Next Year in Jerusalem

In December I am planning to take a group of people to Israel. This will be my fourth time visiting the land of the Bible, and this time, it will be as exciting as it was the first time I visited the land flowing with milk and honey.

Visiting Israel is always a trip of a lifetime. This trip is a joint venture of ClaudeMariottini.com and Northern Baptist Seminary. However, this trip to Israel is open to everyone. You do not have to be a seminary student to participate. Our trip to the Holy Land will be from December 27, 2012 to January 5, 2013.

During this trip, we will be visiting the most important sites in Israel. Among the Old Testament sites, we will be visiting Jericho, Dan, Hazor, Megiddo, Plains of Jezreel, Bet Shean, Joppa (The City of Jonah), Mt. Gilboa, the Valley of Aijalon, Jerusalem, Masada, Qumran, and Mount Hermon.

Among the New Testament sites we will be visiting are Tiberias, Galilee, Sea of Galilee, Caesarea Philippi, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Mount of Olives, and Bethany.

In addition, we will be visiting several other sites of interest. Among them are the Yad Vashem (Holocaust Museum), the Western Wall, the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls manuscripts are kept, the Temple Institute (the place where they are making instruments for the new Temple), the Church of the Nativity, Mount of the Beatitudes, the Old City (Jerusalem), the Via Dolorosa, the Dome of the Rock, concluding with a celebration of the Lord’s Supper at the Garden Tomb.

I am planning to write a book, The Land Flowing with Milk and Honey, which I will make available to everyone going on the trip. The book will discuss the sites we will be visiting and some other interesting things about Israel and the people of the Bible.

The trip is available to every reader of my blog. The flight will leave from Chicago, but one can make connections from anywhere in the United States.  Since the group will spend the New Year in Israel, the popular saying will become a reality for all those who travel with us: “Next Year in Jerusalem.”

If you want to receive more information about the tour, send me an email to DrMariottini@Gmail.com.  I will send you a brochure with all the information you need to plan your trip

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Theodore Beza on Psalm 121

Psalm 121 is a beautiful song of trust and confidence in which the psalmist expresses his joy that he is safe and secure under the watchful eyes of God, the creator of heavens and earth and the keeper of Israel.  He who delivers Israel from its enemy and keeps the nation secure is also the deliverer of the person who trusts in him.

The post today studies how Theodore Beza, one of the Reformers, translated Psalm 121.

Here is the link: Theodore Beza on Psalm 121

My blog has moved to my new web page.  Visit the new site of my blog, read my post today, then subscribe to my blog and receive all my posts as they are published. My new site is Dr. Mariottini.


Topics: Theodore Beza, Psalm 121, High Places

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

The Trial of Oded Golan: Not Guilty of Forgery

In a legal case that lasted 7 years, Oded Golan, an Israeli antiquity dealer who was accused of making fake biblical artifacts, was acquitted by a judge in Jerusalem today.  Golan was accused of forging the James Ossuary, a stone box containing the bones of James, the brother of Jesus. Golan was also accused of faking the Jehoash inscription, an inscription that was considered to be the only surviving royal inscription from ancient Israel.

Read about the court’s decision.

Here is the link: The Case Against Oded Golan: Acquitted

My blog has moved to my new web page.  Visit the new site of my blog, read my post today, then subscribe to my blog and receive all my posts as they are published. My new site is Dr. Mariottini.


Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

The Beautiful People of the Bible

A brief survey of the beautiful people of the Bible will reveal that out of the twenty-one people mentioned in this list, fifteen of them are either directly or indirectly associated with the royal household.  They are either kings or queens, or wives, sons, or daughters of kings.

Read my post about beauty in the Bible.

Here is the link: The Beautiful People of the Bible

My blog has moved to my new web page.  Visit the new site of my blog, read my post today, then subscribe to my blog and receive all my posts as they are published. My new site is Dr. Mariottini.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary