[Ivor Starkey]

Through his religion, the Hebraic leader is able to see the links between the Biblical world and the Near East of today. Looking back to the roots of his faith, he can see that the challenges he faces were confronted by the writers of the Old and New Testaments millennia ago, and be consoled by the answers they found. We must take ‘responsibility in the face of History,” as we realise that conflicts can take generations to resolve, and that that the solutions may not be as simple as we might like: think of the Jews in Jeremiah 29, being told to seek the peace of the city that has just taken them captive. The 5 pillars of the Hebraic tradition give us a paradigm in which we can recognise our place in the story of God and His people.