Searching for People and Places of the Bible

Reflect on the book of Genesis, as it portrays the origin of the world and the history of Israel’s founding fathers. Trace the geography of Genesis, in the locations of Eden and Ur, the birthplace of Abraham. Follow the journey of Abraham to Canaan, the future Israel, from the Fertile Crescent through Iraq, Turkey, and Egypt. Take note of God’s covenant with Abraham’s sons Isaac and Ishmael.

Track the story of Jacob and Esau, sons of Isaac and Rebekah, and its theme of deceit. Find the location of Beersheba, where Isaac settled, and of Bethel, where the dream of Jacob’s Ladder took place. Follow the lives of Jacob, his wife Rachel, and their son Joseph, marking the site of Rachel’s tomb (Bethlehem) and of Joseph’s abduction and sale into slavery, now Tel Dotan on the West Bank.

Chart the caravan route of Joseph’s journey into Egypt, to the 15th-dynasty city of Avaris. Witness Joseph’s rise from slavery to become Vizier to the pharaoh, during a time when Hyksos immigrants ruled Lower Egypt, and find the location of their capital. Hear the coda to Joseph’s story, the reconciliation with the brothers who betrayed him, and his family’s move to Goshen in the Nile Delta.

Examine the political factors within Egypt that led to the forced labor of Israelites in the Nile Delta, and the massacre of Hebrew male infants. Learn how Moses escaped this and was raised as an Egyptian prince. Grasp why Moses fled Egypt, and traveled to the Midian, in the Sinai desert, where he married. Follow Moses’s route in the Sinai and uncover the location of the biblical Burning Bush.

Reconstruct the path of the Exodus, as the Israelites leave Egypt, beginning with the probable site of the confrontation between Pharaoh and Moses. Find many key points along the route, such as the likely place of the parting of the waters (not the Red Sea!); the great oasis of Rephidim (today’s Wadi Feiran); and follow the Israelites to Mt. Sinai, where Moses received the Torah from God.

Relive the Israelites’ journey into the promised land of Canaan, under the leadership of military commander Joshua. Visit important sites in the region related to the conquest, such as Jericho and Hazor, and compare archeological evidence of destruction with the biblical account. Learn about the areas within Canaan where the 12 tribes of Israel settled, and how they fared in their new home.

Explore the military threats to the Israelites in Canaan that required a unified command and the anointing of Israelite kings. Visit Mt. Gilboa, site of King Saul’s defeat by the Philistines. Then, find archaeological evidence of the reign of King David, who took Jerusalem as the Israelite capital, and, at the fortress of Megiddo, of King Solomon, who built the legendary First Temple.

After Solomon’s reign, learn how the Hebrew realm divided into Israel (the North), and Judea (the South), each of which anointed kings. Follow the exploits of Israel’s King Jeroboam and King Omri, and visit the remains of Samaria, built as a capital to rival Jerusalem. Observe how King Ahab angered God, whose wrath sent the invading Assyrians who crushed and deported the northern Israelites.

Mark the ways in which the kings of Judah violated Jewish law, invoking God’s retribution by means of invaders from the east. Trace the succession of Judean kings who grappled with the threat of the Assyrians and Babylonians, leading to the conquest of Judah and the Babylonian exile of its people. Witness the liberation of the Jews by the Persian king Cyrus, and their return to Jerusalem.

In the wake of Alexander’s conquests, observe how the powerful influence of Greek culture took root in Judea, later enforced during the Seleucid occupation. Visit sites related to the Maccabean Revolt, which restored the Jewish kingdom, only to be deposed by Roman rule. Trace the ascension of the despised Herod as ruler of Judea and explore Herod’s great palace complex at Masada.

The Bible reveals a spectrum of powerful and resourceful women. Begin with a look at the roles and rights of women in the ancient world. Then study the stories of Sarah and Rebekah, who strongly influenced leadership within their families; the prophetess and political activist Deborah; and Judean queen Bathsheba. Also, discover heroines Judith and Esther within the apocryphal scriptures.

Visualize the town of Nazareth, the birthplace of Mary and site of the Annunciation. Compare the Gospels’ accounts of the birth and childhood of Jesus with historical evidence and visit the grotto in Bethlehem believed to be his birthplace. Assess the contrast between the Luke and Matthew gospels on the events following Jesus’s birth and examine a key episode in Jesus’s early life.

Jesus’s “lost” years have mystified Christians throughout history. Review recent archaeological findings in Magdala and Sepphoris that may explain these years, and how Jesus came to have a deep knowledge of the Torah. Then encounter the charismatic figure of John the Baptist in Bethany-on-the-Jordan. Grasp how John served as a role model, foreshadowing Jesus’s role as the Messiah.