Under Jerusalem: The Buried History of the World's Most Contested City
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6.8
VerdictRead with discernment
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Book Summary
Journalist Andrew Lawler chronicles the dramatic history of archaeological excavations beneath Jerusalem from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. The book examines how discoveries beneath the Holy City have fueled religious passions, imperialist ambitions, and modern political conflicts among Christians, Jews, and Muslims.
ALIGNMYREAD RECOMMENDATION
“Recommended for mature Christian readers and students of biblical history who want a rigorous, secular look at the history of archaeology in Jerusalem and the complex socio-political realities beneath the Holy Land.”
Biblical alignment
- —Provides a richly detailed, well-researched history of excavations that shaped modern understanding of biblical Jerusalem
- —Exposes the complex interplay between archaeology, biblical scholarship, and geopolitical conflict
- —Offers fascinating biographical sketches of prominent explorers and biblical archaeologists, from Charles Warren to Kathleen Kenyon and Eilat Mazar
Areas of concern
- —Written from a secular journalistic perspective that occasionally treats religious devotion and biblical claims with skepticism
- —Highlights the eccentricity, colonial motives, and fanaticism of some early Christian and Western explorers, which may dishearten readers expecting idealized pioneers of faith
- —Focuses heavily on the ongoing political and religious strife tied to archaeological digs
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