March 11, Sunday

Depart Chicago O'Hare Field, onboard Turkish Airlines, 5:00 pm. Travel from Madison to Chicago via Van Galder bus, from other locations by special arrangement. Plan to arrive 2-3 hours prior to departure. Inflight meals and beverages enroute.

March 12, Monday
Connect in Istanbul. Arrive Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, 1:30pm. Introduction to the Holyland at Neot Kedumim, the Biblical Landscape Reserve. Overnight seaside at the Blue Bay Hotel (or a similar facility) in NETANYA

Israel in Jesus' Time
Caesarea, the first century seaport created by King Herod and the site of Paul's appearance before the Roman governors Felix and Festus, is our first introduction to the archaeology and history of Israel. We'll see the first of five different locations of Herod's palaces, a palace that was later the prison that held the apostle Paul. We'll see the restored Roman theater and the remains of the ancient aqueducts that served the Roman city.
... From there we follow the Via Maris, the route of the ancient kings and conquerors, through the Carmel mountain range to Megiddo, overlooking the Jezreel valley, the Armageddon of Revelation. Megiddo has 25 levels of occupation, and inspired James Michener's book, "The Source." Here we'll see a pagan altar from the time of Abraham, and walk through a magnificent water tunnel from the time of David & Solomon.
...As we cross the Jezreel Valley we see Mt. Tabor, one of the traditional sites of "The Transfiguration." We will walk the ancient Roman streets of Sepphoris (also known as Zippori) where Jesus and his father may have plied their trade as builders. There we'll view the beautiful Byzantine mosaics that have been excavated in recent years. Archaeologists have been busy here, there were at least two separate excavations that took place this last summer.
...Next is Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus and His family, marked by the Church of the Annunciation, the largest church in the Mideast. Nearby is the synagogue where Jesus learned to read scriptures. We'll also see Mary's Well. Then we pass Cana, the village where Jesus performed his first miracle, on our way to our first view of THE SEA OF GALILEE and overnight at kibbutz Ein Gev.

A Day along the Sea of Galilee
Bethsaida, the home of the fishermen, is the most recent New Testament city to be excavated (still underway). From there we stop at Qatzrin to visit the Talmudic Village, to better understand small town life in the Galilee. Further stops at Chorazin and Capernaum show us where Jesus concentrated much of His ministry. At Capernaum, the beautiful 3rd century White Synagogue stands atop remains of what is probably the synagogue of Jesus' time. Just a few yards away, the remains of Peter's house.
... We also visit the beautiful Mount of Beatitudes, see the first century "Galilee Boat" in its new wing of the Yigal Allon museum at kibbutz Ginnosar and end the day with a meditative boatride on the Sea of Galilee.

Today we drive south along the Jordan River Valley.
Bet Shean, one of the New Testament cities of the Decapolis (and the only one west of the Jordan River) is different every time we visit because of the ongoing reconstruction. It is the largest archaeological site in Israel. We'll sit in the Roman theater and walk its reconstructed Roman streets.
...We travel south along the Jordan River to Jericho, the world's oldest city. Jericho,the City of Palms, is known for what Joshua did there but it's also the site of one of Herod's palaces. It was the home of Zacheus and the traditional site of the Mt. of Temptation is nearby.
...Qumran is where we'll learn about the impact of the Dead Sea Scrolls on our understanding of Jesus's world. The first of the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in caves nearby in 1947.
... Masada, the most visited archaeological site in Israel, has a dramatic story to match its dramatic mountaintop vistas, overlooking the Dead Sea. En Gedi will be where we sample the wonders of the Dead Sea. Overnight at kibbutz Kalia, right next to Qumran, overlooking the Dead Sea, 1300 feet below sea level, the lowest spot on earth.

Finally, it's up to Jerusalem (2400 feet above sea level), seen first in breathtaking panorama from the Mount of Olives. We'll walk the path down to The Garden of Gethsemane, in the kidron valley. After an introduction to the history of Jerusalem at the Citadel Museum, we'll walk the Roman Cardo, see Hezekiah's Broad Wall, and visit the Upper Room on Mt. Zion. The Upper Room of today was built during the Crusader era, but marks what is believed to be the first century Church of the Apostles. Then, time for more reflection and a visit to The Garden Tomb. We will reside, as plans now stand, at Bet Shmuel near the Jaffa Gate.

After a visit to the Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, we'll see what the Jerusalem of Jesus' day looked like at the Holyland Hotel Model. From there we'll go to Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity, one of the oldest churches in Christendom. We'll also visit Herodion in the Judean desert, another of the palaces of King Herod.

We'll walk through the Old City today, starting with the South wall excavations and steps, then moving to the Western wall and the western wall tunnel. From there we move along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. After a stop at Yad Vashem, we'll join the 5:00 o'clock service at a local Messianic congregation.

There's a free afternoon for shopping or more sightseeing today, between a morning tour of the Israel Museum and a Biblical Resources Scripture Garden visit and Biblical Meal. Last night in Jerusalem.

Flight from Tel Aviv to Istanbul, Turkey. Afternoon city and museum tour. Among the artifacts will be looking at will be the Gezer Calendar and the Silwan inscription from Hezekiah's tunnel in Jerusalem. Overnight in Istanbul.

At Troy we'll see where Heinrich Schliemann helped launch a new era of archaeology by excavating Homer's epic city. Nearby Troas was where Paul received the Macedonian call and somehow linked up with the Apostle Luke. We'll also briefly walk the ancient road to Assos, as did Paul (Acts 20:13). Overnight at ASSOS

After a look around Assos, it's on to Pergamum and Izmir (Ancient Smyrna), two cities mentioned in St. John's Revelation. Overnight at IZMIR

The New Testament gives us more information on Ephesus than any other First Century church. The ruins here are some of the most beautiful in the Middle East. We'll also visit the nearby port of Miletus, mentioned in Acts. Overnight at IZMIR

Flight from Izmir to Istanbul (departs 6:15am), connecting to Athens. Athens city tour, including the Parthenon and Mars Hill. Overnight in Athens.

Corinth was one of the most prominent cities in the Roman Empire, yet less than 100 years old when Paul arrived. We'll see the Bema where he was brought to be tried before Gallo. The nearby port of Cenchreae highlights Corinth's commercial status. Evening flight to Istanbul and overnight in Istanbul.

Return flight to Chicago, arriving 1:40 p.m.