About Us
Bible Land Expeditions began in the early 1990s when a group of Bible scholars, historians, and archaeologists (all close friends) looked around at the "Holy Land tour landscape" and couldn't find much they could recommend. Friends and students frequently told us they couldn't find a trip to the Holy Land that really focused on the Bible itself, led by scholars who knew both the history and archaeology of the region.
Then they started asking if we'd think about taking a group on the kind of tour they wanted. They wanted to see the REAL world of the Bible. They wanted a personal, detailed learning experience that would make the Bible come to life. And they wanted accurate information, not stories spun for religious pilgrims. They wanted a tour you could sink your teeth into.
It sounded like a great idea! We'd collectively spent vast amounts of time in the Near East traveling, studying, exploring, and excavating. Several of us knew Israel and Jordan like the backs of our hands. And we had a shared passion for both of them! We lectured on some aspect of the Holy Land just about every day. We wrote books about it. We practically ate and slept biblical history and geography. Why not just show people the Bible Lands ourselves--personally, intimately. And so, Bible Land Expeditions was born.
Our philosophy of Holy Land travel is simple and straightforward: Offer the highest quality Bible-based itinerary and instruction possible, for a reasonable price. This simple idea is fleshed out by the following commitments to our BLE team members...
- Travel with the group from the USA to the destination city.
- Stay in excellent accommodations with excellent food.
- Pay attention to the details of traveler comfort and safety.
- Don't take more travelers than a single bus can accommodate.
- Handle the tour as if it's everyone's first and last trip to the Holy Land.
- Show the geography from locations providing sweeping panoramas.
- Point out the smallest details illuminating biblical history.
- Don't waste time on "touristic" sites lacking historical authenticity.
- Detail both Old and New Testament places, events, and characters.
- Provide time for thought and reflection at important biblical locations.
- Pay attention to key historical, archaeological, and geographical details.
- Include important biblical places that other tours never ever visit.
- Give geographical and historical instruction while traveling between sites.
- Make the experience lively and fun, as well as educational and inspirational.
- Bring the Bible to life with every possible nuance of the senses.
Your BLE Team instructors & guides are headed by Dr. Steven Collins, Executive Dean of Trinity Southwest University (Albuquerque, New Mexico), and Director of the historic Tall el-Hammam/Sodom Excavation. Dr. Collins hand-picks other expert scholars to assist with on-site instruction and evening lectures. Here's a brief bio-sketch of Dr. Collins, BLE's principal scholar, who'll be with you every step of the way on your once-in-a-lifetime journey through the biblical world...
Steven Collins, PhD, is among the world’s foremost biblical archaeologists. He is Director of the School of Archaeology at Veritas International University, and serves as Consulting Research Professor in the College of Archaeology, Trinity Southwest University. Also a Bible scholar, Dr Collins teaches Old and New Testament history, biblical languages, biblical interpretation, and Christian apologetics. He is also Director and Chief Archaeologist of the Tall el-Hammam/Sodom excavations in Jordan, now heading into its 15th season. A prolific author, he has written numerous articles in professional journals and magazines (including Biblical Archaeology Review), and many books including Discovering the City of Sodom (Simon & Schuster 2013) and the Harvest Handbook of Bible Lands (Harvest House Publishers, 2019) for which he is co-editor and a principal author. He’s been excavating in and leading tours of Israel and Jordan for over 25 years. Dr Collins is a much-sought-after conference speaker/teacher, and is featured in documentary films airing on the National Geographic, Discovery, History, and Travel Channels.
