac ki ng armi es and co nsumed
Led by de monic sp irits, t he coalition gathers for bat· them" (Reve lat ion 20:9).
tie at a place called "Armageddon" (Revelation 16:16). Two problems wit h this, many scholars add.
Over the past 3,000 years, more than 30 major ba t· First, those scatte red det ai ls pieced together may
ties have al r eady been fought in t his va lley that Napo ' have nothing t o do with what happens at Armageddo n-
leo n once called the per fec t battlefie ld. John never report s t hat a battle is fought there.
Many say anot her battle is com in g-a n apoca lyp ti c Second, many Bible expe rt s say the battle details
battl e. Pulling from Revelation's other end·ti me battle sca tt ered throughout Revelation are only symbols of
descriptions, some Bible st udent s li nk the carnage God's inevitable judg ment. Yet many ot hers take the
when's it going on? white-robed angels. With nothing but a word, it seems,
he defeats the evil forces of earth allied against him:
Many scholars say this vision is a symbol of
"From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down
Christianity's ongoing batrle against evil-a spiri-
the nations" (Revelation 19:15). Some Christians say
tual batrle that Jesus is leading, and will win. the fight is physical-perhaps the baltle of Armaged-
Others say it's a literal batrle yet ro come. One don. others say the baltle is waging now, as Chris-
theory is that Jesus is coming back ro defeat the tians use God's Word-the teachings in the Bible-to
Antichrist, ross him into the lake of fire, and then bring peace on earth.
Millennium
1,000 years of peace on earth
MILLENNIUM TlMELINE, ONE OF MANY THEORIES. Either figuratively or literally, Satan is locked
up for a thousand years, while Jesus rules the world in peace. But first, some Christians say, the world will suffer
through seven years of hell on earth led by the Antichrist-a period many call the Tribulation. Others say there will
be no literal Tribulation or Millennium, but that the era of peace started 2,000 years ago when Jesus defeated Satan
by rising from the dead and launching the Church, with its message of forgiveness and love.
RIVER OF LIFE I Jo hn sees a river in New Jerusa lem, a city many sc holars say refe rs t o
heaven. Joh n says t he river flows fro m God's t hrone, car rying t he "wat er of life" that nouris hes
th e "trees of life." The scene conju res up images of both huma nit y's begi nning and it s final
destin y. Beg in ning: Ede n st ill pe r fect befo re th e fall , wit h it s river an d tr ee of life. Dest iny, as
promised by Jesus: " Those who drin k the water I give will never be thir st y again . It becomes a
fre sh, bu bbli ng spring with in them, givi ng them eterna l life" (Joh n 4:14).
HEAVEN'S SPECS
John describes New J erusa lem wi th
intriguing detail.
> Cube-shaped city: 1,400 miles
(2,200 km) in all directio ns
> Jewel foundation stones: jasper,
sapphi re, emerald, and more
ALPHA AND OMEGA I First and last letters in the Greek
> Golden streets : so pure it's see·
alphabet. Jesus described himse lf as "the Alpha and the Omega,
through
th e First and th e Last, the Beg in ning and the End" (Revelation
> Pearl gates: a dozen gates, each
22:13). Some scholars interpret Jesus as say in g he's the source of
made of a gia nt pearl
the universe's beginning and end. He existed before it. And he'll
exist when it's gone.
EDEN 2 . 0
Still touring New Jerusa lem, John sees
what sounds like a r eturn to paradise
" CELESTIAL UPGRADE I Precious gemstones on ear th are lost: Eden, with the sin mess cleaned
nothing but foundation blocks in New Jerusalem. Some Christians up. No more toxic spiritua l poll uti on.
take John's description literally. others say his vision is just a symbol- As in Eden in the Genesis story,
an attempt to deliver a message about a spiritual dimension to folks there's a river feeding life throughout
who need a physical frame of reference. John's message: Heaven New Jerusalem . But in what many Bible
is so wonderful that earth's greatest treasures seem mu ndane by experts interpret as heaven, John says
comparison. the river he sees comes from the throne
of God. "The water of life" nourishe s
the "tree of life," which grows leaves
"used for medicine to heal the nations"
Builder's grade (Revelation 22:1-2).
In Eden 1.0, Adam and Eve sinn ed-
Foundation stones in New Jerusalem
I• and were cu r sed with punishment fo r
it. But in Eden 2.0, "No longer will
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there be a curse upon anyth ing" (Rev'
elation 22:3),
Having seen the future, John closes
,,-.. the book on the Bibl e with a benediction:
e0 ,- -l
. ~:~ . all of you" (Revelation 22 :20-21
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TOPAZ CHRYSOPRASE JACINTH AMETHYST
Revelation I 541
ART CREDITS
Abbreviations: AR:Arl Resource, NY; BAL=Bridgeman Art Library; BB=Balage Balogh: 8MM=Bradley M. Miller; OA=DeviantArt .com; FL=Flickr; GS=GoodSalt; 11=lsraelimages; IS=iStockphoto;
KR=Kevin Rolly; LC=Library of Congress; PD=public domain; RC/GSI= Rani Calvo/Geological Survey of Israel; SMM=Stephen M. Miller; TBM=Truslees of the British Museum; TF=Topfolo;
THP=Tyndale House Publishers; TP=Tom Patterson; WM=WikiMedia; ZR:Zev Radovan.
Old Testament Introduction Numbers Barrias/Gelly Images; oil: Lemone/WM; 111, map: NASA/
8, sand: Getty; Moses with tablet: Royalty Free Christian 56, spies in Canaan: Photographersdirecl.com; Exodus rendered by SMM; map art of Philistine: Remih/WM;
Art; 9, scroll: Chris AKA Shrek/FL; Cain and Abel: BMM; from Egypt: Juanpdp/WM/artist: Edward Pointer; children map art of slinger: Johnny Shumate/WM; 112, David and
crying woman: Ricardo Frantz/WM/artisl : Pedro Americo in school: Tom Lovell/National Geographic ; sun worship: Goliath: THP © Bias Gallego; slingshot: Robert Kyllo!
