Sacred Sites: Christian Perspectives on the Holy LandPaulist Press, 2004 - 145 pages Webster Patterson's SACRED SITES provides vibrant descriptions of the more authentic and significant biblical locations and combines the history and archaeology of ancient Christian sites with sound scriptural and theological scholarship. Writings on the Holy Land sometimes tend to be overly pious on the one hand or else burdened with dense academic jargon on the other. Patterson deftly avoids these extremes by incorporating solid research into an accurate, reverent, and highly readable presentation. SACRED SITES vividly conveys the atmosphere of actually being in these sacred places--both as they are now and as they were at the time of Christ. The book not only explains the meaning of specific sites but also explores the area as a whole, using scripture, recent theology, and modern archaeology as guides. The book focuses on sites specific to Jesus' life in Galilee, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Nazareth as well as the larger Greco-Roman world in which he lived and ministered. In the final chapter, Patterson searches out the sites frequented by the Apostles and the first Jewish Christians after the Ascension. Although this book will delight visitors to the Holy Land, it will also make the reading of scripture come alive, even for armchair pilgrims. Rather than simply referring the reader to biblical chapter and verse, Patterson provides the full scriptural text and matching visuals. These combine to give the reader a vivid appreciation of each place. + |
Contents
GALILEE | 1 |
JERUSALEM | 35 |
BETHLEHEM NAZARETH AND MOUNT TABOR | 65 |
THE GRECOROMAN WORLD | 89 |
THE JEWISHCHRISTIAN CHURCH | 119 |
137 | |
CHRONOLOGY | 140 |
143 | |
Common terms and phrases
Acts ancient Annunciation apostles archaeological evidence archaeologists Basilica Bet Shean Bethlehem Bethsaida Biblical Archaeology Review boat built Byzantine Caesarea Maritima called Calvary Capernaum Cenacle centurion century A.D. Chapel Chorozain Christ church Cornelius Crusader Dead Sea disciples early Christian emperor entered excavation first-century fish Fitzmyer fourth century Franciscan Garden of Gethsemane Gate Gentiles Gospel Greco-Roman Greek H. V. Morton Hebrew Herod high priest hill Holy Land Holy Sepulcher Holy Spirit Israel Jerusalem Jesus Jewish Jewish-Christian Jews John JORDAN Josephus Judea lake Loffreda Lord Lorna Patterson Fig Luke Mary Masada Matthew Mediterranean Mount of Beatitudes Mount of Olives Mount Tabor Mount Zion Murphy-O'Connor Muslim Nazareth Old Testament Palestine Paul Philip Photo by Lorna Pilate pilgrims praetorium Roman Rome sacred sites Samaria Sanhedrin saying Sea of Galilee Sepphoris Shean stone synagogue Temple area Temple Mount Tiberias tomb town tradition Transfiguration visitor walls western Zealots