Israel Study Tour

By: Jacqui Lloyd

In June this year, nine students and two faculty from Laidlaw College flew to Tel Aviv to begin a three week experience learning what Israel was like in the time of Jesus.

We began by excavating at Bethsaida, a town at the north end of the Sea of Galilee and home to Andrew, Philip and Peter (John 1.44). Here the students learned the science and value of archaeology and how it can complement what we learn from literary sources. From there we travelled throughout the country visiting important Herodian sites like Caesarea Maritima, Masada, and Herodion where Herod was buried; important sites in Jesus' ministry like Nazareth and Capernaum; and important Jewish sites like the Temple Mount, the Wailing Wall, and Qumran.

We also took a boat ride out on the Sea of Galilee, stayed in a Bedouin camp, rode camels in the desert, and swam in the Dead Sea. And we finished our tour walking down from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem, remembering Jesus' last days, his death and resurrection.

The experience has helped the students to better understand Jesus' historical context, and in so doing to better understand Jesus' message into that context. The challenge for us now will be to consider how we might convey that Gospel message into our own context.

Click this link to view a video made by one of our students on this tour.