Mapping the Bible

Exhibition in the VU heritage showcase, summer 2022

The exhibition (22nd of June - 31th of August 2022) is located near the entrance of the Library, on the first floor in the Main Building of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. There are no costs involved. Further on in this Storymap you will find out how you can participate and win a 1728 Bible map depicting Paradise and the Holy Land! Click  here  to go to it directly.

N.B.: This Storymap contains the original textual explanation that accompanies the exhibition. Unfortunately, not all maps exhibited are digitally available at the moment. A full bibliography of all maps on display is provided in the last section of this Storymap.

Introduction

This exhibition provides an insight into the intriguing dialogue between the Bible and cartography. Since the Middle Ages, numerous attempts have been made at mapping biblical places. In the 16th century, because of the literal reading of the Bible by Protestants, Geographia Sacra or ‘holy geography’ developed into a vivid field of study. The rapidly developing geographic and cartographic knowledge of the time, provided increasingly accurate basemaps. The printing presses were running at full speed and maps found their way to Bible commentaries, atlases and, not least, for Bibles themselves. Thanks to this exhibition, we are able to show maps of the Bijbels Museum, which were recently donated to  Special Collections of the University Library . In addition, a number of recent acquisitions are on display. In the displays just behind you, a selection of Bibles is exposed from Vrije Universiteits' collection 'Manuscripts and early printed books’. This exhibition was produced by Reinout Klaarenbeek, curator Maps and Atlases.

Exhibition Mapping the Bible in the Heritage Showcase at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (photo by Reinout Klaarenbeek)

Fixed in Coordinates

Biblical stories played a prominent role on medieval world maps. The famous Hereford Mappa Mundi serves as a good example (1. Hereford Mappa Mundi, anonymous, ca. 1300, facsimile). The map shows the history, geography, and destiny of humanity as it was understood in Christian Europe. The inhabited part of the world as it was known back then with Europe (lower left), northern Africa (lower right), and Asia (top), is mapped within a Christian framework. Indeed, Jerusalem is placed in the centre of the map with the East at the top. The East, where the sun rises, was where medieval Christians looked for the second coming of Christ. Next to the Mappa Mundi, accounts of crusades and pilgrimages provided schematical images of the biblical lands (4. [Holy Land map], Erhard Reuwich, 1483, facsimile).

1. Hereford Mappa Mundi, anonymous, ca. 1300, facsimile.

In the late 15th century, the rediscovery of Ptolemy’s book Geography marked a turning point in cartography. Claudius Ptolemy (ca. 100 - ca. 170) was a geographer, astronomer, and head of the Alexandrian Library. Thanks to Geography, much of the antique knowledge on how to draw maps using geographical coordinates was able to be passed on. Moreover, the work provides an extensive catalogue containing more than 8,000 localities along with their coordinates (2. Geography, Sebastian Münster, 1540, facsimile). At a time of scarce geographical information, the catalogue spurred the creation of many new maps. Among them were maps of the Holy Land (3. Tabula Terre Sanctae, Laurent Fries, 1535). Moving away from schematic representations, these maps became fixed in coordinates.

3. Tabula Terre Sanctae, Laurent Fries, 1535.

In Search of Paradise

While the idea of mapping Paradise on Earth may sound strange to 21-st century readers, it was a serious undertaking for a very long time. Paradise, according to Genesis, was situated ‘in the east, had a single river in it, which had four mouths including the Euphrates, Tigris, Pishon and Gihon’. This description raised many questions. ‘East’ from where? Which rivers were Pishon and Gihon? Additionally, there were questions of a theological nature: was it still possible to find Paradise after Adam and Eve were expelled from it? Hadn’t the Deluge eroded all traces of it? Finally, shouldn’t Paradise be taken more metaphorically?

1. De Gelegentheyt van 't Paradys en 't Landt Canaan [...], Cornelis Danckerts II, 1728.

Swiss church reformer John Calvin (1509-1564) promulgated a literal reading of the Bible. He believed that, although Paradise itself belonged to the past, traces of it were still perceptible to the condemned human race. Calvin interpreted the mentioning of the Euphrates and the Tigris in Genesis as evidence that Paradise was probably situated in Mesopotamia (3. Ghelegentheyt des Lusthofs Eden, anonymous, 1583). This subsequently became the dominant vision for the location of the Christian Paradise (1. De Gelegentheyt van het Paradys en 't Landt Canaan, Cornelis Danckerts II, 1728). However, its exact location continued to be debated and alternative locations such as Armenia remained in vogue (2. Kaarte van het Aardsche Paradys, ca. 1700).

3. Ghelegentheyt des Lusthofs Eden, anonymous, 1583.

Youtube video: Renaissance Maps of Paradise Alessandro Scafi, Serious Science, 2018.

