Specialized course in Christianity for Israeli tour guides

The course is destined for Israeli tour guides working or planning to work with a Christian clientele of tourists or pilgrims. Yad Ben Zvi, the host body, insists that the uniqueness of the course includes the following elements:

* emphasis on Christian theology in the past and in the present
* a relevant and meaningful study of the fundamental texts for guiding in the country
* trips and meetings with Christian clergy
* meeting learned Christians and others in order to furnish the tour guides with intuitions and tools for guiding a Christian audience.

The purpose of the course is:

* broadening knowledge and widening familiarity with Christianity
* getting to know the Protestant world in all its complexity
* deepening classical themes like: the history of Christianity, liturgy and feasts, architecture and art, broadening greatly what is learnt in the courses studied by tour guides.

Among the themes:

Is there a sacred language in Christianity? The presence and meaning of the Hebrew language in Christianity * Introduction to Christian liturgy * Liturgy and the Christian communities * The Christian narrative as a basis for art production * What is the Christian Scripture? The canonical decision * The unity of the Old and New Testaments * Jesus the Jew and Jesus the Christ in Scripture * Introduction to dogma - the theology of the Trinity and Christology * Luther and the theology of justification * Luther, Moses and the Jews * Barluzzi and Church architecture in the Holy Land * Post modern theology - Christology after Auschwitz * The Jewish identity of Jesus - a dogmatic reflection * Symbols in Christian art * The Pentateuch - A Christian reading * Jerusalem feasts - Pentecost, Ascension and the Feast of the Cross * Temple Mount in the Evangelical experience * The Holy Sepulcher * Demography and Questions of identity among Christian Arabs in Israel * Pilgrimage and revelation outside the Holy Land.

Among the lectures are: Dr. David Neuhaus, Ms. Yisca Harani, Dr. Jim Flemming, Dr. Barbara Meier, Dr. Anastasia Kishman and others.

The course will take place at Yad Ben Zvi in Jerusalem, between January 27 and February 16.

See the details on the Yad Ben Zvi site