Israel Reading List
Delana and I recently posted a two part podcast that surveys Israeli history from early Zionism to the modern state. Below, I’ve listed further reading for those who would like to dig deeper into Israel’s story. The list includes a mixture of history, theology, and literature. This is by no means exhaustive, and some may think I’ve left key works out. I admit that I probably have, but at least this will give you some starting points as you consider further study. I hope you enjoy.
Disclaimer: By including a book below, I don’t necessarily endorse all of its views. However, each of these have been valuable in my own understanding of Israel and her story.
Herod the Great: Statesman, Visionary, Tyrant by Norman Gelb
An overview of the political dynamics influencing the era of the New Testament
New Testament History by F. F. Bruce
An overview of the historical periods just before and during the New Testament
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
A Shakespearian play that holds up a mirror to 16th century antisemitism
Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
A classic Victorian novel that gives insight into early Zionist longings
Jerusalem 1913: The Origins of the Arab-Israeli Conflict by Amy Dockser Marcus
A historical sketch of Jerusalem during the waning Ottoman period
Faith, Power, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present by Michael B. Oren
A broad study of America’s role in middle eastern politics
One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs under the British Mandate by Tom Negev
The definitive guide to understanding the era of the British Mandate for Palestine
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas
A look at the rise of Hitler’s Nazi regime through the life of German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Night by Elie Wiesel
The firsthand account of Elie Wiesel who struggles to survive the Holocaust
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
The journal entries of Anne Frank as she hides from the Nazis
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
The story of a Christian who hides Jews from the Nazis and suffers with them in the concentration camps
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
A novel about Jewish communities in New York and their reactions to World War II
O, Jerusalem! by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre
A detailed account of Jerusalem’s turmoil between the UN partition plan and the Israel’s War of Independence
Watchmen on the Walls: An Eyewitness Account of Israel’s Fight for Independence from the Journal of Hannah Hurnard by Hannah Hurnard
Christian missionary, Hannah Hurnard, records Israel’s War of Independence through her experiences in Jerusalem
Six Days in June: How Israel Won the 1967 Arab-Israeli War by Eric Hammel
A detailed military account of the Six Day War in 1967
The Yom Kippur War: The Epic Encounter That Transformed the Middle East by Abraham Rabinovich
A detailed military account of the Yom Kippur War in 1973
From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman
As a correspondent in Lebanon and Israel for ten years, Friedman describes his experiences in the Middle East
The War of Return by Adi Schwartz and Einat Wilf
A thorough analysis of the Palestinian refugee crisis
Watchmen on the Wall Manual: A Practical Guide to Prayer for Jerusalem edited by Robert Stearns
A great introduction to understanding and praying for Israel
Irrevocable Calling: Israel’s Role as a Light to the Nations by Dan Juster
A theological overview of Israel’s vocation in redemptive history
One King: A Jesus-Centered Answer to the Question of Zion and the People of God by Samuel Whitefield
A look at the controversial call of Israel and how to think about it within a New Testament framework
It Must Be Finished: Making Sense of the Return of Jesus by Samuel Whitefield
An overview of eschatology and how Israel’s redemptive vocation plays a key part
Jerusalem Crucified, Jerusalem Risen: The Resurrected Messiah, the Jewish People, and the Land of Promise by Mark Kinser
A theological proposal about the way Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection provides the framework for Israel’s future story
Israel Matters: Why Christians Must Think Differently about the People and the Land by Gerald R. McDermott
A theological argument in favor of Christian Zionism