Of particular interest is his review of Wall Painting in Ephesos from the Hellenistic to the Byzantine Period by Norbert Zimmermann and Sabine Ladstätter, Istanbul.

Wilson’s book Biblical Turkey (see our review here) has become one of the crucial sources on the history of the area and, together with the classic works, was a tremendous help in the production of our latest CD on The Seven Churches of Revelation.

Glo with British Text for iPad and iPhone is now live on many app stores internationally! Download today, and get Glo Lite for FREE with full offline access to the bestselling NIV Bible.

You can see Glo in action in this video.

Glo is an interactive Bible with a world of media, resources and tools – HD video and documentaries, high resolution images, zoomable maps, 360-degree virtual tours and much more – to help you get closer to the Word of God. The Bible comes to life through Glo, allowing you to experience and explore the biblical world in ways never before possible. And it’s easy to use with Glo’s unique browsing lenses.

The main website gives information about GLO for various platforms, such as PC, Mac, iPad and iPhone. FAQs are answered on this site.

The latest CD of Ritmeyer Archaeological Design

This presentation has 105 pictures and captions, making it suitable for a two-part talk (or a shorter one, if some slides were left out). It begins on the beautiful Greek island of Patmos, where the Apostle John was told to write the visions which he saw in a scroll and send them to the Seven Churches (Greek singular:”ekklesia”) which were in Asia. We visit these sites: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea in order, with additional slides devoted to Laodicea’s sister churches in the Lycus Valley: Colossae and Hierapolis, (without reference to these neighbouring churches, in particular their water supply, the letter to Laodicea would be unintelligible).

The circular postal route of the messenger is mapped, with a separate map given to highlight his journey from one city to the next. Each section includes a slide containing the full message to each church (quoted from the NKJV) with a useful summary given in its caption. The church and its city is then placed in its geographical and historical setting, with links made to the local background in each letter. Images providing Scriptural insight, accompanied by detailed captions, are given of each city. In Ephesus, you can disembark at the ancient harbour and walk with the messenger up the Harbour Way to the Theatre where the great riot had taken place about thirty years earlier in the time of Paul. With reference to Smyrna, see a possible modern remnant of the “crown of life.” In Philadelphia, ponder the poignancy of the promise to the “overcomers” of that city, never more to have to “go out.” This was to a group of people who were used to always having to flee the city, in an area notoriously prone to earthquakes.

And there are pictures that show the truly stunning location of some of these cities: the lofty acropolis of Pergamum, Sardis’ gentle glen of the Pactolus, in which King Midas is reputed to have washed off his “golden touch” and the breathtaking beauty of the travertine cliffs of Hierapolis. With the photographs having been taken in April, some of them cannot escape being framed with poppies or Judas Trees.

Not living at the time these letters were written, we cannot expect to fully appreciate their force. However, with the help of this presentation and the many illuminating links made to the background of each church, we can better appreciate the message of these letters which are still so remarkably relevant today.

The CD cover slide shows the Temple of Trajan in Pergamum, where the cult of Emperor worship made the city the place of “Satan’s Throne.”

Ritmeyer Archaeological Design Image Library

The blurb:

The Image Library of Ritmeyer Archaeological Design contains authoritative reconstruction drawings and models which you will not find on any other website. The photos of ancient sites in the lands of the Bible have also been taken through the informed lens of an archaeological architect. A treasure-trove for teachers, pastors, lecturers and picture editors, it is the result of years of experience digging and researching in Israel and traveling in the surrounding countries.

The Image Library is arranged in different categories and is fully searchable. The different categories are designed to help you find the picture you are looking for easily. All preview illustrations are watermarked, but these won’t appear on the downloads.

For ease of use, each image comes with a descriptive note and, where applicable, full Scripture references. With the explosion of information coming from excavations, we hope that this will become an ever-expanding resource vital for all who wish to incorporate both beauty and authenticity into their portrayal of the Bible background.

