About Biblical Resources

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Biblical Resources began as a term paper requirement in 1969.

Graduate students were asked to identify and illustrate the ten different periods of Biblical road systems. Jim Fleming, was already doing relief maps so he asked the professor if he could make a 3X4 ft relief map illustrating the ten periods instead of writing a term paper. The professor agreed. The map remained at the school as a gift.

From that beginning Jim developed a new company, Relief Maps of Israel, which helped support him during his graduate studies. Many of these maps can be seen in religious schools and seminaries today.

As he worked on his masters and doctoral degrees, Jim Fleming developed a methodology of teaching scripture through experience: seeing the context of the Biblical stories by experiencing the land of the Bible itself or images of it; touching stones, shards of pottery and artifacts and remains of cities uncovered in archaeological digs.

His philosophy of teaching was, and is, to teach the history, geography, archaeology and cultures of the Biblical Periods of the 1st Century Roman Period in a non-doctrinal, ecumenical and interreligious way so that each person or group can apply these teachings to their own understanding of scripture.

After completing his doctoral studies in the USA, Jim returned to Israel to teach at the Institute of Holy Land Studies and eventualy the Hebrew University. He helped organize and participated in over a dozen archaeological digs in Israel, The City of David, Lachish, Caesarea Maritima.

In 1976 Biblical Resources began as The Biblical Resources Study Center (BRSC), an educational institute serving local and international schools, seminaries, and religious study groups.

It was located first in the Old City and later moved by invitation to a Vatican property, Tantur, located between Jerusalem and Bethlehem and then to Ein Kerem Jerusalem. Each location had life-sized archaeological reconstructions that students can walk through that were accurate to the ancient settings. The format was a lecture with media presentation in the morning and in the afternoon a visit to historical locations and digs. During this time, Hannaniah Pinto joined the staff as an administrator and teacher.

Dr Fleming lived in Jerusalem over forty years studying, researching, and teaching. He and Hannaniah Pinto taught students, religious professionals, and pilgrims from many countries and worked to promote peaceful relationships between local Christian, Jews, and Muslims.
Biblical Resources in 2005 moved to LaGrange GA where it now has its main headquarters. During this time, Jim Fleming and Hannaniah Pinto researched and published many Educational Materials and two books, The Life of the Shepherd, Farmer, and Village and Jesus’s Last Night with His Disciples.

Biblical Resources continues to have the honor of leading study tours in which the rich teachings of Jim Fleming and spirited teaching of Hannaniah Pinto blesses and inspires groups as they travel through Israel and the Eastern Mediterranean like: Greece, Turkey, Italy, Israel, Jordan, Egypt. You are invited to join us on one of the next exciting study tours we have planned.

Hannaniah Pinto – Biblical Resources’ director and Teacher.

I was fortunately to meet Jim Fleming in 1983 when I first arrived in Israel from Brazil, eventually I start working with him on the Biblical Resources Study Center, when his location was Tantur in Jerusalem.

I always loved to meet the students when I picked them up in the Airport, and our friendship grew during their stay with our programs, our connection always became as close as friends as we explore the sites and learn the theories of the texts.

Eventually I started to lead field trips, accompanied the groups through Galilee, the Negev, and teaching Jerusalem days.
When we decided to move from Israel to the USA in 2005, I was able to dedicate my self fully to the development of new program as well as being able to take the groups to Israel, Greece, Italy and Egypt. Lecturing on site became a wonderful experience for me, the positive response from the group leaders gave me the energy to continue teaching and adding different locations on our trips.

Today as I continue on this job, I continue to love and to dedicate myself to taking as many people as I can on those fantastic trip, because I do believe that the teaching I can pass on on a trip to a Biblical Land, is a live changing opportunity and I will do what I can to not miss that.
So, if any of this travels are in your “to do List” please keep us in mind, let Biblical Resources take you in a journey of a life time.

It has being and will continue being a pleasure travelling together.