Transcript Document
Friday 3rd – Monday 13th July 2015 (in hot weather, staying at inexpensive hotels; planned with theological students in mind) The of the Land Book an 11 day tour of Israel and Palestine based in Galilee and Bethlehem led by Mike Fuller The Theological Thinkers tour Mike Fuller is a New Wine speaker, international Bible teacher; retired Baptist Minister and teacher of Religious Studies; Tutor in Theology at St Paul’s Theological Centre, Cheltenham; and author of “The Entire Story of the Bible in 50 Minutes” and “A Fool’s Guide to Following Jesus”. Friday 3rd July Morning flight from London Luton to Tel Aviv The Theological Thinkers tour Friday 3rd July We are then transferred by airconditioned bus (with Wi-Fi) to our first hotel … The Theological Thinkers tour Friday 3rd July The Theological Thinkers tour … in Tiberias, a few hundred yards from the Sea of Galilee Evening free! Saturday 4th July We start the day with an “orientation” multi-media presentation introducing Galilee… The Theological Thinkers tour Saturday 4th July The Theological Thinkers tour … then we explore Galilee, passing Mount Tabor (a possible site of the Transfiguration) … Saturday 4th July The Theological Thinkers tour We visit Cana (the site of Jesus’ first miracle, turning water into wine) … Saturday 4th July In Nazareth, we visit sites connected with the childhood of Jesus … The Church of the Annunciation The Theological Thinkers tour The Church of the Well Saturday 4th July The Theological Thinkers tour … we also visit Nazareth Village, built to show and explain life and trades in the time of Jesus. Saturday 4th July … the Mount of the Precipice, where Jesus walked through the crowd that sought to throw him down … The Theological Thinkers tour Saturday 4th July The Theological Thinkers tour … finally, we view the Valley of Armageddon – scene of ancient battles, and the Bible setting for End Times Saturday 4th July The Theological Thinkers tour Evening mini-lecture: An Israeli perspective on the conflict Sunday 5th July The Theological Thinkers tour We begin today by viewing the 2000 year old “Jesus boat” at a nearby kibbutz … Sunday 5th July The Theological Thinkers tour We sail across the lake on a replica of this boat, pausing on the lake for our Sunday worship… Sunday 5th July The Theological Thinkers tour We visit Kursi on the Sea of Galilee - the site associated with the story of the “Gadarene swine”… Sunday 5th July The Theological Thinkers tour … the recently discovered village of Bethsaida, Peter and Andrew’s home … The “Fishermen’s House” at Bethsaida Sunday 5th July The Theological Thinkers tour … then continue to Capernaum (Jesus’ home town) … Sunday 5th July The Theological Thinkers tour … where we see Peter’s house and the ancient synagogue. Sunday 5th July The Theological Thinkers tour We visit Tabgha (associated with the feeding of the 5000, and one of Jesus’ resurrection appearances) Sunday 5th July The Theological Thinkers tour We end the day with worship together on the “Mount of the Beatitudes” Sunday 5th July The Theological Thinkers tour Evening minilecture: Do chronology and geography matter in the evangelists’ accounts of Jesus life? Monday 6thJuly The Theological Thinkers tour Leaving the Galilee, we drive south through the Jordan Valley Monday 6thJuly We see the baptismal site where it is believed Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist It may be possible to baptise any member of the group who wants this – in the Jordan river Please talk to Mike about this well beforehand! The Theological Thinkers tour Monday 6thJuly The Theological Thinkers tour We visit Jericho, viewing excavations of the oldest city on earth … Monday 6thJuly … seeing the Mount of Temptation … The Theological Thinkers tour Monday 6thJuly The Theological Thinkers tour … and remember Jesus’ meeting with Zacchaeus. Monday 6thJuly The Theological Thinkers tour We pass through the Wadi Kelt (the valley of the shadow of death) and see St George’s Monastery across the valley … Monday 6thJuly In Bethany, we see the tomb of Lazarus … The Theological Thinkers tour Monday 6thJuly … and continue to our new hotel, within the Palestinian territory, in Bethlehem The Theological Thinkers tour Monday 6thJuly The Theological Thinkers tour Evening minilecture: How important is the historicity of the birth narratives? Tuesday 7th July The Theological Thinkers tour In the morning we visit Herodion, one of Herod’s palaces … … Tuesday 7th July The Theological Thinkers tour … then see the “Shepherds’ Fields”, and worship together in one of the ancient shepherds’ caves. Tuesday 7th July The Theological Thinkers tour We visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Tuesday 7th July The Theological Thinkers tour We visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Tuesday 7th July The Theological Thinkers tour The remainder of the day is free to meet local Arab Christians, including visiting