Page 45 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies - Textbook w videos short

Top: The massive Roman Empire during the
time of the New Testament covered much of
Europe, all of North Africa’s coastal areas,
what we know as Turkey, and the Middle
East.

Left: Each region inside the Roman Empire
kept names it had already known. So when
Paul writes a letter to the “Galatians,” he was
writing to the new Christians he’d met in
communities like Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium,
Lystra and Derbe, in what we know today as
central Turkey. And when Paul heard the
“Macedonian” call, he was being led to take
the message of Christ to Greece.
Culture, history and the land
If you’re going to accurately apply Scripture to those who are listening to you today, you’ve got to do
your homework. Whether you’re dealing with one of the psalms, a teaching from Jesus or a letter from
Paul, try to visualize the scene in its original setting. You’ll spend the rest of your life learning the
complex historical setting of the Bible. You’ll likewise need years to understand the cultural nuances
between all the different people groups. The land of the Bible can also help us understand the biblical
environment. The wilderness wanderings took place in an unbelievably difficult environment. David
wrote the 23rd Psalm after years of searching for grass for his sheep in the desert. Jesus offered a
woman in sunbaked Sychor “living water,” a phrase she used for cold water coming from a waterfall! At
that moment, she was miles from the nearest waterfall. Jesus was using the land to teach her a life-
changing truth: If you want “living water,” get to know me!”

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