During the week covered by this review, we received 1 article on the following subject:
Christian Tourism
Christian Tourism
Haaretz, July 30, 2018
The Franciscans of Terra Sancta in the Old City of Jerusalem have opened a museum dedicated to exploring what life would have looked like in the Holy Land during the time of Jesus. There has long been a need for this sort of museum. Christianity is a major world religion, and its connection to the Holy Land draws in millions of tourists annually. However, if these tourists wanted to learn more about life in the Holy Land during the 1st century, with a focus on Christian history, they could not, until recently, have found a museum dedicated to the task. Unfortunately, the unveiling of the museum happened without much notice from official Israeli authorities, such as the Ministry of Tourism or the Jerusalem Municipality. The author argued that the event was ignored and received little press from governing authorities, thus perpetuating “the ignorance” of the Israeli public about the life of Jesus and the connection between Christianity and the Holy Land.
The museum is located in the Eastern part of the Old City, at the Church of Flagellation on the Via Delarosa. Father Eugenio Alliata, professor of archaeology and the head of the museum, explained that the museum is now in its third incarnation. It was originally established in 1902. The artifacts introducing the life of Jesus originate from Galilee, Bethlehem, the Herodium, and Jordan. Some artifacts have been sitting in the Franciscan warehouse for 100 years and will now be shown for the first time. Two more museum wings will be unveiled over the next two years