A Journey Through the Desert

The first map to appear in a Bible was one that depicts the Journey Through the Desert. Exodus recounts how the Israelites traveled from Egypt all the way to the Canaan to flee enslavement. During this journey, miracles and notable events happened, such as the opening of the Red Sea and the receiving of the Ten Commandments. The story can be roughly situated in the present-day Sinai Peninsulae that separates Egypt from Israel. However, it has been proven to be next to impossible to map any of the 42 camps that are mentioned in the Bible with any kind of certainty. The choice for Exodus was symbolic, as Protestants saw a parallel between the escape of the Israelites from Egyptian persecution and their own struggle for independence from the (Catholic) church.

1. [Holy Land map], Lucas Cranach the Elder, ca. 1515. Digital reconstruction.

2. Die ghelegentheit ende die palen des lants van Belofte, anonymous, 1560.

Lucas Cranach the Elder (1472-1553), painter and confidant of German church reformer Martin Luther, was the first to map the Journey Through the Desert (1. [Holy Land map], Lucas Cranach the Elder, ca. 1515, facsimile). The first maps to appear in Bibles were entirely based on this map, although it was reduced in size and flattened to fit in the book (2. Die ghelegentheit ende die palen des lants van Belofte, anonymous, 1560). The Map Collection contains the only known copy of the Cranach map, which includes the lower part of the map. Thanks to its importance and unicity, the Cranach map is an absolute masterpiece of the Map Collection of the Vrije Universiteit.

Moses' Journey according to Cranach

Maps in Bibles

In the 16th century, the massive printing of bibles in vernacular languages was accompanied by a large cartographic undertaking. Because Protestant Reformists’ hermeneutics advocated a literal reading of the Bible, all geography was also taken as the truth. Bible texts were accompanied by maps, as geography is better depicted on maps than by words. The maps thus became an aid in better understanding the Biblical texts. They are closely related to the specific passages in the Bible and almost all have one of the following themes: the world, the paradise, the exodus, the tribes of Canaan, Israel in the time of Jesus, Jerusalem and the journeys of Paul and the apostles.

Orbis Terrarum Typus [...], Petrus Plancius, 1596.

Maps in Bibles did, of course, also have a decorative function: the presence of one or more maps made a bible much more attractive. Sometimes, a bible was already issued with one or several maps. But buyers could also decide themselves which maps they wanted to included in their copies. Especially in the 17th century, the buyer of a Bible could choose from a variety of Bible maps. Having the maps colored by a draftsman specialized in coloring, ‘afsetter’, was another, even more expensive option.

Next year, a comprehensive overview of maps in Dutch bibles will appear in the  Explokart series of cartobibliographies . This project is being supervised by August den Hollander, professor at the Faculty of Religion and Theology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Mapping and Countermapping

The desire to map the Bible has never entirely lost its attractiveness. Still every year new publications on the subject appear. In our secularized society, however, a map of the Holy Land is not likely to be inserted between contemporary maps, as was the case in Ortelius world atlas (3. Terra Sancta, Ortelius, 1598). Futhermore, we are now well aware that Biblical maps are compiled on the basis of data that are inconsistent at best. In fact, the composition of Biblical maps required a great deal of creativity on the part of the cartographers. In addition, they are now seen as cultural products made from an implicit Christian and European point of view, mostly omitting alternative viewpoints (1.Atlas of Palestine. 1917-1966, Salman H. Abu-Sitta, 2010)

3. Terra Sancta, Ortelius, 1571.

The ability of maps to tell a story and promote a specific spatial narrative is still used on a daily basis. For example, even a seemingly neutral satellite image (2. Satellite Image, Survey of Israel, 1974) is loaded with meaning, claims and biases. The inclusion of the entire Sinai desert serves as a reaffirmation of the conquered territory after the Six-days war or ‘al-Nakba’ in 1967. Furthermore, the use of Hebrew for placenames clearly states who the Israeli government considers as the land’s rightful inhabitants. To balance the one-sided Israeli spatial narrative, Palestinians have recently started practicing countermapping: they create maps themselves, sometimes together with Israelis, that do justice to their views on the land and help them to (re)define their spatial identity.

Youtube video: Mapping Palestine: Decolonizing Spatial Practices, Al-Shabaka: The Palestinian Polciy Network, 2020.

Help annotating Olfert Dappers' Holy Land map!

The centerpiece of this exhibition is the spectacular and lovely colored map of the Holy Land by Olfert Dappers from 1678. The map is composed of 6 joint sheets, that originate from his book Naukeurige beschryving van gantsch Syrië en Palestyn of Heilige Lant […] issued by Jacob van Meurs. The map indicates the territories of the twelve tribes of Israel. In addition, it is packed with placenames and scenes from both the Old- and New Testament. But which? Why not practice some 'geographica sacra' together 😉 ?

