‘What must I do to inherit eternal life?” asked the rich man. Jesus replied: “Go sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.” Though the rich man was taken aback by what was demanded, modern readers are often puzzled by the reward.

Christian tradition has not been kind to the Jewish claim to the land of Israel For many of the fathers of the church the fact that Rome had invaded that land and destroyed the temple in Jerusalem A D 70 seemed to be an objective marker of divine disfavor Already in the fourth century John Chr