“In the ancient coins, lamps, manuscripts, marble statues, and mosaics that remain, the imagery and imagination of a distant time and place can be found again, allowing us to find new ways to tell the stories of the past for the present,” says Dr Sheilagh Ilona O’Brien, with The Rev’d Dr Gregory Jenks
“The Idol tells the story of how Mohammad Assaf travelled from the Khan Yunis refugee camp in Palestine’s Gaza strip to the Arab Idol competition in Beirut. Since the film is based on real life and the outcome is famously known, the artistic challenge for the filmmaker was to present the story in a fresh way that keeps the viewer engaged,” says The Rev’d Dr Greg Jenks, who is the former Dean of St George’s College, Jerusalem
“They were very different characters, and that may actually be the major piece of wisdom we take away from this reflection. As we collaborate, we each have to be our own selves, rather than seeking to fit in with how other people expect us to think, act or worship…Their life experiences were about as different as two Jewish men could be during the time of the Roman Empire,” says The Very Rev’d Dr Greg Jenks
Hear The Rev’d Canon Sarah Plowman, Bishop Jeremy Greaves and The Very Rev’d Dr Greg Jenks discuss this question in the ‘Exploring the Bible’ online short course, produced by St Francis College. The course features 38 short videos under six themes, with reflection/discussion questions for groups or individuals
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