Join best-selling author and biblical scholar Jean-Pierre Isbouts as he explores the stories of the Bible in their actual locations that brings fascinating new dimensions to the texts. In the 16 lectures of Searching for People and Places of the Bible, you’ll walk the ancient sites where some of the Bible’s most notable events happened. You’ll also learn about some of the most well-known figures of biblical history and get new perspectives on what it was like to live in the ancient world before and after the birth of Christianity.
Searching for People and Places of the Bible
Join best-selling author and biblical scholar Jean-Pierre Isbouts to find the actual locations where great stories of the Bible took place, meet the remarkable human beings who lived them, and discover amazing connections between the Bible’s texts and the history of the ancient world.
Overview
About
Jean-Pierre Isbouts is a historian, biblical scholar, and best-selling National Geographic author. After earning his DLitt at Leiden University, he served as a member of the doctoral faculty at Fielding Graduate University for more than 15 years and now holds the title of Faculty Emeritus. He gained worldwide renown with his National Geographic book The Biblical World and also wrote Archaeology of the Bible, In the Footsteps of Jesus, and The Dead Sea Scrolls, which has sold more than 2 million copies. His other Great Courses include Searching for the Historical Jesus and The History and Archaeology of the Bible.
Trailer
01: The World of Abraham
Reflect on the book of Genesis, as it portrays the origin of the world and the history of Israel’s founding fathers. Trace the geography of Genesis, in the locations of Eden and Ur, the birthplace of Abraham. Follow the journey of Abraham to Canaan, the future Israel, from the Fertile Crescent through Iraq, Turkey, and Egypt. Take note of God’s covenant with Abraham’s sons Isaac and Ishmael.
33 min
02: From Isaac to Jacob
Track the story of Jacob and Esau, sons of Isaac and Rebekah, and its theme of deceit. Find the location of Beersheba, where Isaac settled, and of Bethel, where the dream of Jacob’s Ladder took place. Follow the lives of Jacob, his wife Rachel, and their son Joseph, marking the site of Rachel’s tomb (Bethlehem) and of Joseph’s abduction and sale into slavery, now Tel Dotan on the West Bank.
25 min
03: The Story of Joseph
Chart the caravan route of Joseph’s journey into Egypt, to the 15th-dynasty city of Avaris. Witness Joseph’s rise from slavery to become Vizier to the pharaoh, during a time when Hyksos immigrants ruled Lower Egypt, and find the location of their capital. Hear the moving coda to Joseph’s story, the reconciliation with the brothers who betrayed him, and his family’s move to Goshen in the Nile Delta.
27 min
04: Moses in the Midian
Examine the political factors within Egypt that led to the forced labor of Israelites in the Nile Delta, and the massacre of Hebrew male infants. Learn how Moses escaped this and was raised as an Egyptian prince. Grasp why Moses fled Egypt, and traveled to the Midian, in the Sinai desert, where he married. Follow Moses’s route in the Sinai and uncover the location of the biblical Burning Bush.
29 min
05: In the Footsteps of the Exodus
Reconstruct the path of the Exodus, as the Israelites leave Egypt, beginning with the probable site of the confrontation between Pharaoh and Moses. Find many key points along the route, such as the likely place of the parting of the waters (not the Red Sea!); the great oasis of Rephidim (today’s Wadi Feiran); and follow the Israelites to Mt. Sinai, where Moses received the Torah from God.
29 min
06: Joshua’s Conquest of Canaan
Relive the Israelites’ journey into the promised land of Canaan, under the leadership of military commander Joshua. Visit important sites in the region related to the conquest, such as Jericho and Hazor, and compare archeological evidence of destruction with the biblical account. Learn about the areas within Canaan where the 12 tribes of Israel settled, and how they fared in their new home.
29 min
07: From Saul to Solomon
Explore the military threats to the Israelites in Canaan that required a unified command and the anointing of Israelite kings. Visit Mt. Gilboa, site of King Saul’s defeat by the Philistines. Then, find archaeological evidence of the reign of King David, who took Jerusalem as the Israelite capital, and, at the fortress of Megiddo, of King Solomon, who built the legendary First Temple.
31 min
08: Kings of Israel
After Solomon’s reign, learn how the Hebrew realm divided into Israel (the North), and Judea (the South), each of which anointed kings. Follow the exploits of Israel’s King Jeroboam and King Omri, and visit the remains of Samaria, built as a Northern capital to rival Jerusalem. Observe how King Ahab angered God, whose wrath sent the invading Assyrians who crushed and deported the northern Israelites.
29 min
09: Kings of Judah
Mark the ways in which the kings of Judah violated Jewish law, invoking God’s retribution by means of invaders from the east. Trace the succession of Judean kings who grappled with the threat of the Assyrians and Babylonians, leading to the conquest of Judah and the Babylonian exile of its people. Witness the liberation of the Jews by the Persian king Cyrus, and their return to Jerusalem.
30 min
10: From Alexander the Great to King Herod
In the wake of Alexander’s conquests, observe how the powerful influence of Greek culture took root in Judea, later enforced during the Seleucid occupation. Visit sites related to the Maccabean Revolt, which restored the Jewish kingdom, only to be deposed by Roman rule. Trace the ascension of the despised Herod as ruler of Judea and explore Herod’s great palace complex at Masada.
31 min
11: Women of the Bible
The Bible reveals a spectrum of powerful and resourceful women. Begin with a look at the roles and rights of women in the ancient world. Then study the stories of Sarah and Rebekah, who strongly influenced leadership within their families; the prophetess and political activist Deborah; and Judean queen Bathsheba. Also, discover heroines Judith and Esther within the apocryphal scriptures.
30 min
12: Young Jesus of Nazareth
Visualize the town of Nazareth, the birthplace of Mary and site of the Annunciation. Compare the Gospels’ accounts of the birth and childhood of Jesus with historical evidence and visit the grotto in Bethlehem believed to be his birthplace. Assess the contrast between the Luke and Matthew gospels on the events following Jesus’s birth and examine a key episode in Jesus’s early life.
31 min
13: The Lost Years of Jesus
Jesus’s “lost” years have mystified Christians throughout history. Review recent archaeological findings in Magdala and Sepphoris that may explain these years, and how Jesus came to have a deep knowledge of the Torah. Then encounter the charismatic figure of John the Baptist in Bethany-on-the-Jordan. Grasp how John served as a role model, foreshadowing Jesus’s role as the Messiah.
30 min
14: The Ministry of Jesus in Galilee
Jesus’s ministry began in the Galilean town of Capernaum. Stop at the likely sites of where he first taught and lived in the town, and learn about his “Kingdom of God” teaching. Witness the unfolding of his ministry across Galilee and Phoenicia, the key role of his healing miracles and his interaction with disciples and followers at places such as Bethsaida and the site of the Sermon of the Mount.
30 min
15: Jesus, Caiaphas, and Pilate
Map the route of Jesus and his disciples from Galilee to Jerusalem, where Jesus planned to preach at the Temple. Witness the events there that would incriminate him in the eyes of Rome and locate the sites of the Last Supper and Jesus’s arrest. Observe the actions of the priest Caiaphas and the Roman prefect Pilate to have Jesus executed and trace the path to the place of the crucifixion.
30 min
16: From the Resurrection to Paul
Conclude by studying the events and locations surrounding Jesus’s resurrection, his appearance to Mary Magdalene and other disciples, and the birth and challenges of the Apostolic movement that followed. Learn how early Christianity grew, and trace the remarkable life of Paul, from his conversion to his missionary work, and his role in building Christian communities from Asia Minor to Rome.
35 min
