The purple hills of Moab rise from the chasm of the Rift Valley, overpowering the Wilderness of Judah as it drops into the Dead Sea. The modern city of Bethlehem lies in the foreground. The clearer the day, the smaller the land appears, and a journey to the hills “just over there” was a realistic option for someone from famine-stricken Bethlehem. (photo: Garo Nalbandian) The story of Ruth is a breath of fresh air in the turbulent atmosphere of
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