BibleMap.Org - For Christians, Muslims, and Jews.

There is a key term currently in use amongst tech-heads, web 2.0. This term is used to mean many things, one of which is its acknowledgment of new technologies in the website design field. Whereas in the past most websites where written in HTML, PHP, or ASP today a new set of languages and technologies have come onto the field. One of these new technologies (okay, so a repackaged, renamed, old technology) is the mashup. A mashup is when someone takes an already existing technology (generally from a large, well-established company) and overlays it with their own data. This data is usually of such a niche character that the big company would not be interested in developing it. One such example of a mashup is BibleMap.org.

BibleMap.org is currently in beta, but already shows tremendous promise. It is a mashup of Google Maps with the Christian Scriptures,* particularly with geographic locations mentioned in those Scriptures. So, if you happen to be reading Acts 18 and see mention of locations like Athens, Corinth, Pontus, Rome, Macedonia, and Achaia - instead of simply glossing over the words without any understanding of how their location affects the story - you can quickly and easily view them using BibleMap.org. The site includes the text of the chapter you are reading in either the King James Version or English Standard Version as well as pictures and dictionary type descriptions of the locations. Clicking on a location in the text will bring up a balloon with additional information about that location on the map.

BibleMap.org is a great way to understand the geography of the Bible…Even if you are only reading it for its historic/literary value. Can one really understand a text without understanding the geography? Think of the difference between saying, “I walked from Albany to New York City” and “I walked from Albany to Santa Fe.” Big difference that can affect the way we read the story, yet we oftentimes overlook these significant hints in the storyline as we read the Bible.

*While it is particularly the Christian Scriptures which are enumerated it may be of interest to those from Jewish and Islamic backgrounds. The Old Testament of Christians is the Scriptures of the Jews and much of the New Testament takes place in the context of Israelite history and in relation to Judaism. Meanwhile, while Islam does not recognize the Bible as holding the same authority as Christians do, they do recognize it as an authority besides the Q’uran.