DISCOVERED !!! Jerusalem’s Decumanus or main east-west Roman street. Click below Inside Israel Today. Shalom! Zack

Sep 06, 2010

"To visit Israel is a journey that has a beginning but no ending, that will set your heart on fire..."

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Ibex at the Ein Gedi oasis near the Dead Sea

Synagogue mosaic floor from the Roman period

Judea Capta coin minted by the Romans to celebrate their victory over the Jews and destruction of the Temple in the year 70 C.E.

Bedouin nomad woman carrying water

Unleavened Matza bread baked over coals like the Israelites did at the time of the Exodus

Suggested Reading

Here are a few titles – background reading material- in preparation for your visit to Israel:

General

1. The Source by James Michener. It will certainly give you the best feel of the people of Israel, their culture, and their struggle - the book is about the biblical city of Meggido (called Makkor) which wa fortified by King Solomon. It is also the place of Armageddon, the final battlefield in the Book of Revelation.

2. An Archaeological Biography by Hershel Shanks, published in 1995, the book is a little dated by now. However, Shanks does a great job of outlining major historical events in Jerusalem through the lens of archeology.

3. Biblical Archaeology Review, a journal that keeps abreast of archaeology in Israel and the Mediterranean basin.

4. O’ Jerusalem, by Dominique Lapierre & Larry Collins, who also wrote the moving book about Calcutta called City of Joy. Very readable history which seeks to capture the events and struggles surrounding the creation of the state of Israel in 1948, both through Jewish and Arab eyes.

Judaism

1. Jews, God, and History, by Max I. Dimont. This best seller weaves world history, jewish history, and the Bible into one fantastic volume. It really helps one to grasp the "big picture".

2. To Be a Jew, by Rabbi Hayim Donin. This guide to Jewish observance in contemporary life manages to lay out clearly and concisely the traditional laws and customs of Judaism, and includes an introduction to the history, ethics, and underlying creed of the Jewish faith.

Christianity

1. Jesus of the Gospels, by Arthur Zannoni – it is excellent – published in late 1996, it is a good popular treatment of modern biblical scholarship on Jesus, his Jewishness and the world he lived in. It is short – only 200 pages, easy to read, and well worth reading.

2. Desire of the Everlasting Hills, by Thomas Cahill – published in 1999 – author of How The Irish Saved Civilization and Gifts of the Jews, this book is insightful and excellent – easy to read and popularizes some of the best scholarship about Jesus and the world he grew up in. It is out in paperback.

3. Way of the Lord, by Tom Wright, who addresses the idea of travel as pilgrimage. Highly recommended for persons who are thinking about going to Israel, or for that matter, traveling anywhere new. God has been at work in people and throughout history; when we are observant there is great possibility that we will discover Him in remarkable ways!