Since 1995, Canada has been closely linked to Jerusalem through the creation of the Les Amis Canadiens de l’École Biblique.
Initially set up to raise funds to help develop the school’s library, ACEB now provides scholarships for students and researchers.
Some come for a whole year, others for a few weeks, taking advantage of the calm and availability of the school during the summer holidays.
This is the case of Xenia Chan, a third-year doctoral student at Regis St. Michael’s College, Toronto School of Theology, University of Toronto, who is spending the summer here. She is working on her thesis, provisionally entitled “Lord, You Deceived Me: A Transpacific Sinophone Reading of Jeremiah’s Confessions”. The library, meetings and the time given over to study are real resources for her. Not to mention the loyal cats’ company for this cats’ lover !
Dr Christopher B. Zeichmann, currently a lecturer at Toronto Metropolitan University and project leader of the Inscriptions of Israel/Palestine digital humanities project, has been awarded a three-week scholarship.
He has two areas of work in mind: the military presence in the Gospels, based in particular on papyri that mention soldiers found in Egypt, and epigraphy in the Holy Land, from the Persian period to the Byzantine period.
“My current project combines these interests, in order to understand how the Jewish war of 66-73 CE changed the languages of the Holy Land, as seen in the inscriptions.”
Dr Kenneth A. Ristau, from MacEwan University in Edmonton and teaches biblical studies at St. Joseph’s College and the University of Alberta, is preparing a commentary on Chronicles to be published by Zondervan Academic.
For the three of them, the École’s location, just a stone’s throw from the old city and museums such as the Rockefeller Museum, was a major advantage in coming here.The library played a big role, of course. And let’s not forget the long conversations at the table, which allowed them to get to know the community and discover or deepen their research topics!
As Xenia so aptly sums up: “I am grateful for the solace and peace offered here. It’s really been a wonderful space to think and ponder, especially around the garden.”