Lecture topics
An Introduction to Christian Jerusalem for Jews
Eastern Orthodoxy for Western Christians
The Idea of the Holy Land in the Monotheistic Faiths
How Authentic are Holy Sites in the Holy Land?
Christianity in the State of Israel Today
Jerusalem in the Christian Tradition
Jewish and Christian Interfaith Contacts in the Holy Land Throughout History
An Introduction to Christian Jerusalem for Jews
- An introduction to the history, beliefs, rituals and sacred sites of the Christian denominations found in Jerusalem. You are likely quite familiar with the central role that Jerusalem plays in your own religious tradition, but what about Christianity? Do Christians consider Jerusalem to be a holy city in the same way that Jews do?
Eastern Orthodoxy for Western Christians
- An introduction to the history, beliefs, rituals and sacred sites of the Greek Orthodox and non-Chalcedonian (Armenian, Syrian, Coptic, Ethiopian) denominations found in Jerusalem.
The Idea of the Holy Land in the Monotheistic Faiths
- What makes the “holy land” holy? Where does this term originate? An exploration of the meaning of the holy land in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
How Authentic are Holy Sites in the Holy Land?
- Millions of pilgrims visit Israel every year to personally touch the sites where biblical events took place. Are these sites actually authentic? When and how did the “pilgrimage industry” begin? We will examine closely some examples of sites with a high and low probability of being authentic and ask the question: do religious pilgrims really care about authenticity?
Christianity in the State of Israel Today
- A historical anomaly exists today in the State of Israel. For the first time in 2000 years, Christian churches in the holy land are subject to a Jewish sovereign government. What are the theological, political, and sociological implications of this unique power arrangement?
Jerusalem in the Christian Tradition
- An examination of Christian texts from the New Testament to the Middle Ages which deal with Jerusalem, focusing on the juxtaposition of earthly and heavenly cities.
Jewish and Christian Interfaith Contacts in the Holy Land Throughout History
- Intended for a Jewish-Christian interfaith tour group, this lecture will examine some of the seminal examples of interreligious contact between Jews and Christians in the Holy Land over the last 2000 years.
