TRINITY SCHOOL FOR MINISTRY
presents
“Early Christian Holy Land” Study Tour of Israel
9 – 21 January, 2011
Lecturer: The Rev. Leslie P. Fairfield, Ph.D.
Dr. Theresa Newell, Study Tour Director, Trinity
Shoresh Study Tours, Jerusalem
For more information and details about the tour contact: Dr. Theresa Newell
Email: tnewell@tsm.edu
Saturday, Jan. 8 - DEPART (US Airways 796, 9:15 PM)
Overnight direct flight Philadelphia – Tel Aviv. Dinner and breakfast snack served aboard flight.
Sunday, Jan. 9 - ARRIVAL (3:05 PM)
Transfer to Netanya.
Dinner and Overnight: Blue Bay Hotel, Netanya
Monday, Jan. 10 - CAESAREA
After an introductory lecture at our hotel, we depart for Caesarea, the Roman capital at the time of Jesus. We will visit the Caesarea Museum with film, the recent archeological finds at Caesarea Maritima, and, time permitting, the ancient Water Systems of Caesarea.
Dinner and Overnight: Blue Bay Hotel, Netanya
Tuesday, Jan. 11 – AROUND THE JEZREEL VALLEY
Today, we will travel up the Mediterranean coast and inland to the Tel of Megiddo, Kfar Othnai and Beit She'arim. After lunch we will visit Tzippori, a town four miles north of Nazareth, which Jesus would have been familiar with. We will also see the ruins of the childhood village of Jesus under the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth.
Dinner and Overnight: Hotel Ramot, Sea of Galilee
Wednesday, Jan. 12 – SEA OF GALILEE
We begin our day at Capernaum, Jesus' "headquarters" for ministry, and continue on to Tabgha. After a "St Peter's Fish" lunch, we will visit the museum where the "Jesus Boat" was found and take a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee, landing at Tiberias for a visit. On our return to our hotel, we will pass the excavations at Migdal and visit Korazim.
Dinner and Overnight: Hotel Ramot, Sea of Galilee
Thursday, Jan. 13 – LOWER GOLAN
Today we will visit the ruins at Kursi, and Susita, a classical Decapolis city destroyed by an earthquake in AD 749 and now excavated as well as nearby Umm El Kanatir with its 6th century synagogue. After lunch, we will stop for Golan Wine Tasting and a visit at the Golan Museum. Katzrin Village is our last stop of the day to be acquainted with daily life in the time of Christ.
Dinner and Overnight: Hotel Ramot, Sea of Galilee
Friday, Jan. 14 – JORDAN VALLEY
Our first stop while heading south, will be the Byzantine era synagogue floor at Beit Alfa. We will stop at St. Mary's Monastery and then have the opportunity to tour the impressive Decapolis city of Beit She'an. On our way south along the Jordan River, we will stop by the Monastery of St. Gerasimus. If there is time, we can float in the Dead Sea!
Dinner and Overnight: Kibbutz Kalia, Dead Sea
Saturday, Jan. 15 – THE DEAD SEA
We awake to desert terrain. We will travel south and take the cable car to the top of Herod’s Masada. On the way back north, we will stop to see the Ein Gedi Synagogue. After lunch, we tour Qumran, the place where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We then make our way to Jerusalem. After checking into our rooms and having dinner, we will take a Roof Top Walk of Jerusalem with the Director of Shoresh Tours, Yoel Seton and his wife, Laura.
Dinner and Overnight: Christ Church Guest House, Old City, Jerusalem
Sunday, Jan. 16 – WORSHIP AND THE HISTORY OF JERUSALEM
We will have the opportunity to worship at historic Christ Church and have lunch at the Guest House. After lunch, we tour the Tower of David, now a museum of the history of Jerusalem. A visit to the traditional Upper Room is optional. After dinner, at the Guest House, Dr. Ray Pritz, author of several books on the earliest Christianity in the Land, will speak to us.
Dinner and Overnight: Christ Church Guest House, Old City, Jerusalem
Monday, Jan. 17 - FREE DAY
After enjoying the day of relaxation or shopping, we will be hosted at 4 PM for a tour of the Christ Church Heritage Center just before dinner. Dinner at 5:30 PM tonight will be a special Seder Dinner.
Dinner and Overnight: Christ Church Guest House, Old City, Jerusalem
Tuesday, Jan. 18 – JERUSALEM IN JESUS’ DAY
Today we will take a walking tour around the Old City, beginning with the Temple Mount, the Western Wall and the excavated Southern Steps of the Temple Mount. After lunch, we will tour the Wohl Museum to see excavations of Sadducee houses from Second Temple Period. Then, we will visit the Model of Byzantine Jerusalem in Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu and the Monastery of the Cross. After dinner, we will spend time at the Israel Museum, which is open until 9 PM.
Dinner and Overnight: Christ Church Guest House, Old City, Jerusalem
Wednesday, Jan. 19 – CRUCIFIXION AND RESURRECTION
Today, we will visit the Church of Ascension on the Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, and St. Anne's Church, the place where Jesus healed the lame man by the Pools of Bethesda. After lunch, we walk to the Church of the Holy Sepluchre. This afternoon, we will meet representatives of major early Churches as we visit the Ethiopian Church, the Syrian St. Mark's Church, and the Armenian St. James Church.
Dinner and Overnight: Christ Church Guest House, Old City, Jerusalem
Thursday, Jan. 20 – BETHLEHEM AND ENVIRONS
We drive south from Jerusalem today to visit Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity, Solomon's Pools, Herodian, the excavated site of one of King Herod's "escape" palaces, and Mar Saba, the magnificent Greek Orthodox monastery founded in AD 439 which was the home of John of Damascus.
Dinner and Overnight: Christ Church Guest House, Old City, Jerusalem
Friday, Jan. 21 – YAD VASHEM AND A FREE AFTERNOON
We will spend the morning at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. After lunch, the afternoon will be free to reflect, shop or rest.
Dinner and Overnight: Christ Church Guest House, Old City, Jerusalem
Saturday, Jan. 22 – JERICHO AND ENVIRONS
On this our last day in Israel, we will travel to Tel Jericho of Joshua fame. Nearby we visit the Monastery of the Temptation, and St. George Monastery. On our return to Jerusalem, we stop at the Monastery of Martyrius in Ma'ale Adumim.
(Rooms will be held at Christ Church until after dinner when we depart for the airport around 8 PM)
DEPARTURE (US Airways 797, 11:50 PM)
For more information and details about the tour contact: Dr. Theresa Newell
Email: tnewell@tsm.edu
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