Justice and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation [Paperback]

Naim Stifan Ateek (Author), Rosemary Radford Ruether (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1989

This captivating bestseller by a clergyman and leader of the Palestine Christian community examines the problems and prospects for Palestinians, Jews, and Christians in the Middle East.

Product Details

• Paperback: 229 pages
• Publisher: Orbis Books (July 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 088344545X
• ISBN-13: 978-0883445457
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #795,056 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Justice and only justice - A Palestinian Theology of ..., November 23, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Justice and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation (Paperback)

Unlike the first reviewer of this book, I am impressed by the author's ability to forgive the occupiers of his native land. After describing the impact of the establisment of Israel and the follow on occupation of Palestinian lands (1967) from a personal perspective (his family was expelled from their home with no notice by the Israeli Army), he tries to find a way for Palestian Christians to understand the situation from a non-literal Biblical perspective.

If more Americans read books like this, we might have a better understanding of what is really happening in the Middle East. Peace will never come until the United States and Israel stand in the shoes of the Palestinians and accept the fact that a huge injustice continues against the Palestinians. Likewise the Palestinians must come to terms with the reality of the modern Israeli State and accept the fact that Israel exists today because of the Holocaust and the resulting sympathy for a Jewish State. This is a position Naim Stifan Ateek proposes.

This is an excellent read, although sometimes a bit depressing.

31 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars theologically astute, November 23, 2001

By 

joshua (London, ON Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Justice and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation (Paperback)

atik is both gentle and forceful. his arguments and old testament understanding are *very* biblically and historically grounded. as a christian who has spent a lot of time studying the bible, i find that atik has done an amazing job laying out the groundwork for a very revolutionary liberation theology.
theologically, atik *is not* a premillenialist in his interpretation in hermeneutics (and eschatology, as other essays he's written have shown) so, if one is a premillenialist (which is a very faulty, in my opinion, theological standpoint since it depends on a eurocentric understanding of scripture which was created at the turn of the 20th century and originally dismissed as "heresy")one will not take to kindly to atik's book.
ideologically, the zionist "christian" will confuse atik's understanding of christ as a palestinian. as biblical anthropologists have pointed out, the idea of "jew" as a race did not exist during christ's time. there was only the jewish religion and the national boundaries of Palestine where this religious culture dominated at the time. the racial ideas of "palestinian" and "jew" did not emerge until much later and were only galvanized as a binary in 1948. atik is referring to this historical fact.
the words are wise and compelling. atik has done a lot of research and has grounded everything with a profound understanding of the bible.

36 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A compelling liberation theology view of Palestine, February 27, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Justice and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation (Paperback)

This book is an application of the Liberation Theology that the author learned at seminary in the San Francisco area to the fight for self-determination by the Palestinian people. I highly recommend it, in conjunction with any books by Rev. Elias Chacour such as "We Belong To The Land" or "Blood Brothers." These are nonviolent, inclusionary approaches to peace among all of the inhabitants of Israel / Palestine