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Nazareth Then and Now
Ancient Nazareth lacked the critical advantages for its development as a significant settlement: abundant water supply, an elevated site for defensive purposes, and strategic location adjacent to a major highway. The most comprehensive recent study of the archeology of ancient Nazareth and its local region was completed by Ken Dark over several seasons between 2004…
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The oldest hatred
Presentation to a panel discussion sponsored by the Jewish Council of Australia at St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane on Monday, 29 September 2025. The topic of the event was: Should anti-Semitism be exceptionalised or should we combat all forms of racism together? Co-hosts for the event included: Doykeit (a local Jewish group in Brisbane), St John’s…
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Palestine of Jesus 2014 – Day Eight
Today marks the beginning of a brief interlude during which time I will miss about three days of the Palestine of Jesus course at St George’s College in Jerusalem. Soon after the group left to begin their morning program exploring the archaeological sites around the Temple Mount, I headed across to the Avis office in…
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Palestine of Jesus 2014 – Day Seven
Today was an optional day in the program. We visited Masada and Qumran, and had an opportunity for a ‘swim’ (well, more a float) in the Dead Sea. About five people from the course took the option of staying behind in Jerusalem, while the remainder came with me to Masada towards the southern end of…
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Palestine of Jesus 2014 – Day Six
Today it was my delight to lead the course during our visit to Sepphoris and Nazareth. We led the College around 8.00am and arrived in Sepphoris a little after 10.00am. After a brief orientation talk based around the scale model of the site and watching a 10 minute multi-media presentation, we went off to explore…
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Fourth Sunday after Pentecost (6 July 2014)
Contents 1 Lectionary 2 Isaac: The In-Between Ancestor 3 Finding a wife for Isaac 4 Jesus Database 5 Liturgies and Prayers 5.1 Music Suggestions Lectionary Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67 and Psalm 45:10-17 (or Song of Solomon 2:8-13) Romans 7:15-25a Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Isaac: The In-Between Ancestor In the formal account of ancient Israel’s ancestors, Isaac…
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Palestine of Jesus 2024 – Day Five
Sunday in Jerusalem. Most of the SGC Palestine of Jesus course attended the 9.30am service at St George’s cathedral, with its mix of Arabic and English. The place was packed as we had several international groups visiting at the one time. It was a great to have Naim Ateek, Founder of the Sabeel Centre, as…
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Palestine of Jesus 2014 – Day Four
The focus of the Palestine of Jesus course today was on Jesus and John the Baptist, and especially on the significance of their presence in the Judean wilderness. This small desert (approximately 1,500 square km) has been created by the rain shadow effect as moist winds from the Mediterranean Sea tend to have dropped their rain on the western…