Erich Lessing/AR; 57, Merneptah stele: PO; 58, travelers: IS; Philistine coffin: ZR; pottery shard: Machaerus/WM;
Genesis HIP/AR; soldier icon: WM; 59, woman statue: Camden/ 113, David playing harp: Nikolai Petrovich Zagorsky;
10, solar system: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R.Hurl (SSC); Noah's FL; drowning woman: CountVisigoth/DA; 60, Stewart woman with tambourine: artist John Hoppner, SMM; 114,
ark: Edward Hicks/WM ; 11, Abraham: Gerhard Wilhelm Butterfield/WM; 61, manna bug: Q. Holdman/USDA; quail: map: NASA/rendered by SMM; map art of En -Gedi: Todd
von Reutern/WM; Egyptian plowing: Jeff Dahl/WM; 12, Perry Kuo/FL; 62, spies in Canaan: Photographersdirect. Anderson; waterfall: Jon Arnold/JAI/Corbis; 115, Saul and
nebula: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R, Gutermu th (Harvard - com; map: NASA!rendered by SMM; map art of crowd: witch of Endor: PO; map: NASA/rendered by SMM; map art
Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics); rib cage: Stephen Cesare Biseo; map art of three men: PO; map art of palm of Philistine: Remih/WM; map art of witch of Endor: PO;
Thomas; 13, God creates light: William Blake/WM; sea and tree: SMM; 63, frankincense: Snotch/WM; incense burner: map art of Saul: Kimberly Katiti/DA; 116, David: Frederick
sky: Gilad Benari; land teeming with plants: Cain Pascoe; Calapito/WM; Moses wa t ching earth punish rebels: THP Ar thur Bridgman; harem woman: Frederick Arthur
sun and moon: NASA; sea life and birds: Miguel Lasa; © Joseph Mirales; 64, ST/WM; 65, map: NASA/rendered Bridgman; 117, David's Jerusalem: Doron Bar; water shaft
man: David Martin Anton; 14, TP/rendered by SMM; 15, by SMM; map art of cobra: Anil Walia/FL; map art of palm to Jerusalem: Bill Latta; 118, Dome of the Rock: Francisco
Fernand Corman/WM; 16, Creation Museum, Petersburg, tree: SMM; map art of bronze snake: Anthony van Dyck; Ma rt ins/hit p:/ /www.llickr.com/photos/betta_design/; rock
Kentucky, www ,creationmuseum,org; 17, Adam : Sailko/ horned viper: Behringer Friedrich; 66, IIco Trajkovski/FL; inside dome: II/Roy Brody; David dancing with ark: THP ©
WM; Methuselah: Andreas Praefcke/WM/artist: Tilman 67, women: Sergio Andreu Alance; map: RC/GSI/rendered Bias Gallego; 119, map: NASA/rendered by SMM; map art of
Riemenschneider; Noah: Marie'L an Nguyen/WM/artist: by SMM. king: Marie-L an Nguyen/WM; bearded man: Jamal Alayoubi
Donatello; lightning: Ian Boggs/WM; Shem: Anual/WM/ www.jamalpholo.com; 120, William Whitaker; 121, BB; 122,
artist: Juan de Mesa; Abraham: AIMare/WM ; Moses: Marie- Deuteronomy KR; 123, Absalom caught in tree: Look and Learn/BAL; two
Lan Nguyen/WM/artist: Camillo Rusconi; David: Marie-Lan 68, Moses on Mount Nebo: BAL; Pharaoh Thutmose: Hay men: © Abir Sultan/epa/Corbis,
Nguyen/WM/art ist: Nicolas Cordier; Sumerian prism: Kranen/WM; Moses with hands upraised: Ivan Kramskoi;
Ashmolean Museum; Noah's Flood map: RC/GSI/rendered 69, golden idol: Pascal Radigue/WM; iron pick: Vassil/ 1,2 Kings
by SMM ; map art of Mt, Ararat (top): Andrew Behesnilian/ WM; 70, both images: Bill Aron; 71, golden idol: The 124, Solomon's temple: BB; Pharaoh with prisoners: Erich
WM; map art of Mt. Ararat (bottom): NASA!JPL!NIMA; Oriental Institute Museum/University of Chicago; temple Lessing/AR; 125, both images: SMM; 126, man with crown:
map art of people entering ark: Wolfgang Sauber/WM; map prostitute: John William Godward; 72, Karl Pavlovich Lars Justinen/Goodsalt; Bathsheba: William Whitaker; 127,
art of dove: IS; map art of rainbow: Laurent Deschodl/ Briullov; 73, family: William -Adolphe Bouguereau; Jehu Nicolas Poussin/Louvre, Paris, France/Lauros/Giraudon/BAl;
WM; 18, mud bricks: Soare/WM; ziggurat: BMM; 19, RC/ relief: Erich Lessing/AR; 74, map: NASA/rendered by 128, map: RC/GSI/rendered by SMM; 129, cedar: Charles
GSI/rendered by SMM ; map art of caravan: G, Eric and SMM; map art of crowd: Cesare Biseo; 75, Moses on Mount Fred/FL; men in quarry: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph
Edith Matson Photograph Collection/LC; 20, © Jonathan Nebo: Frederic Edwin Church; view Irom Mount Nebo: John COliection/lC; Solomon's temple: BB; 130, map: TP/rendered
Blair/Corbis; 21, destruction of Sodom: © The Art Thomas/FL by SMM; map art of horses: Richard Bartz/WM; map art of
Archive/Corbis; map: NASA/rendered by SMM; 22, Ivan ivory: PO; map art of chariot: PO; map art of ape: Malene
Petrovich Keler-Viliandi; 23, PO; 24, mandrake: Robert Thyssen/WM; map art of gold: PO; map art of emerald: Gery
Svensson/msitua.net; Jacob's dream: artist: Jusepe Joshua Parent/WM; 131, man and wives: LC; Molech: Jeff Preston/
de Ribera; 25, map: RC/GSI/rendered by SMM; Jacob 76, bailie of Jericho: THP © Don Gabriel; slinger: WM/ GS; 132, map: NASA/rendered by SMM; map art of bull: The
wrestling angel: Erik M6I1er/WM/artist: Rembrandt; 26, artist: Johnny Shumate; Nefertiti: WM; 77, Rameses II, Oriental Institute of The University of Chicago; map art of
dreamer: Arkadiusz Walerczuk; sheaves: Masaki Ikeda/ Dominik Knippel/ WM; Merneptah stele: PO; 78, map: temple: BB; golden calf: Ted Olson; 133, RC/GSI/rendered
WM; 27, Egyptians: crayonmaniac; chalice: Scala/AR; 28, NASA/rendered by SMM; map art of men on donkeys: by SMM; 134, Elijah and chariot of fire: Guisepee Angeli,
Akhenaton in color: Gian-boy/FL; Akhenaton statue: L SMM; map art of campers: David Roberts/LC; Rahab: 2007 Board of Trustees, National Gallery of Art. Wa shington;
Michael Smith/WM; 29, map: NASA/rendered by SMM; Willi am Whitaker; flax: Zita Bartasyte; 79, map: NASA/ tornado: Nizar Moussa; 135, map: Christoph Hormann;
map art of shepherd and sheep: IS, rendered by SMM; map art of priests carrying ark: map art of chariot: Noel Taylor; map art of dog: Jim Clark/
Art Resource: Jordan River cliffs: Frank and Frances WM; map art of palace: WM; Jehu bowing: John Whitmarsh;
Exodus Carpenter Collection/LC; 80, battle of Jericho: THP © Jezebel: BAL; 136, Assyrian torture: TBM; map: TP/rendered
30, parting of Red Sea: Gustave Dore; baby Moses: Don Gabriel; 81, jars: Courtesy of the Michael C. Carolos by SMM; map art of statue: WM; 137, Sennacherib: 8B;
Juanpdp/WM/artist: Lawrence Alma -Tadema; 31, Moses Museum of Emory University; Jericho ruins: Photo by tourist in tunnel: Wendy l. Scoll; rat: Katrin Solmdorff!WM;
with tablets: WM /artist: Rembrandt; Pharaoh Thutmose: Francesco Fullone/WM ; 82, Matthew Lazor; 83, THP 138, Hezekiah: Lars Justinen/GS Inc.; shadow clock: WM;
Hay Kranen/WM; Pharaoh Rameses II: Tiny Packages/ © Don Gabriel; 84, map: NASA; map art of hailstones: Taylor Prism: David Castor/WM; 139, eyes of boy: Othman
FL; 32, map: NASA/rendered by SMM; map art of cow: L Samuel Zinn; art of water shaft: Bill Lalla; photo of AI zanki/FL; Manasseh: Lars Justinen/GS Inc.; 140, bailie
Miguel Bugallo Sanchez/WM; map art of sheep: Barbel water shaft: ZR; 85, battle scene: Tom Lovell, National of Jerusalem: THP © Bias Gallego; map: TP/rendered by
Schwarzer/ WM; map art of globe: WorldS at; 33, Jochebed: Geographic; charioteers: Jon P. Davis Jr.; 86, RC/GSI/ SMM; map art of ziggurat: BMM; 141, Ishtar Gate: BB; Masada
Ricardo Frantz/WM/artist: Pedro Americo; papyrus rendered by SMM; 87, RC/GSI/rendered by SMM, ramp: Derek and Chantal Chen/FL; Assyrian ram and tower:
harvesting: Reza/Webistan/Corbis; Moses and burning Capillon!WM; catapult: Karel Jakubec/WM.
