Jerusalem the Center of the Universe - Hardcoverby Israel Finkelstein (Author) Jerusalem is the center of the universe, the hub of the three great monotheistic religions, yet how did a city located on the desert fringe, in the semi arid southern highlands of Israel with little tillable land achieve such dominance? To provide answers to this enduring riddle, Israel Finkelstein has collected twenty four of his best articles and essays covering the Middle Bronze Age to the late Hellenistic period.