The Christian Traveler's Guide to the Holy Land

By Charles H. Dyer and Gregory A. Hatteberg

So, you're going to Israel? Don't go without this guide.

A trip to the Holy Land can be life changing. In this one-stop book, Charles Dyer—Bible scholar and veteran Holy Land tour guide—and Greg Hatteberg—graduate of the Institute of Holy Land Studies in Jerusalem—help you make the most of this opportunity.

Prepare for your spiritual journey with a four-week prayer guide and Bible study. The Christian Traveler’s Guide to the Holy Land traces the biblical events of over ninety of the most visited sites and will ensure that your trip is a spiritually satisfying and unforgettable experience.

This revised edition features newly excavated sites, up-to-date photos and maps, and relevant advice for preparing for your trip. Dyer and Hatteberg walk you through five key biblical regions: Israel, Egypt, Greece, Jordan, and Turkey, helping you make the most of every moment along the way.

More than just a Bible resource, you’ll also find practical information such as packing lists, passport requirements, and practical tips for post-COVID travelers.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Moody Publishers
• Release date: May 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9780802473332

Charles H. Dyer

CHARLES DYER (B.A., Washington Bible College; Th.M. and Ph.D., Dallas Theological Seminary) served for ten years as provost of Moody Bible Institute before becoming professor-at-large of Bible and host of The Land and the Book radio program. He is the author of numerous books, including A Voice in the Wilderness, What's Next?, The Rise of Babylon, and The New Christian Traveler's Guide to the Holy Land. His most recent book is Character Counts: The Power of Personal Integrity.

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© 2006, 2014, 2022

by CHARLES H. DYER and GREGORY A. HATTEBERG

Fourth Edition—Newly Revised and Updated

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Edited by Kevin Mungons

Interior design: Puckett Smartt

Cover design: Faceout Studio, Jeff Miller

Cover photographs of the Holy Lands copyright © 2013 Charles Dyer. All rights reserved.

Cover image of pyramids copyright © 2022 by Martin Freund/Shutterstock (1203696148). All rights reserved.

Cover image of map copyright © 2022 by I. Pilon/Shutterstock (33893077). All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Dyer, Charles H., 1952- author. | Hatteberg, Greg, 1957- author.

Title: The Christian traveler’s guide to the Holy Land / Charles H. Dyer and Gregory A. Hatteberg.

Description: Fourth edition. | Chicago : Moody Publishers, 2023. | newly revised and updated edition of: The Christian traveler’s guide to the Holy Land. | Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: A trip to the Holy Land can be life changing. This revised edition features newly excavated sites, up-to-date photos and maps, a four-week prayer guide and Bible study, and practical information such as packing lists, passport requirements, and tips for post-COVID travelers-- Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022059107 (print) | LCCN 2022059108 (ebook) | ISBN 9780802430953 | ISBN 9780802473332 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Israel--Guidebooks. | West Bank--Guidebooks. | Egypt--Guidebooks. | Greece--Guidebooks. | Turkey--Guidebooks. | Bible--Geography. | Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages--Israel--Guidebooks.

Classification: LCC DS103 .D943 2023 (print) | LCC DS103 (ebook) | DDC 915.69404--dc23/eng/20221214

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022059107

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022059108

Originally delivered by fleets of horse-drawn wagons, the affordable paperbacks from D. L. Moody’s publishing house resourced the church and served everyday people. Now, after more than 125 years of publishing and ministry, Moody Publishers’ mission remains the same—even if our delivery systems have changed a bit. For more information on other books (and resources) created from a biblical perspective, go to www.moodypublishers.com or write to:

Moody Publishers

820 N. LaSalle Boulevard

Chicago, IL 60610

This book is lovingly dedicated to our wives, Kathy Dyer and Lisa Hatteberg, who share our love for the lands of the Bible.

"Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all."

PROVERBS 31:29

CONTENTS

Introduction

PART 1: PREPARING FOR THE TRIP

Travel Safety Facts

Tips for Travelers

Weather

Packing List

Requirements for Obtaining a US Passport

Suggestions for the Mobility Impaired

Helpful Websites

Four-Week Schedules of Bible Reading and Prayer

  • To Prepare for Israel

  • To Prepare for Egypt and Jordan

  • To Prepare for Greece and Turkey

PART 2: THE LAND OF ISRAEL

The Twelve Tribes of Israel

Map of the Twelve Tribes

The History of Israel

The Herods of the Bible

Outline of Bible History

Acco/Akko/Acre/Ptolemais

Aphek/Antipatris

Arad

Ashkelon

Avdat

Azekah

Bashan/Golan Heights

Beersheba

Beth-horon

Beth-shean/Scythopolis

Beth-shemesh

Bethany

Bethel

Bethlehem

Bethsaida/Geshur

Caesarea

Caesarea Philippi

Capernaum

Carmel (Mount)

