Jerusalem

19.3.15 St Joseph. Woke at 6.45 too late to get to Eucharist in the cathedral. The Muslims got up at 4 a.m. to go to the Al Aqsa mosque – prayers there are multiplied 10,000 times! After a good breakfast we talked about hopes and challenges for the course. Dr Rodney Aist gave us an overview of the history and we talked about the Pact of Omar which appears to be a forgery and the paragraph from Nostra Aetate about Muslims. A lovely lunch and then off to the Mount of Olives for the chapel of the Ascension which is a shared site and Mustafa gave us the history from a Muslim viewpoint. A long walk down the hill to the Church of the Nations, tomb of Mary and Gethsemani. We met up again at the Lions gate and El-Ghazali square and a visit to the Muslim cemetery where 2 of Muhammad’s companions are buried. A walk along the Via Dolorosa and through the covered market to the Wailing Wall where there has been more building. Back to the coach and had a rest. Liz went to evensong in the cathedral. Excellent dinner and chat to Cliff about Holy Week here. Tried twice to make a video of photos and the computer crashed.

20.3.15 Interesting session with Mustafa and Richard on Jesus and Mohammed in Christian and Muslim understanding. Muslims went to Friday prayers at the Al Aqsa mosque while we had Eucharist celebrated by Richard in the college chapel using college version which uses different Anglican ideas. We went for a walk to St Stephen’s St Etienne French 1900 church and we also visited the ceramics shop. Group photo as Claire has arrived and a good lunch. Ibrahim explained his set up and the problems of mosques. Had a sleep. Session on prayer in the 2 traditions with Richard and Ibrahim. Coach to mosque where we observed prayers. Mustafa took us to his lovely home and we had a delicious meal. I had a discussion with some of the Muslim women.

1.      21.3.15 7 a.m. breakfast and on the coach into the West Bank to Bethphage where we visited the church – big Franciscan Mass taking place and then to the tomb of Lazarus and the mosque next door. On to the Palestinian Al-Quds university which is right next to the wall. A session with Mustafa, the Vice-Dean, staff and students – a graduate was very eloquent about his life passing through a meaningless checkpoint twice a day to get to Bethlehem. He said we should pass on our impressions back in the UK. I said we need to be careful because of our Jewish friends and that we felt bewildered by the complexity of the situation. We then visited an excellent maths teaching facility and museum. Lunch (without the students!) and a quick visit to the museum commemorating Palestinians who have been tortured and died in Israeli gaols. On to Bethlehem where we visited the Syrian Orthodox church and had a tour of the Church of the Nativity. The guardian of the Franciscan church was very rude so we could not go in but the guide sang us prayers in Aramaic and Arabic. Back for dinner and a good chat to Ibrahim who does scriptural reasoning with Archbishop Welby.

2.      Sunday 22.3.15 Woke at 1 a.m. Left at 6 to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where we heard the Syrian Orthodox liturgy and visited their chapel. Visited the Tomb and Calvary with no queue! Armenians downstairs singing well and up to the Ethiopian Orthodox chapel. Back for breakfast and chat to Richard and Claire. To St George’s cathedral for Eucharist in Arabic and English and coffee in Archbishop’s  house. Met a lady from Peru and tried to explain the poverty of the West Bank to her! After a rest a good lunch of fish and then explanation of the Church of the Holy sepulchre and we walked there and visited the Mosque of Omar with a proper translation of the Pact. Back to the college for an outstanding lecture by Rabbi David Rosen. Good dinner and reading Dante fell asleep.