Identity and Territory: Jewish Perceptions of Space in Antiquity (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780520293601)

Throughout 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 Territory explores how ancient conceptions of Israel--of both the land itself and its shifting frontiers and borders--have 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.

Author: Eyal Ben-Eliyahu
ISBN-10: 0520293606
ISBN-13: 9780520293601
Publisher: University of California Press
Language: English
Published: 04/30/2019
Pages: 216
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.20w x 0.90d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 01/01/2020