The Gospel account of St. Matthew includes a peculiar episode: Magi or wise men who followed a star to the place of Jesus’ birth. Grant Mathews, a Notre Dame astrophysicist, details the astronomical phenomenon he believes led them to Bethlehem. (Re-edited version of the episode that aired Nov. 30, 2018.)

In the first episode of this four-part series, we trace the origins of Notre Dame’s presence in Jerusalem back to the events of the late 1950s in the Catholic Church. The Second Vatican Council inspired a warming of relations between various Christian traditions, a movement memorialized by Pope Paul VI, who famously embraced Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem in 1964, ending centuries of excommunication between East and West.

On the momentum of that embrace, the pope would turn to his friend in Catholic higher education, Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., to take on an ambitious and unprecedented project: the establishment of a center for intra-Christian scholarship and dialogue in Jerusalem. The task was no small feat to begin with, and many unforeseen obstacles only added to its daunting nature. Not the least of these unexpected turns was the Six-Day War, which literally changed the country in which the institute would be located.

Eventually, in 1972, the Tantur Ecumenical Institute was inaugurated at a spot between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The dream of ecumenical scholarship was born on 36 acres of land that sit amid some of the holiest sites in Abrahamic religion. Learn more about Notre Dame's presence in and around Jerusalem.

Tantur founder Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., once said, “Jerusalem is a place that really catches you in the heart.” And it’s Fr. Ted’s words that we hear first as we introduce a new four-episode series Tantur: Hill in the Holy Land. But the experience in and around Jerusalem is about more than a pilgrimage to honor the past. The University of Notre Dame is engaging the region to build a better future.

In this episode, we meet a business student who is helping the NBA understand a new rule change... And, one of the most iconic landmarks on campus gets an upgrade.

In this episode, we share what Notre Dame is doing to address major food-related problems: how Basar Bilgicer, associate professor of engineering, is fighting to cure food allergies. And, how the University is providing local kids with the nutrition they need so they can focus in school. Read more about Cultivate.

In this episode, we learn what your social circle can tell you about your health, and what centuries-old travel guides can tell us about a city.

In this episode, we look at preparing for the future in two very different economic circumstances: In the U.S., how AI and advanced technology could disrupt the workforce; in the Amazon basin, how indigenous people are bolstering the production of a common food staple. We are joined by Ray Offenheiser, distinguished professor of the practice and director for the Notre Dame Initiative for Global Development. Learn more about the Future of Work Conference

A Notre Dame psychologist explains how breastfeeding can mitigate the impacts of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). And, we return to the Eternal City for a look at the layered experiences that make Notre Dame, in Rome. Laura Miller-Graff, the William J. Shaw Center for Children and Families Assistant Professor of Psychology and Peace Studies joins us. Read more about her work.

We chat with Notre Dame geologist and moon expert Clive Neal, who is part of a team that will examine previously sealed lunar samples obtained during the Apollo missions. Learn more about Clive's work. In addition, we look at the School of Architecture's Rome Studies Program as it marks its 50th Anniversary in the Eternal City. Read more about the program.

Producer's note: Clive refers several times to "regolith," which is the powdery, dusty material on the lunar surface.

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, we're re-releasing our story on the Notre Dame-St. Mary's Irish Dance Team and their 2016 All-Ireland competition championship. Sláinte!