At a garage sale in Minnesota in 1989, a young American photographer, John Barnier, bought eight wooden crates containing over 130 glass plate negatives. Realizing that many of the negatives were of Jerusalem, he brought them to the Harvard Semitic Museum where they were eventually identified as the long-lost work of Mendel John Diness, who lived in Jerusalem in the 1850s and was the first photographer to learn--and practice--the art there. Until a decade ago Diness did not even appear in the annals of photography. It was Dror Wahrman, an Israeli historian, who discovered that Diness was a Russian Jewish watchmaker who arrived in Jerusalem in 1848 to pursue rabbinical studies. A year later he converted and his baptism by the Anglican bishop caused near-riots in the city's Jewish community. Having lost his Jewish clients, Diness supported his family by learning photography and eventually became the Holy City's first commercial photographer. This volume traces Diness' role in the history of photography and his life in Jerusalem and subsequently in the United States. From the uncovered negatives, 60 platinum prints were developed showing with utmost clarity rare views of Jerusalem and environs. Other photographs, lent by Diness' descendants, enhance this most unusual tale.

One of the most famous military campaigns in history, to many the Crusades were the First Crusade. This book details the first 'armed pilgrimage' to the Holy Land, the only Crusade that really succeeded, resulting in the creation of four so-called Crusader States in the Middle East, repercussions of which can still be felt today.

In the wake of Jerusalem's fall in 1099, the crusading armies of western Christians known as the Franks found themselves governing not only Muslims and Jews but also local Christians, whose culture and traditions were a world apart from their own. The crusader-occupied swaths of Syria and Palestine were home to many separate Christian communities: Greek and Syrian Orthodox, Armenians, and other sects with sharp doctrinal differences. How did these disparate groups live together under Frankish rule? In The Crusades and the Christian World of the East, Christopher MacEvitt marshals an impressive array of literary, legal, artistic, and archeological evidence to demonstrate how crusader ideology and religious difference gave rise to a mode of coexistence he calls "rough tolerance." The twelfth-century Frankish rulers of the Levant and their Christian subjects were separated by language, religious practices, and beliefs. Yet western Christians showed little interest in such differences. Franks intermarried with local Christians and shared shrines and churches, but they did not hesitate to use military force against Christian communities. Rough tolerance was unlike other medieval modes of dealing with religious difference, and MacEvitt illuminates the factors that led to this striking divergence. "It is commonplace to discuss the diversity of the Middle East in terms of Muslims, Jews, and Christians," MacEvitt writes, "yet even this simplifies its religious complexity." While most crusade history has focused on Christian-Muslim encounters, MacEvitt offers an often surprising account by examining the intersection of the Middle Eastern and Frankish Christian worlds during the century of the First Crusade.

Biblical scholar and seasoned pilgrimage guide Stephen J. Binz offers an up-to-date handbook for experiencing the sites of the Holy Land as a disciple of Jesus. Whether contemplating future travel, on the road of pilgrimage, savoring memories of a past trip, or journeying in mind and heart from an armchair, readers will explore the nature of pilgrimage and encounter the places of the Holy Land from a biblical, historical, meditative, and prayerful perspective. This guide will enable Christians to walk in the footsteps of Jesus, confident that their pilgrimage will be both an educational journey and a transforming spiritual experience. Full-color illustrations throughout!

Moore traces and re-interprets the significance of the architecture of the Christian Holy Land within changing religious and political contexts.

Exhibition itinerary : Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Jan. 29-May 31, 1998; University of New Mexico Art Museum, Oct. 13-Dec. 13, 1999; St. Louis Art Museum, Feb. 23-May 23, 1999.

Explores the Holy Land as a critical site where Catholics sought spiritual and political legitimacy during a period of profound change.

Claiming that many in the West lack a thorough understanding of crusading, Jonathan Riley-Smith explains why and where the Crusades were fought, identifies their architects, and shows how deeply their language and imagery were embedded in popular Catholic thought and devotional life.

The Fourth Crusade (1202-1204) comprised French knights and Venetian sailors; they set out to capture the Holy Land but ended up sacking Constantinople, the Byzantine capital. Robert of Clari, an obscure knight from Picardy, provides an extraordinary account of the trials, travails, and decidedly mixed triumphs of the Fourth Crusade. Told from the perspective of an ordinary soldier, The Conquest of Constantinople offers a rare and colorful firsthand description of the crusaders' various experiences, including the hardships they endured and the battles they fought.

Make your journey to the holy land a richer experience. This book introduces the reader to the area, it's history and its people, while providing invaluable information on traditional pilgrimage sites. Knowing what to expect in the Holy Land will help you get the most out of your journey. Jerusalem and the Holy Land, written from a broadly Christian perspective is a must for anyone planning a trip to the Holy Land. It covers everything a pilgrim should know before undertaking the journey.