Questions for Class Discussion

General
1. What "little-known details about the common roots of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam" does Feiler reveal? How
have those details corroborated or changed your view of the three religions and their interrelationship?

2. Feiler reminds us that "Jews and Christians who smugly console themselves that Islam is the only violent
religion are willfully ignoring their past." (p. 4) What historical instances of violence on the parts of Jews and
Christians can you identify?

3. What might be some of the difficulties and dangers in discussing the Bible in terms of contemporary social,
political, economic, cultural, and religious realities? What differences and parallels between then and now does
Feiler emphasize? Why?

4. In his Conclusion, Feiler notes that the first conviction he took from his journey "is that the only force strong
enough to take on religious extremism is religious moderation." (p. 372) How might that conviction be put in
force in the Middle East, in the United States, and around the world today?

Introduction: Be Strong and Very Courageous

5. Feiler writes that "the collision of politics, geography, and faith has dominated nearly every story in the Middle
East since the birth of writing . . ." (4) Later, discussing the Maccabee uprising, he notes, "The bloody mix of
politics, violence, and faith that forms the core of the story is an uncanny prism through which to view the
struggles of today." (p. 345) In what ways and to what extent do that collision and that mix help is to understand
some of today's conflicts? What roles are played by politics, geography, violence, and faith in those conflicts?

6. Feiler identifies the tension forming the undercurrent of the Bible as "trying to balance a life on earth with a life
that meets the standards of God." (p. 27) In what ways might this tension form the undercurrent of every major
religion? And how might it lead to either tolerance or hatred of others? Who gets to define or determine "the
standards of God" and the rules for balancing day-to-day life with them?

7. The reality of doom faced by the Israelites upon their arrival in the Promised Land, Feiler writes, "sets up the
question that defines the rest of the Hebrew Bible: Which is more important, living on the land or living a life of
God?" (p. 27) What further reference to this dispute between land and values does Feiler make (for example, on
pages 28, 51-2, and 360)? What did the Promised Land come to stand for and how was it in conflict with God's
promises and moral demands? How do a moral relationship with God and hopes for a homeland conflict with
one another, on the one hand, and reinforce one another, on the other hand?

Book One: Land

1: Man of Blood

8. Feiler writes that the story of King David "introduces what will become a major theme of the second half of the
Hebrew Bible: the Israelites' quest to find proper balance between their spiritual identity as an ethically minded
people of God and their political identity as a nation strong enough to survive in a region of superpowers." (p.
 37) How does that theme continue today? What other peoples or nations have followed the same quest?

9. Feiler notes
that "a close look reveals a deep strain of weakness, even criminality in the Bible's heroes . . ." (p. 55) What
examples does he cite? What additional examples can you point to? How might we justify that weakness and
criminality or make them compatible with the presentation of these men as the chosen of God? In what ways in
David's behavior particularly shocking?

2: Your Throne Shall Be Established Forever

10. Given all the problems concerning textual completeness and textual reliability in the Bible-as pointed out by
Feiler, Gabi Barkay, and others-how can anyone claim to possess the true reading or interpretation of the Old
Testament and, therefore, of God's intentions and purposes?

11. Yair Zakovitch, dean of humanities at Hebrew University, tells Feiler that "the thing you have to remember
about the Bible is that events and characters are just vehicles to convey messages. The biblical narrative was
written to educate our young nation, not so much to tell us what really happened." (p. 85) In what ways would
you say that this stance is in conflict with much, if not most, of today's approaches to the biblical narrative? How
might we determine exactly what message was-and is-being conveyed by each event and character?

12. Given all of David's weaknesses and shortcomings, why-according to Yair Zakovitch and others-was it so
important in the New Testament to link Jesus to David? What are the differences-and what the similarities-
between David as king and Jesus as king?

3: The House of the Lord

13. Yosuf Natsheh, chief archaeologist for the Muslim religious authority in Jerusalem, comments: "If we were true
religious people, we would sit together and reach an agreement that was different from a political one." (p. 110)
Given that religious people have been part of the problem, as Feiler reminds Dr. Natsheh, how should we take
the archaeologist's statement? In what ways might a truly religious agreement be different from a political one?

