A rare combination of a scientific eye and a clergyman’s religious interests make this work endlessly fascinating. Osborn here recounts his experiences while traveling through the Holy Land and peppers them with his biblical, scientific, and literary observations. Amply illustrated, this volume remains a heady blend of personal perception and empirical consideration. Thoroughly versed in the Bible, Osborn draws parallels to nineteenth-century Palestine and the scriptural world. At the same time he notices the changes in the weather, flora, fauna and the layout of the land, including several full-color illustrations to complement his observations. The course of his travels took Osborn through Phoenicia (modern Lebanon and Syria), and south through Palestine. His account reads like a well-informed travelogue and leaves the modern reader with a sense of wonder toward the birthplace of the Christian faith.

Henry Stafford Osborn (1823-1894) was Professor of Natural Science at Roanoke College, and a clergyman. Well known for his work on Palestine’s geography, he was a professional man of science and represented in his person the dialogue between science and religion.