bush: William Blake/The Art Archive; 34, Mount Sinai: Judges
Jose Fuste Raga/Corbis; map: NASA/rendered by SMM; 88, Delilah culling Samson's hair: Corbis; burial scene: 1, 2 Chronicles
map art of pharaoh: shd -stock/DA; map art of walking LC; 89, panda: CPacker/WM; Chinese woman: Robert 142, caravan: BAL; Egyptian soldier: Hans Ollermann/FL;
man: Jeff Dahl/WM; 35, mud brick: TBM ; Moses before Frederick Blum; 90, idol: SMM; Arab raiders: John Singer 143, Assyrian archers: Iglonghurst/WM; camel and rider:
Pharaoh: THP © Joseph Mirales; 36, Jeff Dahl/WM/artist: Sargant; 91, Jael: KR; map: NASA/rendered by SMM; map WM/artist: TMophile Lybaert; Persian soldiers: BMM; 144,
Charles Sprague Pearce; 37, all illustrations: Jeff Dahl/ ar t of sword: Piterl/WM; map ar t of chariot: Niall Corbell/ king: Marie-Lan Nguyen/WM; blacksmith: Lars Justinen/GS;
WM; 38, Michael Jacobs; 39, reeds: Claudio Marcio Lopes/ FL; 92, Kamran Safdar; 93, drink from spring: SMM ; map: 145, Faraz Shanyar; 146, Jonathan Blair/Corbis; 147, ZR;
FL; map: NASA/rendered by SMM; 40, Napoleon: PDf NASA/rendered by SMM; map art of torch: Simon l./ 148, map: NASA/rendered by SMM; map art of chariot: King
artist: Jacques- Louis David 41, barberry: Kurt Stueber/ DA; map art of camp: Makovsky Nikolay; 94, Carl Bloch/ & Country HK Ltd.; Egyptian warrior: Erich Lessing/AR; 149,
WM/botanist: Otto Wilhelm Thome; oasis: Luca Galuzzi/ Statens Museum for Kunst; 95, map: RC/GSI/rendered BB; 150, map: TP!rendered by SMM; map art of Egyptian:
WM; 42, BMM; 43, God on Mount Sinai: Jean-Leon by SMM; harvesting olives: Yves L Coupez/FL; 96, The Marcus Cyron/WM; map art of swords: Pitert!WM; map art of
Gerome; ark of the covenant: Ben Schumin/ WM; map: Oriental Institute Museum/University of Chicago; 97, map: soldiers: Poppy/WM; 151, Lars Justinen/GS.
NASA/Rendered by SMM; map art of charioteer: King & RC/GSI/rendered by SMM; woman screaming: KR.
Country HK LId.; 44, Derek and Chantal Chen/FL; 45, Ezra
Florian Prischl/WM, Ruth 152, Jerusalem ruins: Lars Justinen/GS; camel caravan:
98, Ruth and Naomi: Aidan McRae Thomson/FL; mummy: LC; 153, Marie-Lan Nguyen/WM; 154, TBM; 155, map: TP/
Leviticus G. Elliot Smith/WM; Merneptah stele: PO; 99, Bedouin rendered by SMM; map art of caravan: Norman MacDonald/
46, lamb: The Yorck Project/WM/artist: Francisco de woman: Claudia/FL; ship: Phoenicia.org.uk; 100, map: Saudi Aramco World/SAWDIA; map art of dead camel: Carl
Zurbaran; Moses with tablets: WM/artist: Rembrandt; NASA/rendered by SMM; map art of three women: William Haag; 156, people reading scroll: BB; Jerusalem ruins: Lars
Chinese priest: WM; 47, Trojan horse: Deror avi/WM; Blake/WM ; 101, Bedouin woman: Claudia/FL; hills of Moab: Justinen/GS; 157, Leon Bonnal.
Jewish temple: BB; ship: Phoenicia.org.uk; 48, Sailko/WM; Nir Ben -Yosef; widow: SMM; 102, Jewish wedding: Owen
49, pigeon: Luc Viatour/WM; grain: Scott Bauer/USDA; Franken/Corbis; grain harvest: LC; 103, mother and child: Nehemi"h
sheep: Daniel Camargo; goat: Emmanuel Keller/FL; ram : The Yorck ProjecI/WM/artist:Pierre'Auguste Renoir; 158, builders: THP © Don Gabriel; ruins of Jerusalem:
Charles G. Summers, Jr.; 50, Roy Fokker/WM; 51, Miguel sandals: Luis Garcfa/WM . lars Justinen/GS; Ish tar Gate: BB; 159, Llufs Sala/FL; 160,
Lasa; 52, trout: Stephen Ausmus/USDA; crab: WM; deer: profile of king: BMM; wine steward: Erich Lessing/AR; 161,
lanare Sevi/WM; pigs: Keith Weller/USDA; duck: Branko 1,2S"muel Jerusalem model: Leen Ritmeyer; city wall with donkey:
Kannenberg/WM ; eagle: AngMoKio/WM; grasshopper: 104, David and Goliath: THP © Bias Gallego; Samuel, Bill Aron.
Siga/WM; ladybug: Scott Bauer/USDA; 53, scapegoat: Eli: Lawrence Lew/FL; Saul profile: Kimberly Katiti/
William Holman Hun\; Jesus on cross: Jose Manuel/WM/ DA; Damascus: Abanima/WM; 105, King David: Lars Esther
artist: Diego Velazquez; 54, man blowing ram's horn: Justinen/GS; Hebrew lellers: WM; 106, weeping woman: 162, Esther: Minerva Teichert; ruins of Jerusalem: Lars
Kristin Lindell; girl with Hanukkah candles: Tamelyn Olgur Cakir; map: RC/GSI/rendered by SMM; map art Justinen/GS; Persian king: Gianni Dagli Orti/Corbis; 163,
Feinstein; booth: Ori229/WM; Oueen Esther: Louis of boy: Jean -Leon Gerome; 107, Samuel and Eli: John Vaggelis Vlahos/WM; 164, harem: Staszek99/WM/Artist:
Garden/WM/artist: Andrea del Casta 'In; unleavened bread: Singleton Copley; cows: Shane Young/FL; 108, map: RC/ Fernand Cormon; Iranian woman: Hamed Saber!FL; 165,
Daniel Schwen/WM; grain: Craig Nagy/WM; 55, carrots: GSI/rendered by SMM; map art of Philistine: Remih/WM; Francois Leon Benouville; 166, Susa: Faraz Shanyar;
Stephen Ausmus/USDA; grape harvest: Karl Briullov. map art of swords: Pitert/WM; map art of priests and knucklebone: ancientouch.com; 167, Bill Aron,
ark: Vassil/WM ; rat: Stefano Bolognini/WM; 109, Meirion
Matthias/FL; 110, Samuel anointing David: Felix ' Joseph
Job Lamentations David Castor/WM; 279, ruins near Thebes: David Roberts/
168, God: Michelaogelo!WM; caravan: Norman MacDonald/ 228, starving mother and children: Yorck Project/ WM/ar tist: LC; Nineveh: Tf; 280, TF; 281, map: TP/rendered by SMM;
Saudi Aramco World; ba ttl e scene: Tom Lovell. National Egon Schiele; Assyrians dismantling wailS : Zereshk/ WM; map art of statue: WM.
