Beauty for Ashes: Understanding the Israel-Hamas War

This guide to understanding the grotesque Hamas attack on Israel on the Sabbath of Darkness, October 7, 2023, is framed by a biblical, generous theology of history. Judith Mendelsohn Rood shares her experiences as a researcher at the Islamic Court in Jerusalem, a professor of Middle Eastern history teaching world history at an evangelical Christian university, and as a participant in Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation ministries. Her story is interwoven with her perspectives on the imperative of loving one's enemies during this age of war. Her faith in Yeshua has given her hope and courage during her forty years engaging with the enemy - an enemy she has known as friends. Beauty for Ashes shows us how the Biblical metanarrative guides us to the answers we seek and equips us for the battle ahead.