Provides a short, accessible, and lively introduction to Jerusalem
Jerusalem - A Brief History shows how Jewish, Christian, and Islamic
scriptures confer providential meaning to the fate of the city and how
modern Jerusalem is haunted by waves of biblical fantasy aiming at
mutually exclusive status-quo rectification. It presents the major
epochs of the history of Jerusalem's urban transformation, inviting
readers to imagine Jerusalem as a city that is not just sacred to the
many groups of people who hold it dear, but as a united, unharmed place
that is, in this sense, holy.
Jerusalem - A Brief History starts in modern Jerusalem--giving readers
a look at the city as it exists today. It goes on to tell of its
emergence as a holy city in three different ways, focusing each time on
another aspect of the biblical past. Next, it discusses the
transformation of Jerusalem from a formerly Jewish temple city,
condemned to oblivion by its Roman destroyers, into an imperially
sponsored Christian theme park, and the afterlife of that same city
under later Byzantine and Muslim rulers. Lastly, the book returns to
present day Jerusalem to examine the development of the modern city
under the Ottomans and the British, the history of division and
reunification, and the ongoing jostling over access to, and sovereignty
over, Jerusalem's contested holy places.
- Offers a unique integration of approaches, including urban history,
the rhetoric of power, the history of art and architecture, biblical
hermeneutics, and modern Middle Eastern Studies
- Places great emphasis on how Jerusalem is a real city where different
people live and coexist
- Examines the urban transformation that has taken place since late
Ottoman times
- Utilizes numerous line drawings to demonstrate how its monumental
buildings, created to illustrate an alliance of divine and human
power, are in fact quite ephemeral, transient, and fragile
Jerusalem - A Brief History is a comprehensive and thoughtful
introduction to the Holy City that will appeal to any student of
religion and/or history.
