Shaping the Middle East : Jews, Christians, and Muslims in an Age of Transition 400-800 C.E. (The Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Studies)

The 15 papers collected in this volume are from an April 2005 conference at the University of Maryland. They cover Caesarea Palaestinae in transition; devastation and survival during the Persian invasion 613-30; after the Arab conquest; settlement, resettlement, and redefining leadership; re-imagining the Middle East; and reconceiving art in the Middle East. Among the topics are Qaysariyah as an early Islamic settlement, archaeological evidence for the Sasanian Persian invasion of Jerusalem, continuity and change in the cities of Palestine during the early Islamic period, aspects of the rabbinic movement in Palestine 500-800 CE, the messianic dimensions of Isaiah 21:6-7 as an example of the Muslim appropriation of a biblical text, and the many facets of Middle Eastern art. Annotation 2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)