Deirdre Good and Katherine Shaner, General Seminary’s professors of New Testament, are visiting churches in New York City to encourage a deeper understanding of the Holy Land as both an ancient and modern day place of pilgrimage. During Lent, they taught together about the ancient city of Ephesus and today’s Istanbul at Grace Church Broadway, and on Sunday, May 13, Prof. Shaner will present “Ephesus: John and Paul” at Trinity Wall Street as part of an Eastertide series entitled Virtual Pilgrimages. Designed and led by Prof. Good, with guest faculty, the series invites participants to go on a virtual journey to the Holy Land, walking with Patriarchs and Apostles and placing scripture in context, thus bringing it to life. In the series, Prof. Good has offered presentations on “Journey as Metaphor: Philo of Alexander” and “Otherworldly Journeys: Abraham and Paul”. The series will conclude on Sunday, May 20, with her presentation “Ethos of Pilgrimage: Green Pilgrimages”.
In January 2013, Profs. Good and Shaner will lead an actual pilgrimage to Asia Minor (modern day Turkey), offering pilgrims in an illuminating exploration of early Christianity. Through visits to some of the great archeological sites of the world, the pilgrims will examine the historical and cultural context in which the earliest Christians and their writings emerged. To find out more about this trip and how you can become a pilgrim, download an information sheet or visit www.gts.edu/turkey2013.
