Tantur

Discover the spirit and story of Tantur, the ecumenical institute located in the outskirts of Jerusalem, where scholars have been gathering for decades to pray and work together in the search for Christian unity.

On a hill between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, between East and West, in the meeting point–and sometimes sticking point–between cultures, religions, and political conflict, there is a small hilltop: Tantur. In this compelling account, journalist Renée Roden tells the story of this hilltop, its people, and the people trying to forge unity in the birthplace of Christianity, even as the defining conflict of the twentieth century began fracturing the land beneath them. It is a chronicle of the church on pilgrimage, and of learning to walk together on the journey of salvation history. It is a story of the universal church, according to one small hilltop.

Tantur the place has a long history, but the modern complex on its summit was founded by Pope Paul VI in 1965 after Second Vatican Council ended. Later the institute was entrusted to a Catholic priest, president of the University of Notre Dame, with the responsibility of bringing Paul VI’s vision of a meeting place between East and West, between Christian theologians of all traditions to completion—an image of hope that remains in the distance.

Renée D. Roden is a journalist and playwright from Minnesota. She has a bachelor of arts degree in theatre and theology and a masters of theological studies in systematic theology. It was at Notre Dame that Roden first encountered Tantur. She is an alumna of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Her writing has appeared in a variety of publications, including The Nation, Religion News Service, America Magazine, The Associated Press, Sojourners, and U.S. Catholic.