BiblePlaces.com has just released their latest Photo Companion to the Bible, 1-2 Corinthians, and it is a winner!
What is a Photo Companion to the Bible?
Simply put, it is one of the most valuable teaching resources that Bible teachers (or students) can acquire because it helps the user better understand the cultural and geographical references of a particular book of the Bible. Bible teachers are wise to provide visual support for their teaching; and the Pictorial Companion is perfect for this purpose.
“This photo collection is remarkable! It provides a wonderful tour of the city and also includes pictures and interpretations of objects related to both the background and the subject of the text. Viewing the slides, I felt as if I I had found a pearl of great price that both informs and enriches one’s understanding of this letter.”
David E. Garland, Professor of Christian Scriptures, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University; author of 1 Corinthians in the BECNT series
Here is BiblePlaces.com’s description of this collection:
The Photo Companion to the Bible is a unique collection of digital photographs that illustrate the biblical text verse by verse.
- PowerPoint-based resource
- Library of images provides broad selection
- Created by a team of professors and scholars
- Organized by chapter and verse
- Each chapter is illustrated by 45–200 photographs
What’s included in the 1-2 Corinthians Photo Companion?
This resource includes 2,500 photos. However, these aren’t 2,500 random photos that are somewhat related to First or Second Corinthians. These photos are organized by chapter and verse with helpful explanatory notes provided in PowerPoint format. While they are ready for use upon arrival, you may want to move the photos into your own presentation format.
While the photos are what catch the eye, the notes are a critical element of this resource. These notes are not a collection of random quotes gathered from the Internet for Uncle Joe’s Blog. They are produced by genuine scholars who have expertise related to the topics.
“When I discovered the resources offered through BiblePlaces.com I was thrilled. The photos have been a tremendous help to me! They are high quality, wisely organized, and reasonably priced. As one who loves geography, history, culture, and archaeology, these images have been a tremendous blessing and have greatly enriched my ministry.”
Pastor Joel DeSelm, South Bend, Indiana
What makes this collection better than what I can get in a study Bible or a biblical backgrounds textbook?
Admittedly, there are some good illustrated study Bibles and biblical background commentaries/textbooks available. However, the very nature of those publications limits their true effectiveness in visually illustrating the biblical text. The most obvious advantage of the Photo Companion to the Bible is the sheer volume of photos it provides for each chapter of the Bible. For example, at most, a printed text, whether a study Bible or a textbook, is limited to a few illustrations for a whole book of the Bible. Let’s be generous and say there is one illustration per page of that text. However many illustrations that would be for a particular published text, it pales in comparison to the 50, 70, 100, or more photos per Bible chapter that are provided in this library!
What are some highlights from this collection?
- The city of Corinth and its archaeological remains
- Images illustrating the worldly wisdom of Greco-Roman society
- Photos of athletic competitions, racetracks, and prizes
- Photos of Greco-Roman temples and meat markets
- Coins illustrating orators and the Emperor Nero
- Biblical scrolls showing Paul’s use of the Hebrew Bible
- Papyrus letters, scribal tools, and artwork of scrolls
- Ancient manuscripts related to stewardship, lawsuits, and divorce
- Busts and portraits illustrating ancient head coverings
- Traditional tents and portrayals of tent-making
- Statues of famous individuals known to the Corinthians
- Weaponry, armor, and strongholds from the biblical world
- Imagery of planting, building, temptation, judgment, household gatherings, communal meals, grief, joy, decay, conflict, sowing, and reaping
- Frescoes illustrating marriage, worship, sacrifice, prayer, freedom, conscience, judgment, field work, sailing, worship, and pagan wisdom
Can you give me an example of how this works?
The following elements are provided in a slide related to 1 Corinthians 13:2.
1. The biblical text or phrase.
2. The photo or illustration.
3. Identification or explanation of the photo or illustration.
4. Commentary relating the photo to the text.
Using the 4 point guide above, all the elements below are included in a PowerPoint slide:
- “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge…”
- [note the photos in the Companion do not have the © statement]
3. Library of Celsus at Ephesus
4. Paul was in Ephesus when he wrote 1 Corinthians (1 Cor 16:8). The Library of Celsus, built in AD 110, once housed some 12,000 scrolls. It is noteworthy that during Paul’s stay at Ephesus (from which he wrote this letter to Corinth), a number of new followers of Jesus who had previously practiced magic brought together their books and burned them publicly (Acts 19:19).
FREE SAMPLES!
Download the free PowerPoint of 1 Corinthians 13 here.
Download the free PowerPoint sample of 2 Corinthians 4 here.
How much does it cost?
The regular list price for the Photo Companion to the Bible: 1-2 Corinthians is $109, which is a bargain. However, this resource is currently on sale for $69, and you can order here!
Disclaimer
I have some photos in this collection. However, I am recommending it here because I believe in the product. I personally use the Bible Companion: Acts in my Life of Paul course at Baptist Bible College, and have received many comments from students about how helpful the images are in illustrating the text.
