Select Page

Barry J. Beitzel

Barry J. Beitzel (born August 6, 1942, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, age 82) is an Old Testament scholar, geographer, cartographer, and translator of the Bible. He currently resides in Mundelein, Illinois.

Appointments

Barry J. Beitzel has been a member of the Department of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS; Deerfield, Illinois) since 1976, as assistant professor (1976-1980), associate professor (1980-1985; tenured 1983), professor (1985–2016), and professor emeritus (2016 to the present). He was associate academic dean between the years 1986–1996 and executive vice president/provost throughout 1996–2004. Dr. Beitzel is married to Carol (née Watson); they have three children.

Education and scholarship

Following a BA in Bible and an MA in Old Testament, Beitzel matriculated into The Dropsie University (Philadelphia; merged with the University of Pennsylvania in 1993; renamed the Herbert D. Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies in 2008), where he earned a PhD degree in ancient Near Eastern Languages and Literatures in 1976; his dissertation is titled The Place-Names in the Mari Texts: An Onomastic and Toponymic Study. He obtained a post-doctorate in ancient Near Eastern Geography at L'Université de Liège (Belgium, 1981), where he worked with the doyen of Near Eastern geography, J.-R. Kupper, and Assyriologist Georges Dossin.

Beitzel's academic areas of interest include the geographic and spatial dimension of the biblical storylines within the context of their physical world. His primary archaeological work relates to the geographic context and socio-spatiality of the network of paved communication and transportation arteries and unpaved thoroughfares across the ancient Near East, more recently focusing on the structure and location of ancient roadways and milestones in the southern Levant east of the Jordan River (corresponding mostly with the modern country of Jordan); he also spent one season in eastern Syria, with the UCLA team excavating the site of Tell Ashara, where he was also a member of Giorgio Buccellati's geographical team surveying the terrain and searching for undiscovered ancient sites in the Middle Euphrates and Lower Habur River valleys.[citation needed]

Beitzel's professional work has taken him to Western Asia and the greater Mediterranean on more than 50 occasions. He has also lectured in various countries, and contributed to serial publications, chapters to various monographs, and essays in festschriften. Beitzel served as senior translator. He is a former president of the American Oriental Society, Middle West region.[citation needed]

Selected publications

  • Barry J. Beitzel. The Moody Atlas of Bible Lands. Chicago: Moody Press, 1985. ISBN 9780802404381. Winner, 1986 American Congress on Surveying and Mapping Map Design Competition, sponsored by the Association of American Geographers; Finalist, 1986 Evangelical Christian Publishers Gold Medallion Book Award for the "Bible and Reference Study" category.
  • The New Moody Atlas of the Bible. Chicago: Moody; Oxford: Lion Hudson, 2009. ISBN 9780802404411. Revised edition, 2025. [1] Updated and Revised, Moody Bible Atlas. Chicago: Moody Press, 2025. ISBN 9780802429964. Winner, 2010 Evangelical Christian Publishers Gold Medallion Book Award for the "Bible Reference and Study" category.[2][dead link][3] "2010 Best in Category" in the Book/Atlas category at the 37th Annual Map Design Competition sponsored by the Cartographic and Geographic Information Systems [CaGIS] of the Association of American Geographers.[4][5]
  • General Editor and Author, Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Gospels. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software and Lexham Press, 2016, 2018. ISBN 9781683590446. Winner, Christianity Today "2019 Book Award in Biblical Studies."
  • General Editor and Author, Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Pentateuch. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software and Lexham Press, 2023. ISBN 9781683587285 (Digital); 9781683597292 (Print). 2024 TGC Book Award of Distinction in Biblical Studies.

Maps

He has contributed to the production to a collection of maps by his supervision:[citation needed]

  • A Short History of Ancient Israel (Biblical Archaeology Society, 1988)
  • Logos Electronic Atlas of the Bible (Logos/FaithLife, 2005)
  • ESV Bible Atlas (Crossway, 2010)

His map has appeared in:[citation needed]

  • Atlas of the Ancient World (National Geographic, 2016, 2019)
  • National Geographic maps:
    • 189.4 (April, 1996, [insets])
    • 214.6 (December, 2008, p.43)
    • 218.6 (December, 2010, p.74 [foldout])
    • 221.3 (March, 2012, p.51)
    • 232.6 (December, 2017, pp.48–50, 57 [foldouts]).

References

  1. ^ "Book review by Nathanael Warren". Books At a Glance. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  2. ^ "Moody Atlas wins 2010 Christian Book Award". Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  3. ^ "2010 Christian Book Award Winners". Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  4. ^ "Moody Atlas wins Cartography Award". Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  5. ^ "37th CaGIS Map Design Competition Results" (PDF). Retrieved 12 February 2015.