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PRESS RELEASE The Virtual Bible, Inc. Dan Warner

P. O. Box 721321 Orlando, FL. 32872-1321

Tel 407-468-4251 Fax 888-473-2112

THE VIRTUAL BIBLE, INC ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF "ABRAHAM’S JOURNEY"” INTERACTIVE CD

The Virtual Bible, Inc. of Lakeland, Florida announces today the launching of a new Bible study aid, “Abraham’s Journey,” an interactive CD-ROM. The new CD allows the student of the Bible to trace the route of Abraham from Ur to Canaan as found in Genesis 12 and 13. The user can view helicopter video clips along Abraham’s route and learn the geography of the Bible. It is also possible to view reconstructions of the great and mighty city of ancient Megiddo, one of the ancient Canaanite cites along Abraham’s route, in 3D and color animations. "One can actually visually enter the city gate, the palace, a temple, and a residence, and move about, looking at artifacts from Abraham's day which can be manipulated using the mouse and cursor."

"This is one of the first in its kind of Bible-related software," said Dan Warner, President of The Virtual Bible, Inc. "People who study the Bible, whether students or teachers or professors, can actually enter the huge Canaanite temples and palace at Megiddo, near Abraham's route, which the University of Chicago unearthed in the 1930s."

The animators at The Virtual Bible Inc. labored for a full year to develop interactive, 3D representations of the city gate, the temples and the high altar, the palace, and houses of the period, all under the direction of three archaeologists, Daniel Warner, Dr. James F. Strange, and Dr. Eric Cline.

Dr. James Strange, who recently appeared on ABC’s 20/20, was also excited about the CD. "We have never seen the gate or the palace or ordinary houses in 3D, with color and textures exactly as any contemporary of Abraham would have seen them," said Strange. "This is as breathtaking for the archaeologist as it is for the lay person."

"The CD-ROM, soon to be available in various bookstores and through the Web at www.thevirtualbible.com, also features animations of ancient pottery vessels. These can be manipulated by one’s mouse and viewed from a variety of angles. Captions accompany the animations which explain the function of each vessel in antiquity."

Dan Warner, President, pointed out that this is the first such CD-ROM by The Virtual Bible, Inc., but it will soon be followed by "Jesus in Galilee" and others related to biblical themes. "Our ultimate ambition," said Warner, "is to animate all the sites mentioned in the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, creating a virtual interactive encyclopedia of the Bible. We don't know how long it will take, but it is an exciting project."

The CD features the Biblical text, voice and video lectures by Strange and others, maps, photographs, helicopter video shots, animations of the site, music, and animations of the objects. One can also click on links to related sites, the credentials of the producers, and related information.

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BAS has partnered with The Virtual Bible to offer you this unique viewing experience on CD ROM.

The Virtual Bible has combined the talents of some of today's foremost biblical scholars and archaeologists with highly skilled animators to create educational and realistic reconstructions of biblical stories. This interactive CD gives you the capability of viewing how people lived in biblical times by walking through the ancient sites and picking up the artifacts from the time period. All the materials are reconstructed with the latest archaeological information. This is combined with helicopter video to emphasize the geography of land and trace the movements of the biblical stories. When merged together, they create a powerful educational tool for biblical studies for classroom instruction in your church, synagogue, or private use.

Biblical Archaeology Society

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I have just finished reviewing your product, “Abraham’s Journey.” I am impressed with the high quality and attention to detail. I would highly recommend this product for classroom use in any introductory Old Testament or Bible Backgrounds course. It will not replace the classroom lecture, but it is a valuable tool that integrates multiple disciplines into a single presentation. This is an excellent tool to demonstrate to students of the Bible the value of the study of archaeology and geography to illustrate the biblical text.

Anyone who teaches archaeology knows the difficulty of having students visualize the culture and background that we obtain from the material culture. This product offers that step to bring the student from the rocks and pottery to the people of biblical times.

The Virtual Bible will be a valuable asset to complement classroom teaching at the introductory level. The best way to study Bible backgrounds is to go to the land itself. If you cannot take students to the land, then the next best thing is to bring the land to the classroom. The Virtual Bible is a valuable teaching tool that accomplishes this task. Your product provides a tool that allows anyone who teaches biblical backgrounds to fully integrate geography, history, archaeology, and the biblical text.

In addition to the classroom, I think churches, home school associations, and Christian schools will also find this a valuable asset to be used to complement Sunday School classes and sermons. I strongly suggest that you speak with a Lifeway representative to offer this product in our stores. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance in this endeavor. I look forward to reviewing new products from the Virtual Library.

Steven M. Ortiz, Assistant Professor of Archaeology. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary

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An exciting and authentic reconstruction of Abraham's journey from Ur through Canaan, following the route as described in the Bible, and supplemented with archaeological data -- a very helpful tool for the student of the Bible.

