Jerusalem is an ancient city located in the State of Israel. Its history goes back to the 4th millennium BC, making it one of the oldest cities in the world (ancient.eu). The city has seen many conquerors and invasions since that time, yet it still hasn't found peace till this day. Jerusalem is considered a holy city for Christians, Muslims and Jews, which has caused conflicts due to the differences as well as the desire to control the city from all parties.
Jerusalem in the Ottoman Empire
During the Ottoman rule, Jerusalem experienced a four hundred-year long period of relative calm, when fighting was mostly due to the jealousies between members of the Empire (Boston university.edu). As the decades went by, the empire was slowly declining, starting to lose their economic and military dominance as well as key regions in land (history.com). By the start of World War I,
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The city is holy for Christians because it has the Church of Holy Sepulchre, it is “located on a site which in central to the story of Jesus, his death, crucifixion and resurrection.”(bbc.com) in other words, it is believed that Jesus was crucified there. Jerusalem is of importance to the Muslims as it contains the shrine of the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in islam. “It is believed that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) travelled here from Mecca during his night journey and prayed with the souls of all the prophets. A few steps away, the shrine of the Dome of the Rock is where the Prophet then ascended to heaven.”(bbc.com) The western Wall, a “remnant of the retaining wall of the mount in which the Holy temple once stood,” is the most sacred site in Judaism. Jews believe that this was where the foundation stone which created the world, and where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. “Today, the Western Wall is the closest place Jews can pray to the Holy of the
Religious spaces, characterized by Thomas Tweed, are “differentiated,” “interrelated,” and “kinetic.” As a sacred city with spiritual significance in three major religions, Jerusalem is depicted thoroughly in the Hebrew Bible and illustrated as one of the spaces Tweed defines. The Bible emphasizes that Jerusalem was chosen by God and honored by Israelites, which differentiates it as a special, singular space; the description of Solomon’s Temple shows that the Holy City was interrelated to economic power and involved in the judgment of civil cases. Moreover, the conquest, development and destruction of Jerusalem illustrate the city as a kinetic space, reflecting the unsettled history of the Iron Age. These characteristics all make Jerusalem a religious and political center from the ancient Near East time to present day, guiding the footsteps of believers around the world.
Jesus had left Judea and traveled through Samaria on the way to Galilee. While in Samaria, he met the woman at the well in Sychar . After spending two days in Sychar, he travelled on to Galilee. While there he healed a government official’s son.
There are two parts in Jerusalem. There is the New City and the Old City. In the Old city there are many temples, one of the most important being the Haram esh-Sharif, or "Venerable Sanctuary." In the Old City there is also the Christian Church of Holy Sepulchre, which is the place where they believe Jesus Christ was buried after coming off the Cross. There is also the Wailing Wall that the Jews go to pray at. The Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque are there for the Muslim community. Jerusalem is the third holiest site for the Muslim population behind Mecca and Medina.
Jerusalem is the main reason why The First Crusade ever happened. It is an extremely important place of worship for multiple religions, including Christianity and Islam. Christianity puts great importance in Jerusalem because shortly after birth Jesus was taken to this city. Jesus also had his last supper here, and was crucified and buried right outside of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is also significant to Christians because it is the site of various saints or profits like Abraham, Solomon, David, Zachary and others (“The Importance of”). But Jerusalem is also valuable to Muslims for multiple reasons too, so much so that the Arabic translation is even “The Noble, Sacred Place.” Jerusalem was even the first Qiblah, the direction Muslims turn towards in prayer, meaning that they would turn to face Jerusalem when praying. It was also the location that Muhammad, messenger and prophet of God, took Muhammad from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca to the Furthest Mosque (Al-Aqsa) in Jerusalem. He was then “taken up to the heavens to be shown the signs of God” (Dodge). The Prophet met with previous prophets and led them in a prayer. The entire journey lasted only a few hours (Dodge). It becomes obvious why the Christians and Muslims would go to such great lengths to possess this once city.
Jerusalem is where Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross and crucified for his crimes, blasphemy against Judaism and for treason against Rome. In his youth, Jesus was brought to Jerusalem to be presented at the Temple and to attend the Festivals of the Passover. Jesus preached to the poor and the poor and healed the sick. Near the end of his life, Jesus was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death in Jerusalem. Jesus’ death sentence was carried out, by crucifixion, at Golgotha; which is traditionally located where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre stands today. From birth to death and from death to rebirth, Jerusalem was a vital part of Jesus’ journey as a man and the Son of God. The city of Jerusalem and the area surrounding it are heavily embedded in Christianity and Judaism.
During the Medieval England, there were a series of military campaigns, known as the Crusades, against the Muslims in the Middle East. The military advancement tried to retake control of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims. There has been a controversy over jerusalem because it holds a great significant to both the Jewish people, Christians, and the Muslims. To the Jewish people, it was the original temple to God built by King Solomon. For the Christians, it was where Jesus Christ was crucified and rose again. The Muslims on the other hand believe that it was the location where Mohammad ascended to heaven.
