Study Abroad:
Biblical Theology in the Holy Land
May 31 - June 14, 2020
Our 2-week Holy Land Tour of Israel will transform the Bible into vivid reality as you are immersed in the land where the Incarnation took place. You will visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Galilee, and many other places so familiar from scripture. You will develop a more intimate understanding of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as you smell the air, feel the sun on your skin, and touch the very rocks that He and the Disciples may have touched.
Want to know more? We had an info session on November 20. If you missed it, be sure to check out the recording.
Program Cost: $3,750 per participant
($250 deposit + $3,500 balance)
Single room option available for an additional $550.
Registration for Benedictine Students
If you are not a Benedictine College student, and want to take the course for credit, please register here
If you are not a Benedictine College student, and want to participate without taking the course for credit, please register here
Last day to register: February 29, 2020
The summer 2020 program, led by Benedictine College Professor of Theology Dr. Mark J. Zia, will integrate the geography and archeology of the Holy Land within the canonical framework of salvation history as presented in the Bible. We will visit places that mark the traditional sites of key events in the life of Christ (e.g., His birth, passion, death, resurrection, ascension) as well as places of significance for His earthly ministry of teaching and healing (e.g. the Mount of the Beatitudes; Mount Tabor; Sea of Galilee). The group will also visit Masada/Qumran, given the historical and extra-biblical significance of the region. The goal is that the students who take this course develop a more intimate understanding of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and come to appreciate the theology of geography of the Holy Land, the “fifth Gospel.”
The program is designed for undergraduate students, however applicants seeking adult formation will also be considered for participation Although it is deeply desirable that the experience of the Holy Land will be a powerful source of re-evangelization for participants in this trip, the primary focus is an academic focus on the life, teachings and mission of Jesus Christ as presented in the four Gospels.
Participants will have a first-hand experience of the Holy Land's wonders and complexities. The Holy Land is an incredible mosaic where history, religion, art, archaeology, spirituality, geopolitics, natural wonders and multi-ethnic coexistence, meet and sometimes are at odds with each other.
Accompanying Professor: Dr. Mark Zia
Dr. Mark J. Zia is a Professor of Sacred Theology at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, where he has taught for nearly 15 years. He earned his Doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.) from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, dissertating on the doctrine of biblical inspiration. Dr. Zia regularly teaches classes in biblical theology, including courses on the Pentateuch, Synoptic Gospels, Gospel of John, and Biblical Hermeneutics. He is also actively involved in the academic formation of candidates for the permanent diaconate for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, and beyond.
Before coming to Benedictine, he taught theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Austrian campus and then at Ave Maria College in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Dr. Zia is a Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology and a perpetual member of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars. He has published several articles and three books, and is currently working on a fourth. Of particular interest is his book on Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, The Enduring Faith and Timeless Truths of Fulton Sheen, given the current preparations in the USA for Sheen’s Beatification.
Program Information and Costs
- There will be an average of 2 hours each morning of lectures, coupled with whole-day immersions of exploring the places where Jesus lived, taught, worked miracles, suffered, died, and rose again. There will be required readings, reflection papers, and at least one exam.
- Textbooks required for the course are the Bible (Preferred edition: RSV-2CE) and “The Life of Christ” by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
Program duration: 2 weeks
Credit hours: 3 - fulfills a Faith foundation for Benedictine College students
Program Fee: $3,750 per participant ($250 deposit + $3,500 balance)
Payment Information: When you register, you will be required to pay a $250 deposit toward the total cost of the program. At registration, you may also opt to pay either the remainder of the full cost of the program or half of the remainder of the full cost of the program.
- Half of the remainder of the program is due by February 28, 2020.
- The other half of the remainder of the program is due by March 30, 2020.
- The trip must be paid in full by March 30, 2020.
The price includes:
- Assistance at the airport upon arrival and departure
- Air-conditioned coach transportation
- Accommodation in religious institutes / guesthouses as indicated in the program, in triple-quadruple room
- Breakfast and dinner in the first part of the trip; two lunches and the farewell dinner for the rest of the trip (see itinerary for details)
- Chaperone provided by our local partner ATS for the duration of the stay
- Three-credit hour undergraduate tuition for the course (participants who do not take the course for credit still pay the full program price)
The price does not include:
- Airfare from/to the US
- Most lunches, 8 breakfasts and 7 dinners in Jerusalem (see itinerary for details)
- Drinks with included meals
- Personal extras, and anything not specifically mentioned under “the price includes”
