Jerusalem University College (formerly American Institute of Holy Land Studies) is an independent undergraduate and graduate academic institution in Israel used by a consortium of North American theological seminaries and Christian colleges.
History
editJUC was found in 1957. It offers an independent two-year graduate program of courses leading to the degrees of Master of Arts in Biblical History and Geography, Hebrew and Cognate Languages, Middle Eastern Cultures and Religions, and the Hebraic Roots of Christianity.[1] For consortium students, it offers a graduate or undergraduate semester or year abroad (in Israel), as well as shorter two and three week courses.[2]
The campus has been located on Mount Zion, outside the Old City of Jerusalem near the Jaffa Gate, since 1967, and overlooks the Hinnom Valley (Valley of Gehenna). The campus grounds were formerly the Bishop Gobat School (est. 1847 by Samuel Gobat), which moved in 1853 in the building erected on unused reserve land of the Protestant Mount Zion Cemetery.[3] It was one of the first structures to be built outside the Old City of Jerusalem, the others being Kerem Avraham, the Schneller Orphanage, Mishkenot Sha'ananim and the Russian Compound,[4] Instructors hail from across the political and religious spectrum but mainly espouse conservative evangelical Christian thought as represented by the members schools of the consortium," [5]—these schools include a wide range of Protestant traditions. JUC is accredited by the Asia Theological Association (ATA) and is an international affiliate of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities[6] Jerusalem University College’s North American office is located in Xenia, Ohio.
Accreditation
editTwo of Jerusalem University College's masters programs were accredited by the Asia Theological Association in 1998 and accreditation was recertified by the ATA in 2008 and 2017.[7]
See also
edit- Gabriel Barkay, archaeologist, JUC faculty member
References
edit- ^ "Master of Arts - JUC". Jerusalem University College. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- ^ "Short-Term Study Programs - JUC". Jerusalem University College. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
- ^ The cemetery is only reached through the campus.
- ^ Kark, Ruth; Oren-Nordheim, Michal (2001). Jerusalem and Its Environs: Quarters, Neighborhoods, Villages, 1800-1948. Wayne State University Press. pp. 74, table on p.82–86. ISBN 0-8143-2909-8.
The beginning of construction outside the Jerusalem Old City in the mid-19th century was linked to the changing relations between the Ottoman government and the European powers. After the Crimean War, various rights and privileges were extended to non-Muslims who now enjoyed greater tolerance and more security of life and property. All of this directly influenced the expansion of Jerusalem beyond the city walls. From the mid-1850s to the early 1860s, several new buildings rose outside the walls, among them the mission house of the English consul, James Finn, in what came to be known as Abraham's Vineyard (Kerem Avraham), the Protestant school built by Bishop Samuel Gobat on Mount Zion; the Russian Compound; the Mishkenot Sha'ananim houses: and the Schneller Orphanage complex. These complexes were all built by foreigners, with funds from abroad, as semi-autonomous compounds encompassed by walls and with gates that were closed at night. Their appearance was European, and they stood out against the Middle-Eastern-style buildings of Palestine.
- ^ Faith statement
- ^ CCCU : Affiliates | Jerusalem University College Archived June 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Affiliations - JUC".