Jonathan Lipnick believes that a truly comprehensive understanding of Scripture must be capable of penetrating beneath the printed words to reveal the authentic world of the Bible: the landscapes, smells and sounds of ancient Israel. He is the dean of the faculty of Holy Land Studies at Israel Institute of Biblical Studies, and is the author of the course “Exploring the Biblical Land of Israel” as well as articles posted on the Holy Land Studies blog. He is also an assistant author of the Biblical Greek curriculum. Jonathan was born and raised in the US. His fascination with the biblical history of Israel started when he took part in an archeological dig at Tel Bet Shemesh in 1999, after which he became convinced that the world of the Bible is something that must be studied up close in order to gain a full understanding of the Scriptures. As a teacher and tour guide, his goal is to impart his core insight to each of his students.

Jonathan received his BA in Religious Studies from Indiana University, followed by MA degrees in Religious Studies from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Harvard University. He is currently completing his PhD at the Committee on the Study of Religion at Harvard University. His research and teachings are primarily concerned with the multidisciplinary study of the Bible, incorporating insights that relate to history, geography, and philology. Besides being an educator, Jonathan is also a licensed tour guide based in Jerusalem and has guided groups from IU.