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This is the first volume of its kind, bringing together a group of international Jewish and Catholic scholars in creative conversation addressing the question of the status of the land called Israel. Is Israel best viewed as political territory, the ‘Holy Land’, or part of the biblical promise? If committing to one of these options, what are the theological and political consequences? The book is divided into sections that take the reader through several related questions that bear upon this topic. There is a preface with an overview of how far Catholic Jewish conversations have gone since Nostra Aetate, and how these conversations have now begun to address the land. Then there is an attempt to advance positive theological cases by Catholics and Jews affirming the people in the land as theologically significant, not without difficulties regarding the state itself. The next section deals with the bible/Tanakh as the basis of such claims and addresses the different reading strategies by each community. One of the central questions is then addressed: what of the Palestinian people, do the biblical promise to the Jewish people spell disaster for the Palestinians? Can revelation mean dispossession? The following essays address a stumbling block for both groups: do Jewish and Christian theologies underwrite a nation state? Isn’t this option perilously close to God underwriting nationalism? The book ends with subtle critiques of the entire venture undertaken in this volume. Essential reading for Catholic Jewish relations and one that addresses one of the most pressing contemporary questions for both religions.

The Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. was a watershed event in the history of Judah, the end of the monarchy and the beginning of the exilic period, during which many of the biblical texts were probably written. The conquest left clear archaeological marks on many sites in Judah, including Jerusalem, and the Bible records it as a traumatic event for the population. Less clear is the situation in Judah following the conquest, that is, in the sixth century, a period with archaeological remains the nature and significance of which are disputed. The traditional view is that the land was decimated and the population devastated. In the last two decades, archaeologists arguing that the land was not empty and that the exile had little impact on Judah’s rural sector have challenged this view. This volume examines the archaeological reality of Judah in the sixth century in order to shed new light on the debate. By expanding research into new avenues and examining new data, as well as by applying new methods to older data, the author arrives at fresh insights that support the traditional view of sixth-century Judah as a land whose population, both urban and rural, was devastated and whose recovery took centuries.

Investigate a relatively neglected but momentous period in Judean history

Nadav Sharon closely examines a critical period in Judean history, which saw the end of the Hasmonean dynasty and the beginning of Roman domination of Judea leading up to the kingship of Herod (67-37 BCE). In this period renowned Roman figures such as Pompey the Great, Julius Caesar, Gaius Cassius (a conspirator against Caesar), and Mark Anthony, led the Roman Republic on the eve of its transformation into an Empire, each having his own dealings with—and holding sway over—Judea at different times. This volume explores the impact of the Roman conquest on the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls, enhances the understanding of later Judean-Roman relations and the roots of the Great Revolt, and examines how this early period of Roman domination had on impact on later developments in Judean society and religion.

Features:

• Part one dedicating to reconstructing Judean history from the death of Alexander to the reign of King Herod
• Part two examining the effects of Roman domination on Judean society
• Maps, illustrations, and appendices