Geographic; 169, Job and wife: Erik Moller/WM/arlist: Babylonian soldiers: Poppy/WM; 229, Persian soldiers: BMM;
Albrecht Durer; cuneiform tablet: The Oriental Institute of 230, pile of skulls: Vasily Vereshchagin; Jerusalem: Mar io Habakkuk
The University of Chicago; 170, Emerald O.E. de Leeuw/ Lapid/FL; Ur: Michael Lubinski/FL; Nippur: PacziWiraku/ 282. warriors: Victor Vasnetsov; Habakkuk: Duccio di
DA; 171, Painting by Tamara Lindahl/OA/based on photo by FL; 231, PD. Buonin segna; 283, soldiers: Capillon/WM; Pythagora s:
Marco C. $Ioppalo; 172, man writing: Norman MacDonaldl Deborah Lynn Guber/artist: Raphael; 284, warriors: Victor
Saudi Aramco World/SAWDIA; map: TP/rendered by SMM; Ezekiel Vasnetsov; Luther st atue: Robert Wir rmann/FL; idols: The
173, lIya Repin; 174, William Blake; 175, light ray: NASA!JPL- 232, dr y bones relief: Andreas Praefcke/WM; archers: Orien tal Institute Museum/University of Chicago; 285, Hans
Callech; Pleiades: NASA, ESA, and AURA!Callech. ChrisO/WM; Ezekiel and angel: Malles/WM/artist: Re inhard/Corbis.
Michelangelo; 233, THP © 81as Gallego; 234, four -faced
Psalms angel: Jonathan Edward Guthmann/DA; Mark with eagle: Zephaniah
176, weeping woman: Ozgur (akir; singing women : Simeon Thorskegga Thorn/FL; 235, map: TP/rendered by SMM; 286, nuclear blast: Pi erre J./Fl; Zephaniah: lC; 287,
Solomon/Bridgeman; 177, flutist: WM; Plato: Ricardo map art of ziggurat: BMM; 236, Ezekiel and angel: Mattes/ volcanic eruption: Taro Taylor/WM; Ish tar gate: BB; 288, TP/
Andre f ranlz/WM : 178, lyre player: Albert Joseph Moore; WM/artis t: Michelangelo; baking bread: Malleo Cavallino/ rendered by SMM; 289. tower of Babel: Ziv Qual/DA, tank:
street musicians: Lalupa/WM; 179, shepherd and son: Greg FL; 237, cloud : Anuhealani444 /deviantart; Yom Kippur Bukvoed/WM.
Schneider; shepherd painting: GS; 180, Greg Schneider; 181, crowd: Gilad Benari/FL; 238, Bill Aron; 239, Tyre: BB; map:
Vasily Polenov; 182, Bryullov Pavel; 183. Lars Justinen/GS. NASA/rendered by SMM; map art of Egyp tian soldiers: Hans Hallilai
Ollermann/FL; map art of horseman: Gustave Boulanger; 290, Israeli farmland: Duby Tal/Albatross; Darius:
Proverbs 240, dry bon es relief: Andreas Praefcke/ WM; Tel Aviv: Niv Dynamosquito/FL; 291, Jewish temple: BB; plow: Roger
184, boy: Corbis; Solomon: Jean-Pol Grandmont/WM; 185, Singer/FL; 241, Dead Sea: Vadim Levinzon; Solomon planning Griffith/WM; 292. temple : BB; map inset: NASA/rendered
Ulysses on boat: Bibi Saint·Pol/WM/artis t: John William temple : Andreas Praelcke/WM/artist: Andreas Brugger. by SMM.
Waterhouse; scribe: Bill Aron : Sappho: Wollgang Ri eger/WM;
186, boys: Sonny Saguil; old man and great -granddaughter: Daniel Zechariah
Bill Aron; 187, SMM; 188. Nasib Bitar; 189. farmer: David 242, Daniel in lion's den: Darrel Tank/GS; ship: Phoenicia. 294, Tr iumphal Entry: BAL; Jerusalem ruins : Lars Justinen/
Silverman, Getty Images; ant: Noodle snacks/WM; 190, org.uk; deportation of Jews: Art Resource; 243, Xerxes: GS; Darius: DynamOSQuito/FL; 295, Zechariah: Jeff Preston/
scales: Poussin jean/WM; grocer: Bill Aron; 191, mouth: WM; 244, kosher restaurant: Bill Aron; grapes: USDA/ WM; cock fighting: Nasim Fekrat; 296, Corbis; 297, both
Miklos SZABO, Miki3d/deviantart.com; honey: Tohma/ WM; Peggy Greb; 245. dream: Nesster/FL; 246. golden idol: images: Vicky Baze/Fl; 298. money: Melissa Goodman/
192, sleeping student: Bill Aron; crying child : Jill Greenberg/ The Oriental Instit ute Museum, University of Chicago; lion FL; Palestinians: Tommy Tonkins/FL/Mark Pearson; 299,
Corbis; 193, beggar woman: Tomas Castelazo/WM; elderly mosaic: Fl; Median helmet: Stewart Miller/http://flickr. baptism: Reuters/Corbis; Jesus riding donkey: Eugene/WM/
couple: Bill Aron. com/photos/zDOp/; Persian soldier: BMM; Greek helmel: artist: Duccio di Buoninsegna.
Matthias Kabel/WM ; Roman soldier: laith Majali/DA; 247,
Ecclesiastes kiln : ZaaArt Studios/Fl; fiery furnace : THP © Joan Pelaez; Malachi
194, soldier helping girl: Technical Sergeant Mike Buytas of 248, powerful Nebuchadnezzar portrait: Alexander Jubran/ 300, sheep: Meirion Matthias; Xerxes: Wendy B. Harns; 301,
the United States Air Force; King David: Marie·Lan Nguyen/ DA; craz y Nebuchadnezzar: William Blake; sequoia: Flavio Malachi: Duccio di Buoninsegna; Socrates and Plato: Justin
WM/artist: Nicolas Cordier; 195, burial mound: Oliver Abels/ Spugna/FL; 249, map: TP/rend ered by SMM; map art of Norris/FL; 302, James Neeley/FL; 303, Transfiguration:
WM; Me xican statue: Luidger/WM; 196, monks: Gaetano soldier: BMM; handwriting on wall: THP © Joan Pelaez; 250, WM/artist: Raphael; Assyrian art: The Metropolitan Museum
Bellei; Monument Valley: Luca Galuzzi/WM; 197. soldier Stephen Gjertson; 251, roaring lion, Mats Carnmarker/FL; of Art/AR; cup : ©Joshua Bousel.
helping girl: Technical Sergeant Mike Buytas of the United lion mosaic: BMM; bear: IS; Persian soldier: BMM; leopard:
States Air Force; birth: Tom Adriaenssen/WM; crying: David Edgar Thissen/FL; Greek helmet: Matthias Kabel/WM; New Testament Intro
Shankbone/WM; finding: Andreas Prae fcke/WM; love: beast: Mewot/FL; Roman soldier: laith Majali; 252, map: 304. mon tage: Royal t y Free Christian Art; sand: Getty; 305.
