Geographist

Cretans Key Scripture: Titus 1:12 Figures: none As we've been investigating some of the locations mentioned in the New Testament, we arrive this week at an island that is tied to two other nations that we've already investigated.  Today, Crete is the largest and most populated island of Greece, and in a previous study we looked at the possibility that the Philistines were a group that had their origins on the island.  But in the New Testament the apostle Paul found himself on the island, and while the circumstances seemed to be out of his control he still managed to fulfill his lifelong mission.  Let's dig in. The island of Crete, or Caphtor as many early writings suggest it was initially called, has been visited by mankind for as long as they have been travelling the Mediterranean, several millennia before the writings of the New Testament.  Caphtor was descended from Ham's son, Mizraim, who was also the ancestor of the Egyptian people.  Permanent settlements o...

Galatians Key Scripture: Galatians 3:1 Figures: Ethnic - none; resident - Timothy This week we continue looking through the people groups that were visited by Paul, among others, during the time of the New Testament.  The eastern neighbors to last week's focus group are the Galatians, a storied and fascinating people.  Unique among Paul's epistles, his letter to the Galatians was not written to a single city but to a group of churches he had planted.  A number of locations within the region of Galatia are among those he visited alongside Barnabas on his first missionary journey, so it is possible that the letter is the earliest chronological book written by Paul (although many scholars favor a later date that places it closer to the middle of his works).  Regardless of the timing, it is clear that Paul not only encountered the Jewish diaspora within the region but also Gentiles, including the very people who gave the area its name.  It is this ethnic group and t...

Phrygians Key Scripture: Acts 18:23 Figures: Epaphras, Nympha This week we're going to take a turn to the north and look at a different part of the Biblical story.  While the Old Testament narrative focused largely on nations to the south or east of the Promised Land, the story that is told in the New Testament reflects a shift in historical trends towards the north and west.  A land once known as Anatolia played a vital role in the spread of Christianity, and later it was called Asia Minor before carrying its modern name of Turkey.  Controlled by the Greeks before eventually becoming part of Rome, it was populated with a number of different ethnic groups.  To continue our study, we now turn our attention to one of the regions within this important place that was home to a people group known as the Phrygians. The Phrygian people originally came from Europe, and had likely immigrated from the western side of the Black Sea some time during the late 2nd millennium BC....

Phoenicians Key Scripture: Ezekiel 27 Figures: Hiram, Jezebel Throughout their history the descendants of Israel have been a unique society.  They have managed to maintain their special identity in spite of numerous periods of persecution and other challenges, and their insistence upon being different than those around them has regularly set them at odds with other cultures.  One people group that was recorded to have a consistently positive alliance with the Hebrews, however, were the Phoenicians.  Similar to the Philistines, it is possible that they were never a cohesive nation with centralized ruler, but instead spread a vast web of influence throughout the known world from a few cities they controlled along Israel's northern border, such as Tyre and Sidon.  Although we see evidences of their civilization every day in the letters of our alphabet, is there more we can learn about this notable people group? Who were the Phoenicians?  Although they are reference...

Horites Key Scripture: Deuteronomy 2:12 Figures: Seir The flow of people groups in and out of the lands described in the Bible has been constant for quite a number of years.  Some nations have managed to establish a homeland for a significant amount of time, such as the Egyptians, while others have been relocated, destroyed, or assimilated by other cultures.  This week we look at the story of an old group about which little is known, and in fact may have gone entirely unnoticed if it weren't for a record of their existence found in the pages of Scripture.  They are the Horites, and like any group with little definitive information they are the subject of much conjecture. The first mention of the Horites is found in Genesis 14, shortly after Lot parted company with his uncle.  They were said to live in Seir, the mountainous region south of the Dead Sea, and in response to their rebellion against King Chedorlaomer of Elam were attacked by a confederation of his allies....

Philistines Key Scripture: Zephaniah 2:5 Figures: Abimelech, Goliath, Achish During our study of Biblical people groups, some of the names that have been studied are quite familiar while others are obscure and relatively unknown.  This week we'll dive into the Philistines - a nation that is discussed frequently in Scripture, but has certain mysterious details absent from their story.  This has led to some misconceptions and guesswork from readers, especially regarding their origin and ultimate destiny.  Let's dig deeper into this familiar name and see if we can't uncover some facts that we may not have known before.  Like so many of the nations discussed in the Old Testament, we are first introduced to the Philistine people when they are mentioned in Genesis 10.  While it is clear that the inhabitants of Philistia are descended from Ham's son Mizraim, their specific geographic origin has become disputed because of conflicting translations.  Two specific nam...

Hagrites Key Scripture: 1 Chronicles 5:20 Figures: Jaziz Another milestone for the website this week - we just crossed the 175,000 mark!  It was less than a year ago that I celebrated reaching six figures for the very first time, a goal that was five years in the making.  The fact that we're progressing towards doubling that number in the coming months is amazing to me, and (as it always does) fills me with gratitude for every person who takes the time to click on the links and read what I'm learning.  Thank you all!  This week, we're going to learn about another one of the more obscure people groups that are found in the Old Testament.  During the time when various empires were being forged, defeated, and recreated, several of these small nations seemed to exist.  Like some of the others that we've analyzed, this one has a possible family relationship to the people of Israel, but that didn't stop the Hagrites from opposing God's chosen people. Before the b...

