Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary?

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RamistThomist

Puritanboard Clerk
If you have used this material, what did you think of it? I am thinking of getting it for my own purposes, but would a 6-8 year old benefit from the pictures?
 
I have the four NT volumes in my Kindle collection. They are very good, but the notes on verses are not as in-depth as you would find in a separate commentary. For example, Moo covers Romans and therein you will find summary statements taken from his more extensive commentary on the same.

The pixs are mostly modern renderings of historical artifacts and locales, accompanied by maps, models, dioramas, etc., that any person, young or old, could benefit from viewing. That said, I am not so certain about a very young person, six to eight years of age, however. Such a youth would need some adult supervision explaining what he or she is actually looking over in the books.

The pixs in the Kindle versions are smaller than you would find in the printed volumes.

If you have some favorite verses or items, let me know and I will post some content related to the same.
 
I have the four NT volumes in my Kindle collection. They are very good, but the notes on verses are not as in-depth as you would find in a separate commentary. For example, Moo covers Romans and therein you will find summary statements taken from his more extensive commentary on the same.

The pixs are mostly modern renderings of historical artifacts and locales, accompanied by maps, models, dioramas, etc., that any person, young or old, could benefit from viewing. That said, I am not so certain about a very young person, six to eight years of age, however. Such a youth would need some adult supervision explaining what he or she is actually looking over in the books.

The pixs in the Kindle versions are smaller than you would find in the printed volumes.

If you have some favorite verses or items, let me know and I will post some content related to the same.

Thanks. In the Transfiguration accounts, what mountain does it list (Tabor or Hermon?) and does it show pictures?
 
Thanks. In the Transfiguration accounts, what mountain does it list (Tabor or Hermon?) and does it show pictures?
From Matthew 17:
The “High Mountain” of Jesus’ Transfiguration The “high mountain” (17:1) of Jesus’ transfiguration is not identified, but since Jesus and the disciples have been in the region of Caesarea Philippi (16:13), many scholars suggest nearby Mount Hermon. It is the most majestic summit in the region and is snow-capped much of the year. Its primary peak rises 9,166 feet above sea level, with a series of two other peaks rising somewhat less in altitude. If this is the location, Jesus and the disciples probably do not ascend to the top, but go up the mountainside to a secluded spot. The primary difficulty of identifying Mount Hermon as the site of the Transfiguration is that the following scene favors, although does not demand, a Jewish setting. Mount Tabor is the site most favored by church tradition. It is a relatively small summit, only 1,800 feet above sea level, but rising prominently 1,200 feet above the northeast corner of the plain of Jezreel. It is only six miles from Nazareth and twelve miles from the Sea of Galilee. As early as Emperor Constantine in A.D. 326, a church was built there, with three small sanctuaries later erected in honor of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. But a fortress had been occupying the relatively flat summit for centuries prior to Jesus’ time, since it was located at one of the most important crossroads of travel in the region. Consequently, it seems unlikely that Jesus would be on this mountain for the Transfiguration; moreover, it would have required an unusually roundabout route from Caesarea Philippi. Few today contend for Mount Tabor as the Mount of Transfiguration.

Another possible location is Mount Meiron (or Meron; Jebel Jarmak) in the upper Galilee region, eight miles northwest of the Sea of Galilee but still within the ancient boundaries of Israel. It is the highest peak within Palestine proper, at an altitude of approximately 3,960 feet; the towns at its base were Jewish. It is located on an easily accessible route back to Capernaum from Caesarea Philippi, yet in a more remote area than Mount Tabor. Matthew seems to suggest that the Transfiguration occurs outside Galilee (cf. 17:22), which Mount Meiron isn’t. If so, Mount Hermon is the most likely spot.​

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Wilkins, Michael J.. Matthew, Mark, Luke: Volume One (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Book 1)
 
From Luke:

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Onto a mountain to pray (9:28). Mountains are places of revelation in biblical tradition. Moses received God’s law from the Lord on Mount Sinai/Horeb and there saw his glory (Ex. 24; 33–34). Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18) and heard God’s quiet voice on Mount Horeb (ch. 19). The actual site of the Transfiguration is not named, but has been traditionally identified as Mount Tabor in southern Galilee. Others have suggested Mount Hermon because of its proximity to Caesarea Philippi, the place of Peter’s confession.​

Wilkins, Michael J.. Matthew, Mark, Luke: Volume One (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Book 1) (Kindle Locations 12975-12977). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
 
From Mark:
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After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone (9:2). “After six days” means that Jesus’ transfiguration occurs on the seventh day after Peter’s confession. Tradition associates the high mountain with Mount Tabor (1,843 feet), but since a Roman camp was located there (204) and Jesus is still in the region of Caesarea Philippi, it is more likely to be the much higher Mount Hermon (9,166 feet).

From the 204 footnote: Josephus J.W. 4.1.8. §§ 54–61.​


Wilkins, Michael J.. Matthew, Mark, Luke: Volume One (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary Book 1) (Kindle Location 9899). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
 
Thanks. I hold that the Mount was Hermon, not Tabor (my EO friends will get mad at me for that). I don't think it necessarily has a Jewish context, as it is in the area around Caesarea Phillipi, which was connected to the worship of the demon-god Pan.
 
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