Historic Value in Boase's 'Castles of Crusaders'

There is a constant renewal of
interest in the Crusades and in the
era of Christian-Moslem battles for
domination over the Palestinian
holy places. The current threats
from Arab quarters that they will
repeat in their dealings with Israel
their subsequent victories, even if
they have to wait 100 or 200 years
until Israel collapses, may cause
further study of the period of the
Crusades.
Thus there is unending historic
attention to the Crusades and the
Crusaders, and a large and expen-
sive volume like "Castles and
Churches of the Crusading King-
dom" published by Oxford Univer-
sity Press (200 Madison, NY16)
must draw special attention.
Dr. T. S. R. Boase, president of
Magdalen College, Oxford, is the
author of this work, and the nu-
merous photographs—many multi-
colored—are by Richard Cleave.
It is the art of the Crusading
period that is especially note-
worthy and receives particular
emphasis on this book, and both
the photographer and the his-
torian who wrote the text have
given due attention to this aspect.
Three important maps and the
list of important dates in Cru-
sading history prove of great
assistance to the reader and are
valuable from an historical stand-
point.
Christological factors predomin-
ate, and naturally so since the
book deals with the churches and
castles of groups that conquered
and ruled over Palestine. The dates
covered are those from 1059 to
1309.
Difficulties encountered by Chris-
tians are recalled. For instance:
"In the rebuilding of Jerusalem
under Hadrian the site or neighbor-
hood of the site, where the church

6 Friday, October 20, 1967

—

of the Sepulchre was later to stand,
had been leveled as a forum with
at its eastern end shrines of Jupi-
ter, Juno and Venus, and therefore
was peculiarly repugnant and, at
least to those of native Jewish
birth inaccessible to Christians."
The changes in rulerships
through the ages, from Christians
to Moslem, and the reverse, the
Crusaders' zeal, the centuries of
construction mark this work as a
historical essay replete with in-
formative material. Saladin and his
foes pass in review and the process
of erecting churches and castles is
fully outlined.
Among the structures de-
scribed is the Beni Israel, "the
northernmost of the Assassin
castles, controlling a rough hill
track that ran from the Orontes
valley to the port of Jabala."
This work is a combination of
history and literature and is a mer-
velous commentary on religious ex-
periences. There is this description
of the church at Hebron:
"The crusaders were, as befitted
the impulse that had sent them
forth, active church builders. Some
of these churches were adaptations
of earlier buildings. At Hebron the
massive enceinte with its huge
masonry is a Herodian construc-
tion; the church was based on
Byzantine foundations but altered
to carry 12th Century groined
vaults. Hebron was in 1119 the
scene of a striking incident. The
patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, were known to have been
buried in vaults under the mosque
that had now been occupied and
was being rebuilt by Augustinian
canons. Beneath two small, prob-
ably Umaiyad, cunpolas two eye-
holes (one of which is still open)
looked down into indeterminate
caverns. To the Latins the relics of

the patriarchs were an inviting
trove. Researches were undertaken
and eventually, after various dis-
appointments, a well - built tomb
chamber was opened containing
bones which were acclaimed as
those sought for. Some seventeen
years later an account was drawn
up based on the narratives of par-
ticipants. It is one of the earliest
reports of an excavation. The caves
have long been closed: the mosque
itself is still somewhat difficult of
access and no unbeliever may ex-
plore its lower regions. In 1917,
when the English occupied the
town, an officer, investigating the
enclosure, penetrated into a sub-
terranean chamber which held
what seems to have been some
form of tomb slam, but he had no
knowledge of the archaeological
interest of the spot where he found
himself nor did the circumstances
of the moment permit of any close
examination."

Numerous studies still are being
conducted of the periods of the
Crusades. Dr. Boase points out that
"in the monastery of Mount Sinai
a group of icons were photographed
in 1958 and 1960 by a joint expedi-
tion of the universities of Michigan,
Princeton and Alexandria, and are
at present in course of publication
by Prof. Kurt Weitzmann."
The story as related in Boase's
volume will prove valuable in re-
viewing and compiling data of the
history of conflicts in the Holy
Land. The Cleave photographs in
the volume are magnificent.

Hebrew Scholar Believes Christianity
May Have Roots in Drug-Taking Cult

LONDON — A Hebrew scholar
studying the Dead Sea Scrolls
suggested that Christianity's roots
lay in a drug-taking cult and that
the New Testament was "just a
cover story" for it.
Johnson Marco Allegro, lecturer
at Manchester University, said
that Old Testament prophets, when
they saw visions, were probably
on "a trip" with LSD or some-
thing like it. Allegro said "The
Church is going to be scourged as
never before. Nothing so far re-
vealed by the scrolls has had
the effect that this is going to
have."
The former Methodist lay preach
er said that his research has
raised doubts about the basic as-
sumptions of much Biblical scholar-
ship.
"If you can lay bare the real
purpose behind the Old and New
Testament stories," he said,
"then the whole foundation of
church must be shattered.
They'll have to think again.
Figures like David and Solomon,

Gift to Sinai Monastery

JERUSALEM (JTA)—The Israel
government announced a gift of
30 tons of I wheat to the monks of
the Santa Katerina monastery on
the isolated heights of ML Sinai.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Samson and Delilah, are just
myths. The very possibility that
Jesus ever existed is open to
question.

"The New Testament was a
cover document meant to circu-
late among some strange groups
at the time they were under attack
from the (Roman) establishment.
Now we are going to understand
why the . Romans were so active
against a politically slanted drug-
taking cult, menacing well being
of the state."

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dicuL-..91an Tinivvaity annuid Nampa

Wednesday, November 29 - Cobo Hall

Cocktails 6:00 p.m.

Dinner 7:00 p.m.

•

Guest Speaker

General Banquet Chairman

Bar-Ilan University Annual Banquet Committee

SAMUEL FRANKEL
General Chairman

Honorary Co - Chairmen

CHARLES GROSBERG
JOSEPH JACKIER

DR. J. E. GOLDMAN
MORRIS KARBAL

DAVID I. BERRIS
ABRAHAM BORMAN
TOM BORMAN
DAVID J. COHEN
AVERN COHN

DR. JOSEPH H.
LOOKSTEIN
• • •

Toastmaster

MAX M. FISHER
Honorary Chairman

JOSEPH HOLTZMAN
JUDGE JOHN M. WISE

Dinner Committee Co - Chairmen

ABE KASLE
SOL LESSMAN
EDWARD C. LEVY
DAVID POLLACK
JULIUS ROTENBERG

MERTON SEGAL
PHILIP SLOMOVITZ
MAX STOLLMAN
JACK SYLVAN
PAUL ZUCKERMAN

Scholarship Committee

IRWIN I. COHN, Chairman
NORMAN ALLAN
MORRIS J. BRANDWINE
SAMUEL HECHTMAN
M. BEN LEWIS
DAVID SAFRAN

NATHAN GOLDIN
DANIEL LAVEN
RICHARD SLOAN

Dinner Arrangements Committee
NORMAN J. COHEN
DAVID MUSKOVITZ
GRAHAM ORLEY
DAVID SAKWA

SAMUEL FRANKEL

• • •

Chairman, Board of Trustees

PAUL BAKER
NORMAN GORDON
MAX OSTROW

PHILLIP STOLLMAN, Chairman

Board of Trustees

•

Help Raise Jewry's Cultural Standards —

Join the Participants in the Annual Bar-Ilan Dinner

DR. JACOB GOLDMAN

For reservations call DI 1-0708

PHILLIP STOLLMAN

I

