This book is a detailed examination of the literature and archaeology pertaining to specific sites (in Palestine, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Memre, Nazareth, Capernaum, and elsewhere) and the region in general. Taylor contends that the origins of these holy places and the phenomenon of Christian pilgrimage can be traced to the emperor Constantine, who ruled over the eastern Empire from 324. He contends that few places were actually genuine; the most important authentic site being the cave (not Garden) of Gethsemane, where Christ was probably arrested. Extensively illustrated, this lively new look at a topic previously shrouded in obscurity should interest students in scholars in a range of disciplines.

This account of holy sites and mysterious ruins aims to capture the spirit of the places themselves. It explains their myths and legends and shows their continuing importance down the ages. Part One examines over 100 key sites and shows how they came to be regarded as sacred and their subsequent history. The sites are divided geographically into sections, such as Africa and the Middle East, Europe and Australia, and the Pacific. Each of these areas is introduced by a hand-drawn map showing all of the sites described and other areas of interest, such as ancient burial grounds, temples and natural sites. Part Two is a map-based gazetteer of over 1000 sacred sites. The sites are plotted over 20 maps, which are then followed by listings giving information about each holy place. The maps show the location of each site and the period in which it was built or used.

A listing of five hundred sites new and old, famous and unknown, that have been used to connect humanity with its gods.

The region once known as Pimer’a AltaÑnow southern Arizona and northern SonoraÑhas for more than three centuries been a melting pot for the beliefs of native Tohono O'odham and immigrant Yaquis and those of colonizing Spaniards and Mexicans. One need look no further than the roadside crosses along desert highways or the diversity of local celebrations to sense the richness of this cultural commingling. Folklorist Jim Griffith has lived in the Pimer’a Alta for more than thirty years, visiting its holy places and attending its fiestas, and has uncovered a background of belief, tradition, and history lying beneath the surface of these cultural expressions. In Beliefs and Holy Places, he reveals some of the supernaturally sanctioned relationships that tie people to places within that region, describing the cultural and religious meanings of locations and showing how bonds between people and places have in turn created relationships between places, a spiritual geography undetectable on physical maps. Throughout the book, Griffith shows how culture moves from legend to art to belief to practice, all the while serving as a dynamic link between past and future. Now as the desert gives way to newcomers, Griffith's book offers visitors and residents alike a rare opportunity to share in these rich traditions.

A world travel to religious and spiritual sites. The book invites readers to embark on a spiritual journey through the history and the cultures of the world.

The Oxford Early Christian Studies series will include scholarly volumes on the thought and history of the early Christian centuries. Covering a wide range of Greek, Latin, and Oriental sources, the books will be of interest to theologians, ancient historians, and specialists in the classical and Jewish worlds. Series Editors: Rowan Williams, Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity at University of Oxford and Henry Chadwick, Master of Peterhouse in the University of Cambridge. The first book in The Oxford Early Christian Studies series, this study examines how Christians, whose faith is rooted historically in the Holy Land, define the precise significance of such a "holy land" in the present. Walker focuses on 325 A.D., when Constantine, the first Christian emperor, established his capital at Byzantium, allowing the Christians to uncover the Gospel sites and develop a theoretical approach to the Holy Land. He systematically compares for the first time the attitudes of two ancient writers, Eusebius of Caesarea and Cyril of Jerusalem--whose works discuss these events--revealing a new and important appreciation of Eusebius as one who, unlike Cyril, did not believe that the city in the Judean hills was truly "the city of God."