BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

The Uttermost Part of the Earth

A Guide to Places in the Bible

by Richard R. Losch

Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2005, 16 b&w photos and maps, 272 pp.
$16.00 (softcover)

Reviewed by Michael D. Swartz

The Uttermost Part of the Earth: A Guide to Places in the Bible takes its title from the New Testament book of Acts, where Jesus tells his disciples to be his witness unto the uttermost part of the earth (Acts 1:8). Author Richard R. Losch, a retired Episcopal rector, takes the reader on brief trips to every major place in the Bible, giving background information and a context for each site. The book is arranged alphabetically and each vignette gives the location of the place, where it is mentioned in the Bible, what is there today and the author’s interpretation of the importance of the history of the place. It is a short, informative look into the places of the Holy Land meant as a sort of reference book to go hand in hand with the Bible.

Michael D. Swartz is professor of Hebrew and religious studies in the department of Near Eastern languages and cultures at the Ohio State University in Columbus.