Chapter 9

1. 1.  Where are Elias and Faraj ordained?
3. 2.  What humiliation did Elias confront when he tried to re-enter his country?  How did his resolve this situation?
5. 3.  From what countries were the fedayeen attacking Jewish settlements?
7. 4.  How was the Israeli military dealing with the small bands of fedayeen who were attacking Jewish settlements?
9. 5.  What does Elias mean when he states, “We Gentiles had been “grafted in” among God’s chosen people of faith, just as Father had grafted six different kinds of fig trees together to make a delightful new tree.” (p. 145 & p. 150)
11. 6.  According to Elias, what does the example of Abraham’s life in Canaan and the prophecies of Isaiah state about what Israel should be like? (pp. 146-153)
13. 7.  Upon meditating on the “prophecies” of the Beatitudes, what must Elias do first in order to reconcile Jews and Palestinians?
15. 8.  What was Elias’ first assignment as an ordained priest?

Chapter 10

1. 1.  Why was the Responsible so unfriendly to Elias?
3. 2.  How did Elias take away the Responsible’s hold over the townspeople?
5. 3.  Who did Elias get to help him with his work in Ibillin?  Was this problematic?  Why?
7. 4.  Why did the Responsible hate Habib?
9. 5.  What religious groups lived in the villages of Galilee?
11. 6.  What was the turning point for the sisters’ work in Ibillin?
13. 7.  How did the townspeople respond to Elias and the sisters in the end?
15. 8.  How did Elias manage to save his grapevine?  Why did this infuriate the Responsible?
17. 9.  How did Elias get the entire Christian community of Ibillin to reconcile? 
19. 10.  Why does Elias say that “true Christianity belongs in the streets?” (p. 179)

Chapter 11

1. 1.  How does Elias convince the sisters to work with the Muslim community?  What facilitates this calling?
3. 2.  Why does the Bishop send Elias to study at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem?  Why is this so significant?
5. 3.  What was the situation of Israel’s economy in 1967?  Why?
7. 4.  How were dark-skinned Jews from Africa and Asia being treated in Israel?  Why?
9. 5.  What did the United Nations urge Israel to do for the Palestinian refugee problem in 1967?
11. 6.  Why did Israel go to war against Egypt in 1967?  How long was this war?  Who won?  Why?
13. 7.  Why did Elias cry when he saw his Christian brothers and sisters celebrating Israel’s victory in the Six-Day war?
15. 8.  How was Elias received at the university?
17. 9.  Professor Flusser and other Jews that Elias befriended at the university proved what about Jews and Palestinians? (p. 188)
19. 10.  What was special about Bishop Joseph Raya?  How would his experiences help Elias in his efforts to reconcile Jews and Palestinians?
21. 11.  What kind of activities did Elias and Bishop Raya organize that gave Palestinians and Jews hope for peace?
23. 12.  Despite Elias’ and Bishop Raya’s efforts, Israel’s first female prime minister, Golda Meir, clearly demonstrated that the Zionist government still held the same view of Palestinians when she stated, “___________.” (p. 195)
25. 13.  What was special about the Jerusalem march of 1972?
26. Why did Elias and others conduct a fast at the end of the march?

Chapter 12

1. 1.  What did Muslim communities around Ibillin request from Elias?  Why?
3. 2.  What would the Christian women teach during their “Apostolic Holidays?”
5. 3.  How did Elias begin to raise the human dignity of the Palestinians in Galilee?
7. 4.  How did “some” people respond to Elias’ building efforts?
9. 5.  What help was offered to Elias upon his first trip to Europe?
11. 6.  Why was Bishop Raya reassigned to Canada?
13. 7.  What did Elias show at the inauguration of each community center?  Why?
15. 8.  What happened to the Biram planting tree project?  Why?
17. 9.  What does Elias begin to think about when the Biram project is unsuccessful?

Chapter 13

1. 1.  What happens to Elias when he goes to Beirut, Lebanon on church business in 1981?  Why?
3. 2.  What finally breaks the ice between Elias and his interrogator?
5. 3.  What is the PLO?  And what happened to the ghetto of Sabra and its people?  Why?
7. 4.  Why did Elias eventually decide not to take any of the European offers?
9. 5.  What words convince him of his calling?  Whose words were they?
11. 6.  Why does Elias compare himself to St. Paul?

EPILOGUE

1. 1.  According to Elias, what kind of people can accomplish peace?  What must these people be willing to do?
3. 2.  What truth makes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a cruel tragedy?
5. 3.  What belief about God “justified” Hitler and others who have prescribed to the same belief?
7. 4.  What fuels the Palestinian resistance?
9. 5.  What right do we Westerners have of judging who is a terrorist and who is a freedom fighter if we are ignorant about all the sides of a conflict?  Would our American revolutionaries be judged terrorists by the British during the conflict between England and her colonists?  For that matter, would any Western pioneer be judged a terrorist by Native Americans??
11. 6.  According to our Holy Scripture and the prophet Isaiah, what two elements must be practiced in order for us to have peace?  (In other words, peace is the result of ____________ and ______________.)
13. 7.  What three kinds of people will never inherit the kingdom of heaven?  What will God do to these people?
15. 8.  What kind of people allow evil to ravage humanity?
17. 9.  “For those of you discovering Blood Brothers for the first time, I must add that it is not so much my story as my invitation—my challenge, really, my provocation—for you to get up, to go forward, to do something, to take the risk and to make a difference…for justice and peace.”  Meditate on this quote to prepare for your final exam.