Reading the Fifth Gospel in Preparation

A View from Mount Arbel

Recommended readings are a part of any preparation for your Holy Land journey.  I have recommended that you read the Gospels of Mark and John.  There is also the Fifth Gospel.

Saint Jerome may have been the first to identify the Fifth Gospel which is the land of the Bible itself.  He cherished the four gospels but came to see the discipline of geography as invaluable.  His premise is that if the student can read the lay of the land, he can better understand and interpret the four gospels.
I have come to embrace the truth of the Fifth Gospel in my eighteen years in the land.

Therefore, let me suggest that you dust off the Bible atlas that you have or purchase one.  Many excellent Bible atlases exist, and some can be purchased for under $20.  Begin getting a feel for the lay of the land.  You will discover at least four glorious regions that make up the land of the Bible.

A rather nice option to the purchase of an atlas might be exploring the internet.  On the Jerusalem Center website you can find a list of all biblical sites that you will be visiting.  By clicking here, you will find impressive photos, discover where biblical events took place, and even read the biblical texts that apply to the location.

Begin today reading about the Fifth Gospel!  In a matter of days, you will experience the Fifth Gospel first-hand.  As a result, you will never read the Bible quite the same.