Israel 10 – On the Way to Galilee
This morning, we embarked on our four day excursion into Galilee. Our first stop of the day was at Beth Shean, a tel to the west of Mt. Gilboa and southwest of Mt. Moreh. Beth Shean is the city where the Philistines hung Saul‘s body outside its walls after he took his life during battle. […]
Israel 9 – God Desires Those Who Seek Him
Today’s outing was a little less intense with only three stops, but I’m thankful that we made the most of it. Sometimes when plans change, the planned activities give way to ‘filler’ material, but I didn’t feel that way at all about today. We visited Shiloh, the Israel museum, and Sataf. The first site we […]
Israel 8 – The Dead Sea and Its Scrolls
Josephus wrote about four major ‘philosophies’ that came to the forefront during Second Temple Judaism: those of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes, and the Zealots. Today at Masada, we learned about the Zealots firsthand. Okay, maybe not firsthand, but kind of…we stood upon one of their most famous sites! We walked up the siege […]
Israel 7 – The Negev
Today we explored the biblical Negev and the greater Negev, discussing topics such as prescribed versus practical religion; Abraham’s way of life; and the the influence the Nabateans had over trade in the south. Our first stop was Tel Arad, the site of the biblical city of Arad. We learned of its strategic position tucked […]
Israel 6 – The Shephelah
Today we traveled down the Shephelah, hitting various biblical cities and discussing corresponding narratives along the way. We stopped at Beit Shemesh, Shaaraim, Lachish, and Ashkelon. After learning about the Diagonal Highway in class yesterday, it was helpful to experience the region in person. At Beit Shemesh, we learned about the historical tug of war […]