Bethlehem Bible College (with a lecture on the Palestinian view of the conflict), and The Tent of Nations peace initiative Tuesday 7th July The Theological Thinkers tour Evening mini-lecture: Did God command ethnic cleansing in the Old Testament? Wednesday 8th July The Theological Thinkers tour Arriving in Jerusalem, we view the city from the top of the Mount of Olives … Wednesday 8th July We explore the Temple Mount excavations … The Theological Thinkers tour Wednesday 8th July The Theological Thinkers tour … and then see the Western Wall - a buttressing wall which is all that remains of the Temple … Wednesday 8th July The Theological Thinkers tour … and explore the tunnels under the Temple Mount … Wednesday 8th July The Theological Thinkers tour … at one point, walking on flagstones that Jesus almost certainly walked on. Wednesday 8th July The Theological Thinkers tour We continue to see the excavations of David’s city Wednesday 8th July The Theological Thinkers tour … and, for those who want, walk through Hezekiah’s tunnel … Wednesday 8th July … finishing at the Pool of Siloam … The Theological Thinkers tour Wednesday 8th July … where we also see a newly excavated paved street from the time of Jesus. The Theological Thinkers tour Wednesday 8th July The Theological Thinkers tour Evening minilecture: Do the Old Testament covenant promises apply to the modern State of Israel? Thursday 9th July The Theological Thinkers tour We return to the Western Wall - the buttressing wall which is all that remains of the Temple … hopefully, seeing a Bar Mitzvah… Thursday 9th July We then walk down into Jerusalem from the top of the Mount of Olives, following the route Jesus took on the first Palm Sunday … The Theological Thinkers tour Thursday 9th July The Theological Thinkers tour …. stopping at the Dominus Flavit church, which marks the place where Jesus wept over Jerusalem Thursday 9th July We spend some time in contemplation and worship at Gethsemane … The Theological Thinkers tour Thursday 9th July We spend some time in contemplation and worship at Gethsemane … The Theological Thinkers tour Thursday 9th July … and then follow the “Last path” through the Kidron valley … The Theological Thinkers tour Thursday 9th July The Theological Thinkers tour … and visit a possible site of Caiaphas’ house Thursday 9th July The Theological Thinkers tour We view the valley of Gehinnom Thursday 9th July The Theological Thinkers tour Our evening meal will be a Messianic form of the Passover seder Friday 10th July Returning to the Old City, we visit the Bethesda pool, where Jesus healed a paralysed man The Theological Thinkers tour Friday 10th July The Theological Thinkers tour We see the Lithostratus (thought to be part of the courtyard from Herod’s Antonia Fortress) Friday 10th July We follow part of the “Via Dolorosa” – remembering Jesus’ walk to the cross … The Theological Thinkers tour Friday 10th July The Theological Thinkers tour We see a possible location of the Upper Room … Friday 10th July … and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - the traditional location of the crucifixion Friday 10th July The Theological Thinkers tour We finish the day with quiet reflection at an alternative site for Jesus’ death and resurrection … “Gordon’s Calvary” and the Garden Tomb Friday 10th July The Theological Thinkers tour Evening minilecture: How much does it matter whether Jesus died on the Day of Passover? Saturday 11th July The Theological Thinkers tour A day in the desert! After an early breakfast, we drive south to the desert and the fortress of Masada … Saturday 11th July The Theological Thinkers tour We visit Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found … Saturday 11th July The Theological Thinkers tour We see the oasis of Ein Gedi, associated with the story of David and Saul … Saturday 11th July The Theological Thinkers tour … and have an opportunity to “swim” in the Dead Sea! Sunday 12th July Our morning worship is in Jerusalem … … either at Christchurch, an Anglican Church inside the city walls with Messianic links The Theological Thinkers tour (afternoon free) … or at East Jerusalem Baptist Church, an English speaking congregation with a number of Palestinian believers Monday 13th July In the morning we visit the Israel Museum – where we see a model of Jerusalem in the time of Jesus, the Shrine of the Book (where some of the Dead Sea Scrolls are displayed) and other antiquities The Theological Thinkers tour Monday 13th July We then visit the newly extended Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial … Monday 13th July The Theological Thinkers tour … before travelling on to Tel Aviv for our flight home £1275 includes half board, air-conditioned coach, en-suite, gratuities, licensed guide, all entrance fees does not include any fuel surcharge, lunches, insurance Please ask for a brochure with further details, and a booking form with full conditions www.mikefuller.org.uk