14. "What has always appealed to me about the Temple Mount," writes Feiler, "is how many of the holiest spots in
the Abrahamic faiths are all gathered on the same piece of earth. Geography, so central to the roots of
monotheism, seems to bond practitioners into some forced accommodation." (p. 114) Accepting the actuality of
this "forced accommodation," why might it be that the Abrahamic faiths are not-or refuse to be-accommodated?

15. "In elevating the prophets," after the failures and disappointments of the kings, Feiler contends, "the Bible speaks
directly to the challenges of our time . . ." (p. 121) In what ways do the prophets speak directly to the challenges
of our own time? What might we learn from their pronouncements and warnings?

16. "The heroes [of the Bible]," claims Feiler, "are the ones-like Abraham, Moses, or the newly minted prophets-
who look critically at power, and even at God, and keep their gaze on the moral foundation of life on earth." (p.
122) What conclusions might be drawn from the prophets' critical examination of political power and of God? In
what ways did Jesus continue the tradition of the Old Testament prophets and their focus on their community's
most vulnerable and wounded?
Book Two: Exile
1: In the Garden of Eden

17. Writing of the fall of the Northern Kingdom, Judah, Nebuchadnezzar II's destruction of the Temple, and the
prophets' view of disastrous events "as precursors to salvation," Feiler contends, "The ability to see historical
events as theological allegory is one essence of the religious mind." (p. 135) In what ways and in what contexts
is that idea evident today? In what ways do religious leaders of all stripes interpret events as theological
allegories, and with what consequences?

18. The prophets may have redefined history as religious allegory," Feiler writes, "but more striking is how religious
allegory came to redefine history." (p. 150) What example(s) of religious allegory redefining history does he
identify? What additional examples, ancient and modern, can you identify?

19. What are some of the implications of Feiler's conclusion, following his summary of the Creation story, that
"each side-humans and God-aches to be the other"? (p. 155)

2: Come, Let Us Build a City

20. Feiler maintains that he sees "the diverse roots of the Bible as a strength, not a weakness." How might we
defend or refute that statement? What might the implications of Feiler's further statement that "the writers of the
Bible were influenced by sources that predate their own suggests the Bible should be seen not as sui generis but
as being in dialogue with other texts"? What, then, might be the further implications of Feiler's contention that
"if scriptures can be in dialogue, surely the faiths that grow out of those scriptures can be in dialogue as well"?
(p. 169)

21. Why is it significant that, whereas elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible God "reaches out to human beings, in the
Psalms human beings reach out to God"? (p. 177) How do the Psalms embody "the human yearning for contact
with the creator"? (p. 177)

3: By the Rivers of Babylon

22. In what ways might Babylon have been, in Feiler's words, "Israel's redeemer"? (p. 191)

23. What is the significance of the message of Ezekiel and other prophets, writing during the Exile, that God's
presence and dominion does not depend upon a specific place or building? Why might Feiler insist that "the
importance of this message to the future of religion cannot be overstated"? (p. 194)

24. Referring to Psalm 137 and God's response, Feiler writes: "When the Israelites beg for permission to destroy
their enemy, God does not reply. With his silence, he answers. They must decide for themselves." (p. 208) What
is nature and scope of the moral burden that this silent response imposes on the biblical Israelites-and on Jews,
Christians, and Muslims today?

25. In his concluding remarks regarding Psalm 137, Feiler refers to the "essential truth of Western faith." He writes:
"In the relationship between humans and God, humans actually have enormous power. We are the ones who
 control our own behavior. Only we can save ourselves from exile." (p. 209) What are the implications today of
this observation?

4: City of Peace

26. Recounting his involvement in a cross-cultural and cross-religious discussion in Iraq, Feiler notes, "I am
convinced that exploring how these religions [Judaism, Christianity, and Islam] have reinterpreted our shared
heritage can shed light on how we can coexist today." (p. 234) In what ways and to what extent might the kind
of interfaith dialogue to which he refers lead to an understanding of how adherents of the three faiths may
coexist today?

27. "The Bible is redemptive," Feiler contends, "in that it gives humans the ability to save themselves." (p. 237)
What are the implications of that statement? In what ways does the Hebrew Bible give enable us "to save"
ourselves?

5: A Future with Hope

28. "In the same way that many Iraqis see their lives through the prism of religion," writes Feiler, "many Americans,
including the ones most associated with the war in Iraq, do. This association clearly gave them strength and
purpose, but it holds dangers as well." (p. 244) What are some of the rewards and some of the dangers of seeing
one's life through the prism of religion?

