Blessed Are the Peacemakers: A Palestinian Christian in the Occupied West Bank by Audeh G. Rantisi & Ralph K. Beebe

After returning home following my 3-month stay in Jerusalem, I have to say it took me some time to get back into the ‘swing of things,’ and deciding what to read next was turning into a real time-consuming feat…

So I finally decided to go with Audeh G. Rantisi’s Blessed Are the Peacemakers: A Palestinian Christian in the Occupied West Bank. I had purchased it before leaving on my trip and since it seemed like a quick read, I felt it was a good place to pick up from.

I was correct in that it was definitely a quick—but not always easy—read; at 164 pages I finished it in 2 days. It is basically Audeh’s life story as told by Ralph K. Beebe (written in 1st person). The narrative starts with the events of 1948, when Audeh was 11 years old and driven from his home in Lydda (now named Lod) to live as a tent-dwelling refugee in Ramallah. Later on, Audeh studied at the Bible College of Wales as well as Aurora College in Illinois. Audeh also spent some time in the Sudan as a teacher before returning to Ramallah. He eventually married, opened a school for boys with his wife, and became involved in politics as mayor of Ramallah in 1980. Since the narrative’s events span from 1948-1990, this account is clearly a bit ‘dated,’ but still a highly relevant and powerful read.

It is always bittersweet reading these kinds of stories as they are full of pain, but also of love and hope. What touched me—if not also somewhat surprised me—were the various instances of miracles, either big or small, that Audeh witnessed and which constantly guided him in making important life decisions. It is definitely inspirational and a reminder to remain steadfast in our faith, and to remember that if something is meant to be, God will guide you to it.

Another thing that touched me was Audeh’s influence on Muslim Palestinians while serving as mayor of Ramallah. Audeh shares stories of Muslims asking for help and wanting to read and own their own copy of the Bible, which he would provide them. In a part of the world where religion can be so divisive, it warms one’s heart to read about a Palestinian Christian having close personal relationships with Palestinian Muslims and even opening up their hearts to Christianity.

I also enjoyed seeing other Palestinian Christian figures being mentioned and quoted such as Elias Chacour ("Blood Brothers") and Raja Shehadeh (Palestinian Walks). In closing, I share this powerfully-written passage by Raja Shehadeh in his book The Third Way, as quoted by Audeh in his narrative:

“States of mind cannot be forced on you. This is where you are free, your own master—because your mind is the one thing that you can prevent your oppressor from having the power to touch, however strong or brutal he may be.”

I hope always to remember this truth.

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Sociology of Early Palestinian Christianity by Gerd Theissen

Continuing in my endeavor to read books on Christianity, I have completed Gerd Theissen’s Sociology of Early Palestinian Christianity (originally published under the title The First Followers of Jesus). The book discusses the effects of the “Jesus movement” within both Judaic and Hellenistic societies. Not an easy subject to research or even to explain (as per Theissen: “there is hardly any literature which gives a thematic treatment of the sociology of earliest Palestinian Christianity” p.120), I of course did learn quite a bit from his analysis.


It was interesting to find that although the “Jesus movement” was first construed as a renewal movement within Judaism, it soon became clear that it was a separate religion. By analyzing the 3 roles of the “Jesus movement”— the wondering charismatics, their supporters in local communities, and the bearer of revelation—we see how each society was influenced (or not so much) by this “Jesus movement.” Theissen highlights that Judaism was undergoing an identity crisis, with various groups constantly arguing over the concept of “true Torah” and debates over “stricter interpretation of the Torah or laxer interpretation” (p.77). He hypothesizes that some of these renewal movements came about as a reaction against Hellenistic influences, thus intensifying norms. It is amidst the tensions of Judaic and Hellenistic societies that the “Jesus movement” emerged, eventually finding ground in Hellenistic society.

Although a mere 119 pages, this analysis is very dense and is by no means ‘a quick read’ (or at least it wasn’t for me?! and I say this having had religion classes as a kid in Brussels, having taken religion classes in college and acquiring my Bachelor’s, and having numerous religious books at home… go figure!). At the very least, one’s vocabulary is sure to be enriched following the completion of this book. Terms like apodeictic, eirenic, monistic, and Palestinian Jewish society abound and may leave you reaching for your dictionaries and religious texts on repeated occasions (as it did for me). Since various subjects in this analysis interest me, I am delighted that a bibliography of helpful works is provided to help us launch our own personal quest for answers, if we are so inclined.

Amazon.com link:

Sociology of Early Palestinian Christianity by Gerd Theissen

Blood Brothers - Elias Chacour

I recently read Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour. At first it surprised me that this book didn’t seem to pop up immediately on search engines when I’d browse this subject matter. I’d already created a list of books I’m dying to read, but this one I hadn’t really heard of. It was by chance that I found this copy at a new & used bookstore for $3 (gotta love it when that happens!)

After reading, perhaps now I understand why I hadn’t heard much of it. In comparison to a myriad of more recent books, this one may seem "dated," although of course it’s still a worthy read. The issue is still as relevant as ever, and Chacour’s story is truly a touching and unique Christian Palestinian experience. We can never have enough of those. It is also non-evangelical, which I enjoy.

His story covers the time span from 1947 to 1982, starting with the arrival of European Jews to Palestine--including Chacour’s very own town of Biram-- and concluding with the events of the Lebanese refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila. There is no mention of the 1979 Iranian Islamic revolution or of its influence throughout the Middle Eastern world, possibly because this influence took many years to manifest itself...

Chacour seems like a very honorable man who has done much to spread his wish for peace between Jews and Palestinians and who seems unmoved by personal or political gain. He studied in Paris and made connections throughout Europe, and was the first Palestinian to study at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has encountered different lifestyles and people and has accepted in his heart what matters most to him, culminating in his return to the land of his birth.