Chorazin/Korazim

Dan

Dead Sea

Ebal (Mount)

Elah Valley

Elath/Ezion-geber

Emmaus

Engedi

Galilee (Sea of)

Gath/Tell Es-Safi

Gergesa/Kursi

Gerizim (Mount)

Gezer

Gibeah

Gibeon

Gilboa (Mount)

Hazor

Hebron/Kiriath Arba/Mamre

Hermon (Mount)

Herodium

Hippos

Jericho

Jerusalem

Jezreel

Jezreel (Valley of)

Joppa/Jaffa/Tel Aviv

Jordan River

Judean Wilderness

Lachish

Magdala

Mareshah/Guvrin

Masada

Megiddo

Mizpah

Moreh (Hill of)

Nazareth

Olives (Mount of)

Paran (Wilderness of)

Qumran

Ramah

Rephaim (Valley of)/Ein Hanya

Samaria/Sebaste

Sepphoris/Zippori

Shechem

Shiloh

Tabgha

Tabor (Mount)

Tiberias

Timna

Zin (Wilderness of)

PART 3: THE LAND OF EGYPT

The Gods of Egypt

Hieroglyphics

I Want My Mummy

A Brief History of Egypt through the Time of David and Solomon

Aswan

Giza

Goshen/Cities of the Exodus

Karnak/Thebes/Luxor

Memphis

Saqqara

Sinai (Mount)

Valley of the Kings/Queens

PART 4: THE LAND OF GREECE

Let’s Go Shopping with Paul

The Gods of Greece and Rome

Greek Gods in the Book of Acts

Athens

Corinth

Crete

Patmos

Philippi

PART 5: THE LAND OF JORDAN

Amman/Ammon/Ammonites

Arnon River

Bethany Beyond the Jordan/Plains of Moab

Edom/Edomites

Jabbok River

Jerash/Gerasa

Machaerus

Medeba/Madaba

Moab/Moabites

Nabateans

Nebo (Mount)

Petra

Wadi Zered

PART 6: THE LAND OF TURKEY

A Brief Guide to the History of Asia Minor

The Seven Churches of Revelation 2–3

Aphrodisias

Colossae

Ephesus

Hierapolis/Pamukkale

Laodicea

Pergamum/Bergama

Philadelphia/Alaşehir

Sardis/Sart

Smyrna/Izmir

Thyatira/Akhisar

Troas/Troy/Çanakkale

PART 7: MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS

Geographical Regions of the Holy Land

The Elevation of the Holy Land

Major Cities of the Holy Land

Distances in Miles

The Sea of Galilee

The Dead Sea

The Kingdoms of David and Saul

The Divided Monarchy

The Kingdom of Herod the Great

The Districts of the New Testament

Old Testament Jerusalem

New Testament Jerusalem

Jerusalem Today

The Seven Churches of Asia

Bible Weights and Measures

The Tabernacle

Solomon’s Temple

Herod’s Temple

Credits

Friend,

Thank you for choosing to read this Moody Publishers title. It is our hope and prayer that this book will help you to know Jesus Christ more personally and love Him more deeply.

The proceeds from your purchase help pay the tuition of students attending Moody Bible Institute. These students come from around the globe and graduate better equipped to impact our world for Christ.

Other Moody Ministries that may be of interest to you include Moody Radio and Moody Distance Learning. To learn more visit www.moodyradio.org and www.moody.edu/distance-learning.

To enhance your reading experience we’ve made it easy to share inspiring passages and thought-provoking quotes with your friends via Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, and other book-sharing sites. To do so, simply highlight and forward. And don’t forget to put this book on your Reading Shelf on your book community site.

Thanks again, and may God bless you.

The Moody Publishers Team

INTRODUCTION

Knowing the land of the Bible is important to understanding God’s Word—just like knowing the layout of a baseball diamond is important to comprehending the game of baseball! Imagine explaining a baseball game to a friend from another culture who had never watched, or played, the sport.

You casually mention the baseball diamond, and your listener pictures a sparkling engagement ring. You excitedly describe a close play at second base while your friend wonders how many bases the ball controls … and if the bases are heavily guarded. You cheer when the manager summons the ace reliever from the bullpen while your bewildered companion envisions a victorious matador striding from a pen of bulls.

You may smile at the analogy, but we all do something similar when we read the Bible. We hear the story of Gideon choosing his three hundred men by the spring of Harod, and we substitute our own image of the event. Some picture a small stream thirty feet wide, while others see a broad river hundreds of feet across. Some imagine the water rushing down a steep mountainside, while others envision it meandering across flat plains.

