Eastern Christianity in the Modern Middle East

• Utgivningsdatum: 2013-03-12
• Mått: 156 x 234 x 11 mm
• Vikt: 294 g
• Format: Häftad
• Språk: Engelska
• Serie: Culture and Civilization in the Middle East
• Antal sidor: 208
• Förlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd
• ISBN: 9780415846516

• Kristendom

1 recensioner, genomsnitt 2/5

1. 2/5 Henry L 2021-04-08

   The best part of the book is that it gives the earlier background to the formation of the diversity of present-day churches of the Middle East; the first chapter, "The doctrinal and political evolution of the Eastern and Oriental Churches" is a useful and concise summary which clarifies how these churches has evolved.
   
   The remainder of the book goes into the recent history of these churches in considerable detail, to the point that readers would wish to skip over quite a lot unless they had a particular reason for this information.
   
   Unfortunately, since the book was written in 2010, the region has been overtaken by fast-moving events, in particular, the Arab Spring, ISIS and all the political and social disruption which has occurred since and continues. Mosul and Aleppo, for example, are depicted as flourishing Christian centres.
   
   As a result of these recent upheavals, the notion of secular states with an Arab identity is less credible than in 2010, and indeed, many Christians from the region no longer regard themselves as Arab. The book also refers repeatedly to the problems caused by Israel, but again, since the book was written there has been a reassessment of the role of Israel as a place where Christians can live safely, despite the occasional ugly incident perpetrated by ultra-orthodox Jews.
   
   However, anyone writing on this topic would have an impossible job to keep up, with the apparent current softening of attitudes in the traditionally hard line Muslim countries possibly moving things in an altogether more favourable direction. In its present form, therefore, I cannot honestly recommend this book. It is not the authors' fault that events have worked out the way they have, but they have left the work needing to be brought up to date.