It's been a while since we reviewed any books on the B.I.B. and I recently came across this little gem of a book titled 'Illustrated Dictionary of Bible Manners and Customs' available from Amazon and published in 1982 by Poplar books. (Don't be put off by the plain cover!)
There are many illustrated Bible Dictionaries and Encyclopedias available on the market today, (many of which are quite expensive), and yet most of them are not as visually informative to the Bible artist as this little book is! Each spread contains one page of text and one facing page of black and white line illustrations, many of which are drawn from ancient artifacts. This is a 128 page book with 59 pages of illustrations. The subjects covered are too many to list but they include Towers Fortresses and Houses, Meals, Pottery, Tools, Musical instruments, Weapons, Agriculture, Hunting and Fishing, Clothing, Means of Transport, Coins, Trees , plants, Animals, Altars and Temples, River crafts and ships, Bread making, the list goes on! Black and white drawings can be much better for reference than photos, especially when it comes to items like coins where detail is important. A great little book and well worth the money!
You may remember that we were discussing how to draw the fence which surrounded the Tabernacle here. Well this little book has it absolutely right! There is no mention of who the illustrator is, which is often the case with books like this, although the book jacket designer does get a mention!
If you have found a particular illustrated Bible Dictionary or encyclopedia very helpful, don't forget to share it with us!
I also recently came across an interesting DVD available here from 'Lamb and Lion Ministries' which looks like it could be very helpful too for those involved in Bible illustration. The description on the website says:This album contains four very fascinating teachings about life in Bible times, all filmed on location in Israel at the Bible Times Learning Center.
The first program, entitled "Nomadic Living," illustrates how nomadic people like Abraham lived in Bible times. It will give you insights into the stories of Abraham & Sarah and Ruth & Boaz.
The second program focuses on the last supper that Jesus had with His disciples. It contrasts what the actual supper was like as opposed to its portrayal in the famous painting by Leonardo DaVinci.
The third program is about First Century crucifixion techniques. It will give you some valuable insights concerning the torture that Jesus experienced at the hands of the Romans.
The final program concerns burial customs. In addition to footage shot at the Bible Times Learning Center, it includes a visit to the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem.
Format: DVD. 75 minutes.
If anyone has this DVD maybe you can give us a short review in the comments section!
Other helpful books:
The Quest
The Nazareth Jesus Knew
The Splendor of the Temple
The World Jesus knew
