Biblical Geography
Biola Learn Class: A Virtual Walk through the Land of the Bible
Over the years I have had the privilege of spending a lot of time in Israel. I spent most of 2004–2005 in Israel, beginning with a time volunteering at a kibbutz in the south of Israel, Mashabei Sade before spending most of the year in Jerusalem, where I attended Hebrew University. Since then I have accompanied various student groups to Israel and spent my sabbatical in Israel during 2019. While there Biola sent a film crew to record Ken Way and I giving lectures at various places throughout Israel. These lectures have been incorporated into our classes, including a Geography of Israel class I created for Biola undergraduates. I have now put together some of these videos to create a Biola Learn class that is available for anyone to watch. The course is web based and consists of eight modules (a six module small group version is also available):
Introduction and Roads
Jezreel Valley
The North
The South
The Dead Sea
The Shephelah
The Hill Country
Jerusalem
To learn more about the course, click on the button below:
I have uploaded several of the videos to be freely accessible on the Good Book Blog:
The pictures show filming in progress at two of my favorite places: Tel Dan in the far north and En Gedi on the Dead Sea.
Geography Game
Early on in my teaching career, I struggled with ways to help my students learn geography. One idea I came up with was creating a game based in the land of Canaan that would help students “feel” geography. This game was the result! It was eventually published in a journal that focuses on teaching religion. The picture below is an example of a game in action.
“War and Peace in Canaan: Connecting Geography with Political and Military Affairs in Ancient Israel through a Classroom Game” Teaching Theology and Religion 21 (2018): 306–20
Overview of the Game “War and Peace in Canaan” (Good Book Blog)
