Jerusalem University College

Course Descriptions

BIBST 6/432 The Christian Movement in the Mediterranean - Credit Hours: 2

Semester normally offered: Two-week program in September and October

Course Description

This intensive two-week voyage and journey will introduce students to the physical, social, and historical context of the Acts story that traces the westward expansion of the Christian Movement on and around the Mediterranean Sea. On land, students will explore a number of well-known archeological sites from Paul’s missionary journeys, as well as several remote and obscure sites from the Acts story that offer insight into the cultural, social, and religious realities of the Greco-Roman world and travel within it. Aboard a traditional Turkish gulet, students will experience the reality of sea-travel in the first century, explore nine of the thirty-seven port cities of Paul’s missionary journeys, and participate in lectures and discussions on the Acts story from the perspective of the sea.

Course Equivalencies

  • Bible
  • Geography
  • History
  • Religion and Culture
  • Mission Studies

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, the student should be able to:

  • understand and appreciate the dramatic shift in from land to sea toward “the ends of the earth” in Acts;
  • develop a knowledge of, and love for, the Mediterranean sea and the sea-shaped culture in which Paul and others navigated with the Good News;
  • recognize the theological and missiological implications of the spread of the Jewish Gospel within the pagan social network around the Mediterranean Sea and the relevance this has for the Church in globalization;
  • gain useful insights from the creative faithfulness of Paul and others for personal life and service; and
  • confidently participate in the challenges of living and working on a sailboat, building skills that can be applied to the life of faith in an unstable and unpredictable world.

Field Study

Six days on a Turkish gulet, sailing along the southern Turkish coast and exploring the biblical and modern ports including Antalya, Finike, Andriaki, Kas, Patara; eight days of interactive study on land: Perge, Melitus, Ephesus, Pythagoria on Samos Island, Athens, and Corinth.