September 2006
Shalom Friends -
Change is in the air as school begins and people get back into their study routines. We are getting ready for a busy fall too. Please read more below...
• Official Release of Insights into Jesus of Nazareth DVD series
• The Making of the DVD Series: Behind the Scenes
• Join us for a weekend of seminars with Dr. Steven Notley - Sept. 29-30, 2006
• Water Update: Course on Water in Africa at Hope College, Spring 2007
• New Board Members for En-Gedi
Just Released!
Insights into Jesus of Nazareth DVD series
We are happy to announce the release of an important new resource from En-Gedi. This month is the official debut of the DVD set called:
Insights into Jesus of Nazareth:
His Words, His Wisdom, His World
This is a series of 14 talks on 8 DVDs, given by top scholars on the first-century Jewish context of Jesus as part of the Jerusalem Perspective Conference, held June 19-21, 2006 in Israel. Several of the speakers are well-known authorities on archaeology, language, and Jewish culture from Jesus' time, and their presentations were uniformly excellent. The set contains over 14 hours of video, including other conference highlights besides the speaking presentations.
Price: We are continuing the introductory price of $99 for the set of 8 DVDs - an excellent value! Use this link to see clips from the series and to order.
The talks include:
The Value of Translating Matthew, Mark and Luke into Hebrew
David Bivin, Editor of Jerusalem Perspective
A Hebraic Approach to the Resurrection of Jesus
Randall Buth, Founder and Director, Biblical Language Center
Is Jesus Superior to the Law? Reappraising the Antitheses in Matthew 5
- and - Jesus' High Self-Awareness and the Christology of Paul
Dwight A. Pryor, Founder and President, Center for Judaic-Christian Studies
Why Rabbinic Literature Is Pertinent to the Study of the Gospels
- and - Jesus Among the Rabbis: Spiritual Life and Leadership
Brad Young, Founder, Gospel Research FoundationThe Mikveh and Ritual Immersion in Jesus' Day
Ronny Reich, Professor of Archaeology, Haifa UniversityThe New Testament in the Light of the Dead Sea Scrolls
Hanan Eshel, Prof. of Archaeology, Bar Ilan University
Was Jesus Buried in the Garden Tomb? First-Century Jewish Burial in Jerusalem
Gabriel Barkay, Professor of Archaeology, Bar Ilan University
Jeremiah's New Covenant and Jesus' Movement
Serge Ruzer, Professor of Comparative Religion, Hebrew University
Jesus, the Sin-Fearer
David Pileggi, Director, Alexander CollegeJesus' Teaching Style Illustrated by His Response to Martha's Anxiety
Lenore Mullican, Professor, Oral Roberts University
The Pastoral Relevance of Who Wrote the First Gospel
- and - The Importance of Bible Geography for Understanding Jesus
Halvor Ronning, Director, Home for Bible Translators
We hope you will want to dig deeper into this wealth of important information. Along with these talks is a documentary about the founding scholars David Flusser and Robert Lindsey, as well as tributes to the scholars, including one by James Charlesworth of Princeton Theological Seminary. Music from the conference that was composed by Robert Lindsey is also included.
The Making of the DVD Series: Behind the Scenes
The entire process of producing En-Gedi's first DVD series was quite an adventure. Our preparation began many months before the conference when we began making plans for fiming and interacted with Jerusalem Perspective, Immanuel Tours, and the Center for Judaic-Christian Studies, as well as a filming company in Israel. In the weeks before the conference that we were Israel we had many loose ends to handle, hunting down slow shipments of conference materials, locating slide projectors, printing signs, and staying up into the wee hours to make digital slides for Israeli professors who had never used Powerpoint before.
The conference itself was powerful, really a once in a lifetime event. Each talk was outstanding. It featured well-known biblical archaeologists answering basic questions like "Where was Jesus' tomb?" or "What can we learn about the New Testament from the Dead Sea Scrolls?" Other presenters dug deeper into Jesus' sayings and how they were similar to other rabbis and other groups of Jesus' time. All the speakers paid tribute to three mentors, Dr. David Flusser, Dr. Shmuel Safrai, and Dr. Robert Lindsey. These scholars formed a unique collaboration 40 years ago to study Jesus in his first-century Jewish context - one of them a Baptist pastor (Lindsey), and the other two Jewish professors who later won the Israel Prize, the country's most prestigious award for their research. The contributions of these scholars have been foundational for the current effort to understand Jesus in his Jewishness.
Once we got home, there were hundreds of hours of sound and video editing along with captioning, inserting digital images, adding music, and even animating a simulated laser pointer when needed. Lois' comment was that one side-benefit of writing captions for the talks is that you can't avoid listening to each talk many, many times and digesting the new information well. Bruce's office looked like an airplane cockpit with several large hard drives and computer screens running as he merged sound, video and images. Please view sample clips for a peek at what he did.
Our office discussion was sometimes about which was our favorite, which often changed as we heard each good presentation again. In the end, Lois' choice was "Jesus, the Sin Fearer," which has a provocative title that doesn't make much sense without the presentation. It was very convicting talk, and also shed a lot of light on Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount. Bruce's favorite was Randall Buth's talk called, "A Hebraic Approach to the Resurrection of Jesus." There, Buth explained how Hebraic idioms help us fit together the resurrection accounts that seem not to agree in the various Gospels. Laur's favorite was Hanan Eshel's talk on the New Testament and the Dead Sea Scrolls. (Eshel is an authority on the Scrolls who was recently in the news internationally for having obtained the first new scroll fragment in 50 years.)
