Holy Land Study Tour (BS2051T)

Content

These units combine two elements: a study tour which offers no credit points, and an assessment unit which builds on this experience. In this unit, students will investigate the cultural, political, religious and geographical environment of intertestamental Judaism and early Christianity, in order to better understand the Old and New Testaments in their contexts. In addition, students will also experience the modern political and religious tensions in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, places that will be visited during the study tour. As a result, students will also explore the biblical and historical roots of this modern political/religious conflict. The unit is comprised of two elements: a study tour of the Holy Land (which offers no credit points), and an assessment unit which prepares the students for the experience, offers opportunity to reflect upon the experience, with application to interpretation of texts in light of the tour experience.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

Prerequisites: An introductory unit in Field B

Pedagogy

Commencing with a pre-tour session, this is an immersive experiential unit which prepares students for a pilgrimage to the Holy Land over a two-week period, exposing them to different archaeological, social and historical aspects.

Assessment is to be completed under supervision of the lecturer in a six-week period following the tour.

Indicative Bibliography

• Bible with the Apocrypha (New Revised Standard Version)
• Raymond Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1997.
• Walter Brueggemann, Chosen? Reading the Bible Amid the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2015.
• Walter Brueggeman, The Land: Place as Gift, Promise, and Challenge in Biblical Faith (2nd ed.). Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2002.
• John Collins,* Introduction to the Hebrew Bible* (3rd ed.). Minneapolis: Fortress, 2018.
• Everett Ferguson, Backgrounds of Early Christianity (3rd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. 2003
• Lamontte M. Luker, An Illustrated Guide to the Holy Land. Nashville, TN: Abingdon. 2013
• Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide (5th ed.); Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2008.
• N. T. Wright, The Way of the Lord: Christian Pilgrimage Today. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014.

Assessment