Israel and the land: a short introduction to God’s promise to Abraham and the Biblical history of Israel’s occupation of the promised land.

What was the promise to Abraham?  What was God’s purpose in giving the promise?  How central to the promise was the land?  Was the promise absolute or conditional?  What actually happened leading to the Exile?  How Pre and Post Exile perspectives of the promise changed.  What happened following the return until the first century CE and the following centuries?  What difference do the Incarnation of Christ, his life, death, Resurrection and Ascension make? Further questions arising from these will be discussed.  Note that much in these issues remains contested.

All very welcome to come along and join the discussion.