In biblical times the land of greater Palestine included several distinct societies: Ammonites, Arameans, Canaanites, Edomites, Greeks, Israelites, Judeans, Moabites, Philistines, and Samaritans. The Bible mentions many more varieties, including Hittites, Hivites, Jebusites, and Perizzites. What they all had in common was their presence in this land.

The land sustained them and shaped their lives. Their stories which have become our sacred texts are grounded in the hills and plains, the rivers and the wadis, the seas and the deserts of this land between three continents.

In this short course you will experience selected highlights from the so-called ‘Fifth Gospel’—the land of the Bible. It will change the way you read the Bible, and reshape the way you live your life.

The aims of the Introduction to the Bible Lands course are:

• To integrate our reading of the biblical texts with the dynamics of the land;
• To visit key biblical sites from both the Old Testament and the New Testament;
• To explore the roots of the Christian and Jewish faith traditions in the Holy Land;
• To engage with the ‘living stones’ of the local Christian community; and
• To explore our solidarity with both the Palestinian and the Jewish communities.

Course Staff

Our course team includes the Dean, the Course Director, the Liaison and Logistics Officer, and the Chaplain, as well as other staff and guest speakers.

The Very Revd Dr Gregory C. Jenks 
Dean, St George’s College
Canon of the Cathedral Church of St George the Martyr, Jerusalem

Dr. Gregory Jenks is an Australian religion scholar and Anglican priest. Prior to his appointment as Dean of St George’s College in Jerusalem, he was Academic Dean at St Francis Theological College, Brisbane and a Senior Lecturer in the School of Theology at Charles Sturt University. He is also is a co-director of the Bethsaida Archaeological Excavation in Israel. His recent publications include The Once and Future Bible (2011),The Once and Future Scriptures (2013), Jesus Then and Jesus Now (2014), and Wisdom and Imagination (with Rex Hunt, 2014).  Further details of his publications are available at www.gregoryjenks.com