by Karen Armstrong, Armstrong Karen
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Product Description
Jerusalem, the Holy City, venerated for centuries by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike; no other city has remained the center of such conflict for so long. Now Karen Armstrong, author of the best-selling and widely acclaimed A History of God, explains how this came to be as she unravels the meaning of a "holy city" and shows how Jerusalem has become deeply rooted in the identities of all three religions of Abraham. Throughout, Armstrong helps us understand the mythic nature of Jerusalem's holiness as she explores the "primitive ideal of a sacred space," an ideal that continues to arouse powerful emotions. She describes Jerusalem's richly woven history, tracing its battles, archaeology, and ever-changing topography which is often designed to reflect a people's inner world. Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths tells the fascinating story of Jerusalem from its earliest beginnings during the third millennium BCE to the present-day, explaining why Jerusalem is still a vibrant, sometimes violent political issue in the Middle East.
Amazon.com Review
Jerusalem is the most famous city on the planet, a place vibrantly imagined even by people who have never been there. Karen Armstrong, author of the best-selling A History of God, shows why it might also be the most interesting, a sacred ground for rival Christians, Jews and Muslims. Much of her book is devoted to 5,000 years of history, but all of it addresses a longstanding and contemporary fascination unmatched by any other urban center.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 All Sides of the Story, 2008-10-19
In books concerning hot conflicts like the Middle East, it is commonplace to cover only part of the story or to concentrate on one set of events more so than others. This is understandable of course since most people with adequate interest in a topic typically have made up their minds and favor one of the conflicting sides. Not so with this book. I read this book with a critical eye, begging to find any evidence that the author is partial to anyone, but in all of the 430 pages I could not find a single biased reference nor any significant omissions. By writing this wonderful comprehensive and well-researched history of Jerusalem, Karen Armstrong has done all of us concerned about the city a great favor. Throughout the 5000-year history of the city, this book describes in an unbiased tone the enormously interesting history of this hotly contested city. Many remarkable and little-known facts are can be found here. For example, I was surprised to learn that the history of Jerusalem extended for 2000 years before King David, its purported "founder". The book covers all the different eras of the city: the Canaanite, Egyptian, Israelite, Babylonian, Greek, Roman, Muslim, and Crusader eras. The last two chapters focus on the 20th century history of the city.
Though the author was a former catholic nun, she displays no bias whatsoever towards Christianity. The book displays the history of the city equally from the points of view of all three religious groups that care about it: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Thus the book dwells in detail about the extreme agony of the Jews for their loss of the city and their being forbidden to enter it during Byzantine Roman rule. The book also illustrates the relative tolerance of early Islam and how Jews for the first time were allowed to return to Jerusalem under Islamic rule and coexist in peace with Christians and Muslims. If the author displays a bias against anyone, it is against extremists from all religions who are today fanning the flames of conflict and threatening the peace of the city.
The book is a definite page-turner, packed full of information, and well worth a read if you cared about understanding the "whys" and the "how comes" behind the daily headlines.
If you liked this book, you'll like Karen Armstrong's other books, especially "A History of God" which, surprisingly, contains little repetition or overlap with this book, unlike many similarly prolific authors.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Jerusalem CD: One City, Three Faiths, 2008-05-19
There is nothing like an author reading her or his own text. The expression, exclamations, pauses, all where it is supposed to be; conveying exactly what the author means. It would have been better however, if the tracks were broken down into chapters. It is easier that way especially if you like to download them on to your i-pod. (Hence I ranked it 4 star and not 5).
The text is phenomenal. I wish it was not abridged. It is true that Karen Armstrong has not adopted the much prevalent anti Muslim rhetoric. Having said that, I really do not think that she portrayed any ethnic or religious group better or worse than the other. She presents historical facts (as factual as history has been recorded)and leads the listener / reader to draw their own conclusion. It unravels a few mysteries behind ongoing unrest in the middle east. Not only it provides us with a better insight in the current conflicts, and also enables us to hypothesize plausible solutions (though none are easy).
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 An excellent book about a tough subject, 2007-06-16
An excellent book about a tough subject. I learned a lot about this history of the city that me and my people aspire to become the capital of the Palestinian State.
One conclusion that struck me at the end of this spiritual quest, because this is more than a history of a city, Karen rightly concludes that a religion based on hatred of others is a self destructive. This is what the history of this tells us. That's why Jews and Christians have lost this city before to others. That doesn't mean Muslims automatically deserves this city. It means that only when this city is open to all, then this city and its rulers will live in peace.
I highly recommend this book for all.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Highly polished anti-Israeli propaganda, 2006-02-20
Much of the material tracing the earlier history of Jerusalem is well written and quite interesting. However, when the author approaches the re-emergence of a strong Jewish presence in Jerusalem all of her previous objectivity goes out the window as she argues that the Jews brutalize the Arabs and that things would be so much better if only the Jewish majority were ruled by the Arab minority.
Her portrait of Jerusalem as a divided and armed camp on p. 419, "Repeatedly ...." is simply false. It is true that the area of Jaffa Road and King George is no longer mixed, but the commercial interaction between Arabs and Jews has simply moved to Talpiot. You also see many clearly identifiable Arabs at the three campuses of the Hebrew University and both Hadassah hospitals. The remaining area of commercial activity in Jerusalem is the food industry where in restaurants, hotels and grocery stores you see Arabs running the kitchens in most restaurants and running a large part of the operations of many of the grocery stores. I see this every day living here in Jerusalem.
The idea that Jews buying properties and moving into Arab neighborhoods constitutes an act of war has its parallels in the history of black people in the old south. It is a view of someone who rejects the idea that Jewish people are equal with any other people. How sad that the author has wasted her talents to present such a view.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Highly informative, yet entertaining!, 2005-11-10
This book provides a very balanced view of the factors leading to the present day situation in Jerusalem. Although somewhat heavy on the religious influences, not inappropriately so, since this is what made Jerusalem what it is today. I would have liked to have learned more about the situation with the Armenians in that quarter of the city throughout the turmoil of the last few hundred years. The many maps of the changing city were outstanding. Excellent!
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