The Oxford History Of The Holy Land 1st Robert G Hoyland H G M Williamson by Robert G. Hoyland, H. G. M Williamson 9780192886866, 019288686X instant download after payment.

Different names and geographical definitions bedevil the history of this
part of the world and none can do justice to the sweep of what we have set
out to describe in the present volume. Precisely for that reason we have
deliberately chosen the title Holy Land, a familiar name which has never
featured on any map worth its salt. It serves to indicate that our intention
here is far from political—and that is one good reason why we have called a
halt in our historical survey at just the point where Lloyd George was
clarifying his thoughts on the post-war settlement. But just as we have
stopped short of the modern era, so we have not included anything about
the thousands of years of occupation which preceded the biblical period.
The Carmel Caves, for instance, have yielded evidence of some of the
earliest human occupation known worldwide, a testimony to the
geographical centrality of the region as a link between Africa and Europe.
Jericho has often been called the word’s first city, and archaeology has
revealed much about human occupation throughout the millennia since
then.
The Holy Land, however, conjures up an approach to territory which is
more cultural, and specifically religious, than political, however closely
intertwined the two were until relatively recently.
Our hope is that all may nevertheless learn from, as well as enjoy, this
summary of current understanding, and that through such understanding
appreciation of what each of the faiths had to offer may be deepened
without the hostile fragmentation which has characterized much of the
history we trace here and which still, sadly, is prevalent in the modern
world.