Classical and Early Christian Sites in Greece January 2022
View from our hotel in the Mani region Instructors: Dr. Jonathan Moo (Ph.D., Univ. of Cambridge), Professor of New Testament and Environmental Studies Ms. Stacey Moo (M.A., Courtauld Institute of Art), Lecturer in Art History Course: TH 359 (3 credits in January 2022) + TH 309 (1 credit prep course in Fall 2021) Pre-requisites: None Fulfills: Global Perspectives or Fine Arts general education requirements Fine Arts, Culture and Diversity, or Historical Analysis shared curriculum requirements, with “G” tag. Travel Dates: January 7-January 28, 2022 (may be modified slightly depending on flights)
Walking the ancient path from Delphi to the sea Exploring the medieval castle above Corinth Byzantine monasteries and art of Mystras
Description: This course combines serious academic study with active adventure, intentional community, and Christian spirituality. We wander the ruins of ancient civilizations that date back to the Bronze Age. We visit temples, theaters, stadiums, marketplaces, houses, tombs, statues, and art from the Classical and Hellenistic periods, including the most famous and significant in all of western civilization. We explore Roman cities where the Apostle Paul lived and worked, walking the same roads he walked, touching the same stones, seeing the same landscapes. We step into ancient Christian churches and monasteries, many full of spectacular Byzantine art, and we experience the beauty of Eastern Orthodox spirituality. We plunge into the lively markets, streets, and squares of modern Greek cities, as well as remote villages and towns seldom visited by tourists. We hike in Greece’s rugged and beautiful mountains. We climb to clifftop castles and monasteries, descend into some of the deepest gorges in the world, trek the snowy slopes and canyons below Mount Olympus, stroll along beaches on the Mediterranean and swim in the sea. We experience the warm hospitality of the Greek people and learn about their rich and thriving culture. We eat lots of extraordinarily good food. We play and worship together, singing and praying and reading Scripture. We contemplate and reflect on what we can learn from our travel, from each other, from the people we meet, and from the ancient Christians who lived and worked out their faith in this land amidst a multi-religious culture in which pagan deities and the powerful Roman Empire itself sought to claim their allegiance in the place of Christ.
The academic focus of the course is in the areas of history, Scripture, art, and theology, but our study also includes the following topics: the ecology and natural history of Greece; Mycenaean civilization; Greek mythology; Athenian democracy and classical civilization; western philosophy; Alexander the Great; Hellenism; the Roman Empire; early Christianity; monasticism; the Byzantine Empire; Eastern Orthodoxy; Islam; the Ottoman Empire; the battle for Greek independence and rise of nationalism; modern Greece; Greek culture and identity.
‘An experience that transformed my life and my faith.’ Hiking the mountains of Greece Clifftop monasteries of Meteora The Acropolis from the Pnyx, Athens The Rotunda, Thessaloniki
Itinerary: January 7: Depart Spokane January 18-19: Kastoria, Edessa January 8-10: Athens, Cape Sounion January 19-21: Thessaloniki, Philippi, Kavala (Neapolis) January 11-12: Corinth, Epidaurus, Mycenae, Nafplio January 22-23: Veria, Vergina, Litochoro, Mt Olympus January 13-14: Sparta, Mystras, the wild Mani region January 24: Meteora January 15: Olympia January 25: Delphi January 16: Ioannina January 26-28: Hosios Loukas; Daphni; Athens January 17: Pindus Mountains, Vikos Gorge January 28: Depart Athens Cost: Approx. $4450 inclusive of flights, all hotel accommodations, all ground transportation (including our own charter bus), local guides (who travel with us the whole trip), all entrance fees, all breakfasts, and nearly all dinners. Not included: Jan term fee, lunches (which can be very cheap), a few dinners, tips for guides, fees associated with acquiring passport/visa The payment plan is as follows: $500 non-refundable deposit within 2 days of acceptance into program. 1 June: $690 payment due 1 July: $690 payment due 1 August: $690 payment due 1 September: $690 payment due 1 October: $690 payment due 1 November: $500 final payment due Early Bird Special: The EBS is an incentive program that gives students a $100 credit if they make ALL payments in time according to the payment plan; turn in all required paperwork in accordance with Off-Campus Programs deadlines; and meet the Health Center’s deadlines for fulfilling the Travel Clinic requirement. Off-Campus Programs Travel Grant ($300, $500 or $1000 depending on program): This is a need-based travel grant. Application information will be communicated upon acceptance to the program.
Additional scholarships are available, please review the list here: https://www.whitworth.edu/cms/academics/off-campus-programs/grants-and-scholarships/ Check with the Financial Aid office as well as your program leader for other departmental-based opportunities. *Program enrollment is subject to completion of all required forms, program deposit, a clear academic/behavioral record as well as being up-to-date on all Whitworth payments (tuition, room & board, etc.).*
Contact: Jonathan Moo; Beeksma Theology Center; [email protected]; 509-777-3381 Stacey Moo; Lied Art Center; [email protected]; 509-777-3258
Off-Campus Programs Contact: Rebecca Gähl-Partridge; [email protected] Students are encouraged to apply early!
“. . . there's no knowing where you might be swept off to” (Tolkien), Cape Sounion Jonathan and Stacey with 2020 class at Hosios Loukas Monastery