MEETING the PHILISTINES

Wednesday we set out at 7 a.m. with a bus (mistake was made and the bus had one too few seats so Fran and Theres opted to stay at Tantur) to find a number of places relative to the Philistines with a few added places between Jerusalem and Ashkelon.

Early on our journey we enter a small Palestinian Arab village looking for a tomb which we found. However, the locals found us in no time at all. Within minutes of our arrival at the dilapidated site of an ancient tomb we were met by an older Palestinian who was clearly not impressed with our presence. He spoke little to no English and communication was only improved with the arrival of several younger men in cars. We assured them that we were here peacefully and that we were Christians looking for a tomb and not Israelis scouting out a new settlement. We finished our scripture readings post haste, and departed.

We wondered that our movements were being monitored, being that today was the day of Palestinian elections and we were clearly foreigners moving about. There was lots of security to be seen everywhere. When we descended a hilltop shortly after the above incident we were met by members of the IDF who were questioning our Palestinian driver and then questioned us as to our actions. We happily complied. I even got a photo of the IDF members.... with their permission.... much to the chagrin of my companions.

Some of the sites throughout the day were a bust, in that we remained uncertain about the authenticity of several locations. Other sites provided the most monumental views over the gentle undulations of the fertile coastal plains of Israel. The variation of topography is truly amazing in this small country. It did not take much imagination to see the Philistines assessing their scrawny Hebrew opponents, and to see little David creep out onto the field of battle to meet Goliath, the giant, the likes of whom the Hebrews had only heard rumoured.

Our point farthest from Jerusalem was the town of Ashkelon on the coast. It is a marvellous resort town with great beaches and lots of palm trees. Ashkelon is just 9 kms north of Gaza. We could not help but notice a persistent presence of jet fighters overhead. We assumed they served as a helpful reminder to the local Palestinian population as to who is "in charge."

We arrived back at Tantur just in time to catch the bus to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity service at the Latin (Roman Catholic) Church in the old city. After which we had dinner reservations at the Nafoura Restaurant in old Jerusalem to bid farewell to Dr. Anna Marie Odegarde, a past president of the World Council of Churches and member of the Board of Directors for Tantur, who returns home Thursday. She is an astounding woman as well as a Professor of Theology. We have had the opportunity to chat with Anna Marie during her stay at Tantur and we met with her as a group to discuss her latest theological musings on Tuesday evening.