• Home
• About Us
• Student Exchange
  • Incoming Student Information
  • Outgoing Student Information
• Short Term Programs
  • Overview
  • Arts
  • Business
  • Education
  • Science
  • College Programs
• External Programs
• Summer Schools
• Conferences
• Volunteering
• Happenings
• Our Global Adventurers
• Scholarships and Funding
• Latest news
• Media
• AHEGS
• Contacts

SEARCH CSU

Bethsaida - Excavations Project

Faculty of Arts

School Of Theology

Topic Area: Biblical Studies

This course of biblical archaeology fieldwork takes place at the archaeological site of Bethsaida in Israel and introduces students to elementary tenets of biblical fieldwork archaeology. The 2 weeks on site at Bethsaida are supplement by an additional week visiting selected sites in Israel and Jordan. Exact details of the itinerary vary from year to year, depending on various factors.

The program is led by Dr Greg Jenks, a Senior Lecturer in the School of Theology and a Co-Director of the Bethsaida Excavations Project. Dr Jenks is also Academic Dean at St Francis Theological College in Brisbane.

Program Dates: 15 June to 8 July 2013

Number of Places: 25

Cost: $8,249 This includes return air travel, two weeks on the Bethsaida program, weekend in Nazareth, and a one week program at St George’s College, Jerusalem. It is also possible to return home after the concluding weekend in Nazareth, or to substitute other travel in place of the week at St George’s College. For details of the costs in such cases, please contact Audrey Warren at Mission Travel in Melbourne (see contact details below).

Costs typically include:return air travel, land transfers, accommodation (based on twin-share accommodation), most meals during the three weeks, gratuities to drivers, and entry to all sites included in the tour itinerary. Exclusions from tour price: travel insurance, Lunches (unless otherwise indicated), and incidental expenses.

Students seeking OS-HELP assistance with the costs of the Bethsaida Excavations Program complete the subject, INST3000-802 Perspectives in International Study offered the University of Nebraska at Omaha. This is completed under the auspices of the Consortium for Bethsaida Excavations Project (CBEP) and does not require formal enrolment with UNO, or the payment of any tuition fees to UNO. A certificate of achievement is issued by Dr Rami Arav, the UNO academic who serves as Director of CBEP. This is the basis for academic credit towards THL361 Theology International Study Experience and has been determined to meet the requirements for OS-HELP funding.

Eligibility: Bachelor of Theology. Other students enrolled for courses offered by the School of Theology may be eligible for academic credit, subject to prior approval by their Course Director. Some other CSU courses may also allow credit for THL361 Theology International Study Experience, but students are advised to consult their Course Director

Credit Arrangements: Students enroll in THL361 Theology International Study Experience (8cp), which is a Theology elective subject in the Bachelor of Theology course. In addition to active participation in all aspects of the tour, a short paper (c. 2,000 words) describing the development of a particular locus at the site is required for academic credit.

Application Timeline:

• Application deadline: 30 November 2012
• Successful students notified (email): 31 December 2012
• Passport required for Visa Processing: 30 November 2012 (with application)
• $500 deposit with application: with registration of interest
• Balance of costs to be paid: 16 March 2013

All application forms and deposits must be submitted by the due date to:

Audrey Warren 
Mission Travel Services
phone: 1300 554 654
email: info@missiontravel.com.au
website: www.missiontravelgroup.com.au

Mission Travel handle the travel arrangements for the tour, and early contact with them to register for the trip is required.

Indicative program outline:


Et-Tell is a mound approximately 20 acres in size, situated some two kilometres from the north coast of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. In 1838 Edward Robinson followed the German traveler Sietzen and identified this mound with Bethsaida, mentioned in the New Testament and by Josephus Flavius. It was not until 1987 that the problem of identification of Bethsaida was solved when Dr. Rami Arav launched his first excavations season at all the suggested locations and discovered that Bethsaida should be identified with Et-Tell.

The Golan Research Institute and the University of Haifa sponsored the first four seasons (1986 - 1990) and since the 1991 season, the excavations have been sponsored by the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). The Consortium of the Bethsaida Excavations Project (CBEP) was organized in 1991, with UNO administrating the project. The Israeli base of operations was Kibbutz Gadot in Galilee, until 1994, at which time it was moved to Kibbutz Ginosar on the Sea of Galilee.
The Consortium maintains a pottery restoration lab, offices and storage at Beit Alon, located at Kibbutz Ginosar. The storage rooms contain the excavation material that has not yet been published. Published artifacts were shifted to Israel Antiquities Authority.

The mission of CBEP is to excavate the ancient city of Bethsaida, research the remains and finds, and disseminate the results to both academic and popular audiences. Through our participation in this project, students and staff of CSU School of Theology have opportunities to engage directly with a major archaeological site in Israel.

Dr Greg Jenks (gjenks@csu.edu.au) from the School of Theology is a Co-Director of the Bethsaida Excavations Project and leads a group of volunteers to work on the site each June.

Draft itinerary:

The itinerary for the 2013 Bethsaida Excavations Project is available at the following site: missiontravel.com.au/bethsaida2013

Further information:

CSU Handbook – THL361 Theology International Study Experience: www.csu.edu.au/handbook/handbook13/subjects/THL361.html

Bethsaida Excavations Project: www.world.unomaha.edu/bethsaida/dig.php