Reconstructing Jerusalem: Persian Period Prophetic Perspectives
by Kenneth A. Ristau /
2016 / English / PDF
75.4 MB Download
Jerusalem—one of the most contested sites in the world.
Jerusalem—one of the most contested sites in the world.Reconstructing Jerusalem
Reconstructing Jerusalem takes readers back to a pivotal
moment in its history when it lay ruined and abandoned and the
glory of its ancient kings, David and Solomon, had faded. Why did
this city not share the same fate as so many other conquered
cities, destroyed and forever abandoned, never to be rebuilt? Why
did Jerusalem, disgraced and humiliated, not suffer the fate of
Babylon, Nineveh, or Persepolis? Reconstructing Jerusalem
explores the interrelationship of the physical and intellectual
processes leading to Jerusalem’s restoration after its
destruction in 587 B.C.E., stressing its symbolic importance and
the power of the prophetic perspective in the preservation of the
Judean nation and the critical transition from Yahwism to
Judaism. Through texts and artifacts, including a unique,
comprehensive investigation of the archaeological evidence, a
startling story emerges: the visions of a small group of prophets
not only inspired the rebuilding of a desolate city but also of a
dispersed people. Archaeological, historical, and literary
analysis converge to reveal the powerful elements of the story, a
story of dispersion and destruction but also of re-creation and
revitalization, a story about how compelling visions can change
the fate of a people and the course of human history, a story of
a community reborn to a barren city.
takes readers back to a pivotal
moment in its history when it lay ruined and abandoned and the
glory of its ancient kings, David and Solomon, had faded. Why did
this city not share the same fate as so many other conquered
cities, destroyed and forever abandoned, never to be rebuilt? Why
did Jerusalem, disgraced and humiliated, not suffer the fate of
Babylon, Nineveh, or Persepolis? Reconstructing Jerusalem
explores the interrelationship of the physical and intellectual
processes leading to Jerusalem’s restoration after its
destruction in 587 B.C.E., stressing its symbolic importance and
the power of the prophetic perspective in the preservation of the
Judean nation and the critical transition from Yahwism to
Judaism. Through texts and artifacts, including a unique,
comprehensive investigation of the archaeological evidence, a
startling story emerges: the visions of a small group of prophets
not only inspired the rebuilding of a desolate city but also of a
dispersed people. Archaeological, historical, and literary
analysis converge to reveal the powerful elements of the story, a
story of dispersion and destruction but also of re-creation and
revitalization, a story about how compelling visions can change
the fate of a people and the course of human history, a story of
a community reborn to a barren city.
