Jerusalem: Idea and Reality

This is a multidisciplinary study of one of the world's great cities, that is of enormous, historical, religious and political significance. Ever since the Temple crowned the skyline of Jerusalem, the city has captured the imagination of religious scholars, artists, politicians, and lay people, creating for Jerusalem an aura that transcends the boundaries of location, time, and reality. The essays in this volume realize the complexity of a city like Jerusalem, especially in terms of the many moods it invokes in those who cherish it, and how its many faces (both real and imagined) came to be formed and reformed throughout the centuries as a result of religious and socio-political factors. Written by many noted scholars in the fields of politics, history, geography, religious studies, sociology, art history, architecture and cultural studies, this is a valuable resource for all those interested in the wonders of Jerusalem.