God's Place in the World: Sacred Space and Sacred Place in Judaism »

This book examines models of sacred space in Judaism from an anthropological structuralist perspective. It discusses the development of these models in relation to historical and cultural transformation. The early part analyzes sacred space as it is presented in Biblical and rabbinical texts, focusing on the transformation of centralized to decentralized sacred space. The later part analyzes the structure of the synagogue in both Orthodox and non-Orthodox communities and the way in which these communities use sacred space. There is also a discussion of the role of the State of Israel as a new center of secular and religious Jewish sacred space, and as a return to a centralized model. The book ends by examining the anthropological and theological implications of the models of sacred space, and by presenting an approach to understanding the processes and mechanisms of transformation.

Booknews

From the introduction: "From the very foundations of Jewish myth, ritual, and history, sacred space has been an important way of recognizing the presence of God in the community and relating to God." Kunin (social anthropology and Jewish thought, U. of Nottingham, UK) examines models of sacred space in Judaism from an anthropological structuralist perspective, discussing the development of theses models in relation to historical and cultural transformation. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.