29. Feiler's rereading of the story of the Tower of Babel leads him to conclude that "God insists on diversity. . . . In
rejecting the Tower of Babel, God rejects fundamentalism . . . God's solution is a cacophony of voices, living
side by side." (p. 261) How might this divine insistence on diversity and rejection of fundamentalism be effected
in today's world?

30. Feiler writes that "in the verses of the Hebrew Bible most inspired by Mesopotamia, God clearly speaks of
himself in the plural ['Let us…']. Perhaps this language helps explain why, in the face of the Tower of Babel,
God forces humans to live in a pluralistic world. By becoming pluralistic, we become most like God. Out of
many, we are made one with God." (p. 262) What are some significant ramifications of this notion?

Book Three: Diaspora

1: Let There Be Light

31. Dr. Kasra Vafadari, president of the Iranian Zoroastrian Association, tells Feiler that, in his view, "the most
beautiful thing about Zoroastrianism is that it's not moralistic-do this and don't do that-it's moral. And there's a
big difference." (p. 291) How would you describe that difference? In what ways does the difference between the
moralistic and the moral receive attention in the United States today?

32. Feiler refers to "the rich foundry of faith that characterized the Ancient Near East in the first millennium B.C.E.,
when religions viewed the spiritual ideas of other faiths not as threatening their existence but as enhancing their
appreciation of a complex, multifaceted world." (p. 293) How might that shared view be re-established today, in
the United States and elsewhere?

2: His Anointed One

 33. Writing of ancient Persia, Feiler comments, "Here, on the eastern flank of the Fertile Crescent, unmentioned in
the story of Western civilization, barely uttered in the religious dialogue of today, is a culture whose lessons for
our time may be the most relevant of the entire Ancient Near East." (p. 299) What are those lessons and what is
their relevance for our time?

34. Feiler writes that "the grand idea at the heart of Second Isaiah bears striking similarity to the grand idea
introduced by the Persian kings of the sixth century B.C.E. Morality is the highest calling of human conduct and
happiness the ultimate reward. . . . This type of overarching, all-inclusive value system-especially one based on
justice for all and happiness for every individual-was not widespread before the mid-first millennium B.C.E." (p.
317) How might this value system be made widespread again, among all the religions of the world?

35. At Persepolis-after discussing the religious inclusiveness of the Achaemenidian empire under Cyrus the Great
and his successors-Feiler's wife, Linda, asks archaeologist Shahrokh Razmjou, "So the road to peace begins
here?" He replies: "I don't think it's the only one. But I do think it's one. Maybe even the anointed one." (p. 319)
Where do you think the road to peace-and the road to religious tolerance and cooperation-might begin?

3: A Crown of Beauty

36. Visiting the Abreishami Synagogue in Tehran, Feiler asks Yesha'ya, the chief liaison between the Iranian Jewish
community and the government, "What you're saying that being Jewish in Iran is like living on a geological
fault-you just have to live with the fear?" (p. 325) Given Yesha'ya's response and Feiler previous narratives
concerning Jews in various countries, ancient and contemporary, to what extent is being Jewish anywhere like
living on a geological fault? To what extent might the simile be applied to any minority group in any country?

37. One of Linda Feiler's observations is: "It's not that diaspora is necessarily good, it's that diaspora works if there
are certain conditions under which the Jews are able to live in peaceful coexistence." (p. 341) What might those
conditions be and how do they ensure that "diaspora works"? What conditions of coexistence do you observe in
the United States?

38. How has diaspora affected the history of Judaism and the lives of Jews today? Can you think of any other
religious, cultural, or natural group that has experienced a similar diaspora? What similarities and differences do
you find between Jews and one of those other groups?

Conclusion: With Gladness and Joy

39. According to Feiler, the philosopher Noam Zion believes that "the future of Judaism (and perhaps religion in
general), . . . depends on turning away for the professionalization of faith that has occurred in recent centuries . . .
and rediscovering a more familial, do-it-yourself tradition . . ." (p. 357) What might be the benefits and
drawbacks of such a process-for Jews, Christians, Muslims, and others? What might the consequences of
everyone professing his or her personal religion?

