ISRAEL, PALESTINE, and JORDAN:

Israel, Palestine, and Jordan comprise the prime geography of what is commonly referred to as the Holy Land. From the arrival of the Israelites on the eastern bank of the Jordan River opposite Jericho, about to cross into their promised land after daunting wilderness experiences, to the baptism of Jesus at the same location 1300 years later, the concentric circles of history and biblical story spread throughout this whole region. We travel through it not in a limiting role as tourist or pilgrim, but as keen students (the Greek meaning of disciples) of the biblical text-understanding anew the text in the context of its first-century history and geography, along with the cultural and religious influences affecting the characters and the writers of the story we call our Bible.

Then from the ancient to the modern era, we also converse with people who experience the realities of today in this region: Palestinians and Israelis, Muslims and Jews, the ancient churches and modern political forces-all is laid out before us as we travel the streets of Jerusalem, the byways of Galilee, and the vast plains across the Jordan.

Click on a photo below to view enlarged version: