Description
Israel Tour with Dr. Ron Allen & Dallas Theological Seminary - September 2024
Dr. Ronald B. Allen is Senior Professor of Bible Exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary where he has taught since 1995. Before that he was Professor of Hebrew Scripture at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. He and his late wife Beverly have four children and ten grandchildren. Dr. Ron has published over a dozen books, many articles and essays, and is the Old Testament editor for the Nelson Study Bible (aka, The NKJV Study Bible) with sales now approaching two million copies. Dr. Ron has been an avid bicycle rider and is a licensed massage therapist and a licensed instructor of therapeutic massage. He has led many tours of Israel, Greece and Turkey and Reformation lands. “My desire is to help you so to enjoy the lands of the Bible that your reading of the Bible be enriched, and your love of God be enhanced.”
Dr. Ron Allen
What's Included
Our tours are all-inclusive. Always.
Itinerary
Day by Day
- 3
Wednesday
Tel Aviv, Jaffa, CaesareaToday is our "Mediterranean Day.” We drive south from our hotel in Tel Avia to Joppa (Yafo). This ancient city site is known as the then Philistine port city where Jonah embarked on a Phoenician ship to make his way to Spain. Joppa is also the city where Peter was staying when he received his vision of the sheet descending with all manner of animals. The modern city is the southern part of Tel Aviv and is known as an art colony. Beautiful views, Bible-related sculpture, and an ancient Egyptian gate will intrigue each of us. We will stop for lunch at the food court of a small mall. Our afternoon will be filled with a full visit to the spectacular city of Caesarea Maritima, the home of the Roman Centurion God-fearer named Cornelius whose meeting with Peter changed history. The excavations are so impressive, and so very Herodian! These include the Roman theater, the chariot racing track, the port, the aqueduct and Hippodrome. Caesarea is the location where Paul was imprisoned and where he stood before Felix. We also have our first encounter with a Crusader fortress, this one French. Our evening is spent in a lovely hotel in the resort city of Netanya on the coast.
- 4
Thursday
Netanya, Megiddo, Sepphoris, TiberiasWe begin with a lecture in our hotel on Baal worship and Ugarit for background on the Elijah story. We drive to El-Muhraqa, “the place of the burning,” at the Carmelite Monastery on Mount Carmel. After a delightful, special falafel lunch at a Druze restaurant at Daliat El Carmel, we proceed to the monumental Tel Megiddo, a site of more than 25 layers of city-building. So many wars were fought here giving rise to the New Testament word “Armageddon.” Our last visit is to Sepphoris, likely the place where Jesus and his brothers made their livelihood—a site of remarkable mosaics. Then we come to the Sea of Galilee and our hotel in Tiberias for dinner and the first of three overnights.
- 5
Friday
Tiberias, Sea of GalileeThis is a day to commemorate the ministry of Jesus in Galilee! Our day includes these highlights: (1) a visit to the new excavations at Tel Migdal, the home of Mary Magdalene; (2) a leisurely boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, stopping to reflect on the stories of Jesus and the lake; (3) a visit to Nof Ginosar to see a fishing boat from the time of Jesus and the First Jewish War. Lunch is included in the tour today: St. Peter’s Fish at a fine restaurant. Then we visit Capernaum, “The City of Jesus,” with its marvelous antiquities associated with the life and times of Jesus. We end the day with a visit to a place commemorating the Sermon on the Mount, “The Mount of Beatitudes,” with a presentation on that great Gospel narrative. Dinner at the hotel.
- 6
Saturday
Tiberias, Upper Galilee, Tel Dan, GolanWe begin this morning with a visit of Beit Saida, the fishing town which was home to Peter, Andrew and Phillip. In the Iron Age this was the location of Geshur, the home of Absalom’s mother. North of Galilee we arrive at Tel Hazor, the largest fortified city in Canaan at the time of Joshua. We walkthrough the lovely Dan nature reserve, visit the magnificent tel associated with Jeroboam I, and then move on to Banias (named for the god, Pan), the pagan center of Caesarea Philippi where Peter declared Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Lunch today is a bit late, but worth the wait. We eat at another Druze Restaurant at Birkat Ram in the Golan, famed for traditional Druze Bread. We then drive through the Golan, with views of Syria, as we make our way back to Tiberias for dinner and our last night in the Galilee.