Ferdinand Reus/WM; killing : U.s. Army/WM ; hugging: Chad TP/rendered by SMM; map art of Alexander : Janek/FL; prophet: IS; coin: Portable An t iqui t ies Scheme/FL; wise men:
Miller/WM; tearing : Albert Anker; 198, BB; 199, Bacchus: elephant : Tigg -stock/DA. Nina-noIWM.
Yorck Project/WM/artist: Michelangelo; Solomon: Jean·Pol
Grandmont/WM. Hosea Matthew
254, woman: KR ; Jonah: Lars Justinen/GS; eclipse: NASA; 306, resurrected Jesus: Tat e, london/AR/artisi: Ed ward
Som~ of Sonqs 255, map: TP/rendered by SMM; Hosea: PO; Rome·s forum: Burne-Jones; baby Jesus: The Yorc k Project/WM/ar tist:
200, Arab couple : Etienne Dinet; Solomon: Nicolas Poussin/ Maurice/Fl; 256, map: RC/GSI/rendered by SMM; woman Georges de La Tour; Pon tius Pilate: Csanad y/WM/artist:
Louvre, Paris, France/Lauros/Giraudon/BAL; dancing and baby: Richard Messenger; 257, woman: KR ; slave sale: Munkacsi Mihaly; 307, Jose Manuel/WM/artist: Diego
woman: The Yorck Project/WM/artist: Christian Bernhard Olpl/WM/artist: Jean-leon Gerome. Velazquez; 309, Horace Verne t; 310, angel w ith Joseph:
Rode; 201. Robot H3ro; 202, Wolfgang Sauber/WM; 203. The Yorck Project/WM/ar tist: Georges de la Tour; bride
Arik Ninio; 204, myrrh: Gaius Cornelius/WM; mandrake root : with dowry: American Colony/LC; 311, wise men: Bashar
Robert Svensson/msitua.net; banquet: Used wit h permission Joel Amin Sheglila; map: TP/rendered by SMM; map art of
from Illustrated Dictionary of Bible Life and Times, copyright 258. locust: Scott Thompson/FL; bo ~ ing: Ta tou t e/WM; 259, nativity: WM; map art of wise men: Nina-no/WM; 312. photo
© 1997 The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., Pleasantville, Parthenon: Llufs Sala/FL; Jerusalem ruins : Lars Justinen/ illustration: sky by Hans-Peter Scholz/WM, Jerusalem
New York, www.rd.com . lllustrationby H. Tom Hall; 205, GS; 260, luis Garcia/WM; 261, map: TP/rendered by SM M; by Hynek MoravecJWM; 313, John baptizing Jesus: Alex
bride and groom: Bill Aron; seal and clay: The Oriental locust egg pod: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Bakharev/WM/ar tist : Grigory Gagarin; John the Baptist: EI
Institute of The University 01 Chicago. Collection/LC; locust: Asadbabil/FL Greco; 314, tour guide: Ben Shifl/FL; tempta t ion 01 Jesus:
Ivan Nikolayevich Kramskoi ; 315, map: RC/GSI/rendered
Isaiah Amos by SMM; map art of Jesus: © Patrick Oevonas; Jesus and
206, Jesus: EliasAlucard/WM/artist: Domenico Felli; Isaiah: 262. woman: Amer S Raja, Pakistan- www.aiaphotography. disciples: Pavel Popov; 316. II/Hanan Isachar; 317. both
Duccio di Buoninsegna; Romulus and Remus: Marie-Lan co.uk; prophet: Lars Justinen/GS; 263, coin : PHGCOM/ images: Berthold Werner/ WM; 318, lars Justinen/GS; 319,
Nguyen/WM; 207, Assyrian archer: Iglonghurst/WM; statue WM; Jerusalem ba t tle: THP © 81as Gallego; athletic woman: fish: Jon Helgi J6nsson/WM; jellyfish: Mike Johnston/WM;
in museum: Shaun Che/WM; 208, RC/GSI/rendered by Marie·Lan Nguyen/WM; 264, map: NASA/rendered by SMM; wrestlers: Mike Johns to n/WM; 320, daugh ter of Jairus: lars
SMM; 209, Alex Bakharev/WM/artist: Mikhail Vrubel; 210, map art of cow: Kim Hansen/WM; map art of sheep: Barbel Justinen/GS; burial: LC; 321, laces: Miklos Szabo. Miki3d/
t he Annunciation: Mikhail Nesterov ; Mary and baby Jesus: Sch warzer/WM; map art of tree : IS; figs : IS; Martin Luther deviantar t.com ; Jew with scroll: G. Eric and Edith Matson
The Yorck Project/WM/artist: Antonio da Correggio; 211. King, Jr.: S. G. Vietnam/Fresno Discovery Museum; 265, Pho tograph Coliection/lC; 322, lars Justinen/GS; 324, girl
deported Jews: Erich Lessing/AR; map: NASA/rendered by plumbline: IS; call ie: PhotoStock·lsrael.com; nose hook: with fish : Deborah Duke; map: RC/GSI/rendered by SMM;
SMM; 212, Assyrian entrance: Shaun Che/WM; map: TP/ Photo Credit : Erich Lessing/AR. map art of mosaic: SMM; 325, coin: Portable Antiquities
rendered by SMM; 213, Arabia: Nasib 8itar/WM; Damascus: Scheme/Fl; Sikh pilgrim: Paul Rudd/WM; 326, Caesarea
Seier/FL; Edom: Marcelo Ruiz/FL; Egypt: Karl Richard Obadiah Philippi: Berthold Werner/WM; map: RC/GSI/rendered by
Lepsius/WM; Ethiopia: Marie-Lan Nguyen/WM; Moab: BMM; 266, refugees: Art Resource; camel caravan: lC; globe: WM ; SMM; map art of Pan: Alex Bakharev/ WM/artist: Mikhail
Philistia: Remih/WM; Tyre: BB; 214, Duby Tal/Albatross; 215, 267, SMM. Vrubel; 327, map: RC/GSI/rendered by SMM; map art of
Lachish note: TBM; Assyrians : David Castor/WM; 216. Ivan Jesus: WM/ar tist: Raphael; Mount Tabor: Carol/FL; 328. BB;
Glazunov; 217, despised: Matthias Stom; led to slaughter: Jonah 329, Ryan Whi sner; 330, girl with palm: Gil Cohen Magen/
Vicky 8aze/FL; silent: WM/artist: Feodor Bruni; sinless: Jan 268, Jonah stained glass: Brother Lawrence lew/FL; Reuters/Corbis; Mount of Olives: lC; 331, Jewish boy: Yoram
Mehlich/WM/artist: Jacek Malczewski; whipped : Thebrid/ prophe t portrait: Jeff Prest on/GS; Ulysses resisting the Biberman; Phar isee and tax collec to r : Johannes Bockh/WM;
WM/artist: William Adolphe Bouguereau; sin offering: Jose sirens: Bibi Saint-Pol/WM/ar tist: John William Waterhouse; 332, ZR; 333, WM/artist: Giacomo Raffaelli; 334, lawrence