While there are many religions that have a religious connection the the city, Judaism has by far the strongest connection because of the Western Wall, the two temples, and the Torah. As stated before, Jerusalem is mentioned many times throughout the Torah, while in the Quran, Jerusalem is not mentioned once. (in text citation). Israel is a religious state, specifically a Jewish state. It would make sense to make the holiest site of Judaism the capital of the religious state. Even though Israel is a religious state, there is religious freedom in the country under the Knesset Law. The law states, “places holy to the peoples of all religions shall be protected from any desecration and from any restriction of free access to them.” (in text citation) Since the 1860s, the Jewish people have been the largest ethnic group in Jerusalem and has not yet been interrupted. (in text citation). Splitting Jerusalem into East and West Jerusalem will separate and cause Jewish people to leave their homes on the East side, since the majority of the city is Jewish people. In Israel, as well as all over the world, there is an ideology called Zionism. Zionists believe, “Judaism is a nationality as well as a religion, and that Jews deserve their own state in their ancestral homeland,” (in text citation) Zionism creates a feeling of nationalism and pride. After the persecution of the Jewish people during the Holocaust, many Jewish people felt the need to have a home and a safe place. A reason Israel was established as the homeland for the Jewish people was because of this persecution, persecutions throughout history, and the innate connection between the Jewish people and
Hebrew religion, also acknowledged as Judaism is one of the most aged religions on Earth stretching about 3,000 years back. Two major languages linked with Judaism are Hebrew and Yiddish, though many other Jews speak Ladino and Aramaic a language of choice for ancient Jews. In the sacred texts it revealed that Adherents for Jews believed in a monotheistic religion, meaning they believe in a single all-powerful god. Creation of everything and everyone was done by only one God, through him everything exists. Beliefs and practices of Judaism’s core is on two writings, the Torah and the Talmud. Torah made up the first five books of the Bible, known as the “Old Testament” for Christians. This religion strongly believes they are the chosen people
At first Jerusalem was occupied by mainly Christians, then In 637 AD a massive army surrounded Jerusalem. The Christian people held out, from giving up their land to their invaders the Muslims. They believed that a Christian army would be sent to save them. But then in February 638, the Christian bishop of Jerusalem, Sophronius, was forced to surrender the city.
Muhammad: Jerusalem is the home the Dome of the Rock which sits in the place that my people believe that I rose into heaven. We also believe that Jerusalem is the holiest place on earth right next to Mecca and Medina.
They are, obviously, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, to place them in their fleeting date request, and clarifying why the city is so profoundly and truly critical to each of the three beliefs would consume significantly more room than we have here. Jerusalem is for the most part essential to Christianity meaning that that is the place Jesus Christ was conveyed to once in a while as a kid, lectured the poor in his grown-up life, crucified toward the end of his life, and revived by God. That is the reason Christianity is so important. Jerusalem has been the holiest city in Judaism and the genealogical and profound country of the Jewish individuals since the tenth century BCE. Jerusalem was seen as the point of meeting
All of Jerusalem had been destroyed and rebuilt many times because they would always fall from their beliefs and give in to the temptations of the world around them. Even in the end when Jeremiah proclaimed they would fall to the wrath of God because of their ways they still ignored the consequences. God still loved his people and showed mercy to those who He loved. Although we may not understand how God could be so forgiving during that time, because so many of us would have pushed them away and forgot them. Jerusalem had been forgotten by neighbors because of the destruction of their own doings, and in the end have been
The land of Israel has been the epicenter of Jewish-Muslims relations for hundreds of years. The Jewish claimed lands in Israel and established Jerusalem roughly five thousand years ago. Having survived through multiple of the world’s most powerful empires, the Jewish largely remained in the holy land of Israel. However, after angering Muhammad, the Muslim general Omar conquered Israel in 638 AD (Arlandson). The Muslims took complete control over Jerusalem and claimed the city to be the second holiest site in Islam. The intentions of Jerusalem were to allow Muslims to pray towards Jerusalem or Mecca and to allow Muslims to complete the Hajj if Mecca was ever forced to be shut off to foreigners (Pipes). In the mid 600s, the Umayyad dynasty
The rights to Jerusalem have been heavily debated for centuries. It is the cause of much animosity between the three major monotheistic religions. Since the beginning, the Christians, Muslims and Jews have all claimed that Jerusalem belongs to them due to their religious texts. According to the Bible, Jerusalem is where Jesus Christ was nailed to the cross and crucified for his crimes, blasphemy against Judaism and for treason against Rome. Jerusalem and the area surrounding it are heavily embedded in Christianity and Judaism. Jerusalem is sacred to the Jews because the First Temple, at the site known as the Temple Mount today, was built by King Solomon, and Mount Moriah is where Abraham almost sacrificed his son and