A Palestinian Theology of Liberation: The Bible, Justice, and the Palestine-Israel Conflict

Front Cover
Orbis Books, 2017 - History - 192 pages
Addressing what many consider the world's most controversial conflict, Naim Ateek offers a succinct primer on liberation theology in the context of the Palestinian struggle for freedom and self-determination. Beginning with the historical roots of this struggle, he shows how the memory of the Holocaust served to trump the claims and aspirations of the native inhabitants of Palestine, and how later Israeli occupation and settlements in the West Bank have contributed to their suffering and oppression. Supported by many Western Christians, Israeli claims to the land rely on a particular exclusivist reading of the Bible. In contrast, a Palestinian theology of liberation responds with a counter-strategy for biblical interpretation, emphasizing the prophetic themes of inclusivity and justice. Ateek concludes by providing principles for achieving security, peace, and justice for all peoples in Israel/Palestine.

About the author (2017)

Naim Stifan Ateek is an Anglican priest and founder of the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center in Jerusalem. A former canon of St. George's Cathedral in Jerusalem, he was the first to articulate a Palestinian theology of liberation in his book, Justice, and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation (Orbis, 1989). He is also the author of A Palestinian Christian Cry for Reconciliation (Orbis 2008).

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