Manuel/WM/artist: Diego Velazquez ; criminal: BB; rich burial: 269, exiled Jew relief: Ian Anthony Smith: opium_den/FL; Lew/FL; 335, olive grove: II/llsik Marom; Jesus and angel:
Mar ina Vostrikova; sin offering: Shakko/WM/artist: Francisco market scene: Filippo Bar tolini; 270, TBM; 271, Jonah: lars Carl Heinrich Bl och; olive press: Used by permission from
de Zurbaran. Justinen/Good Salt; knucklebone : ancientouch.com; 272, Illustrated Dictionary of Bible Life and Times, copyright 1997,
eclipse: NASA; map: TP/rend ered by SMM; map art of whale: The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., Pleasantville, New
Jeremiollh SMM; map art of Assyrian genie: WM; 273, aerial photo of York, www.rd .com. Illustration by Chris topher Magadini; 336,
218, Jerusalem lalls: Henry J. Soulen/Na tional Geographic; Nineveh ruins : United States Geological Society/rendered by Marina Vos trikova; 337. Charles Gordon: PO; garden tomb:
Assyrians dismanlling walls: Zereshk/WM; scribe: BMM; SMM; Jonah and vine: Jeff Preston/GS. SMM; Church of the Holy Sepulchre: Mike Murrill; Hadrian:
219, exiles: Erich Lessing/AR; Persian soldiers: BMM; 220, Glenn Gulley/Fl; 338, Jeff Preston/GS; 339, women at
bar mitzvah: Philippe Lissac/Godong/Corbis; Jonah: WM/ Micah tomb: A. M. McRae Thomson/FL/artis t: Sir Edward Burne
Michelangelo; 221, temple priestess: Jan Mehlich/WM! 274, Nativity scene: Erich Lessing/AR; Micah portrait: Jones; cave lomb: Brian Morley_
artist: Jacek Malczewski; idol: Erich Lessing/AR; 222, Duccio di Buoninsegna; exiled Jews: Ian Anthony Smith: Mark
Jeremiah in cistern : GoodSalt; 223, cistern : Mark Reese/ opium_den/FL; 275, cuneif orm table t: Ian Anthony Smith: 340. Jesus healing man with crippled hand: Patrick
FL; shepherds: George Steinmetz/Corbis; 224, clay opium_den/FL; Confucius: Helanhuaren/WM; 276, SMM/ Devonas; Jesus with crown of thorns: Domenico Felli;
jar: Guillaume Blanchard/WM; man wearing yoke : Jeff Berlin Holocaust Museum; 277, Dome of the Rock: SMM; Pontius Pilate: Jan Mehlich/WM/artist: Jacek Malczewski ;
Preston/GS; harves t ing: Danel W. Bachman; 225, seal: ZR; Bethlehem: G. Eric and Edith Matson Photograph COllection/ 341, Roman soldier: Dave Nash/Fl; 342, EI Greco; 343,
Nebuchadnezzar: Alexander Jubran/DA; 226, Henry J . Lo. Jesus calling disciples : Museums Sheffield/BAL; ruins of
Soulen/National Geographic; 227, map: NASA/Rendered by Capernaum: Duby Tal/Albatross; 344, WM; 345, mustard
SM M; map art of horses and riders: Victor Vasnetsov; map Nahum seed: Anita Cadonau-Huseby; mustard field: Amit Gupta/
art 01 chariot: Noel Taylor. 278, Soldier: KR; Jonah: lars Jus tinen/Good Salt: prism: Reu ters/Corbis; 346. man with bottle: Fortean/Topham/
The Image Works; map: NASA/rendered by SMM; 347, head deviantart.com/sea photo: stock.xchng/brush 1: miss69· Stepan Bakalovich/WM; 497, Amy Sussman/Corbis; 498,
of John the Baptist: Oscar Gustav Rejlander ; map: RC/GSI/ stock.deviantar t.com/brush 2: scully7491.deviantart.com/; blood donor: IS: Mar tin Luther: PO; 499, Lars Justinen/GS;
rendered by SMM; map art of Herod: PO; John preaching: 432, tent: Martin Allen ; clay jar: Israel Antiquities Authori ty; 500, photo by Rebecca Parker, digital enhancement by SMM;
Lars Justinin/GS; 348, Jesus walking on water: Peter 433, Robert Harding Picture Library/SuperStock; 434, Mall 501, John Calvin: LC; Rome church: Trey Ratcliff.
Ivan Aivazovskiy; map; NASA/rendered by SMM; water Wilson/fL; 435, snake: Sergio Battaglia; swamp: Thomas,
clock: Marsyas/WM; 349, map: NASA/rendered by SMM; Dianne Jones/Flo Peter
map art of Jesus: Nikolai Pavlovich Shakhovskoy; woman: 502, Jesus fallen with cross: KR; J esus calling disciples:
Martin Asser/fL; 350, Caesarea Philippi: II/Duby Tal/ Galatians Museums Sheffield/BAL; Caligula: Ed Uthman/WM; 503,
Albatross; Jesus in armor: Digital illustration by SMM/artists: 436, eyes of Paul: Juan E. de Francisco/FL, artist: EI Greco; Peter wri ting: Lars Justinen/GS; Peter crucified: Caravaggio;
frederic Edwin Church, Victor Matorin, Jacek Malczewski; Paul portrai t: Diego Valazquez ; Jewish man with scroll: G. 504, molten gold: Gaila Hiebert-Martin; Jesus in hell: WM;
351, Stuart freedman/Corbis ; 352, Bill Aron; 353, Lars Eric and Edith Matson Photograph Collection/LC; 437, Paul 505, akg·images/Peter Connolly; 506, Richard T. Nowitl/
Justinen/GS; 354, widow with coins: James C. Christensen, statue: WM; Nero: Johan Wilbrink; 438, Erich Lessing/AR; Corbis; 507, Paolopenna/FL; 508, Jamal Nasrallah/
christcenteredmall.com; coin: Eric S. Weis s; ram's horn: 439, dancers: Lalupa/WM; circumcision tools: Marco Repola. epa/Corbis; 509, Peter crucified: fL/artist: Guido Reni ;
Travis Kraft, model; 355, woman anointing Jesus: James grandmother and child: Collin Key/w ww.flickr.com/photos/
Tissol; Bethany: LC; 356, shekels: ZR; Judas kissing Jesus: Ephesian s collin_key ; 510, man with money bag: Lars Justinen/GS;
OorOe MarkoviO/DA; 357, Codex Sinaiticus: British Library; 440, soldier: Luc Viatour/ WM; map: TP/rendered by SMM; fallen angel: PO; 511, Second Coming: Rolf Jansson/GS; sun
Mary Magdalene and Jesus: Lalupa/WM/artist: Gian Lorenzo 441, Poppaea Sabina: Cristoph Houbrechts; execution and earth: NASA.