The problem is that in many cases our own images cloud the biblical account and make it harder to understand. What makes perfect sense to someone standing at the spot where it happened seems almost incomprehensible to someone who has never been to the Holy Land and who reads the account knowing only the geography of Pennsylvania, Illinois, or Texas.

Traveling to the places of the Bible helps an individual view God’s Word through a new set of geographical lenses. Simple phrases like going up to Jerusalem jump off the page because they now make sense. Capernaum becomes more than just a name on a map. Israel’s temptation in the wilderness comes alive when your feet stumble over the desert rocks and your water bottle starts to run dry. God chose this land to teach His people specific lessons of faith.

But why would God select for His people a land of marginal climate that was coveted by larger surrounding nations?

Jim Monson has offered a provocative explanation for God’s choice. "In all of these Biblical periods this land served as God’s testing ground of faith. It was here, in this land where both personal and national existence were threatened, that Israel’s leaders and people were called upon to learn the true meaning of security and well-being, of trust in the Lord their God. It was here that God’s weakness was shown to be stronger than men" (James M. Monson, The Land Between: A Regional Study Guide to the Land of the Bible [Jerusalem: n.p., 1983], 14).

If you are reading this book in preparation for a trip to the Middle East, congratulations! You are about to take a journey that will make a profound spiritual impact on your life. You will soon traverse a region where God actively intervened in the lives of men and women … where the incarnate Son of God taught, healed, died for your sins, and rose from the dead. You will return a different person. This newly revised and updated edition of The Christian Traveler’s Guide to the Holy Land will help prepare you to visit Israel as well as the other regions of the Holy Land: Egypt, Greece, Jordan, and Turkey.

Readers who purchased previous editions will immediately notice that this new book is in full color throughout. We added eight new sites for Israel, four new sites for Turkey, new photos, and a new section of maps and illustrations. We’ve also updated Scripture references to the New American Standard Bible, the translation we used throughout the book. Spelling of place names conforms to the spelling in the NASB.

We suggest you read part 1, Preparing for the Trip, as soon as possible. In that section we offer specific information to help you prepare physically and spiritually for this journey of a lifetime. Once you know your final itinerary, begin reading the information on the specific sites you will visit. This will prepare you to gain as much information as possible from your trip. During your tour, keep this book with you as a handy guide and convenient place to take notes, record photos, and write your impressions. These records will be invaluable to you when you return home.

Our prayer for you is that this journey to the places of the Bible will make as profound an impact on your life as it has made on ours. Go with an open, receptive heart and ask God to give you a sense of wonderment, awe, and excitement as you travel through the length and breadth of the land (Gen. 13:17 NIV).

Dr. Charles H. Dyer

Moody Bible Institute

Dr. Gregory A. Hatteberg

Dallas Theological Seminary

• Travel Safety Facts

• Tips for Travelers

• Weather

• Packing List

• Requirements for Obtaining a US Passport

• Suggestions for the Mobility Impaired

• Helpful Websites

• Four-Week Schedules for Bible Reading and Prayer

• To Prepare for Israel

• To Prepare for Egypt and Jordan

• To Prepare for Greece and Turkey

TRAVEL SAFETY FACTS

1. Airport security for all flights to the Middle East is very thorough.

2. Terrorist incidents in those Middle East countries visited by tourists, though well publicized in the media, are extremely rare.

3. Statistically, there is far more danger of death or injury driving from one’s home to the nearest airport than of being attacked by terrorists while on tour.

4. The governments of Israel, Egypt, Greece, Jordan, and Turkey take the safety of tourists very seriously and have implemented extraordinary measures to increase security.

5. Several steps can be taken to minimize even further one’s chances of being involved in terrorist incidents.

• Keep a low profile. Try not to be conspicuous in your dress, speech, or behavior.

• Avoid wearing articles of clothing that advertise your nationality or that actively identify you with one side or the other in the current Middle East conflict.

• Avoid crowds, protest groups, or other potentially volatile situations that could present safety or security risks.

• Stay with your group and avoid wandering off alone (similar to the advice you would give someone coming to visit any major city in the United States).

• Dress and act in a manner that shows proper respect for the social and cultural values of the region. Avoid falling into the Ugly American stereotype.

• Remain aware of your circumstances and surroundings. Don’t become so absorbed by the grandeur of the sites that you fail to keep track of what is happening around you. If you sense anything out of the ordinary, don’t hesitate to express your concerns to the tour guide or tour leader.

• Tour buses are in constant contact with their headquarters and with other guides and drivers. The tour operators monitor any potential trouble spots; and if they feel there might be a problem,