LOOKING FOR A PUBLISHER!
Dear Messrs.
I want to offer to your publishing house the publication of my book entitled: “History of Modern Christianity in the Holy Land, Jordan and Palestine in the nineteenth century.” (English version).
I will try to briefly present my book:
1- I printed my book in Arabic in Amman, Jordan, in 1993, and I published it personally without enlisting the help of any publishing house. There was a significant demand on the book in Jordan and in other countries. In fact most of the copies of the first edition were sold. The book was used as a reference in several Arab and foreign books after 1993. The book is a doctorate thesis, which I presented to the St. Joseph University (Jesuit University) in Beirut, Lebanon in 1987, for a Ph D degree in history.
2- In my judgment, the book is important because it tackled a historic issue, namely, the structural development of the Churches in Jordan and Palestine in the nineteenth century. Meanwhile, it simultaneously linked the civil and ecclesiastical history in the region with one another. When I realized that the book was a success in a limited book market such as the Arab market, I was encouraged to have it published in English. Mr. George A. Musleh did the translation, and Rev. Simon E. Smith S.J. did the editing. The translation and editing of the book lasted nearly one year.
3- The book can be distinguished from other published books dealing with the same topic in the fact that it tackled the history of all the Churches, not one single Church and that it linked the ecclesiastical and civil history together. It attempted to cast light on the history of the Churches combined, their progress and structures, the development and the growth of their parishes and institutions, without focusing on the issue of the Holy Places which other authors discussed and studied in detail.
4- The likely markets of the book are the seminaries and universities in the Middle East, and all those interested in the civil and ecclesiastical history of this region.
5- The material of the book can be useful to the scholars and it is now used in its Arabic version, as a student text, in several seminaries in the Middle East.
6- There are 480 pages in the book, including footnotes and references.
7- Synopsis of the book: “History of Modern Christianity in the Holy Land” is a modest contribution to the documentation of the history of our country. In the nineteenth century, the structure of the Churches underwent change. Christian institutions developed in light of the Ottoman firmans and the international relations forged by the Ottoman Sultanate. At that time, the systems of the millet, capitulation, international interests and the Eastern question were all interlocked in successive and complex events that occurred in the Ottoman arena. The development of the structure of the Churches had its local and international dimensions, which should be understood in order to comprehend the realities governing present-day Christianity. On the local level, the first law of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate was issued and the Orthodox Arab issue rose to the surface. Moreover, the Latin Patriarchate was re-established and the Anglican bishopric was formed. Most of these events occurred in Jerusalem and they necessarily reach out to the various parts of Palestine and Jordan. They narrate the history of the patriarchates and the patriarchs and the local and international contacts, the institutions, schools, universities, seminaries, parishes and religious orders that developed during this historical period. This history is not restricted to the Churches, which constitute part of the civilization of our homeland and human civilization at large. Therefore, the study briefly touches on the public, political, social and economic life, the Christian-Muslim relations, the history of the clans, the ties that the neighboring countries forged with the Holy Land, and the pilgrimage to the Holy Places. This pilgrimage is one of the most prominent features of our country. The Lord has blessed this country with the monotheistic missions, which the Lord -God, Allah, Elohim- cleansed and chose out of all other spots of the world for these missions. The sources and references of this book are diverse in terms of color, language and roots. They can take the reader at one time to Jerusalem, Karak, Nazareth, and Salt and at other times to Istanbul, Rome, London and Moscow.
8- I put on the Internet a draft version of my text, without the footnotes, so you can navigate in my web page, and get acquainted with the full text.
Sincerely yours,
Fr. Dr. Hanna Kildani, Author.
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FR. DR. HANNA KILDANI
LATIN CONVENT OF MARJ ALHAMAM - AMMAN- JORDAN
P.O.B 246. Zip code 11732
TEL: ++ 962 6 5713007
FAX: ++ 962 6 5933874
E-mail: kildani@wanadoo.jo