Over the years of teaching on the ancient history of the Holy Land, the questions and interests of my students have directed the development of the course content. For example, most of my students have not been familiar with ancient Mesopotamia (which appears early on the timeline), while at the other end of the timeline is modern Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict-which has elicited many questions. Thus, the Timeline has evolved to cover history and geography from Creation to Modern Israel. Obviously, this is not an exhaustive study but rather a guided tour which focuses on points of historical significance and suggests areas of further study that may interest the student.For the serious Bible student, it would be beneficial to revert to the ancient habit of using pen and paper to make your own Timeline. An example of how to do this can be found in the early chapters of this book. This effort, although time consuming, will help in the assimilation of the vast amount of information this course covers and will serve as a quick reference for the context of specific historical events. All students will benefit from the understanding of historical events that are sometimes seemingly insignificant but have had an impact on ancient Israel, the Early Church and are relevant today. This textbook will help you to "connect the dots" so to speak and give you a greater understanding of the history recorded in the Bible.