40. Feiler writes that the latter biblical years "show that in the birth moment of Western religion, Judaism pioneered
the idea that religion need not be imperial, ever-expanding, and intolerant. . . . Through a combination of
historical circumstance and the tutelage of at least some of the prophets, the first great monotheistic religion
began its existence in a posture of humility." (p. 361) How might we ______ such a view with the biblical
history that Feiler has narrated and analyzed? How might we ______ it with the professed beliefs and practices-
 the realities-of the three major monotheistic religions today?

41. In the Russian Orthodox Compound of St. Mary Magdalene, on the Mount of Olives, Sister Xenia comments to
Feiler and Avner Goren: "I think the violence we have developed as humans is a very negative violence. The
violence we should use in religion is the violence of commitment: Using every means you have as a creative
being to bring yourself closer to God. The violence out there is a repellent thing. But the violence in here [the
compound] is of people coming together." (p. 367) What various interpretations might we place on Sister Xenia's
remarks? In what way(s) might we have a "violence of commitment" that brings us closer to God and to one
another?

42. The early religious showdowns of the early twenty-first century," writes Feiler, have made one thing clear: In the
battle for the soul of Western religion, it is scripture-whether the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, or the
Koran-that is ground zero." (p. 375) What are the implications of this observation given Feiler's immediately
preceding comment that the great religions "cannot survive in isolation from one another"? (p. 373)

Assignments
1. Noting the "chaos" of pre-Israelite Canaan, Feiler comments, "how brilliantly attuned the Bible is to the
geopolitical realities of its time." (p. 10) Research and report on the ways in which a specific book of the
Hebrew Bible is attuned to the geopolitical realities of its time.

2. Commenting on the complaints of the early Israelites in the Sinai and in the Promised Land and their demand for
a king, Feiler writes, "In both cases, Israel lives up to its namesake, Ysra-el, one who wrestles with God." (38)
Select one of the following topics and prepare a researched report:

a) What other instances are there in the Hebrew Bible in which the Israelites "wrestle with God," and what are
the outcomes of some of those instances?
b) How might the meaning of Ysra-el apply to present-day Israel, present-day Jews, and present-day
Christians?

3. Research the life and legends of one biblical personage mentioned by Feiler, and examine the significance of
that life and those legends within the historical context and for subsequent generations?

4. "Unlike Abraham, Moses, or any number of biblical figures I might wish to be like," writes Feiler, "David
seems repugnant. I don't want to be him; I want to flee from him." (p.74) Identify the biblical figure whom you
would wish to emulate, and explain in some detail why. Identify the biblical figure whom you find repugnant,
and explain in some detail why.

5. Feiler notes that "from the beginning, the Bible follows a narrative cycle of creation, destruction, and re-
creation." (p. 120) What instances of that cycle do you observe in the Hebrew Bible? In each instance, what
accounts for the destruction, and what accounts for the re-creation?

6. "You can't understand religion today without understanding the prophets," Feiler maintains. (p. 130) Reread
what Feiler writes as apropos to this statement, and write a report examining the ways in which his statement is
accurate and true.
 7. Select one of the fifteen prophets who have biblical books named for them and examine that prophet's social
background, the social conditions to which he speaks, the main components of his message, and his relevance to
specific circumstances and events today.

8. Feiler writes that, in their vision of redemption, "the prophets refer frequently to one biblical story as their
fantasy of the type of world they will re-create: the Garden of Eden." (p. 136) Write an essay on one of the
following topics:

a) The role and significance of the Garden of Eden in the books of the Prophets;
b) The role and significance of the Garden of Eden in the Gospels of the Christian New Testament;
c) The significance of the Garden of Eden in and to a key post-biblical western society.

9. Examine some of the ways in which the Garden of Eden has been used, by Christians and others, "to construct
an entirely new vision of social order, one founded no longer on the divine claims of rulers but on the inherent
rights of every human being"? (p. 150)

10. Research and report on one of the following:

a) The Exile "should be seen not as an isolated example of Israelite misfortune but as part of a sweeping period
of global transformation" in the sixth century B.C.E. (p. 192)
b) The significance of the fact that "in all likelihood only the most landed, the most learned, and the most
monied of the Israelites were deported . . ." (p. 192)
c) Feiler's contention that "the Israelites lived a full and fruitful existence in Babylon." (p. 193)

11. Feiler reports that "the towering significance of what happened by the rivers of Babylon is that the Israelites did
not merely weep; they set about redefining what it meant to worship God. They invented Judaism." (p. 195)
Prepare a report on the basic components and developments of that redefining and that invention. Pay attention
to the following questions: 1)What practices and beliefs "took on heightened, ritualistic meaning" (p. 196) during
the Exile and contributed to the emergence of Judaism as a religion? and 2) What related textual references in
the Hebrew Bible can be cited?

