Israel College of the Bible

Israel College of the Bible (ICB) was founded in 1990 and provides theological and practical training at a Bible school inside the country for Israelis who would previously have had to travel abroad for equivalent courses.[5] It provides theological training for both Israelis and foreign students,[1][6] and it provides ministry training and leadership development for followers of Jesus. The emphasis and the majority of programs are focused on training Israelis, both Jewish and Arab, but a Year in Israel Program is available to international students, and distance learning courses are available online in English.[7][8] The college is accredited through the European Evangelical Accrediting Association and the Asia Theological Association,[1][9] although Israel's Ministry of Education does not recognise its degrees.[10]

Israel College of the Bible celebrates the Jewish holidays and keeps an emphasis in the curriculum on their Jewish heritage, but claims to be "very inclusive, and live very harmoniously with our Arab brothers and sisters and our Gentile brothers and sisters". [11] The "Linga" organisation of Arab Christians in Israel has also affirmed this connection and has celebrated the graduation of several Arab students who had gained their qualifications from the ICB.[12]

The primary language of the college is Hebrew, with some courses also taught in Russian and English.[1] The teaching staff are all Israeli, including both Jewish and Arab, and the students also come from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds from within Israel. Additionally there are international students each year from countries around the world.[13]

Israel College of the Bible faculty expertise is primarily in the areas of Bible and Theology, Jewish studies, Biblical Geography and Culture, Archaeology, Practical Ministry, and Leadership and Counseling. The college offers an international Bachelor of Theology, a Hebrew Bachelor of Theology, a "Year in Israel Program", a Bikurim program, a Bachelor of Arts degree and Master of Arts counselling.[14] Semester credits can be applied to a certificate in Messianic Studies.[15]

All teachers are Israeli believers in Jesus as the Messiah, and come from a variety of cultural backgrounds.[9]

The college is the headquarters of One For Israel,[16] which both supports the growth of the Messianic community in Israel, and promotes understanding of Messianic Judaism abroad. There is a media center on the premises, with radio and video studios to broadcast music and teaching, as well as being the hub of several websites about the Messianic faith.[17] Eitan Bar, co-founder of One For Israel and Media Director at Israel College of the Bible, claimed that, "The single best and most important way to support Israel is by sharing Yeshua with Israeli Jews and Arabs – and that is what we at oneforisrael.org are all about: Israeli Jews who share the gospel with our own brothers and sisters in a relevant way via media".[18]

Regular excursions exploring Biblical Archaeology, Geography of the Bible, Cultural and Historical Background of the New Testament, and History and Theology of Modern Israel are scheduled for the students around the country of Israel as part of their studies and recreation. Additionally, ICB Tours has been developed to provide study tours for Christians wanting to visit Israel in the context of academic Bible study. Tours are led by "professional, Messianic guides".[19]

The college partners with local authorities in distributing food to the poor and elderly in the city.[20]

Messianic Judaism is typically seen negatively, and even as a threat, within Israel. The leading anti-missionary organisation, Yad L'Achim, declared the college to be at the "forefront of missionary activity in Israel".[4] Rabbi Tzvi Wilhelm, rabbi of the Chabad synagogue north of Netanya, objected to teaching about Jesus, who broke away from many Jewish traditions and rabbinic law, terming the subject matter "idolatry".[21] Rabbi Irwin Birnbaum, a former Conservative rabbi in Netanya, considers the activities of followers of Jesus in Israel to be "worse than the Holocaust", and that they are set on destroying Israel.[22]