What do you think?
Rate this book
A Palestinian Christian Cry for Reconciliation
An analysis of the conflict over land between Palestine and Israel by a Palestinian Christian Arab who is also a citizen of Israel. "The background is clear... [Jerusalem] has been conquered and re-conquered more than 37 times. The latest conquest in 1967 was by the Israeli army. After the war Israel took in not only the 5 square kilometers of Arab East Jerusalem--but also 65 square kilometers of surrounding open country and villages, most of which never had any municipal link to Jerusalem. Overnight, they became part of Israel's eternal and indivisible capital. The history of Jerusalem has been written with blood." The first part of this sequel to Justice and Only Justice focuses on events since the Intifada of 1987, including the violence that has come from Israel's aggression and from the use of suicide bombers by Palestinians. The second part of the book draws on scripture, lifting up biblical figures such as Samson, Jonah, Daniel, and Jesus as it examines issues of the land, its meaning, and its ownership. In the final section, Ateek presents a strategy to achieve peace and justice nonviolently that will promote justice for the Palestinians and security for both Israel and Palestine. ― orbisbooks.com
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2008
4 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 11, 2013
Naim Ateek is a Western-educated citizen of Israel who wrote the first Palestinian “liberation theology” decades ago. All Christians should read him. I am sympathetic to much of his agenda, and his Sabeel Center is an important institution, articulating a nonviolent path to peace. However, I disagree with some of his uncharitable interpretation of Zionism and wonder how he can reconcile nationalist land fetishism with his faith. Ateek, an Anglican priest, also faces a uniquely Protestant dilemma: how to reconcile the Bible, esp the ‘Old Testament’ with its focus on Land, Jewish sovereignty and anti-Canaanite history, with his own position as one of those ‘Canaanites’ facing Jewish foes quoting Bible. Awkward. Ateek’s reading of Biblical texts—Jonah as a Palestinian universalist, Samson as a Hamas-like suicide martyr—are interesting. Ateek, however, veers towards his own brand of chauvinistic critique with narrow biblical hermeneutics, and even anti-Jewish canards; not winning tactics.
April 25, 2019
Read this for a class. A very comprehensive overview of the issue, but very academic and religiously focused. I learned a lot, but didn't really enjoy reading it because it's not really my kind of book. That being said, I love the work that Naim Ateek is doing and I hope for the conflict to end soon.
August 15, 2016
Naim Stifan Ateek, A Palestinian Christian Cry for Reconciliation (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2008).
- - - -
Essential reading for those interested in the Middle East on “Palestinian Theology.”
Naim Ateek reflects on this rise of Zionism in similar terms: “it was not based on any biblical claim to the land of Palestine. The Zionist movement was nurtured by the spirit of its day – nationalism, imperialism and colonialism”
Arab Christian families' lives were irreversibly changed by Al Nakba, (The 1948 Palestinian exodus, Arabic for "disaster", "catastrophe"). Palestinian Christians are marginalised by Muslims, Jews and Western-Christians.
Naim S. Ateek “The Emergence of a Palestinian Christian Theology.” - Palestinian theology of liberation was influenced by: Pastoral aspect, Indigenous factor, Biblical question, Theological factor.
Pastoral aspect = Clergy working amongst the grassroots, hearing their cries and physical sufferings aggravated by the religious argument in the political conflict. Where is God in all of this? Why does God allow the confiscation of our land? Why does God allow the occupation and oppression of our people?
Indigenous factor = Foreign expatriate clergy have for a long time controlled Palestinian churches. An indigenous response needed.
Biblical question = Temptation to abandon the Bible which is used against them to deprive them of their land and rights. “We needed to find in the Bible the God of justice.”
Theological factor = How is Christ related to the current historical process? “How do we understand, as Palestinian Christians, the coming of Christ as an answer to claims of messianic fulfillment which are being used by Jews and by Western Christians to oppress and destroy us?”
These 4 factors, in interaction with the political reality, made a Palestinian theology of liberation necessary. At the heart of this theology of liberation is the question of God.
Identity: This denial of their identity is certainly what Palestinians understand from various expressions of Zionist thought and the actions accompanying them. Referring to the proponents of Christian Zionism, Ateek identifies their emphasis on “the restoration of the Jews to Palestine as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy” and that there is “an insistence that this restored Jewish State must be exclusively Jewish, making no provision for the Arabs.”
The Bible and the Land: Ateek insists that the OT must be read through the lens of Christ; a Christological hermeneutic is essential for resolving this complex issue of the land.
Ateek's focus on six New Testament passages
Ateek, insists that Palestinian Christians must have a Christo-centric (therefore NT-centric) hermeneutic which emphasizes an inclusive view of 'land' as opposed to a ethnic-oriented exclusivity to the occupation of 'land', specifically the land of Canaan/Palestine/Israel.
Ateek suggests that from a NT perspective nobody (including Jews) have an exclusive claim to the land. Ateek refers to five key NT texts - Matt 5:8; John 1:43-51; Rom 4:13; Eph 2:19-20; Acts 7:48; (plus Gal 3:15-18, 26, 28).
