"The Nazareth Cross", the world's largest cross, is an initial private building plan under consideration, officials said Sunday.

The proposal, which is still in its planning stages, is being floated by a group of affluent Christian businessmen from Israel and abroad. The fascia of the Cross of Nazareth will be made of mosaic tiles in ston. 7.2 million tiles will cover this majestic structure, each one engraved with a name. The purchaser will be able to choose both the material and location of the tile on the Cross.

The Jerusalem Post, July 17, 2007

Muslims and evangelical Christians are talking — at least behind closed doors at the Egyptian Embassy — according to several guests at a top-secret lunch on July 2.

The meeting was an initiative of Rev. Benny Hinn, who is a Palestinian and was born in Jaffa, Israel. It featured ambassadors from nine Arab states plus their umbrella group, and several American prominent evangelical leaders or their sons.

The Washington Times, July 11, 2007

Dr. Bill Baker arrived in Nazareth in 1950 as a child of Baptist Missionaries. He was 9 months old. His family spent 10 years in Nazareth, while their children attended the Nazareth Baptist School (NBS), together with the local children. Bill never graduated from NBS. He only finished the 5-th grade, while he continued his education to become a professor in the Middle Eastern Department at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.

In the evening of June 2, 2007, NBS held its annual graduation ceremony with more than 500 people present. Before the 72 graduates of NBS were awarded their diplomas, the General Director of the school came to the podium, introduced Bill and invited him to come forward to receive a certificate of graduation.

Special For "Come and See", July 10, 2007

The Nazareth Center for Christian Studies (NCCS) will be opening its doors in September 2007 welcoming students for its BD and pre-Masters degrees.

The Center, an initiative of the Association of Baptist Churches in Israel, is inter-denominational, welcoming students from all Christian denominations and groups. The NCCS Board includes both national and international members and the Director is Rev. Dr. Bryson Arthur.

Special For "Come and See", July 5, 2007

While looting, sporadic violence, and instability still plague the newly Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, a Christian persecution group hopes that a long-established friendship between it and Hamas will keep the small Christian community relatively safe from targeted attacks.

Open Doors, an international ministry working with persecuted Christian, said although it fears a worsening of living conditions for Gaza inhabitants, it does not think Christians will be attacked by the Islamic fundamentalist group.

The Christian Post, June 16, 2007

The leader of the Melkite Greek Catholics of Galilee has proposed the establishment of a new "branch" of the Neocatechumenal Way to work specifically in the Eastern-rite Church.

In a recent letter sent to Father Rino Rossi, director of Domus Galilaeae -- a project of the Neocatechumenal Way -- Archbishop Elias Chacour recognized that this ecclesial reality is bearing "excellent fruits" in its evangelizing work within the Melkite Church.

Zenit, The World Seen from Rome, June 5, 2007

The historic Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem has fallen into a crisis again.

The Jordanian announced last Sunday, May 13, that it has withdrawn its recognition Patriarch Theofilos III, alleging he has failed to act on a pledge to annul an unsanctioned church property sale to Israel.

By Theodore Kalmoukos, Special to The National Herald, May 18, 2007

Christian Arabs in the Middle East hear the Islamic call to prayer five times a day. The Loud speakers make it clear that Allah is great (الله ٲكبر) and then invite the worshipers to prayer. Allah (الله) is the Arabic word for God. Just like the first century Christians used the Greek word theos (θεος) to refer to the God of Christianity, Arab Christians use the word Allah to refer to the triune God. Put differently, both Christians and Muslims use the label Allah to denote the Supreme Being who declared His will through His messengers. Interestingly, the last Old Testament book, Malachi, is sympathetic to asserting the greatness of Allah!

By Dr. Yohanna Katanacho

Herod's tomb has been discovered near Jerusalem, Hebrew University's Ehud Netzer will announce today. The discovery of the grave at Herodium solves one of the great mysteries of archaeology in the Land of Israel.

The Gospel of Matthew says Herod ordered the 'Massacre of the Innocents', the killing of all young male children in Jesus's birthplace of Bethlehem, out of fear he would lose his throne to a new "king of the Jews", whose birth had been related to him by the Magi.

According to Matthew, Joseph and Mary fled with baby Jesus to Egypt to escape the slaughter.

Amiram Barkat, Haaretz, May 8, 2007