The course incorporates a “footstep of Jesus” framework while also engaging significant Jewish and Muslim sites and speakers. Participants visit locations associated with Jesus’ nativity—such as the annunciation, visitation, and nativity—followed by time at the Jordan River and in the Judean Wilderness, where themes of baptism, temptation, and desert spirituality come to life. The program continues in Nazareth, around the Sea of Galilee, and across multiple days in Jerusalem, including the sites and stories of his death and resurrection. Special attention is given to the Haram esh‑Sharif (Temple Mount), one of the most significant sacred—and contested—precincts in the world.

Throughout the course, participants will encounter historical art and architecture of the Holy Land, such as Byzantine‑era mosaics and synagogues (e.g., Sepphoris), the mosaics of Hisham’s Palace in Jericho, the Chagall windows in Jerusalem, and the building programs of King Herod the Great. Pilgrims will visit Orthodox churches, Christian monasteries, mosques, and synagogues, focusing on their visual imagery. Depending on local circumstances, the program may include trips to Nablus (Jacob’s Well) and Hebron (the tomb of Abraham).

The program features a 3‑day/2‑night excursion to the Galilee, offering extended time in the landscapes most associated with Jesus’ public ministry.

The course integrates on-site visits, religious imagery, and expert teaching with a pilgrimage encounter with the Holy Land, both its past histories and contemporary realities. Participants will:

• Explore biblical stories in art. Explore the themes and meanings of biblical stories and the events of salvation through site visits and the study of their corresponding depictions in art in Eastern and Western expressions.
• Encounter Abrahamic artistic heritage. Encounter the legacy of historical artistic expressions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in the Holy Land.
• Encounter sites of religious imagination. Encounter sites that excite the religious imagination of Christians, Jews, and Muslims.
• Explore the history of Jerusalem. Explore the history of Jerusalem throughout the centuries, including Byzantine‑era, Islamic, and Crusader art and architecture.
• Explore images of Jerusalem. Explore expressions of the image of Jerusalem, both past and present.
• Reflect on the spiritual power of images. Reflect on the spiritual power of religious imagery and the role that artists play in mediating our response to the sacred.
• Engage with the Living Stones. Engage with the Living Stones of the Land of the Holy One.
• Experience faith renewal through art. Be transformed and renewed in faith through the media of sacred art and images as well as the voices of others, personal reflection, and the lived experience of a pilgrim community.

Guest Course Leader: Dr Barbara Drake Boehm

Dr Barbara Drake Boehm is the Paul and Jill Ruddock Senior Curator for The Cloisters of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Dr Boehm’s research focuses on the intersection of creativity and faith. In 2016–17, she was the co-curator with Dr Melanie Holcombe on the Met’s exhibition, Jerusalem, 1000–1400: Every People Under Heaven, which explored the key role Jerusalem played in shaping the art and culture of the Middle Ages. They co-edited a book under the same title (Yale University Press, 2016). Her additional exhibitions at the Met include Prague: The Crown of Bohemia; Choirs of Angels: Painting in Italian Choir Books, 1300–1500; Enamels of Limoges, and Prayer Book for a Queen: The Hours of Jeanne d’Evreux. She was also the co-curator of the exhibition series, Medieval Jewish Art in Context. Beyond the Met, Dr Boehm contributed to Treasures of Heaven: Saints, Relics and Devotion in Medieval Europe (Cleveland, Baltimore, London). A graduate of Wellesley College, Dr Boehm received her PhD from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.

Course Facilitator: The Revd Rodney Aist, PhD

Rodney Aist, the course director at St George’s College, will be the facilitator and co-leader of the course. A pilgrimage and Holy Land scholar, his interests include the religious imagination of the holy sites and Jerusalem pilgrimage past and present.

Program Team

The program team includes Dean Richard Sewell and a course chaplain, with additional guest speakers contributing to the learning experience throughout the course.

Participants receive a recommended reading list upon registration. A key resource is Jerusalem Bound: How to Be a Pilgrim in the Holy Land by Rodney Aist (Cascade, 2020).

Contact

For questions about the program, contact Course Director Rodney Aist at coursedirector@sgcjerusalem.org.