- 7
Sunday
Tiberias, Bet Shean, JerichoToday we begin with a stop at the southern point of the Sea of Galilee and visit Yardanit, a baptismal site at the Jordan River. We descend the Rift Valley to Beit She’an, a major site in Hebrew Scripture that we associate with the story of King Saul. We ascend the tel from the “back side,” for good reason, as you will see. Our lunch stop is at a favorite Jewish falafel restaurant. Then we continue our passage south to the ancient city of Jericho—the oldest walled city in the world, and the site of the conquest of Joshua. We also visit a pottery shop that features Hebron glass. Our hotel is a resort in the Arab city of Jericho. Dinner at the hotel.
- 8
Monday
Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, Dead Sea Float, JerusalemThis is our day in the sun! We get a “head start” by leaving from Jericho rather than from Jerusalem. We drive all the way south to the famed fortress, Masada. This site was a shelter for David in his flight from Saul, was developed as a lavish desert fortress retreat by Herod and was the location for the last stand for Jewish zealots following the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.Many of our group will ascend the fortress by the cable car; a few maywish to join Dr. Ron in ascending the fortress site by the “SnakePath” (arduous but memorable).We then go to Ein Gedi for a great hike up Nahal David, a stream associated with David in his flight from Saul. We then make our way to Qumran, the location associated with the famed “Dead Sea Scrolls.” After a visit on the site we have lunch in the visitor center. Then we go to the Dead Sea for a float you will remember! And last, we make our way to Jerusalem an
- 9
Tuesday
Jerusalem, New City, BethlehemOur first day in Jerusalem is for perspective, ancient and modern. We begin at the great Menorah across from the Knesset for a wonderful picture stop. Then we go to the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum to view the amazing Dead Sea scroll of the Book of Isaiah. Nearby is a remarkable scale model of the city of Jerusalem at the time of the Second Temple and in the days of Jesus. Then it is on to Yad Vashem, the memorial of the Holocaust. We drive to Bethlehem for lunch. Bethlehem is the city of Boaz and Ruth, of David, and is the birthplace of Jesus. The Basilica of the Nativity is the centerpiece of our visit. Then we go to an olivewood shop for necessary shopping before returning to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
- 10
Wednesday
Jerusalem, Old City, City of DavidIn the morning we enter the Old City through the Dung Gate, visit the Temple Mount to observe where the Temples would have been. We view the Western Wall. We then make our way to the Jewish Quarter to visit the Wohl Archaeological Museum and view the remains of home of priestly families so remarkably preserved at the time of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. We have lunch in a selection of lovely places in the Jewish Quarter. We then go to the Southern Wall of the Temple, view the Mikve pools and the steps people of Jesus’ day would have used to enter the Temple courts. We then walk to the City of David that is south of the walls of the Old City. Here we view the massive walls and the intriguing water works, including the new site for the Pool of Siloam. This is not what your friends would have been able to see a decade ago! Some of our group may wish to remain in the Old City for a while, while the rest return to our hotel.
- 11
Thursday
Jerusalem, Mount of OlivesToday we focus on the Passion of Christ the Savior. Our day begins with a drive to the Mount of Olives for a group picture and then a stroll down into the Kidron Valley. We stop at Dominus Flevit (“The Lord Wept”) and at the Church of All Nations (a part of Gethsemane). We then work our way to the beginning of the traditional Via Dolorasa near St. Peter’s Gate. We visit the grounds of the Church of Saint Anne (for singing) and views of the Pools of Bethsesda, then we walk to the Sisters of Zion and the Lithostratos, and end in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We have a lunch in the Christian Quarter. Then we make our way to the Garden Tomb for a view and explanation and our communion service. The afternoon is free for exploring the Old City of Jerusalem. Suggestions will be made.
- 12
Friday
Tel Beer Sheba, Tel Lachish, Khirbit Qeiyafa, Valley of Elah, JerusalemOur last tour is south—all the way to Beer Sheba. Our tour goes fully “from Dan to Beersheba.” We drive down to the Hebrew city at Beer Sheba, a location that reminds us of the story of Abraham and Sarah. Tel Lachish was the second largest city in Judah and the locus of a major battle with the Assyrians led by Sennacherib (701 BC). We also visit the site of the (smaller) battle of David and Goliath, the Valley of Elah. Last, we visit a major new excavation, Khirbit Qeiyafa, a site that argues strongly for the history of the Davidic kingdom. Then, back to Jerusalem, for the evening meal.
- 13
Saturday
Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, HomeWe transfer to the Ben Gurion Airport for our flight home with unforgettable memories to cherish always. Knowing we have walked in the footsteps of Jesus and the early Christians on such a memorable tour will bring new meaning to our Bible reading.
Land Only