James K. Hoffmeier Professor of Old Testament & Near Eastern Archaeology Trinity International University

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Lakeland, Tampa Archaeologists Develop 'The Virtual Bible' CD

Electronic History Leasson

Saturday, February 2, 2002

By CARY McMullen

Ledger Religion Editor

Dan Warner and James Strange say their profession -- archaeology -- goes back to a childhood instinct. "We didn't get enough digging in the dirt," Warner jokes.

Strange corrects him.

"I think it's curiosity about what's in the dirt."

The two veterans of digging in the dirt of Israel have come up with a high-tech product that gives students of the Bible a glimpse into what they have discovered. Their new CD-ROM, "Abraham's Journey," is the first of a series that presents a computer-generated picture of the ancient world of the Bible.

Warner, 47, a Lakeland resident who is pursuing a Ph.D. in archaeology, and Strange, 64, professor of religious studies at the University of South Florida in Tampa, say that this may be the first time anyone has attempted this kind of virtual reconstruction of biblical archaeology.

The CD-ROM costs $29.95 and is available through a Web site (www.thevirtualbible.com) or at Gospel Inn bookstore in Lakeland. It was Warner's idea to create a tool that would assist him when teaching classes at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Norfolk, Va., where he commutes on alternate weeks.

"I wanted visual aids to illustrate what I was lecturing on. I thought about overhead transparencies, but then I was introduced to a computer animator in St. Petersburg, Rich Whitaker," Warner says.

Realizing the potential of an interactive CD-ROM, Warner asked Strange, under whom he had studied, to join him. They found a small local religious philanthropy, Believers Foundation of Brandon, to underwrite the $170,000 it took to produce the CD.

VIRTUAL TOUR

"Abraham's Journey" guides the user through the geographical and cultural features of the land Abraham would have traveled through as described in Genesis 12 and 13. The CD has three parts and portrays the geographical features of the journey, a reconstruction of a Canaanite city such as Abraham would have seen and a collection of artifacts, such as lamps and jugs, that the user can "pick up" and examine. There are video clips -- including a helicopter flyover of Abraham's route -- narration and text, plus data files that allow the user to print still pictures and text.

The reconstructions are based on archaeological finds of the Middle Bronze period (about 2000 B.C.). Warner has participated in excavations of the temple in the ancient city of Megiddo, conducted by Tel Aviv University. The reconstructed city is depicted, including the palace, a residence and a large round stone altar.

"The only things that exist today are the foundation and the altar. It's a huge altar, very unique, made of all unhewn stones. We've got the exact colors and textures," Warner says.

Using a mouse, users are able to take a self-guided tour of the city, navigating around the buildings, getting a 360-degree view and moving up and down stone stairways. The effect is to give the viewer a glimpse of what life in the Eastern Mediterranean would be like 4,000 years ago.

"People grow up reading the Bible and thinking it's a far-off place. They see these images and realize how ordinary it was. It's a real place where people lived and died. It gives a new perspective," Strange says.

Warner says that geography is a key to interpreting biblical texts.

"The Bible places significant emphasis on locations. They're mentioned for a reason. The Bible assumes the reader knows the significance of Megiddo, which was so strategic that (Assyrian king) Tiglath-pileser said it was like taking a thousand cities," he says.

Early reports from those who have used the CD-ROM in classrooms pronounce it a success. Richard Batey, professor of religion at Rhodes

College in Memphis, Tenn., has showed "Abraham's Journey" to students in an introductory Bible class who had been studying Genesis.

"I think it's a very useful tool. You're always looking for things that are visual, that grab attention and provoke students to think. They particularly thought spinning the pottery around was useful," he says.

The Rev. Bill Boulet, pastor of Heritage Baptist Church, where Warner is a member, says it would be a good resource for his parishioners.

"It's a wonderful tool for the lay person who doesn't have the chance to go to Israel or study artifacts in a seminary like pastors have. It helps them understand the culture of the day," he says.

Batey says there is room for improvement on the CD.

"It needs a little refinement. But it's a good first effort. I anticipate the next ones are going to be better."

FUTURE PROJECTS

Eventually, Warner and Strange plan a series of CD-ROMs that will cover all of biblical history that can be reconstructed. It's a project that could take up to 10 years and cost $8 million. The next CD will have a New Testament setting, which is Strange's specialty.

"We're working on Capernaum. We'll portray Peter's house, the synagogue. We're going to include images of the boat discovered in the Sea of Galilee, which dates right from the first century," Warner says.

Meanwhile, sales of "Abraham's Journey" have been brisk. In four months, about 1,000 have been sold, and Warner and Strange are negotiating with several publishing companies to distribute them.

The text and narration in the CD-ROMs avoid theological points of view, sticking strictly to historical and archaeological descriptions. From a marketing point of view, this allows it to be used in Christian, Jewish or secular settings. Still, Warner and Strange say they hope the CDs will revive popular interest in biblical archaeology.

Warner forsees people becoming excited enough by the CD-ROMs that they want to do some digging in the dirt themselves.

"If the project becomes successful, we'll use it to fund digs," he says. "We could get ordinary people involved."

Cary McMullen can be reached via e-mail at cary.mcmullen@the ledger.com or by calling 863-802-7509.