Walking through the Old City of Jerusalem is like stepping back through ages of time. Sixteenth Century gates to the city are guarded by modern Israeli soldiers with Twenty-First Century weaponry. Within a five-minute walk I was able to visit the important religious sites of the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This is a city of contrasts with the all extremes of diversity represented throughout. Religion is the major differentiation between groups. In coming from the United States, I have been socialized to minimize or camouflage my religious beliefs. In vivid contrast, here in Jerusalem one’s religion or faith is worn on one’s sleeve. It is woven into the fabric of each person’s everyday life.

These are the opening lines of my first completed paper at Jerusalem University College. It was a monumental, one-page achievement of unparalleled proportions…or something like that. In actuality, it was a fun little reaction paper to our first Field Work. As a class, we walked from our campus and entered the Old City of Jerusalem. Over the next five hours, our professor used the city and the landscape as the text by which we could better understand history, geography, and the Bible. We discovered ancient Roman roads, 1,000 year-old mosques, Byzantine churches, and a thriving, open-air meat market. This is pretty much the coolest class ever! It is called Physical Settings of the Bible. It has a rather unassuming title, but the reality is we get to hike all over the land in which the Bible was written in and about. Its amazing how alive the battle of David and Goliath becomes when you are sitting on the hill overlooking the brook where the boy would have gathered stones to launch at the giant. Ah…but this class is just the beginning.

I am also taking a class from a Rabbi Moshe about Jewish Thought and Practice. He is a formerly red-headed, speedy speaker who occasionally reminds me of the eccentricities of Mr. McEwen from SC. His hair is now gray and short, but his energy, humor, and excitement has no bounds. The highlight of his class today was when he uncovered the major distinction between the study of the Bible by Jews and by Christians. It seems that Christians (especially of those in the Western mindset) are always looking for answers. However, he said that Jews generally look for the problems and the questions. It is much more important to ask a question and ponder a problem, than it is to consume an easy answer.

These are just beginning observations. I could write a book about all my experiences of yester and today. Perhaps, if I ever have a moment I’ll write about spilled communion in an ancient Lutheran church, or being swindled by an Arab merchant, or getting stuck in the middle of 30 fully armed Israeli soldiers. Till that moment comes however, I shall leave you in suspense.