I wrote my dissertation on the apostle Paul back in 1982 when I received my Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. I had the privilege to study with the late Norman Perrin in New Testament, Robert M. Grant for History of Christianity, and Jonathan Z. Smith for ancient Mediterranean Religious. Smith directed the dissertation. I published it in 1986 in Jacob Neusner’s Series, Studies in Judaism, under the title: Things Unutterable: Paul’s Ascent to Paradise.  In that book I tried to offer my analysis, at age 33, of my own take on Paul having studied him closely through college and graduate school.

Now, thirty years later, I have just completed a new study of Paul, one I hope will stand the test of time and offer new insights and understanding of his message and his mission. He has been called, rightly so in my view, the “founder” of Christianity. I know of no other book on Paul like this one. The interpretation it offers is in the tradition of F.C. Baur and Albert Schweiter (whose Mysticism of Paul the Apostle remains in my view the best book ever written on Paul), but the advancement of our understanding since these 19th and early 20th century scholars is considerable. That said, this is to announce that Paul and Jesus: How the Apostle Transformed Christianity, to appear in Fall 2012, is available for pre-ordering on Amazon.

In 2010, in a sealed tomb in Jerusalem, I was involved, along with Emmy award winning filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici and archaeologist Rami Arav, in an unprecedented set of new discoveries. We immediately called in James Charlesworth and a number of other prominent scholars as consultants. This tomb, less than 200 feet away from the controversial Talpiot “Jesus Family tomb,” the subject of the 2007 Discovery television documentary, a best-selling book, The Jesus Family Tomb, and treated in my own 2006 book, The Jesus Dynasty. The trade paperback of The Jesus Dynasty was published in 2007, after the airing of the Discovery film, so that it includes updated material as well as an Epilogue on the Talpiot Jesus tomb. For that reason, if you are interested in this book it is better (and cheaper) to get the paperback.

What we discovered, through a sophisticated remote camera probe, is evidence of the earliest faith in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, but in a family tomb adjacent to one in which the bones of a “Jesus” and his family were put to rest. The Jesus Discovery puts together the entire story of these two Talpiot tombs and the potential implications for our understanding of the earliest days of the Jesus movement. The book is scheduled to come out in Spring 2012 and is now available on Amazon for pre-ordering: The Jesus Discovery: The New Archaeological Find that Reveals the Birth of Christianity. The discoveries themselves will also be part of a special two hour documentary on Discovery Televison that will feature a panel discussion with major scholars in the field discussing their significance.

We still have a few spaces left on the Israel tour but we will have to close it out soon. The price will likely never be cheaper. We have also added a “slimmed down” version of the Petra/Jordan ad-on at much less money.  The cost is $475 now and includes 2 extras nights at Tamar and 2 day trips (October 29-30), one to Petra in Jordan and the other to the spectacular Mitzpa Ramon Crater in the Beersheva area with the final day in Jerusalem (October 31st), flying overnight and arriving back November 1st.

I am your personal guide on this tour and everyone who goes has personal access to both Dr. Coxen and me the entire time. The itinerary speaks for itself, it is not the average “Holy Land” tour, though we of course do see all the main sites–we just do a lot extra that tours almost never do. See link and pricing options here, and you can register and hold your place with a deposit immediately here.

I have made forty-four trips to Israel since 1990 but I have only led two tours. One was a private group from my university; the second, last year, I opened to the public–primarily various readers of my books who had followed some of my career as a biblical scholar. This is not the standard “Holy Land” tour. I have shaped the special itinerary myself, teaming up with Dewayne Coxen, as I did last year. Dr. Coxen has traveled to Israel over 150 times over the past 50 years–I think he has actually lost count. In addition to this rich experience he also provides us with our connection to the archaeological site of biblical Tamar, in the Negev desert, one of the centerpieces of this tour. Not only do I want to give participants a survey of the Land of Israel, from “Dan to Beersheva,” quite literally–and everything in between–but I want them to have a chance to get their hands dirty actually working for a day at an archaeological site. One could not find a better opportunity for this than Tamar, not to mention the inspiring experience of staying two nights in the Desert.

My idea on this tour is to take a limited group of 45 people together on one bus and give them an overview of the archaeological and historical side of my work as a Biblical scholar–and particularly one who has worked on the historical Jesus and the Origins of Christianity for the past 40 years. We are also doing our best to hold the prices down, despite rising airline and hotel costs. Neither Dr. Coxen or I charge a fee for leading this tour. We both do what we do because of a love of history, a fascination with our research, and the satisfaction of introducing others to the Land of Israel.

The "John the Baptist" Cave

We have extended the sign-up deadline for participation in our summer archaeology program in Israel (June 10-26th) until this coming Monday, May 9th. We still have some spaces open and want to invite you to join us and/or to pass this message on to others. Participation is open to students, staff, or faculty at UNC Charlotte or any other college or university, alumni, as well as interested individuals of any age who are interested in participating. Normally we draw a wonderful diverse mix of countries, colleges, ages, and cultural backgrounds. This is truly an education abroad experience that will change your life, and you get to get your hands dirty and learn a bit of archaeology as well as see some of the main sights in the Holy Land at the same time.

Shimon Gibson and I will direct this two-week archaeological expedition at the historic location of Kibbutz Tzuba, an ancient Israelite town just west of the city of Jerusalem dating back to the time of King David. In the year 2000 a mysterious cave was discovered there by Professor Gibson who invited me and a group of UNC Charlotte students to join him in initial excavations (2001-2005). This cave, now known as the “Cave of John the Baptist,” turned out to have associations with early John the Baptist traditions. Tzuba is just outside of the town of Ein Kerem, where John grew up. Cryptic drawings of John the Baptist and his life and work are carved on its walls. Nearby is the first ancient winepress dating to the time of Jesus that has ever been found in Israel.

The two week expedition will involve further excavations at the Cave of John the Baptist as well as uncovering the winepress and its adjacent caves. Both are located on the agricultural land of Kibbutz Tzuba, a strikingly beautiful area outside Jerusalem full of ancient ruins including tombs, a Crusader castle and much more. Participants will stay on the Kibbutz in the comfortable hotel guesthouse with room and full board provided. The land costs are only $2650 which is a real bargain considering all that is included, and participants have a variety of choices in making their own flights or transportation arrangements. This two week experience is run as a field school with classes, lectures, and tools provided. No prior archaeological experience is required. Those who desire can receive either undergraduate or graduate credit, others can audit. I will personally guide our group on a weekend tour of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, including Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found as well as Masada, with all costs included.

Israel is safe and travel there should not be a concern. This summer already promises to be a record tourist year in Israel. American citizens and most other countries receive a visa upon arrival, there is nothing to prearrange.

You can find full information, photos, as well as application forms here: http://www.edabroad.uncc.edu/tzuba/

Take a look as well at the lovely Kibbutz and the accommodations we will be staying in: http://www.belmont.co.il/en/

All you need to hold your place is a deposit of $1000 next Monday. Credit cards are accepted.

James Tabor

1st Century Wine Press