The Land, the Bible, and History: Toward the Land That I Will Show You / Edition 3

by Alain Marchadour A.A., David Neuhaus S.J., Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini

Overview

This unique book offers a Catholic view of the Holy Land in the debate that rages among Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Alain Marchadour and David Neuhaus, two biblical scholars and priests living in Jerusalem, clearly analyze the Promised Land-as concept, history, and contested terrain-in Catholic teaching and doctrine. They offer an analytical reading of the entire Christian Bible (Old and New Testaments) with reference to the idea of the Land promised by God. They explore early and medieval attitudes, especially with regard to the Holy Places and the Jewish people. Moving carefully to the present day, they focus on anti-Semitism, the tragedy ofthe Shoah, Western colonialism in the Middle East, the creation of the State of Israel, and the birth of the Palestinian refugee problem as they examine Catholic reactions to the tumultuous events of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, particularly the renewal of Catholic thought in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council. Studying the most recent Church documents, Marchadour and Neuhaus confront the ongoing struggle for peace, justice, and reconciliation in the Middle East. This illuminating book is an essential tool for all those struggling to understand the links between the Bible, the Church, and contemporary Middle Eastern realities, especially in Israel and Palestine.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823226597
Publisher:	Fordham University Press
Publication date:	02/01/2007
Series:	Abrahamic Dialogues , #4
Edition description:	3
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Alain Marchadour, A.A., is former Dean and Professor of Scripture at L'Institute Catholique de Toulouse, and now superior of Saint Peter in Gallicantu in Jerusalem. He is the author of numerous exegetical studies, particularly on the Gospel of John.

David Neuhaus, S.J., is Professor of Scripture at the Catholic Seminary of the Holy Land and at Bethlehem University. He is active in Jewish-Catholic dialogue and the struggle forpeace and justice in Israel and Palestine.

Carlo Maria Cardinal Martini, S.J., former rector of the Pontifical Gregorian University, spent over twenty years as the Archbishop of Milan. His numerous works include Praying as Jesus Taught Us: Meditations on Our Father and on the Body.

Table of Contents

List of Framed Texts     vii
Foreword   Carlo Maria Cardinal Martini, S.J.     ix
Acknowledgments     xv
Introduction     1
Interpreting the Land in the Bible
The Land in the Old Testament     9
The Land in the New Testament     63
The Land in Christian Tradition
Visiting the Land     89
A Christian Reading of the Land until Vatican II     108
Shaking Up a Familiar Landscape     125
The Land in the Contemporary Documents of the Catholic Church
Traditional Christian Attachment to the Land     147
The Interpretation of the Bible     151
Interreligious Dialogue     160
Peace and Justice     177
Conclusion-Holy Lands: Yesterday and Today     187
Redemptionis anno: Apostolic Letter of Pope John Paul II (April 20, 1984)     203
Notes     209
Selected Bibliography     223
Index     227
Index of Biblical Citations     233

Editorial Reviews

With its moderate tone and broad scope, this book is a valuable and accessible contribution to a contentious topic and should be of interest to Catholics and others concerned with religious attitudes toward the land of Israel.

The two authors write as scholars of the Bible unconcerned to frame arguments over modern Israel and Palestine but hoping that their factual presentation may contribute to the near silent dialogue on peace in the Land.

This book will help Catholics have a more informed understanding of the issues at stake in the struggle of Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews over the land that both consider their rightful home.

From the Publisher

With its moderate tone and broad scope, this book is a valuable and accessible contribution to a contentious topic and should be of interest to Catholics and others concerned with religious attitudes toward the land of Israel.

The Journal of Ecumenical Studies

[A] posture of respectful listening sets Marchadour's and Neuhaus' study apart from the aggressive partianship that characterizes much Christian writing on the Israeli-Paelestinian conflict.

Modern Theology

Sucessfully frame[s] the question of the theology of the land in a way that gives a theological perspective and hope to all the shareholders in the Holy Land.

Florida Catholic (Catholic News Service)

The two authors write as scholars of the Bible unconcerned to frame arguments over modern Israel and Palestine but hoping that their factual presentation may contribute to the near silent dialogue on peace in the Land.

The Catholic Historical Review

This book will help Catholics have a more informed understanding of the issues at stake in the struggle of Palestinian Arabs and Israeli Jews over the land that both consider their rightful home.

The Catholic Biblical Quarterly

. . .An intelligent and helpful volume.

America

"Fathers Marchadour and Neuhaus successfully frame the question of the theology of the land in a way that gives theological perspective and hope to all the shareholders in the Holy Land."

Catholic News Service

Marchadour (Scripture, emeritus, L'Institut Catholique de Toulouse) and Neuhaus (Scripture, Catholic Seminary of the Holy Land, Bethlehem Univ.), both priests living in Jerusalem, present a specifically Catholic view of the Holy Land in light of the centuries of conflict among Jews, Christians, and Muslims in this small strip of territory whose influence on much of the world greatly exceeds its size. They offer a study of the Holy Land as depicted in the Old and New Testaments, Christian tradition, and contemporary Catholic documents as well as show how attitudes toward the area and its peoples have changed with archaeological discoveries and historic events like the Holocaust. Included are sections on interreligious dialog and issues of justice and peace. The appendix contains a 1984 apostolic letter by Pope John Paul II. Unfortunately, the upbeat nature of some of the content has, to an extent, been eclipsed by the hostility resulting from Pope Benedict's anti-Muslim comments in late 2006. Though the book is well researched and documented, the sectarian viewpoint limits its appeal to academic libraries with an interest in Catholic thought.
—Denise J. Stankovics Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

Library Journal

. . .An intelligent and helpful volume.

America

. . . seeks to help Christians reflect on the imporatant questions raised by the complex past, conflicted present, and insecure future of the Land known today as Israel and Palestine.

New Testament Abstracts

Fathers Marchadour and Neuhaus successfully frame the question of the theology of the land in a way that gives theological perspective and hope to all the shareholders in the Holy Land.

Catholic Free Press (Catholic News Service)

Examines the concept of the Promised Land in Roman Catholic thought, from medieval times to today's discussions of Middle East tensions.

The Chronicle of Higher Education