Indians Key Scripture: Esther 1:1 Figures: none This year, India overtook China as the most populous nation in the world.  With an estimated 1.45 billion individuals, India can claim nearly 1 out of 5 humans currently alive.  But did you know that this nation, with a history whose years span a time frame that approaches the length of Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations, plays a role in the Bible?  Let's learn a bit about this fascinating country and why it shows up in Scripture.  Trying to determine the ethnic background of the inhabitants of the Indian subcontinent presents some unique challenges and has led to some dispute, specifically as it pertains to the sons of Noah.  There are two primary groups, called the Dravidians and the Aryans, who have separate genetic origins but eventually came to settle together in India.  Some evidence suggests the Dravidians descended from Ham through the African lands of Cush and Put before migrating east to souther...

Nabataeans Key Scripture: 2 Corinthians 11:32 Figures: Aretus This week we delve into a bit of Biblical mystery.  Over the past few posts we have looked at the neighbors of the Hebrew people who occupied the territory to the south and east of the Promised Land.  This time we'll look at a people group that expanded just beyond those areas, and eventually encroached upon their lands.  What makes this mysterious, however, is that while they play a few important roles in the Biblical narrative and are known well enough to history, they are never directly mentioned by name in the Scriptures.  The are the Nabataeans, and learning about them may actually answer one of the big questions in the New Testament. The Nabataean people are thought to be descendants of Ishmael, the oldest son of Abraham by his wife's servant, Haggar.  Ishmael's oldest son was named Nebajoth, but whether this people group was entirely descended from him or if the younger families simply adopted ...

Moabites Key Scripture: Genesis 19:36-37 Figures: Moab, Balak, Cozbi, Eglon, Ruth, Mesha This week we dive into the story of the third group of related neighbors to the children of Israel, the Moabites.  They share many similarities with the Ammonites, so much of the story you read today will sound familiar.  In fact, the nations of Moab and Ammon seem to always be referenced together whenever they come up in the Biblical narrative.  But there are several details that merit attention, which gives this nation an interesting place in the story of God's people and plan.  Let's dive in and see what we can discover.  Like the Ammonites, the descendants of Moab had a sordid and disturbing origin story as the eldest daughter of Lot was the first to become pregnant by her father.  As the oldest heir, it seems her son Moab was able to establish himself in the same region where he was conceived.  The city of Zoar was where Lot fled after being saved from the des...

Ammonites Key Scripture: Genesis 19:36-38 Figures: Ben-Ammi, Nahash, Hanun, Naamah, Baalis, Tobiah Last week we learned about one of Israel's related neighbors named Edom, the descendants of Jacob's brother Esau.  Today we'll study the first of two other people groups who lived nearby and shared a similar ancestry with the Hebrew people, and this time their origin story isn't very pretty.  If there were a musical equivalent to the banjo in the 18th century BC, it would surely be a fitting instrument for the background music for the incestuous history of the Ammonites.  Hailing from just across the Jordan River, the people of Ammon may have been cousins of Israel's descendants but they were wicked, idolatrous, and rarely friendly.  They did play several important roles throughout the Old Testament, however, so let's jump in and see what we can learn about them.  When Abraham left his family, the only relative who is recorded to have come with him and Sarah was Lo...

Edomites Key Scripture: Genesis 36 Figures: Esau, Hadad, Harod As we pass 170,000 views over the history of this blog (thank you to all my readers!) we're going to take a few weeks to look at some of the near neighbors to Israel who are related to the patriarchs and heads of the original 12 tribes.  The first one we'll inspect is Edom, the offspring of Esau.  Located south of the Dead Sea, the Edomites lived in a tough land marked by wilderness and mountains.  In fact, the area was known and referenced in the Bible as Mount Seir.  The inhabitants, however, experienced a forced relocation and had a new home by the time of the New Testament.  Let's take a look at some of the details of their history and civilization. After becoming the miracle child of a barren mother, Isaac experienced the same struggle of being unable to have children of his own.  He prayed for his wife, Rebekah, who had been infertile and his petition was granted with the birth of twin son...

Magog Key Scripture: Ezekiel 38:1-2 Figure: Gog This week we'll take a look at a pair of related names that pop up in three very distinct and separate parts of the Bible, but have become quite recognizable.  Even in popular culture that has little to do with any sort of sacred writings, the names of Gog and Magog have appeared.  The Biblical references to these two names indicate that Gog is a ruler from a land that is known as Magog, but that he also leads an army that includes neighboring areas.  Let's find out what we can know from Scripture and see what sorts of interpretations have been made. When the descendants of Japheth are listed in Genesis 10, seven sons are listed.  One of them is Magog, and although he is listed second we've already discussed in previous posts how the birth order is not always reflected by these sorts of genealogies.  The association with two of Japheth's other sons, however, is very important as Magog is discussed by the prophet Ez...

To wrap up our look back at one of the most unique summers in our family's history, here are some thoughts from my lovely wife.  Summer time and more As I reflect on the past summer, I find myself thinking more about the decisions that I have had to make in the past year. It was around January when I had to start thinking about starting over with a different career or changing what I wanted to do with my life. Overall, I have been blessed to be given the choice on what I want to do so there was no pressure from home about where I should go. For those of you who don’t know, I was a teacher for two years. When my principal told me that I wouldn’t be renewed, I was devastated. I felt like my power was taken away from me and all of my hard work obtaining my degree had gone out the window. I’ve always had challenges with my self-esteem, and this did not help. I spent the next few months trying to figure out what to do with my life if teaching wasn’t an option anymore. My husband said th...