We hope that you will want to spend some time studying with these excellent presenters. You'll certainly be hearing us quote from them in upcoming articles.
Fall Seminar Weekend with Dr. Steven Notley - Sept. 29-30, 2006
We are excited to be hosting a weekend of seminars with Dr. Steven Notley. Dr. Notley is an expert on the land and culture of Israel in Jesus' time, and recently published a highly acclaimed historical atlas called The Sacred Bridge (available from the En-Gedi bookstore).
After 15 years of studying in Israel and teaching at Jerusalem University College, Dr. Notley is currently Professor of Biblical Studies at Nyack College in New York. In addition, he leads land study trips in Israel and Turkey through his organization, Emmaus Educational Services. Because of Dr. Notley's cutting-edge knowledge of the Jewish cultural context of Jesus, En-Gedi has brought groups to Israel to study with him two times, in 2004 and in 2006.
Here are the seminars we are planning. All events will be held at the Howard Miller Community Center, 14 S Church St. in Zeeland, MI. See this link for a map.
Pastor's Luncheon
Friday, September 29, 12:00 - 1:30 PM
Howard Miller Community Center in Zeeland
A light buffet luncheon, free to pastors, with a talk by Dr. Notley and questions afterward.
Jesus the Nazarene: Unlocking Matthew 2:23
The Church has struggled for centuries to understand what passage(s) Matthew was quoting in Matthew 2:23, “He will be called a Nazarene.” No obvious reference is found in the Old Testament, although some have said that it was an allusion to the righteous branch (netzer) of Isaiah 11:1, or that Jesus would be a Nazirite (nazir). For linguistic reasons, neither of these solutions is possible. Matthew's Greek verse points us in a different direction. From Dr. Notley’s study of historical geography, language and Jewish exegesis, he will share a fresh approach that resolves the knotty problems that lie at the center of this important passage.
RSVP required - please email egrc@egrc.net or call 616 355-2200. All pastors and seminarians welcome to join us. A free-will offering basket will be available.
En-Gedi Fellowship Dinner
Friday, September 29, 6:30 - 9:00 PM
Howard Miller Community Center in Zeeland
We welcome all of En-Gedi's friends to join us for food and fellowship together!
Something Greater than the Temple
What was the focus of Jesus’ teaching ministry that set him apart from other rabbis? What was his approach to interpreting the Torah that governed his decisions on issues of Sabbath and other controversies? Dr. Notley will look at the story of the plucking of the grain in Matthew 12:1-8 in light of its Jewish context, and discuss Jesus’ important statements there that formed the basis of all his teachings.
A potluck dinner with a presentation by Dr. Notley after dinner. We will also share some footage from the new Insights into Jesus of Nazareth DVD set. We'll ask a minimum offering of $5 per person that evening. Please bring a dish to share - we will provide tableware and beverages. We also ask that you RSVP by email or phone (616) 355-2200 by 9/28 and give each of the names of those planning to come so that we can plan for seating and make nametags.
En-Gedi Saturday Seminar
September 30, 9 AM - 2 PM
Howard Miller Community Center
If you enjoy in-depth study and discussion, please join us!
The Three Pillars of Jesus
A rabbi who lived in the decades before Jesus described the foundations of Jewish faith by saying, "On three pillars the world stands—on the Torah, on the Temple service, and on acts of loving-kindness." Dr. Notley will spend the day digging deep into the spiritual disciplines at the center of Jesus’ call to faith. How was the Lord's message understood by those who heard his teaching? How were his words shaped by his language and religious culture? How did Jesus speak to the burning spiritual issues of his own day? Specifically, we will examine the spiritual pillars of Jesus (righteousness, prayer and repentance) and how they served as a framework for his approach to our life with God and with each other.
The day will be divided into 3 sessions - two before lunch, one afterward. Preregistration is required by email (egrc@egrc.net) or by calling 616 355-2200 - call early as seating is limited. Cost is $40 for the day ($35, plus $5 for lunch and snacks), payable at the seminar.
Three New Board Members for En-Gedi
En-Gedi's board of directors underwent a change over the summer after the ministry made a policy of establishing three-year terms for board members. Rev. Keith Doornbos and Mrs. Marylin Bright retired this summer after serving five years each, having been with the ministry since it started. Tthree new members have been appointed to take their place::
Mr. Dan Aukeman, owner of Aukeman Properties, a businessman living in Grand Haven, Michigan
Mrs. Conni VandeBunte, a lay-leader in adult education at Christ Memorial Church in Holland, MI.
Rev. Ed Visser, pastor of Fellowship Christian Reformed Church in Big Rapids, MI.
All of these new board members have been longtime friends of the ministry and have talents in business, non-profit boards, and Hebraic studies that will be very helpful in guiding the ministry into the future. More biographical information will be available soon at [About Us] [Directors]. We hope that you will join us in praying for all of our team and our direction in the future.
Thank you for your friendship, funding support, and most of all, your prayers.
Bruce Okkema, Lois Tverberg & Laur Schaberg
Directors of En-Gedi
©2006 En-Gedi Resource Center, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization solely dependent on your tax-deductible contributions. We very much appreciate your support. www.egrc.net
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