A Closer Look

As we delve farther into this novel I find more and more parallels to between the history of  conflict and religion in  Jerusalem that coincide with the modern Israeli Palestinian conflict. By providing a detailed history of the conflicts and explaining in detail the meaning of a holy cite Armstrong is creating an emphasis on the true meaning of Jerusalem to each religion. In Armstrong's account she states that a holy place functions as a gateway to the heavens. By stating this she proves that each religion, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, have a tie to Jerusalem because it is or once was their gateway to the Heavens.

I feel that scholars would agree that the information presented thus far in Karen Armstrong's novel provides a well balanced account of the events that have shaped and scared Jerusalem for thousands of years. In my opinion I feel that Armstrong achieves a balance between the religions by providing a detailed account of the history both good and bad. By expressing the numerous accounts of concurring and re-concurring of the city, Armstrong develops a narrative that expresses how conflict has scared the city as well as built it to become the Jerusalem we know today.