After talking about doing this for the past 10 years, we’ve finally done it! Let us know of any images you’d like to see added to the library…

1. A reconstruction of Solomon’s Temple-Palace complex.

Solomon's Temple-Palace complex - © Leen Ritmeyer

This drawing is a development of the plan of this religio-political complex which we supplied for the ESV Study Bible (p. 607). Here is the description that goes with the drawing of Solomon’s Temple-Palace complex in the Image Library:

According to 1 Kings 6 and 7, Solomon built a new Temple and Palace Complex on Mount Moriah. This schematic drawing shows an arrangement of the different buildings, based on parallels with similar complexes excavated elsewhere in the Middle East.
The main entrance was through the Hall of Pillars (1 Kings 7.6), which was flanked by the Throne Hall (1 Kings 7.7) on the right, where Solomon judged, and the armoury, called the House of the Forest of Lebanon (1 Kings 7.2-5) on the left. In the centre of this complex is the palace, called Solomon’s House (1 Kings 7.8a), which had a separate wing for his wife, Pharaoh’s Daughter (1 Kings 7.8b). From a large courtyard in front of Solomon’s House, a special Royal Ascent (1 Kings 10.5 KJV) led up to the Temple (1 Kings 6), which lay on higher ground.


This drawing is annotated, but as with many of the other illustrations, a copy without annotations is also available for you to add your own.

2. Altar of Zeus at Pergamum
Located in modern-day Turkey, Pergamum (also known as Pergamon or Pergamos) was the third of the seven churches of Asia to receive a letter from Jesus Christ (Revelation 2.12-17).

Altar of Zeus at Pergamum - © Leen Ritmeyer

Here is the description that goes with the image:

The Altar of Zeus stood on a terrace on the west side of the hill of Pergamum. In the 19th century, German excavators recovered many scattered remains of this altar and reconstructed it in the Pergamum Museum in Berlin.
The altar consisted of a monumental stairway leading up to a colonnaded court where an altar for burnt offerings was located. A frieze, depicting a mythological battle between Greek gods and giants, runs round the structure.
Superimposing a picture of this altar model on the site shows what an impressive building it was.
Some scholars have suggested that this monument, which was an important center of pagan religion, constituted the “Throne of Satan” (Revelation 2:13). However, as Christians were mainly persecuted because of their refusal to worship the emperor, this “Throne of Satan” appears rather to refer to the Roman seat of government which was also located in Pergamum.

These images (unique to Ritmeyer Archaeological Design),  are arranged in different categories, such as Illustrating the Bible, Temple Mount, Jerusalem, Biblical sites, Buildings and Ritual of the Bible. The Image Library will be fully searchable.
All the images come with a description giving full background information, which you can read before you decide which ones you would like to order. You can also view them in a reasonably large size before downloading.

Here is an sample of the “Illustrating the Bible” page, showing that you can browse according to Books in the Bible:

Another way of browsing, for example, is using the “Biblical Sites in Israel” page:

The different categories are designed to help you find the picture you are looking for easily.

Images can be downloaded individually to enhance your presentation. The pictures can be used privately or in presentations at Sunday Schools, Bible Classes and lectures at Universities.

Larger size images are available for commercial publication.

Keep following our blog for further developments!

The new Carta Collection offers an outstanding collection of Bible Atlases and books on the historical geography of the Bible. Each book is richly illustrated with original artwork, reconstructions, drawings, and diagrams. These are must-have volumes for anyone interested in the background of the Bible, and for teachers at every level.

As a Mac user, Accordance is my favourite Bible Software and I use it almost on a daily basis. We were pleased to know that three of our books were chosen to be part of this selection:

The Quest, Revealing the Temple Mount in Jerusalem

Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah

Jerusalem in the Year 30 A.D.

Todd Bolen of BiblePlaces.com wrote this about the collection:

An extraordinary collection of historical and geographical works on the Bible from the Carta Publishing House in Jerusalem has been announced for Accordance Bible Software (Mac).  Some of these works are the best in the field and available nowhere else electronically.

The collection consists of the following books:

Bible Lands Atlases

• The Sacred Bridge
• Carta’s New Century Handbook and Atlas of the Bible
• The Carta Bible Atlas
• The Illustrated Bible Atlas with Historical Nots
• Bible History Atlas Study Edition
• The Onomasticon by Eusebius of Caesarea

Jerusalem

• The Illustrated Atlas of Jerusalem
• Carta’s Historical Atlas of Jerusalem
• Jerusalem in the Time of Nehemiah
• Jerusalem in the Year 30 A.D.

Temple

• The Quest
• Carta’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of The Holy Temple in Jerusalem
• The Holy Temple of Jerusalem