Jerusalem—one of the most contested sites in the world. 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.

Jerusalem--one of the most contested sites in the world. 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.

The Jewish quarter of Jerusalem today seems like an organic fusion of a modern Israeli city with an ancient Jewish heritage. However, as Simone Ricca details in this fascinating book, the aesthetics of the Jewish Quarter were deliberately planned and executed by Israel after it was occupied during the 1967 war. Secular-nationalist as well as religious politicians agreed that it should be turned in to the capital of the Jewish nation, and that it should be excavated and developed in such a way as to create a sense of continuity with the Jewish people's historical claims to the land. Zionist ide.

Daniel was serving the Babylonian Empire on October 12, 539 BCE, where a great party was underway. Belshazzar, one thousand of his nobles, and their wives were drinking wine from gold cups plundered from the temple at Jerusalem. Suddenly, the fingers of a hand wrote on the wall, "Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians." That very night, the Babylonian Empire fell to Cyrus the Great. The exiled prince, Daniel now served the Persians instead of the Babylonians. Author Sandy Miller's Rebuilding Jerusalem examines the biblical, historical, and archaeological record of the Persian Empire's relationship with Jewish exiles after they conquered Babylon. Through a series of twelve lectures, it follows 114 years of the Persian Empire, relaying the history of Persian kings who helped various Bible figures preserve the Promised Land for future generations. It includes stories of their unique involvement with the Persian Empire found in the Old Testament books of Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. Rebuilding Jerusalem shows that Israel is a vibrant country today, at least in part because of the ancient Persian Empire's involvement in the restoration of the country.

In this volume Paula McNutt provides a synthesis of recent research on the nature and development of the society of ancient Israel. Focusing on Israelite history from the tribal period through the time of Persian domination, McNutt employs a social-scientific perspective to examine recent reconstructions of the social and cultural contexts that nurtured the literature of the Hebrew Bible. She also offers a helpful overview of the components and dynamics of ancient Israelite society. By investigating the intricate social processes that sustained the society of ancient Israel, McNutt enables the reader to discern the forces at work during key periods of transition and transformation in early Israelite history.

Daniel was serving the Babylonian Empire on October 12, 539 BCE, where a great party was underway. Belshazzar, one thousand of his nobles, and their wives were drinking wine from gold cups plundered from the temple at Jerusalem. Suddenly, the fingers of a hand wrote on the wall, Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians. That very night, the Babylonian Empire fell to Cyrus the Great. The exiled prince, Daniel now served the Persians instead of the Babylonians. Author Sandy Millers Rebuilding Jerusalem examines the biblical, historical, and archaeological record of the Persian Empires relationship with Jewish exiles after they conquered Babylon. Through a series of twelve lectures, it follows 114 years of the Persian Empire, relaying the history of Persian kings who helped various Bible figures preserve the Promised Land for future generations. It includes stories of their unique involvement with the Persian Empire found in the Old Testament books of Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. Rebuilding Jerusalem shows that Israel is a vibrant country today, at least in part because of the ancient Persian Empires involvement in the restoration of the country.

The untold story of how a secret society rebuilt London. In 1666, a spark from a baker’s over led to the Great Fire, which ravaged much of London. After the flames had been put out and the dead buried, London was once more a blank canvas for the builders and architects to create a new city -- a city that could be rebuilt to reflect its glorious destiny. The men at the centre of London’s reconstruction were, in the main, members of the Rosicrucian-founded Royal Society, men such as Sir Christopher Wren. This society believed in the mystical wisdom of the ancient world and the millenarianist beliefs of its founders. They were convinced that London had long been the chosen site of the New Jerusalem -- the city that would descend from the sky at the Second Coming as foretold in the Book of Revelations. Now, the Great Fire had given them the chance to recreate the city in a more fitting image. In this eye-opening book, Adrian Gilbert, author of Signs in the Sky, reveals a hidden London and the true significance of such well-known sites as St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Monument and Temple church. He also introduces us to the men and women who shaped seventeenth century London according to their beliefs. Combining personal detective story and archaeological investigation with rigorous historical research, The New Jerusalem is a colourful historical portrait of a London we have never seen before.

The Babylonian Talmud (Bavli) is a symphony of hundreds of voices, including legal rulings, folklore, biblical interpretations, and rabbinic legends. Each of these voices was originally issued in a distinct generation but was only "captured" and frozen in time by the Talmud's editors, who lived during the fifth through seventh centuries C.E. Reconstructing the Talmud introduces the modern Talmud student to the techniques developed over the last century for uncovering how this literature developed. Opening with an extended introduction outlining the methods employed by scholars to engage in such analysis, Reconstructing the Talmud proceeds with nine examples concretely demonstrating how such methods are applied to actual passages from the Bavli. Sorting out the layers of the Bavli, understanding each layer within its cultural and historical context, and comparing it with earlier sources, reveals a dynamic world of change, debate, halakhic diversity and development far richer and more nuanced than that which is evident in the static and fixed text of the printed edition. Reconstructing the Talmud introduces the reader to the world of academic Talmudic research and opens new venues of exploration and understanding of one of the world's great literary treasures.