Abila Lecture

The Abila Lecture in Biblical Archaeology is a bi-annual lecture series that promotes understanding of the archaeology and history of the Biblical world to audiences at John Brown University and in Northwest Arkansas. Each year the Abila Lecture will bring in two scholars to speak on the history and archaeology of the Biblical world. Abila Lectures held in the Fall will typically focus on the Old Testament and lectures in the Spring on the New Testament. Funding for the lecture series has been provided by generous donors to John Brown University’s Abila Archaeological Project which excavates at Abila of the Decapolis in Northern Jordan.  All lectures are free and open to the public.  We hope you will join us.

Join Us for the Fall 2021 Abila Lecture!

Date: Thursday, October 28 at 7:00pm in the Cathedral of the Ozarks

Speaker:  Dr. Robert Mullins, Chair and Professor of Biblical Studies at Azusa Pacific University

Title:  "Abel Beth Maacah: Uncovering the Secrets of a Biblical City"

For the past fifteen years, Robert A. Mullins, PhD  has been teaching at Azusa Pacific University in southern California.  Prior to that he taught at UCLA, Jerusalem University College, the University of the Holy Land, al-Quds University, and also at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, from which he earned his PhD in Near Eastern/Biblical Archaeology. His interests encompass the fields of archaeology, history, geography, and biblical studies in an effort to better understand the world of the Ancient Near East. Mullins has worked on several archaeological excavations, most notably at Beth-Shean and Tel Rehov in the Jordan Valley. His publications over the years include entries in the Anchor Bible Dictionary and Encyclopedia Judaica and his Atlas of the Biblical World (Fortress Press), coauthored with Mark V. Hoffmann, among many other publications in venues both scholarly and popular. Mullins is also on the Board of Trustees for the American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR).  As part of his passion to excite students about the world of the Bible, Mullins has led student trips to Israel, and is codirecting the archaeological excavations of Abel Beth Maacah, a biblical site located 4.5 miles west of Tel Dan and 1.2 miles south of Metulla on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.