Introduction

Introduction

This book is the fruit of a ten-year gestation period! In 2001, when I was the New Testament Tutor and Director of Studies at the Queen’s Foundation in Birmingham, I took the opportunity to visit Israel. I stayed at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute for four weeks, from mid-February. My hope was to use the field trip as a spur to writing a contribution to Jesus studies. Originally I was going to be accompanied by Wendy, my wife, and Isaac, our youngest child, who was about a year old. However, The political situation became unstable once more in the months leading up to our visit. In the autumn, the Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, had encroached on what was sacred space for Muslims by entering the compound of the Al Aqsa Mosque during the Feast of Tabernacles. The period of hope that followed the Oslo Accord abruptly ended, and the second intifada began. By the time I was due to fly out in February, news bulletins spoke almost daily of suicide bombings, and we were tempted to withdraw altogether. However, the rector of Tantur, Fr Michael McGarry, reassured me that it was safe to come. We decided it was best for me to go alone. This proved to be a good decision, even if it was a disappointment at first...