He continues his work in the Galilee region of Israel and if there was any way I could, I would truly love to meet him in person (but I’m sure he’s the rather busy man…).

As always, I have other books lined up which I hope to read and deliberate on very soon.

Among them:

Sociology of Early Palestinian Christianity by Gerd Theissen

Palestine at the time of Christ by Henri Daniel-Rops

But these will come as soon as I conclude Orhan Pamuk’s “Snow,” in which I am completely engulfed and finding very hard to put down…

Truly I’d be lost without books! +

The Crusades Through Arab Eyes

The Crusades… Source of debate for most people of the Middle East.


For the purpose of this blog, my aim is to reflect upon the Christian experience of given events. True, it may be ironic that most of the accounts of the Crusades come to us through the Western Christian perspective already, but what about those “other” Christians? Oh yea, the ones in the Middle East, where the religion originated perhaps…?

There is a book on the subject which I deem highly informative and unique in its approach, for it describes the Crusades through the Saracens’ (Arabs’) perspective. The book does not concentrate on the religious differences between Middle Easterners of that time, but rather on their cultural similarities and shared views regarding the arriving Franks (Crusaders mostly from France) into their territories.

Perhaps it can be easy in the West to assume that the Crusaders were welcomed to the Holy Land and seen as “Christian brothers,” but the truth is that they were seen as barbarian invaders, plain and simple. And it seems that a lot of that had to do with cultural differences rather than religious affiliation. Some could say that the Christians, if not also the Jews, of the time had become “Arabized,” thus creating the gap between Eastern and Western Christians, but I think that the isolation of those worlds can be just as good a potential explanation. Communities were much more segregated and isolated in the Middle Ages which limited travel and encounters with those of far-off lands. It would make perfect sense for the Christians of the Middle East to feel more connected to their neighbors, whether Christian, Jewish or Muslim, than to these European foreigners even if they were “Christian” by definition.

No matter the chosen explanation, Amin Maalouf’s The Crusades Through Arab Eyes is a highly recommended read that is sure to both enlighten and entertain. As a lover of history, I personally would have read this book no matter its length or writing style, but I can pleasantly say for those who are not particularly history-inclined that this book is rather concise (293 pages) and written in such easily-absorbed language that you may find this very hard to put down. Plenty of action, alliances and betrayals on all sides…
men killing men as history has repeatedly shown.

The least I want to do is examine at least 2 sides of the story. +

Amazon.com link to purchase, read reviews, etc.:

The Crusades Through Arab Eyes - Amin Maalouf

Ajami film review

Oh, Ajami.
First I was upset that you were only playing in the East Coast, and I living in the Bay Area, felt rather deprived. Then I was delighted to try to catch you during my visit to NYC and thus make it even more special of a viewing experience.
But of course, I soon discovered--during my NYC stay of course-- that you would be showing up to Bay Area screens after all. Oh, the irony! But one which I actually welcomed...
So I finally was able to see this movie, and I must say I was rather pleasantly surprised.
I have seen many movies surrounding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and I must say Ajami provides a very convincing narrative. The setting of Ajami, a neighborhood of the Jaffa - Tel Aviv metropolis, ensures that a variety of people and situations-- Jewish, Christian, and Muslim-- will be encountered. An Arab - Jewish creation (Palestinian Scandar Copti and Jewish Israeli Yaron Shani), with a virtually unknown cast and a natural, unrehearsed feel, this film will not disappoint.
Expect twists and turns, expect issues you’ve probably never thought of as part of this conflict, expect a surprise ending.
It is not a “happy” movie, but few worth seeing ever are.

Christians in Palestine - Jean Rolin

Last night, I read Jean Rolin's book called Christians in Palestine (Chrétiens en Français) in... about 2 hours. I'm not sure if I absorbed it so quickly because I wanted to know what was going to happen next or because on so many levels I felt I, or close family members, could relate to it so much... Probably a mix of the two. It's basically his account of his encounters with Christian families and church leaders while in Palestine/Israel, as well as Christian-Muslim-Jewish relations there. I felt like I was right there with him, in Bethlehem and Jerusalem and Ramallah visiting those places and families... It definitely made it more personal now that I've actually been there and could visualize the areas in question. The geography there is so complicated that reading the names of the locations without having visited first would have probably left me majorly confused...

I'm so glad I read it, and now own the book (which for some reason was pretty hard for me to find in the first place), but it definitely felt bittersweet. Bittersweet because it's such a complex situation, and because this book highlights another layer of complexity within that very complex situation...

I definitely can't and won't pretend that I know what Jean Rolin felt during or even after his experience that led to the writing of his book. But I just got the impression that his conclusion was a sort of "this was a rather pointless effort on my part"-kind of closure. I felt like maybe he went into his project with so much hope and enthusiasm only to end up feeling a bit let down by the shocking and unexpected reality of things... of course that's my own interpretation of it.

But regardless of how he felt, if I could, I would honestly thank him for going through all that and for caring enough to write a book about it because it really moved me. Thanks to the personal writing style, I was so absorbed that I sometimes felt like he was writing it specifically for me, like I was witnessing something that so few others care about...

Just as Edward Said's biography moved me, this did as well (although of course, in an entirely different manner). Jean Rolin, a French journalist and self-proclaimed non-believer (at least at the time?) didn't have to care and to decide to take on a project all by himself concerning Christians in the Holy Land. But he did. And for that, I truly respect and praise him. And I'm sure others more familiar with his work (like the whole country of France perhaps? since that's where his work is well-known) do as well.

(*book purchase courtesy of amazon.com* :) )