Description
Book SynopsisThroughout history, the relationship between Jews and their land has been a vibrant, much-debated topic within the Jewish world and in international political discourse.Identity and Territoryexplores how ancient conceptions of Israelof both the land itself and its shifting frontiers and bordershave played a decisive role in forming national and religious identities across the millennia. Through the works of Second Temple period Jews and rabbinic literature, Eyal Ben-Eliyahu examines the role of territorial status, boundaries, mental maps, and holy sites, drawing comparisons to popular Jewish and Christian perceptions of space. Showing how space defines nationhood and how Jewish identity influences perceptions of space, Ben-Eliyahu uncovers varied understandings of the land that resonate with contemporary views of the relationship between territory and ideology.
Trade Review"In this erudite monograph Ben Eliyahu surveys various texts—ranging chronologically from the second temple period through early rabbinic and early Christian writings—in order to analyze, compare, and contrast how the land of Israel and areas in it (like the territory of Judah or its capital Jerusalem) were imagined. Recommended." * CHOICE *
"This book is highly recommended for its thorough research, the original application of the spatial theory of history to Jewish studies, its extensive notes and bibliography, and the large number of ancient Jewish and other texts that are covered." * H-Net Reviews *
"This book offers a judicious and exhaustive reading into the fluctuating perceptions of the territorial space known by multiple names to various communities. It successfully elucidates the importance of the geographical approach to the very ancient history of communities living in the land that today is known as Israel and Palestine. . . . this is a valuable, critical contribution to the discussion on Jewish conceptions of space. Its approachable language enables a wider public, unfamiliar with the formidable corpus the book tackles, to take part in the conversation." * Journal of Historical Geography *
"Ben-Eliyahu has written a fascinating book on how Jewish identity in antiquity is shaped by a territory, and the holy sites within this territory, and how these in turn shape this identity. It is a recommended read for historians of early Judaism and early Christianity." * Journal for the Study of Judaism *
"A significant contribution to recent scholarship pertaining to Judean nationalism, Jewish identity, and diaspora studies." * Association for Jewish Studies *
"The sheer array of topics covered in this review manifests the richness of this volume. Ben-Eliyahu masterfully covers a wide-reaching selection of texts, raising fundamental theoretical issues for the study of Judaism in particular and late antiquity at large." * Hebrew Studies *
"This book and its author should be commended for intellectually and thoughtfully investigating, using mainly religious sources, a topic with major ramifications throughout history."
* Journal of Religious History *
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations
Preface
Introduction: Identity, Space, Place, and Territory
1. From Judah to Israel: Territory and Identity
2. Borders, Space, and Identity in Second Temple Literature
3. From Earthly Land to Holy Land
4. Land of the Sages
5. Rabbinic Literature Confronts Nonrabbinic Jewish
Culture and Christianity: The Question of Holy Spaces
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index of Places
Index of Sources
Index of Persons
Index of Subjects
