Welcome
to Emmaus Educational Services, an initiative intended
to assist students, clergy and laity to engage and understand the
biblical world. Our experience has been that travel on the biblical
stage together with on-site study of the Scripture illuminates
the richness of God's unfolding 
drama of redemption. The
beginnings of this venture lie in collaborative efforts in 1993 between
Linda Edwards, who was then a lecturer in Religious Education at
King's College, University of London and Dr. Steven Notley who
resided in Jerusalem. Over the years they witnessed the impact their
efforts had on the hearts and minds of those who traveled with them.
A
new stage in EES began in 2002 with the combining of efforts between
Dr. Notley and Dr. Wink Thompson, who himself has
studied and taught the physical settings of the Bible both in the USA
and in Israel over the last 30 years. Dr. Notley and Dr. Thompson have
committed to bring their strengths and respective areas of academic
focus to serve those who travel and study on the Emmaus programs.
Dr.
R. Steven Notley lives in New York with his wife, Sunya,
and their children. They lived in Jerusalem for 16 years where Notley
earned his Ph.D. in Comparative Religions at the Hebrew University
(1993). He studied under the direction of the late professor David
Flusser, writing his dissertation on "The Concept of the Holy
Spirit in Jewish Literature of the Second Commonwealth and Pre-Pauline
Christianity." With Flusser he collaborated on the historical
biography Jesus (Jerusale
m: Hebrew University Magnes Press, 1997,
1998, 2001). He has recently completed his English translation of
Eusebius' Onomasticon that will be published together with Ze'ev
Safrai's (Bar Ilan University) topographical commentary by Brill
Academic Publishers. Also recently published is a collaborative work in Historical Geography with Dr. Anson F. Rainey called the Sacred Bridge. During his years in Israel Notley was extensively
involved in directing travel and field study for students and laity
in Israel, Greece and Turkey. He continues to direct study trips
through Emmaus Educational Services He served as the chairman of
the department for New Testament studies at the Jerusalem University
College from 1996 to 2001. Currently he is a professor of Biblical
Studies at the New York City campus of Nyack College.
Dr.
Wink Thompson lives in Newport, North Carolina. He first
visited the Middle East in 1971 and completed an MA at The American
Institute of Holy Land Studies (Jerusalem) in 1977. He continued
his studies at Fuller Theological Seminary (Pasadena, CA) receiving
an MA in 1980 and his Ph.D. in 1993. Returning to Israel in 1995
he served as guest lecturer and instructor of The Physical Setting
of the Bible at several institutions in Jerusalem. From 1999-2001
he held the position of Instructor and Director of Short Term Studies
at Jerusalem University College. Dr. Thompson has been involved with
instructing and directing travel and field study for students and
laity in Israel, Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan since 1976 and is the administrator of all Emmaus programs.
Emmaus continues to expand its research and development whenever possible. While Israel has been the focus of Emmaus programs since its inception, it is with great excitement to announce that Emmaus has expanded its instruction into both Greece and Turkey. It is a fitting extension of Emmaus' original mission to present the Gospel in its original context. It is our prayer that one day you will be able to join us as we share Scripture in the various lands, cities and villages where prophets, priests, kings, apostles and Jesus shared the Good News of the Gospel.