Do you know of a Biblical story of a place that is depicted on a map? Do you want to contribute by seaching one up? Click on the butten below! If you leave your name and email, you can win an original copy of a Bible map Gelegentheyt van het Paradys [...], 1728.

The digitally annotated Holy Land Map by Dappers is shown below. Zoom in and out and find out which information has already been added to the map, by clickin on the blue information symbols.

Cartobibliography

All exhibited maps and books are part of the Collection Maps and Atlases and the Collection Manuscripts and early printed books of the Special Collections of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The last code concerns our libraries signature. Note that maps recently added to the collection have not yet been assigned a signature.

Fixed in Coordinates

  1. Heresford-Weltkarte (Facs.), anonymous, ca. 1300. Haldingham, 1983. Stuttgart: Schuler Verlag. LL.018018.-.
  2. (book:) Geographia (Facs.), edited by Sebastian Münsters, Basel, ca. 1540. Skelton, 1966. Amsterdam: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum. LK.04603gk.
  3. Tabula Terre Sanctae, Laurent Fries. Originating from Geographia, issued by M. & G. Trechsel, Lyon, 1535. VU-holding: in progress (recent acquisition).
  4. [Holy Land map] (Facs.), Erhard Reuwich, ca 1483. In: Bernhard von Breydenbach, Die Reise ins Heilige Land : ein Reisebericht aus dem Jahre 1483. 1977. Wiesbaden: Pressler. XS.15050.-.

In Search of Paradise

  1. De Gelegentheyt van het Paradys en 't Landt Canaan [...], Cornelis Danckerts II. Originating from Bibliaa, dat is de gantsche H. Schrifture, vervattende alle de canonnijcke boeken des Ouden en des Nieuwen Testaments, Wetstein, Smith en Luchtmans, 1728. LL.11116.-.
  2. Kaarte van het Aardsche Paradys [...], P. Starckman, ca. 1725(?). Originating from a Dutch translation of Calmet's Dictionnaire historique, critique, chronologique, géographiqe et littéral de la Bible (ca. 1700). LL.11127.-.
  3. De Gelegentheyt des Lusthofs Eden, anonymous, 1582. In: Biblia, dat is de gantsche Heilige Schrift, grondelick ende trouwelick verduytschet. Dordrecht: Peeter Verhaghen, 1583. XC.05054.-.

A Journey Through the Desert

  1. [Holy Land map], Cranach, ca. 1515. Reproduction of a digital reconstruction of both known parts of the Cranachs' Holy Land map from the National Library of Israel (Pal 1059 - D4 (Pas.), Laor 226) and Vrije Universiteit (LL.05413gk).
  2. Die ghelegentheit ende die palen des lants van Beloften, anonymus, ca. 1536. In:

Mapping and Countermapping

  1. Terra Sancta, a Petro Laicstain perlustrata [...], Ortelius. Originating from: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, Antwerpen, 1571.
  2. Israël, Survey of Israel, 1974. LL.04149gk.
  3. (atlas:) Atlas of Palestine. 1917-1966. Salman H. Abu-Sitta. London: Palestine Land Society, 2010. LK.12074gk.

Help annotating Olfert Dappers' Holy Land map

  1. Dimidia Tribus Manasse ultra Jordanem [and] Tribus Neptalim et partes orientalis tribuum Zabulon et Ischahar, Tribus Ruben, et Gad et partes orientales tribum Beniamin, Ephraim et Dimidiae Manasse intra Jordanem [and] Pars Maxima Tribus Iuda, Olfert Dapper. Originating from: Olfert Dapper, Naukeurige beschryving van gantsch Syrië en Palestyn of Heilige Lant […]. Amsterdam: Jacob van Meurs,1678.

Bibles

A different map is shown every week, of the following exhibited bibles:

  1. Jan Jacobsz. Paets & Bouwensz. Jan, Leiden, 1596. XC.05152.
  2. I. van der Putte, Amsterdam, 1715. XP.05251.
  3. Paulus van Ravesteijn, Amsterdam, 1660. XI.0504
  4. Jan Janssen, Arnhem, 1614. XI.05049.

Credits

Exhibition Mapping the Bible in the Heritage Showcase at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (photo by Reinout Klaarenbeek)

1. Hereford Mappa Mundi, anonymous, ca. 1300, facsimile.

3. Tabula Terre Sanctae, Laurent Fries, 1535.

1. De Gelegentheyt van 't Paradys en 't Landt Canaan [...], Cornelis Danckerts II, 1728.

3. Ghelegentheyt des Lusthofs Eden, anonymous, 1583.

1. [Holy Land map], Lucas Cranach the Elder, ca. 1515. Digital reconstruction.

2. Die ghelegentheit ende die palen des lants van Belofte, anonymous, 1560.

Orbis Terrarum Typus [...], Petrus Plancius, 1596.

3. Terra Sancta, Ortelius, 1571.