• Nazareth Then and Now

    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

    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 Three

    Today the focus was very much on the infancy traditions, as the course seeks—so far as possible—to follow the natural chronology of Jesus’ life. After a briefing in the College lecture room, we began at Ein Kerem. This is the traditional site of the visitation of Mary to her cousin, Elizabeth. It also honours the birth…

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  • Palestine of Jesus 2014 – Day Two

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    Today the course at St George’s College in Jerusalem really swung into gear. We have about 33 people on the program, plus about 4 staff. I am listed as a ‘Guest Scholar’ this year and will be responsible for a couple of the days during the program. It is good to see such a strong…

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  • Palestine of Jesus 2014 – Day One

    Today we completed our Jordan package and began our Palestine of Jesus course at St George’s College in Jerusalem. The first step was to leave our hotel in Eilat and make the 4 hour drive north to Jerusalem. As we drove the landscape initially reflected the rugged terrain of the Aravah in the south of Israel.…

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  • Jordan 2014 – Day Four

    The title for this post is a little confusing since we spent most of the day in southern Israel, but it was still the fourth day of our Jordan travel package. We began the day with a delightful breakfast in the luxury of the Radisson Blu at Tala Bay to the south of Aqaba. Actually…

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  • Jordan 2014 – Day Three

    Today saw us move from the rugged mountains of Petra, through the austere desert landscape of the Wadi Rum, to the seaside resort of Aqaba. Quite a set of transitions. We began in the beautiful grounds of Beit Zaman as we boarded the bus for another day of exploring this southern desert of Jordan.  …

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  • Third Sunday after Pentecost (29 June 2014)

    Contents 1 Lectionary 2 Abraham offers his son as a human sacrifice 3 The story of the Akedah 4 The Akedah in Jewish tradition 4.1 4 Maccabees 4.2 Jubilees 4.3 Philo of Alexandria 4.4 Flavius Josephus 5 Early Christian use of the Akedah tradition 5.1 Paul 5.2 Gospel of John 5.3 Hebrews 5.4 James 5.5…

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