Rival Jerusalems

First published in 1984, this study is now revised and updated to take into account the best of recent scholarship."--BOOK JACKET.

Jerusalem has for centuries been known as the spiritual centerfor the three largest monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianityand Islam. Yet Jerusalem’s other-worldly transcendence is farfrom the daily reality of Jerusalem, a city bombarded by conflict.The battle over who owns and controls Jerusalem is intenselydisputed on a global basis. Few cities rival Jerusalem in how itsdivisions are expressed in the political sphere and in ordinaryeveryday life. Jerusalem: The Spatial Politics of a Divided Metropolis isabout this constellation of competing on-the-ground interests: theendless set of claims, struggles, and debates over the land,neighborhoods, and communities that make up Jerusalem. Spatialpolitics explain the motivations and organizing around the battlefor Jerusalem and illustrate how space is a weapon in the Jerusalemstruggle. These are the windows to the world of theIsrael-Palestine conflict. Based on ninety interviews, years of fieldwork, and numerousJerusalem experiences, this book depicts the groups living inJerusalem, their roles in the conflict, and their connections toJerusalem's development. Written for students, scholars, and thoseseeking to demystify the Jerusalem labyrinth, this book shows howreligion, ideology, nationalism, and power underlie patterns ofurban development, inequality, and conflict.

"To Rule Jerusalem is a study of religion and politics, Judaism and Zionism as well as Palestinian nationalism and Islam, and it brings a most remarkable perspective to a topic--conflict over Jerusalem--with which we all are, unfortunately, far more familiar than we might like to be."—Gregory Mahler, Shofar

Priests in Exile is the first comprehensive scholarly opus in English to reconstruct the history of the mysterious Temple of Onias, a Jewish temple built by a Jerusalemite high priest in his Egyptian exile that functioned in parallel with the Temple of Jerusalem. Piotrkowski’s book addresses a topic that is mysterious, important and anomalous: a Jewish community of mercenary priests in the (Egyptian) Diaspora in which the priestly sacrificial ritual was carried out daily over a period of more than two hundred years until the first century CE, outlasting the Jerusalem Temple by about three years. Although the book focuses on the very circumscribed topic of the parallel Temple it casts a wide net, placing the story in the context of Jewish Diaspora life in ancient times. Ancient topics and texts are brought to bear, including papyri, epigraphy, archaeology, as well as the modern literature. Piotrkowski throws new light on a fascinating episode of ancient Jewish history that is usually left in the dark.

The collection is the first to bring together a number of accounts about the Holy Land written by early modern authors from different religious and regional backgrounds.

"Judaism is one of the oldest religions in the world, and it has preserved its distinctive identity despite the extraordinarily diverse forms and beliefs it has embodied over the course of more than three millennia. A History of Judaism provides the first truly comprehensive look in one volume at how this great religion came to be, how it has evolved from one age to the next, and how its various strains, sects, and traditions have related to each other. In this magisterial and elegantly written book, Martin Goodman takes readers from Judaism's origins in the polytheistic world of the second and first millennia BCE to the temple cult at the time of Jesus. He tells the stories of the rabbis, mystics, and messiahs of the medieval and early modern periods and guides us through the many varieties of Judaism today. Goodman's compelling narrative spans the globe, from the Middle East, Europe, and America to North Africa, China, and India. He explains the institutions and ideas on which all forms of Judaism are based, and masterfully weaves together the different threads of doctrinal and philosophical debate that run throughout its history."--

See how the Book of Revelation can be read as a book of discipleship, challenging Christ-followers everywhere to live as hopeful agents of resistance and transformation. The last book of the Bible frustrates and frightens many people with its imagery and apocalyptic tone. Popular interpretations rely on fear and politicization and often lead to pride and alienation of others. Is this really how we were intended to read John’s Revelation? In Revelation for the Rest of Us, Scot McKnight with Cody Matchett explore the key message of Revelation and how it: Calls us to be faithful and hopeful witnesses to Jesus. Stimulates our imagination to see the world through the eyes of God and excite our faith. Challenges us to stand against the militarism, economic exploitation, oppression, and injustice of worldly authorities. McKnight addresses the popular misconceptions about the book, explaining what John means in his use of the images of dragons, lambs, and beasts; and how the symbolism of Revelation spoke in the days of Rome and still speaks powerfully to the present day—though not in the way most people think. You’ll learn to see the Book of Revelation in a fresh and hopeful new way. Drawing from the latest scholarship, the authors present an understanding of Revelation for anyone interested in deepening their personal study of the Bible and strengthening their faith as dissident disciples who can discern the presence of "Babylon" in our world and learn to speak up, speak out, and walk in the way of the Lamb.