Writing with Maps

I pulled up a map of New Testament Israel last night, all in the name of comedy.

 

I was working on a scene at the Inn in Bethlehem. A couple from modern times is dropped into the bodies of the innkeeper and his wife, and they have a house full of complaining guests. The scene takes place at dinner, and there's a bit with a pair of customers complaining about the dinner. The customers were from out of town (in for the census, of course), and I needed a dish from another part of Israel that they could complain and say, "This is not how it's made."

 

Looking at the map, I saw that Galilee was to the north of Bethlehem. So I settled on Galilean Sea Bass.

 

Of course I didn't bother to do further research and see if Sea Bass was ever served in Galilee. Once I settled on Galilee as the source of the dish, Galilean Sea Bass just hit me and I ran with it. It sounded funny, and if any NT scholars were in the audience, none of them would be taken out of the story by my poor knowledge of geography.

 

Point is, maps can be a big help, whether you're plotting a course for Hobbits in Middle Earth or chronicling the footsteps of Jesus. And thanks to the Internet, maps of Jesus' time are a few clicks away. It's also a really insightful tool when reading the gospels to see where he traveled. Really makes the stories come alive.