Petra was recently designated as one of the new wonders of the world. It is renowned for its rock-cut architecture. UNESCO has described it as “one of the most precious cultural properties of man’s cultural heritage.” The Roman author Pliny the Elder identified Petra as a centre of caravan trade. The Biblical references to Petra are not clear but Rekem, its native name, appears in Jewish literature.

This puzzling and marvelous wonder of the world will be discussed by Prof. Dan Graf who is one of the archeologists immersed in the archaelogical work at this site in modern Jordan.”

Prof David Graf

Presented by Prof John Fitzgerald

The Holy Land from the time of Pompey (63 BCE) to the fall of Jerusalem (70 CE), a fascinating but fairly complex period politically, will be discussed.

Where:  Atlantic Room (Bayside Pavilion) - Mercy Hospital

When:   Thursday, Jan 22

Time:    6:30pm – Wine and cheese

             7:00pm – Lecture (45min – 1hour)

Please RSVP– Call Jessica at 305 285 2702

Prof John Fitzgerald

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR

Department of Religious Studies

Univ. of Miami

Professor Fitzgerald has taught at the University of Miami since 1981. Fitzgerald concentrates on the religions and philosophical schools of the ancient Mediterranean world in the period between Alexander the Great (d. 323 BCE) and Constantine (d. 337 CE). He is particularly interested in Second Temple and Hellenistic Judaism, the history and literature of early Christianity, and Hellenistic moral philosophy. His research focuses on the ways in which Jews and Christians interacted with the various segments of Greco-Roman culture and appropriated philosophical materials for religious use.