New Testament Tour Course
A Study Tour of Greece and Turkey
Dr. Joel Willitts and the Department of Biblical and Theological studies of North Park University would like to invite you to come on a study tour of Greece and Turkey. In the spring semester of 2011 (May 14-26, 2011) we will be leading a tour through selected archaeological sites in the modern countries of Greece and Turkey, the ancient regions of Achaia and Asia Minor. Outside of the Land of Israel these two regions are the most important for the study of the New Testament and the earliest Christianity. It was in these areas where the Apostles Paul and John, the authors of two-thirds of the NT, lived and served and it was to inhabitants in these regions that they wrote their letters in the first century. The goal of the tour is to transport you back to the ancient world of Paul and John through an informed imagination. Through a guided experience of archaeological sites and ancient sources you will sojourn in the ancient world until you live into it, thinking and feeling as one of those to whom the Gospel first came, learning to see the world as Paul and John experienced it 2000 years ago. This kind of experience is essential to becoming an ideal interpreter of the Bible. Come with us!
The study tour is a 4-hour Quad B spring 2011 course: BTS 3910 The Greco-Roman World of St Paul and St John. Students must participate in the study tour to receive course credit. Through the course students will be introduced to the social, political, geographic and religious context of the New Testament through an exposure to the material evidence from a selection of excavated archaeological sites. There will be writing assignments due before, during and after the tour. While we will not be meeting during the spring Quad-B every week, there will be required informational class meetings along with the pre-tour assignment.
The cost of the trip is $3625 based on a minimum of 20 paying participants and $3,845 based on a minimum of 15 paying participants. A non-refundable down payment of $250 is due December 2, 2010.
Contact Dr. Joel Willitts for more information.