Bernini. of Peter: Caravaggio; 442, Robert Huberman; map: TP/
rendered by SMM; 443, map ar t of Ephesus ruins: Nejdet 1. 2, 3 John
Luke DOzen/FL; Simeon and Anna with baby Jesus: Darrel Tank/ 512, bust of Roman man: William Storage/fL; Roman solider:
358, nativity: Gerard van Honthorst; baby Jesus: The Vorck GS; 444, Zeynep Erdim/fL; 445, slave market: Olpl/WM/ Paolopenna/fL; 513, Domitian: photographed at The Musee
Projecl/WM/ar tist: Georges de La Tour; Herod·s temple: BB; ar tist: Jean-Leon Gerome; women: BMM; 446, Seneca: du Louvre in Paris, France by Mary Harrsch; John writing:
Herod the Grea t: PO; 359, Pontius Pilate: Jan Mehlich/WM/ Massimo Finizio/WM; family : WM!artist: Charles Sprague frank Gampel/GS; 514, man from Roman times: William
artist: Jacek Malczewski; Jesus: Alexander Andrejewitsch Pearce; 447, photo illustration by SMM/model photo: Luther Storage/fL; Hercules: Ivan Petrovich Koehler; 516, Luca
Iwanow; 360, Arthur Hughes; 361, nativity: Erich Lessing/ Thomas.lrtphoto.50webs.com/fire pho t o: lucy-eth-stock. Signorelli; 517, Thomas Gainsborough; 518, Lars Justinen/
AR; nun praying: Abed AI Hashlamoun/epa/Corbis; 362, deviantarl.com. GS; 519, Erich Lessing/AR.
Darrel Tank/GS; 363, temple: akg·images/Peter Connolly;
map: RC/GSI/rendered by SMM; map art of travelers: Philippian s Jude
Rembrandt; 364, scroll: Bill Aron; stones: Meir Ben Ari; 365, 448, vase: Tim Paul; Caligula: Ed Uthman/WM; 449, Nero: 520, man kissing woman's hand: BAL; Ascension : Salvador
BB; 366, centurion: David Brach er ; Capern aum ruins: II; Johan Wilbrink; Seneca: Massimo Finizio/WM; man with Dali; map: TP/rendered by SMM; 521, man writing: frank
367, Jesus in boat: Estormiz/WM/artist: Eero Jeirnefelt; map: sword: Steven Miscandlon/fL; 450, Lars Justinen/GS; Gampel/GS; stoning of James: Jeff Preston/GS.
NASA/rendered by SMM; 368, Lars Justinen/GS; 369, SMM; 451. map: TP/rendered by SMM; map art 01 Philippi ruins:
370, Lars Justinen/GS; 371, WM; 372, Charles Shahar; 373, Robert Elzey; martyrs in arena: Jean·Leon Gerome; 452, RevelatIon
Simon Roberts/Getty; 374, sycamore: Avishai Teicher/WM; Erik Stenbakken/GS; 453, vase: Tim Paul; laurel wreath: 522, vision of heaven: BAL; death of Nero: J. Svjagintsev/
Roman census: Marie·Lan Nguyen/WM; 375, KR; 376, Jesus WM/artist: Jules Joseph Lefebvre; runner: Damir Sagolj/ artist: Vasily Smirnov; 523, Domitian: Mary Harrsch/
at meal: Caravaggio; map: RC/GSI/rendered by SMM; 377, Reuters/Corbis. fL; John's vision: Lars Justinen/GS; 524, nuclear
Lars Justinen/GS. explosion: Pierre J./fL; Ephesus ruins: Veyis Polat/FL;
Colo ssians Smyrna fisherman: Veyis Polat/FL; Pergamum ruins:
John 454, angel: Carlo Natale, flickr.com/photos/cienne/ar tist: OzgOr MOlazlmoOlu, Turkey; 525, Thyatira ruin s: Metin
378, Jesus on cross: Photos.com; baby Jesus: Royalty free Giulio Monteverde; Colosse mound: Gbs055/fL; 455,/FL; Canbalaban/WM; Sardis gymnasium: Burcu Akin/fL;
Christian Ar t; John the Baptist and Herod Antipas: Vassil/ man with sword: Steven Miscandlon/fL; scroll fragment: Philadelphia ruins: Rsproje Hasan Yilmaz; Laodicea hot
WM/artist: Pieter fransz de Grebber; 379, baptism of Jesus: Israel Antiquities Authority; 456, map: RC/GSI/rendered springs: Joan Bellver; 526, seals on leiter: ZR; riders on
EI Greco; Jesus with crown of thorns: IS; 380, Ben Heine © by SMM; map inset of globe: WorldSa t; Jesus statue: Olivier white , red , and black horses: Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov;
benheine.com; 381, sacrifice: Lars Justinen/GS; holy family: Pe tit, flickr.com/photos/iko; 457, star trails: Andrew Stawarz; 527, Holocaust act ress: Kenny Mathieson/FL; rider on pale
Royal t y Free Christian Art: 382, Vladimir Makovsky; 383, amulet: Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of horse: Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov; martyrs in coliseum:
archaeologists: Justin Garland/FL; map: RC/GSI!rendered Michigan; 458, Adrian Tecson; 459, Keytone16/WM. Jean-Leon Gerome; earthquake damage: United Nations
by SMM; 384, burial of Jesus: Marina Vostrikova; Jesus and Development Programme; angel with red sky: Grassi Stefano,
Nicodemus: Jeff Preston/GS; 385, map: RC/GSI/rendered The ssalonian s GrassiStefano.com; 528, Vicen ~ feliu, Sabreur76/Flocom;
by SMM; map art of woman: Darrel Tank/GS; 386, Passover 460, people looking up: is Faraz Shanyar/ DA; Caligula: Ed 529, photo illustra tion: Rick Blackwell, Rickbw1.deviantart.
bread: Musicpb/FL; woman with lamp: Erik St enbakken/GS; Uthman/WM; 461, Theudas: Marshall Astor/FL; Paul wri ting: com/photo of model: Rineil Mandre, ahrum·stock.deviantart.
387, Jeff Preston/GS; 388, map: RC/GSI/rendered by SMM; Lars Justinen/GS; Roman soldiers: Dave Nash/fL; 462, com/w ings: Alana Seibert, yana-stock.deviantart.com; 530,
Church of St. Lazarus: II/Garo Nalbandian; 389, P Deliss/ street musicians: Zeynep Arkok/FL; Thessaloniki church: Mary and baby Jesus: BM M; dragon: Nick Deligaris. deligaris.