As ones who claim to “be in Christ”, we cannot avoid the volume and clarity of NT passages (which frame the overarching narrative) that certify the fulfillment of the OT promises are found “in Christ.”
His reference to God's initial purpose in creation “... one God, one humanity, one world,” preceding the Abrahamic promises convincingly authenticate the NT's insistence that God's original intentions are fulfilled in Christ. (p63)
The main result of Ateek's study of those 6 NT verses is to conclude that whereas the main OT focus of blessing is the land of Israel, in the NT it hugely broadens in scope to the whole world--or better,cosmos--in Christ.
Key Themes in total are: Identity, Bible and the Land, God, Christology, Land and Christology, and
Justice.
- - - -
Essential reading for those interested in the Middle East on “Palestinian Theology.”
Naim Ateek reflects on this rise of Zionism in similar terms: “it was not based on any biblical claim to the land of Palestine. The Zionist movement was nurtured by the spirit of its day – nationalism, imperialism and colonialism”
Arab Christian families' lives were irreversibly changed by Al Nakba, (The 1948 Palestinian exodus, Arabic for "disaster", "catastrophe"). Palestinian Christians are marginalised by Muslims, Jews and Western-Christians.
Naim S. Ateek “The Emergence of a Palestinian Christian Theology.” - Palestinian theology of liberation was influenced by: Pastoral aspect, Indigenous factor, Biblical question, Theological factor.
Pastoral aspect = Clergy working amongst the grassroots, hearing their cries and physical sufferings aggravated by the religious argument in the political conflict. Where is God in all of this? Why does God allow the confiscation of our land? Why does God allow the occupation and oppression of our people?
Indigenous factor = Foreign expatriate clergy have for a long time controlled Palestinian churches. An indigenous response needed.
Biblical question = Temptation to abandon the Bible which is used against them to deprive them of their land and rights. “We needed to find in the Bible the God of justice.”
Theological factor = How is Christ related to the current historical process? “How do we understand, as Palestinian Christians, the coming of Christ as an answer to claims of messianic fulfillment which are being used by Jews and by Western Christians to oppress and destroy us?”
These 4 factors, in interaction with the political reality, made a Palestinian theology of liberation necessary. At the heart of this theology of liberation is the question of God.
Identity: This denial of their identity is certainly what Palestinians understand from various expressions of Zionist thought and the actions accompanying them. Referring to the proponents of Christian Zionism, Ateek identifies their emphasis on “the restoration of the Jews to Palestine as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy” and that there is “an insistence that this restored Jewish State must be exclusively Jewish, making no provision for the Arabs.”
The Bible and the Land: Ateek insists that the OT must be read through the lens of Christ; a Christological hermeneutic is essential for resolving this complex issue of the land.
Ateek's focus on six New Testament passages
Ateek, insists that Palestinian Christians must have a Christo-centric (therefore NT-centric) hermeneutic which emphasizes an inclusive view of 'land' as opposed to a ethnic-oriented exclusivity to the occupation of 'land', specifically the land of Canaan/Palestine/Israel.
Ateek suggests that from a NT perspective nobody (including Jews) have an exclusive claim to the land. Ateek refers to five key NT texts - Matt 5:8; John 1:43-51; Rom 4:13; Eph 2:19-20; Acts 7:48; (plus Gal 3:15-18, 26, 28).
As ones who claim to “be in Christ”, we cannot avoid the volume and clarity of NT passages (which frame the overarching narrative) that certify the fulfillment of the OT promises are found “in Christ.”
His reference to God's initial purpose in creation “... one God, one humanity, one world,” preceding the Abrahamic promises convincingly authenticate the NT's insistence that God's original intentions are fulfilled in Christ. (p63)
The main result of Ateek's study of those 6 NT verses is to conclude that whereas the main OT focus of blessing is the land of Israel, in the NT it hugely broadens in scope to the whole world--or better,cosmos--in Christ.
Key Themes in total are: Identity, Bible and the Land, God, Christology, Land and Christology, and
Justice.
May 14, 2012
This book sets important context for the news about the conflicts in the Middle East, but from a perspective not usually presented in the media. Naim Ateek presents a Christian perspective on the Occupation, presents Biblical and theological support for justice, and argues against both Christian and Jewish Zionism.
This is an excellent resource for understanding the Kairos Palestine Document, of which Ateek is one of the authors.
Firmly rejecting violence by all sides and actors, he asks for justice, honesty, and faith in our dealings with Palestine and Palestinians. He focuses on human rights and a liberation theology for hope for the region. As he states: "This is the justice we demand. This is the peace we seek. THis is the reconciliation for which we hope.?
This is an excellent resource for understanding the Kairos Palestine Document, of which Ateek is one of the authors.
Firmly rejecting violence by all sides and actors, he asks for justice, honesty, and faith in our dealings with Palestine and Palestinians. He focuses on human rights and a liberation theology for hope for the region. As he states: "This is the justice we demand. This is the peace we seek. THis is the reconciliation for which we hope.?
May 17, 2011
Excellent, rooted in the author's personal experience.
December 8, 2014
I wish every Christian would read this book.
January 29, 2016
Another important book from a key figure in the Israeli-Palestinian debate that truly highlights the Christian perspective.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews