The Land Called Holy: Palestine in Christian History and Thought, by Robert L. Wilken. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992.

Voices From Jerusalem, edited by David Burrell and Yehezkel Landau. Mahweh: Paulist Press, 1992.

Israel and the Politics of Land: A Theological Case Study, by W. Eugene March. Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1994.

Although inchoately aware that the land of Israel holds reli-gious significance for Christians and Muslims as well as for Jews, Westerners are particularly inclined to misunderstand the peculiar grip that the "Holy Land" has had on the Christian imagination. To fathom the interreligious dimensions of the conflicts in Israel today, the historical and theological attach-ments of Christians to the "Holy Land" deserve careful examination. These three books are instructive resources.

Robert Wilken's volume traces the concept of "Holy Land" from its origins in the Hebrew Scriptures up to the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem in the seventh century of the common era. Wilken, a professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Virginia, demonstrates his fluency in biblical and rabbinic developments as well as his extensive learning of the Church Fathers. This subject might initially appear as arid terrain for the uninitiated. But the expedition on which Wilken takes the reader offers unanticipated views of a land that turns out to have even more intrigue than most of us ever imagined. This book is a beautifully written history that illuminates the gravitational pull of the land not only on those Christian pilgrims who year after year go in search of the "Holy Land," but also on the small and vulnerable group of Christians who continue an ancient heritage, responding to a vocation that calls them to build their homes on sacred turf.

Voices From Jerusalem includes a series of essays that span the chasm between the ancient and the modern. The govern-ing questions that the authors address are: What are the distinct understandings of holiness in the Jewish and Christian communities? How is holiness manifest for Christians and for Jews in the land of Israel? "What does the association of Israel with a particular land, and now, once again, with a sovereign Jewish community in that land, mean for Jews and Chris-tians" (p. 1)?

The authors are Jews and Christians who have pitched their tents in Israel for many years. They offer a variety of fas-cinating viewpoints that pose challenging questions for those of us who make judgments from afar, whether those judg-ments be for or against governmental policies. While the book is limited by the fact that there is not a single contribution by a "Palestinian Christian" (the editors asked several Palestinian priests and educators to write a chapter, but all declined), this book includes a sensitive analysis of "The Crisis of Palestinian Christians" by Fr. Peter Du Brul of the Bethlehem University. To gain the perspective of an articulate Palestinian theologian, readers can still procure Naim Stifan Ateek's Justice and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation, Orbis, 1989.

Dr. Eugene March's Israel and the Politics of Land provides a concise and highly readable introduction to the theological quandaries that Israel poses for Christians. This volume pro-vides a useful historical sketch that extends from biblical times up to the Peace Accord signed by Arafat and Rabin on Septenber 15, 1993. March constructs a platform forged from history, biblical accounts, and theological arguments that places Reformed Christians in a position where they can better evaluate their understandings of Israel. At the end of the book readers will find a helpful study guide. Though this book will find its way into a number of Christian adult education pro-grams, hopefully some dialogue groups will critically engage this work. March presents a thesis that will spark some lively discussion about the biblical and theological criteria that Christians often use in judging the conduct of modern Israel. Does March provide a basis for criticism that goes too far or not far enough? In the context of an inter-faith study group, participants could address some of the most vexing challenges for Jewish-Christian relations. When it comes to criticism of Israeli policies, how do Christians and Jews in America draw the line in the sand that should not be crossed?