Godong/Corbis; 390, Trinity: PO; Ambrose: Reunion des John Sie yyen Lee; 463, Nastassia A. Davis/FL; 464, com ; ascension of Jesus: Ricardo Andre frantz/WM; woman
Musees Nationaux/AR; 391, Valery Titievsky; 392, Jesus: Second Coming: Lars Justinen/GS; Titus: EllenMl/fL; 465, in desert: Elihu Vedder; martyr with arrows: Lawrence Lew/
Anthony Cerminaro; rooster: Aske Holst/fL; 393, crucifixion: Lars Justinen/GS. FL; Sa t an's fall: Sandara/DA; 531, Nero coin: Natalia Bauer/
Marcus Mashburn/GS; nail in heel bone: ZR; 394, BB; 395, TBM; Revelation fragment: Ian W. Carter/WM; 532, model
Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz/AR/artist: Caravaggio. Timothy of Rome: Andre Caron; inset of Domitian: Mary Harrsch/fL;
466, bo th images: Lars Justinen/GS; 467, Paul arrested: 534, skin sores: Waller Reed Army Institute of Research;
Acts Darrel Tank/GS; man with sword: Steven Miscandlon/FL; bloody sea: Josh Sommers/fL; bloody river: Jerry Hazard;
396, Pentecost stained glass: Dave Webster; Rome ruins : 468, Dimitri Korobov/FL ; 469, Magdalena Dadela/mdadela. 535, nuclear explosion: photo illustration by Tobias Roetsch,
Maurice/FL; 397, both images: Lars Justinen/GS; 398, com; 470, BMM; 471, woman with head covering: Zinaida www.gt-graphics.de;burningcity: PelleriSulonen/WM;
Salvador Dali; 399, Dave Webster; 400, colonnade: Reinante Serebriakova; mother and baby: Tom Adriaenssen/WM; 472, moon and clouds: Wing·Chi Poon/WM; dry riverbed: Mark A.
EI Pintor de Fuego/fL; temple: akg-images/Peter Connolly; Turkish women: Charles Roffey/fL; girl: Dietmar/FL; 474, Wilson ; earthquake damage: United Nations Development
401, Lars Justinen/GS; 402, Ondra Havalah/f L; 403, wine amphora: ZR; mother and daughter: Susan Myrland/ Programme; 536, Armageddon map: TP/rendered by SMM;
stoning of Stephen: BAL; author in auto: SMM; 404, map: FL; 475, Lawrence Lew/fL; 476, Chris Bertram/FL; 477, Jezreel Valley map inset: RC/GSI!rendered by SMM; Megiddo
RC/GSI/rend ered by SMM; Gamaliel: Lars Justinen/GS; man with sword: Steven Miscandlon/fL, map: TP/rendered ruins photo inset: Duby Tal/Albatross; 537, Augustus:
escape from Oamascus: Jeff Preston/GS; Paul and Peter: by SMM; map art of ship: Eric Gaba/WM; map art of man Giovanni DaIl"Orto/WM; Tiberius: Shakko/WM; Caligula:
EI Greco; Paul in chains: Lars Justinen/GS; 405, Chaim and horse: LC. William Storage/FL; Claudius: Luis Garcia/WM; Nero: Vair
Jaskoli/fL; 406, women in Antioch: Luca Gargano; map: RC/ Haklai/WM; Vespasian: Shakko/WM; Titus: William Storage/
GSI/rendered by SMM; 407, Mercury: Ricardo frantz/WM; Titus fL; Domitian: Mary Harrsch/fL; 538, Jesus on white horse:
map: TP/rendered by SMM; 408, Jerusalem council: Lars 478, bearded man: National Geographic; Paul statue: Lars Justinen/GS; Jesus crUCified: Escarla ti/WM/artist:
Justinen/GS; sacrifice: BMM; 409, TP!rendered by SMM; 410, Alberto Fernandez fernandez/WM; 479, Paul arrested: Diego Velazquez; rider on pale horse: Viktor Mikhailovich
BB; 411, TP/rendered by SMM; 412, Oave Nash/fL; 413, map: Darrel Tank/GS; letter writing: Lars Justinen/GS; 480, Vasnetsov; Jesus ascending: Ricardo Andre Frantz/WM;
TP/rendered by SMM; map art of ship: Eric Gaba/WM. woman of Cre te: Magda Indigo; Minoan art: Oboulko/FL; 481. lion and lamb: © DliLLC/Corbis; man representing God:
© Joel W. Rogers/Corbis. Igor Kamenev; 539, man burning: Shane Gorski/FL; lake of
Romans fire : photo illustration: SMM/photo of man: Ari and Rachel
414, close-up of man: Trey Ratcliff/fL; man on shore: Ale x Philemon Ailin, AilinStoc k/DA /background: LadyDeath666/DA; 540,
Bakharev/WM/artist: Vasily Polenov; soap: Malene Thyssen/ 482, man looking up: David Martin Anton; ship: Eric Gaba/ colinjcampbell.co.uk; 541. Greek leiters: Grifomaniacs/WM;
WM; 415, Paul: Lars Justinen/GS; Nero: Johan Wilbrink ; WM; leiter writing: lars Justinen/GS; 483, soldiers: Dave jasper: Saperaud/WM; sapphire: Daniel Torres, Jr./WM; agate:
416, laminin model: Faceout Studios; map: TP/rendered Nash/FL; Pompeii mosaic: Arianna Galio/fL; 484, Philippe Hannes Grobe/WM; emerald: Gery Parent/WM; ony x: Bence
by SMM; map ar t of soldier: Luc Viatour/WM; 417, BMM; Guillaume/FL; 485, statue: Penny Green; map: TP/rendered FordDs/fL; carnelian: Mar ie-Lan Nguyen/WM; chrysolite:
418, Csanady/WM/artist: J6zsef Molnar; 419, Augustine: by SMM; map art of Onesimus: William Bouguereau. Gery Parent/WM; beryl: Orbital Joe Kienle/FL ; topaz: Orbital
Lawrence Lew/fL; cocaine user: Maria Lawton/FL; 420, Lars Joe Kienle/fL; chrysoprase: WM; jacinth: Vienna gems/fL;
Justinen/GS; 421, Jay P. Morgan/Gett y. Hebrews amethyst: Orbital Joe Kienle/flo
486, Vemeni Jew; LC; Paul in jail: Erik Stenbakken/Goodsalt;
Corinthians Christians in arena: Pacific Press Publishing/GS; 487, Barbour Publishing would like to thank these art suppliers
422, faces: BAL: tent: Martin Allen; Claudius: Luis Garcia/ Francesco Hayez; 488, seal and clay: Rama/W M; angel: and copyright owners for permission to reproduce their
WM; 423, writing let ter: Lars Justinen/GS; mushroom: Will digital artist: www.briancrouchphotography.com ; building images. We have attempted to obtain permission to publish
Bryson/fL; Rome ruins: Maurice/FL; 426, map: TP/rendered photographer: Claus Rebler ; angel photographer: Ruby every imag e. If we have inadvertently overlooked any, we
by SMM; map art of temple ruins: Tim Barton; four people: L, xAngelx·stoc k, deviantart; 489, DMV/WM; 490, map: would be happy to hear from the copyright owners.
Lars Justinen/GS; 425, Cicero: William Storage/FL; man NASA/rendered by SMM; map art of crowd: Cesare Biseo;
and woman: John Collier; 426, franklin Mc Mahon/Corbis; map art 01 palm tree: SMM; 491, KR; 492, Lars Justinen/
427, digital artist: Angela Marie Ouakernack; photographer: GS; 493, KR.
Jesus Arregi ; texture artist: Angela Wolf; 428, John Pollini;
429, Yorck Projecl/WM/artis\: Antonello de Messina; 430, James
Jerry Berndt/Getty; 431, photo illustration: Sandra Hopp, 494, blood donor: IS; Ascension: Salvador Dali; 495, stoning
artis tical-insanity.com/woman photo: Tania and Diana of James: Jeff Preston/GS; Roman soldiers: Dave Nash/FL;
Car valho. stock·lunar.deviantart.com/sky photo: gromitsend. 496, funeral portrai t: Jenni Scoll/FL; wealthy household:
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