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Saving the Holy Sepulchre
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the mother of all the churches, erected on the spot where Jesus Christ was crucified and rose from the dead and where every Christian was born. In 1927, Jerusalem was struck by a powerful earthquake, and for decades this venerable structure stood perilously close to collapse. In Saving the Holy Sepulchre, Raymond Cohen tells the engaging story of how three major Christian traditions--Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Armenian Orthodox--each with jealously guarded claims to the church, struggled to restore one of the great shrines of civilization. It almost didn't happen. For centuries the communities had lived together in an atmosphere of tension and mistrust based on differences of theology, language, and culture--differences so sharp that fistfights were not uncommon. And the project of restoration became embroiled in interchurch disputes and great power politics. Cohen shows how the repair of the dilapidated basilica was the result of unprecedented cooperation among the three churches. It was tortuous at times--one French monk involved in the restoration exclaimed: I can't take any more of it. Latins--Armenians--Greeks--it is too much. I am bent over double. But thanks to the dedicated efforts of a cast of kings, popes, patriarchs, governors, monks, and architects, the deadlock was eventually broken on the eve of Pope Paul VI's historic pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1964. Today, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is in better shape than it has been for five hundred years. Light and space have returned to its ancient halls, and its walls and pillars stand sound and true. Saving the Holy Sepulchre is the riveting story of how Christians put aside centuries of division to make this dream a reality.
325 pages, Paperback
First published February 11, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 29, 2020
The author has, I suppose, written the authoritative work on this subject. Clearly a huge amount of research has gone into this book and a hugely complex story has been told as engagingly and as clearly as possible. The book is a must for anyone who wants to understand how the Status Quo (the very arcane agreement that governs the relations between the different Christian denominations in the church) works today. Through no fault of the author, the story he tells is inherently depressing. Only for that reason did I give four stars rather than five.
July 11, 2019
Beginning right after the first world war, the Mother Church (Church of the Holy Sepulchre) was described as dark, dank and dirty. It would take over sixty years to fix most of the problems of the structure, which were complicated by an earthquake in 1927. Under the Ottoman Empire, the administration of all the holy places in Jerusalem were protected. Any problem between the three main denominations (Latin, Greek and Armenian) would be taken to the Shari'a courts.
After the crumbling of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey was not interested as being responsible and came under the British League of Nation Mandate. Later, after 1948 it would be under the auspices of the Kingdom of Jordan, and after 1967 the State of Israel. Each new authority had to educated itself as to the byzantine 'Status Quo' agreement that had been created over the four hundred years of the Ottoman occupation. Unfortunately, each new occupier had to start from scratch, when it appeared that the files from the prior responsible party had disappeared.
To understand the way the system worked or didn't, you have to read through the very thorough narrative of this book. It is a truly scholarly work and is not for the faint of heart. Just trying to figure out each section and who claims ownership or usage (not the same thing) of such area can scramble your brain. Underlying all this was the animosity between the three christian sects due to doctrinal squabbles.
Well written and presented, it's an interesting story, but only for a limited set of historians.
After the crumbling of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey was not interested as being responsible and came under the British League of Nation Mandate. Later, after 1948 it would be under the auspices of the Kingdom of Jordan, and after 1967 the State of Israel. Each new authority had to educated itself as to the byzantine 'Status Quo' agreement that had been created over the four hundred years of the Ottoman occupation. Unfortunately, each new occupier had to start from scratch, when it appeared that the files from the prior responsible party had disappeared.
To understand the way the system worked or didn't, you have to read through the very thorough narrative of this book. It is a truly scholarly work and is not for the faint of heart. Just trying to figure out each section and who claims ownership or usage (not the same thing) of such area can scramble your brain. Underlying all this was the animosity between the three christian sects due to doctrinal squabbles.
Well written and presented, it's an interesting story, but only for a limited set of historians.
September 17, 2021
Indispensable to understanding the site
October 28, 2015
I purchased and read this after going on a pilgrimage to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in my desire to learn more about the shrine and building. I found this to be a thorough, documented study of the Holy Sepulchre, especially dealing with twentieth-century intrigue (bureaucracy?). Cohen answered many of my questions as well as introducing new areas of interest.
This book is not an introductory reader on the subject (as I had hoped) but a complex and at times tedious telling of the saga. Early on I committed myself to complete this book, a goal which was tested at several intervals. I can now say that I am glad that I "pressed toward the mark," that it was a worthwhile undertaking indeed. For the difficulty in reading I rated this book a 4.
This book is not an introductory reader on the subject (as I had hoped) but a complex and at times tedious telling of the saga. Early on I committed myself to complete this book, a goal which was tested at several intervals. I can now say that I am glad that I "pressed toward the mark," that it was a worthwhile undertaking indeed. For the difficulty in reading I rated this book a 4.
November 3, 2012
A church is falling apart, the various groups that share it's space have access to funds, people all over the world expect it to be done...It should be easy, right?
More than 50 years later the job still isn't complete.
An interesting story of architecture, history, and disputes between religious groups and the interactions over time between Christians, Arabs, and Israelis.
More than 50 years later the job still isn't complete.
An interesting story of architecture, history, and disputes between religious groups and the interactions over time between Christians, Arabs, and Israelis.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews