Holy Land Pilgrimage

Stephen Binz's Holy Land Pilgrimage is a really good read and helpful guide to key sites in the Holy Land. I learned from it several archaeological facts, points of theological interpretation of Scripture, and illuminative items for prayer. Still, I found the book lacking in some aspects.Here are the things that this book does well:+Structure. Each site-section lays out information in a consistent and effective manner: brief preview of what happened here, then a thorough but synthetic rundown of the history of the Christian community and their buildings here, then a brief explanation of the theological/spiritual mechanisms at play, and finally an offering of prayer with God's word (concluding with a nice, liturgical oration). I can tell that he has experience as a tour guide, because such a sequence of presentation works wonders live/in-person.+Layout. Each site gets its own section, so as to keep the chapters organized and de-cluttered, as many guidebooks tend to do.+Explanation of the nature and purpose of pilgrimage, at the book's beginning and end. As a good teacher, he teaches his pilgrims how to pilgrimage, giving them an orientation and then a final cinch that secure their experience as a pilgrimage-proper, and not just a tour/vacation. I'll be using these chapters in my own tours of the Holy Land.+Speaks honestly and effectively/efficiently about debated archaeological assertions, in a balanced and dispassionate way. Stephen treats with reverence and gentleness sites that, though revered, are of considerable archaeological dubiosity.Here are some of the things that this book does not do so well:-Sourcing. This book cites no modern sources for the majority of the archaeological data that it provides. I can tell that some of it comes from Jerome Murphy O'Connor and perhaps the information pamphlets that each site provides. The effect is that the reader who might want to look more into certain details is left hanging (not to mention the danger of plagiarism). Granted, the book is not intended to be a work of academics/scholarship, but it is clearly informed by it, and it would at least benefit from a bibliography of works that a reader could consult for further information. Moreover, the author is very self-referential; the few times that he cites current sources usually comprise his own, other writings. Such optics leave a bad taste in a reader's mouth, as it appears to be a distracting exercise in self-promotion.-Scripture on site. The book does not sufficiently emphasize the need and utility of reading aloud the entire biblical passages where they occur. Rather, it provides, at the end of each section, a smattering of isolated texts folded into a para-liturgical prayer. To be fair, each section begins with a preview of what happened in the Bible at a given site, but even this is not and ideal technique. A major component of the magic of Holy Land pilgrimages is to let the word of God speak for itself THERE where it was spoken and took place! This experience is key, because when pilgrims later hear these readings again back home, there immediately flood to their memory and prayer, and heart, the sights, sounds, smells, and feeling of being where the passage happened. Hence, I think it would be better to emphasize, even by means of page layout, the importance of reading the biblical passage (and not simply listening to a guide's paraphrasing thereof) right away at a tour of a given site (and not at the end of the touring).If you want to see an example of this book at its best, consult the section on the Mount of Beatitudes (72-73) and the Bethesda Pools (241-244).Thank you, Stephen, for this fine book!