[Preface] We pray that this resource helps readers expand their understanding of the world of the Bible and thereby help them grow in their understanding of God's Word.

[Introduction] As for the bearing of archaeological study on the historical reliability of the Bible, what has been the result of many decades of archaeological investigation? The answer is simple: archaeology has time and again supported and confirmed the biblical record, and many such examples are mentioned in the narrative of this atlas.

The Christian author Tertullian (c. 160-220) was certainly correct when he said "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church" (Apologeticus 50).