PART ONE
The Hebrew Bible/Tanak, or Old
Testament
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Chapter 3: “The Ancient Near
East: The Environment that
Produced the Bible” (pp. 4069/36-61)
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The Ancient Near East: The Environment that
Produced the Bible
-S. L. Harris, Understanding The Bible, Seventh edition,
Table 3.1 “Some Major Events in the History of Biblical
and Other World Religions” (pp. 42-44)
-In the Eighth edition: Table 3.1, pp. 40-42. pp.
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Ancient Near Eastern Geography:
Figure 3.1, p. 41/37, “Map of the ancient Near East”;
Figure 3.12, “Map Of Canaan…”, p. 59 in 7th edition; and
Figure 3.13, “…Four Main Geographical Regions of
Palestine….” p. 53 in 8th edition of Textbook.
.
Websites: www.bibleatlas.org;
www.searchingthescriptures.net
.
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The Ancient Near East;
The Fertile Crescent;
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The Area of the Ancient Near East with modern States.
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The Fertile Crescent.
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Natural Resources of the ancient Near East.
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Mesopotamia/ “Land Between the Rivers”;
- the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers;
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Mesopotamia: “The Land Between the Rivers.”
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Mesopotamia (pp. 46-55):
The Epic of Gilgamesh (pp. 49-51/44-46);
Cuneiform Writing (Fig. 3.5/3.6);
Ziggurat (Fig. 3.6/3.7);
The Law Code of Hammurabi (18th Century B.C.) (pp. 5155/47-49; Figs. 3.8 and 3.9/3.9 and 3.10);
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The Flood Tablet relating to the Story of
Gilgamesh..
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Egypt, the First National State (pp. 55-58):
Hieroglyphs (Fig. 3.11/3.12).
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Egypt and the Nile River.
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Canaan and Israel (pp. 58-63)/Egyptian-Israelite
Affinities (pp. 51-52):
- A land bridge between two great world powers, namely,
Mesopotamia and Egypt;
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Western Palestine and Eastern Palestine:
Dimensions:
The modern state of Israel: 20,770 square kilometres/8,019
square miles;
Palestine Territories: 6,020 square kilometres;
Jordan: 89,342 square kilometres;
Nova Scotia: 55,491 square kilometres;
Populations: NS: less than 1 million;
Israel: ca. 7,602,400;
Jordan: ca. 6,269,285.
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Western Palestine and Eastern Palestine (see handout):
Extent:
- Fertile land in the country: 20,000 sq. km;
Comparison with Nova Scotia: 55,491 sq. km (21,425
sq. miles);
- From Dan to Beersheba: 220 km;
- From Dan to Elath on the Red Sea/Gulf of
`Aqaba/Elath: 410 km;
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Dimensions:
- From Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River: an
average of 80 km;
- From Haifa to the Sea of Galilee: 45 km;
- From Gaza to the Dead Sea: 98 km;
- Inhabited land in eastern Palestine/Transjordan is
40 km wide;
- Fertile land in the country: 20,000 sq. km;
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Climate:
- The Middle East year may be divided into three seasons:
- Summer, from mid-June to mid-September;
- Rainy season from mid-October to midApril; and
- Transitional seasons which comprise the remainder
of the year (desert storms and Sirocco/Khamsin;
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Climatic Regions:
- Mediterranean zone (average annual rainfall is 300
mm);
- Semi-arid transition zone (average annual rainfall
is 50-300 mm); and
- Arid or desert zone (50 mm or less of precipitation
per year);
- highest annual precipitation in Nova Scotia is ca.
1600 mm.
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Palestine may be divided into four main geographical
sections (from west to east) (see Fig. 3.12/3.13):
1. The Coastal Plain;
2. The Central Hill Country;
3. The Great Rift Valley; and
4. Transjordan.
Israel’s chief cities were located in the Central Hill Country.
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Palestine - Relief Map.
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Palestine as a Land Bridge:
- Israel’s successive domination by Assyrians, Babylonians,
Persians, Greeks, and Romans;
- Israel divided into two states for most of its history:
- Ten northern tribes formed the Kingdom of Israel;
Samaria was its capital;
- The tribes of Judah and Benjamin formed the much
smaller Kingdom of Judah; Jerusalem was its
capital.
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Two Main, North-to-South Highways:
- The Way of the Sea/Via Maris (Ex 13.17); and
- The King’s Highway (Num 20.17; 21.22).
See: searchingthescriptures.net
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North-South Highways.
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We will return to this chapter throughout the course;
especially to the chronology and geography.
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Questions:
1. Give, in outline form, the major events in the history of
the Bible from ca. 1200 B.C.E. to 90 C.E.
2. Describe the location of “the Promised Land” relative to
the major powers of the first millennium B.C.E.
3. Describe clearly, using the map provided as a guide, the
major geographical zones of “the Promised Land.”
4. Indicate on the map provided the major centers of
interest for both the OT and NT.
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5. Indicate on the map provided the two main north-south
highways of the “Land of the Bible”.
6. “Questions for Review” and “Questions for Discussion
and Reflection” (p. 68).
PEACE!
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