12. What purposes or functions has Babylon-as actual city and as symbol-served in Judaism and Christianity over
the past two thousand years? Why might this city of supposed oppression and immorality have come to be seen
as one of the pinnacles of Western civilization?

13. In what ways does the biblical Creation story parallel/echo the Babylonian creation myth involving Enuma,
Apsu, Tiamat, and Ea? What implications might we draw from those parallels?

14. Examine some of the several interpretations-in the various Christian faiths, Islam, and Judaism-of Jonah and his
ordeal. (p. 256) Note the chief similarities and differences among the interpretations.

15. Reviewing his travels in Iraq, Feiler writes that "many of the most transformative concepts of biblical religion
were born on this land." (p. 258) Identify the most important of those concepts and explain the significance of
their having originated in Mesopotamia?
 16. In Tehran, Feiler discusses with Dr. Fereydoon Forouzan "the experiment of taking religion and using it as a
basis of law." (p. 274) Dr. Forouzan worries mostly about a resulting moral chaos? What examples of such a
development can you point to in today's world, including in the United States? What are some other dangers of
basing a political system on a specific religion or a specific body of religious beliefs?

17. Feiler asks Dr. Kasra Vafadari, president of the Iranian Zoroastrian Association, "what Zoroastrian ideas he saw
echoed in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. (p. 290) Beginning with Dr. Vafadari's response, prepare a report on
the major influences of Zorastrianism on Judaism, Christianity, or Islam.

18. Research and report on the ways in which, in biblical terms, Cyrus the Great of Persia "was the messiah as it
[the term] was understood at the time." (p. 318)

19. In Hamadan, Feiler asks his wife "how she felt the Jews came across" in the Book of Esther. Her response, in
part, is: "Horribly. When the Jews are oppressed, they're generous, but once they get power, they're vengeful. . . .
I think Jews are best as the moral minority. And when we get power, we're not immune to the fact that power
corrupts." (p. 338) What are some of the implications of this view. To what extent do you agree or disagree with
it?

20. Referring to post-Exile Judaism, Feiler writes of the Jewish scribe Ezra, sent to Jerusalem by King Artaxerxes of
Persia "to instruct Jews in the teaching of Moses:" "Ezra's innovation was profound." (p. 347) What were the
main components of Ezra's innovation and what were their consequences, particularly as relating to the Bible?

21. Feiler notes that "by the time they lost power in the first century B.C.E., the Hasmoneans [heirs to the
Maccabees] represented yet another failed experiment in political leadership in a line that stretched across the
entire biblical era." (p. 354) Review the sequence of political failures in Israel and Judah, from David to the
Hasmoneans.

22. Feiler notes that, late in the first millennium B.C.E., "the idea of an anointed savior [the dream of a messiah]
took two forms. The first was restorative and political. . . . The second was futuristic and utopian . . ." (p. 363)
Examine one of the following:

a) In what ways might each of those forms be related to, and arise from, specific previous characteristics of
Hebrew history and Judaism?
b) What specific manifestations of each form arose, and what were the consequences of each manifestation?

Additional Resources
Feiler's bibliography, "Words of Peace and Truth," is an excellent starting point for additional reading and study.
Students will also benefit from their instructor's or professor's familiarity with relevant sources, as well as from the
assistance provided in your college or university library. There is a myriad of relevant Web sites, reflecting numerous
points of view. In addition, students should be able to find assistance in the library or the college or university's
computer center. Students may, of course, perform their own appropriate Web searches to discover sites related to
relevant topics.

This Instruction Guide was prepared by Hal Hager & Associates, Somerville, New Jersey. Hal Hager has taught literature at several colleges, has
been active for many years in editing, marketing, reviewing, and writing about books and writers, and is the author of numerous teacher's guides
and reading group guides.