Sacred Encounters from Rome to Jerusalem

by Tamara Park

Tamara Park wanted to test her beliefs about God outside the cloistered corner of her American upbringing. So she and a couple of friends flew to Rome and from there followed the footsteps of Helena, mother of the first Christian emperor of ancient Rome, on a meandering path to Jerusalem. Along the way, she sat on all sorts of benches and talked with all sorts of people about how they thought of God. As she conversed with nuns, spies and backpackers throughout the Balkans and Middle East, she discovered understandings of the sacred in the most unexpected of encounters. In her book you'll meet Muslims, Jews, Christians and agnostics in lands that have witnessed near-endless war, tumultuous political crises, economic stagnation and religious strife. You'll see God through the eyes of people whose lived experience is profoundly different yet surprisingly common. You'll see the world through the eyes of three pilgrims and get to know God--and yourself--a little better.

Genres: Travel, Christianity, Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published November 19, 2008

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a vividly written account of an American Protestant woman's quest to challenge and deepen her faith. She undertakes a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Starting in Rome, she loops her way through the Balkans, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, until she reaches her final destination, Jerusalem.

As with many travelogues, we are introduced to a cast of interesting, amusing, endearing and sometimes eccentric characters. There are descriptions of sites visited, accounts of food enjoyed, overviews of political situations and even history lessons.

But this is a pilgrimage with a difference.

Along the way, she interviews people whenever she gets the chance, asking them a single question: How do you describe God? She receives stunning testimonies of faith, not only from Christians, but also from Jews and Muslims. Even the answers of atheists and agnostics are insightful and interesting. She encounters amazing hospitality and generosity, which is sometimes so overwhelming that it is difficult to accept. She is forced to confront and re-evaluate her own foibles, fears, weaknesses, prejudices, insecurities and preconceived notions.

[Mitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very much drawn to this book because it describes a pilgrimage through Western Europe and the Middle East- one glance at the table of contents told me I'd been to many of the same places and I was curious to see the author's impressions. I also wanted to see what happened when she asked strangers everywhere for their personal descriptions of God.

Well, it turns out she power-walked her pilgrimage. She and two companions traveled 1,400 miles in 40 days. She was constantly terminating interviews to catch her next travel connection.

She did collect descriptions of God, the most common of which was "God is love"- but really nothing that she wouldn't have heard multiple times either from her divinity school days or from reading the Bible on her own. The significance of these descriptions seems to derive from the way they were collected off the streets.

Additionally, the author describes her travel experiences, relays some historical information, and asks an annoying amount of questions both about her internal journey and about everything around her as it might relate to spiritual matters. I use the word 'annoying' both because of the sheer volume of questions (someone call the Guiness Book of World Records) and because she never gives solid answers to any of them.

She says asking questions is her gift. Apparently it came in Extra-Extra Large and what she really needed was a Medium.

She didn't make all that many observations about the places we've both been to, but I still found the little commonalities interesting.

Spiritual depth seemed to be lacking; overall I'd say she skipped her 'describe God' premise multiple times across the surface of what could have been much more profound.

[Nicole Magolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

Sacred Encounters takes a light and breezy writing approach to a topic so deep and impossible, that it almost comes together really well. The author takes us along with her as she sets out on a pilgrimage from Rome to Jerusalem, and she tells many a tale of sketchy taxis and running to catch trains -- all the typical travel shenanigans. But this light-hearted travelogue is balanced with the interviews the author is collecting along the way. She has a question, the same question for every person, but no two answers come the same. The question is "how do you define God?" and through the many stories, the stuttering, the shrugs, the revelations...she attempts to piece together her own answer.

I only wish it went deeper than it does. Too many conversations are cut short by the travel schedule. I wanted to linger in those sacred encounters but we were constantly being whisked off to the next stop. Too much page time is given over to the Quirky Adventures of Travelling Americans and not enough to what should be the actual meat of the book. But what is there of those conversations is very good, and very stirring. Gives the reader much to ponder.
I also loved the historical detail scattered throughout. It added a lot of helpful context and was just generally fascinating.
The writing style soooometimes got on my nerves with how ~fun and relatable~ it attempted to be...but overall, it flowed well and read well.
I would recommend this book if it sounds intriguing to you, especially if you love the travelogue style. It's generally not really my thing -- I know that now lol. For the right reader, this could be a life-changing read.

[CJ Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

An American protestant goes on a pilgrimage from Rome to Jerusalem, hoping to interview people about how they describe or experience God. Her interviews and connections are often cut short because of the schedule of her travel, something that made me somewhat anxious and just further revealed her Americanness :) The book is also full of gushy language and detail, which distract at times from the bigger questions the author is asking. There are some interesting insights, most I found coming from Orthodox priests or Muslim-Christian converts, but most of the discussion around faith and spirituality feels tired and vague. Overall, a pretty safe book. It was engaging for me, as an American protestant who has never visited any of the places she describes. I'm writing this in 2020 and much has changed politically in some of the places. An updated edition with a foreward might be nice.

[Jessalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a combination of a travel book, spiritual journey, and personal quest. I really appreciated the chance to get into the head of a woman of faith, who though she holds very different beliefs from me, is open to diversity and values the beliefs of others. And I loved her sense of humor and her honesty -- she talks about everything from her insecurities ("What if I suck as a pilgrim?") to the amoeba she picked up along the way. On a serious note, I learned so much about the Balkan states and Middle Eastern countries (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan) that I really don't have much exposure to. In some ways I enjoyed these parts of her journey more than the interviews and other "sacred encounters" she held with strangers along the way. And I even got to meet Tamara Park at a book discussion -- she's wonderful in person as well.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

4/09 The author recently graduated from seminary and decided to retrace Helena's (mother of Constantine) pilgrimage from Rome to Jerusalem in forty days. She searched for sacred encounters along the way by asking people to describe God. The book had some interesting background information about the church and religion in each location. There were some great encounters demonstrating faith and there were places where faith seemed almost entirely lacking. The author was afraid she would loose her faith along the way but she came away with her faith intact. I struggled with the book because I couldn't connect with the author. Her digressions into personal minor irritations made her seem self-centered an petty. She came across rather insensitive to the generous people along the way as well as to her traveling companions.

[Ramarie]

I confess: I'm giving up on this book. It's not altogether bad, it's just really slow. It's a travel memoir of sorts, as the author makes her way, along with two friends, on a pilgrimage from Rome to Jerusalem, asking people along the way, to describe God. It seems like a great idea, but I really think it's the author's voice, so earnest and deliberate, that is getting in the way. After each encounter, she's looking for profound spiritual insight and trying to apply it to her own life...tiresome.

[Rikke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although interesting to read about her journey, and to hear from these random people throughout the world on this subject, I thought it could have been better. She lacked interview skills I think, could have gotten a better grouping of people/more interesting interviews.

[Beth Peninger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I was first taken in with it while skimming through and catching sentences here and there. Tamara Park brings life to a physical and spiritual journey and ends up enriched and enriching us in the process.