time? What was the o ce of Pilate, Felix, and Festus? In what capacity did the high priests rule in New Testament times? What was the Sanhedrin? III PHYSICAL SETTING The physical setting of the Bible is one of the best reminders to us that its message is about real people, just like us, living in real places in actual time An acquaintance with and appreciation of that physical setting helps make the Bible come alive In the following pages we will be studying the geography, climate, and everyday living of New Testament times A GEOGRAPHY Much of the New Testament is action, and action involves places That is why geography is a key ingredient of the Bible’s setting Someone has said, “To visualize is to empathize.” If you want to help yourself feel the action of ancient Bible history, visualize where it was taking place as you read the Bible text This should be one of the strongest motivations for you to learn the geography of the New Testament Three basic New Testament maps will be studied in this section These maps show the large areas of setting Other related and more detailed maps appear at appropriate places throughout the book It is important to have a good grasp of the large, overall geographical setting before zeroing in on the details of the smaller areas The New Testament world Map E, The New Testament World,27 shows where most of the action of the New Testament took place Compare the extent of this area with that of the Roman Empire (Map D, page 56) Answer the following questions or record observations, based on Map E: a Is the phrase “from Jerusalem to Rome” an accurate measure of the length of the New Testament world? b The name Palestine does not appear on the map It borders the southeastern Mediterranean Sea and extends from below Tyre to the Dead Sea and beyond, south of Jerusalem (See Map F, p 65.) What strikes you about Palestine’s size, compared to other lands of the Empire? c Most of the action of the four gospels is in Palestine Much of the action of Acts, and the setting of the epistles, is in Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Achaia (Greece) Locate these on the map d Considering Jerusalem as the geographical source of the Christian church, into what direction of the compass does the New Testament report the expansion of Christianity?28 ... of the large, overall geographical setting before zeroing in on the details of the smaller areas The New Testament world Map E, The New Testament World,27 shows where most of the action of the. .. south of Jerusalem (See Map F, p 65.) What strikes you about Palestine’s size, compared to other lands of the Empire? c Most of the action of the four gospels is in Palestine Much of the action of. .. accurate measure of the length of the New Testament world? b The name Palestine does not appear on the map It borders the southeastern Mediterranean Sea and extends from below Tyre to the Dead Sea