Lecture 18

        Currently there are still prevalent issues among Israel and Palestine. There is a West Bank Barrier that was put into place and completely separates the two areas so that there is no mistake of what belongs to who. However, the Israelites began building in some areas that belong to Palestine which has of course caused many current problems. The Hamas, which are considered a terrorist group defeated Fatah in the Palestinian elections in 2006 and have caused much of the problems occurring. There is a lot of unrest between these people because they are both hostile and protective about the land they have fought for. However, I think there is a hope for the future for peace because it is so close but will take a lot of effort. Hopefully, we will see progression in the next couple of years.

Lecture 17

        In the 20^th century there was a ride of European Nationalism which led to anti-Semitic pogroms in the Islamic world and anti-Semitic pogroms in Russia (which caused Jews to flee to Palestine). In 1902 there was the second aliyah as Jews fled from Russia and Eastern Europe to Jerusalem. Then came World War I in which the British conquered Egypt and the Ottomans allied with Germany against France and Britain. Under General Allenby, the British conquered Palestine and created the Balfour Declaration, which promises a Jewish national homeland in Palestine. There was also the Sykes-Picot Agreement which was a secret agreement between France and the UK that divided the former Ottoman empire into areas of control- France got Turkey, Northern Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria, and the Brits got Palestine, Jordan, and Southern Iraq.  From 1918-1948 the British Mandate was in effect, in which the Brits promised to protect holy places of all faiths. Then Churchill’s White Paper was published which was a paper written to clarify how Britain viewed the Balfour Declaration, but even after this it was still unclear. Britain partitioned an area to the West of Jordan for a Jewish settlement, renamed it Transjordan, and gave it to Abdullah I. The Peel Commission was suggested in response to the violence between Arabs and Jews. There would be Jewish state established in Galilee and the Coastal Plain, and an Arab state in Central Hills, West Bank and Negev. Jerusalem was the “international city.” This plan was approved by the UN in 1947 and it was accepted by all Zionists but rejected by the Arabs, which caused outbreaks of fighting. This led to the War of Independence in 1948. In May of this year the British departed the land amidst the fighting because it was not their war to fight. There was a truce arranged by the UN in July which created the Green line between Israel and Jordan. Then in 1967 the six-day war broke out. Jordan signed a military agreement to join battle with Egypt. The Israelis launched a strike and within hours they wiped out the Egyptian air force. Israelis entered the Old City and control of the Haram was given to the Muslims. Israelis annexed the Old City and East Jerusalem, but the UN rejected this annexation. The Palestinians ended up with nothing except a small piece of the West Bank. The Oslo Accords was the first face to face agreement between Israel and PLO in Norway.

Lecture 16

         Under Mamluk rule Jerusalem became more of a religious center rather than a political or military city. Jerusalem also expanded as the Mamluks intensively built schools, hostels, and hospices. The Mamluk architecture was made up of walls built of alternating red and white courses of stone, buildings were domed, and there was usually decorative designs inside the domes and above the entrances. Through all this, the economy suffered a bit from the amount of taxes put in place by the Mamluks, and also the Black Plague that hit the city in 1351. There were three main areas of charitable foundation that the Mamluk partook in: the Haram al-Sharif, outside the Haram, and along the street running east from the Jaffa gate. They developed the Haram by adding towers on the corners, adding minarets, a summer pulpit was built, and the Northern colonnade was added. Also, both the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque were restored. All of this building and renovations took place in what is now the Islamic quarter. Nachmanides had made aliyah in 1267 and founded the Ramban Synagogue. It was during this time that the “spiritualize” Jerusalem really started to take place.

        Ottoman Jerusalem was similar to Mamluk Jerusalem as the city remained more symbolic and religious, rather than political or strategic. Selim defeats Mamluks in 1517 at Marj- Dabik. The Turkish Ottoman kingdom flourished in building a strong centralized government for Jerusalem. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent repaired and enlarged the aqueducts, rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem (2 miles long), and campaigned to refurbish the Haram and its monuments. He established a shari’a court, in which the Jews would ditch all laws and the Bible would become the rule book to follow. Suleiman encouraged Jewish refuges to settle in Jerusalem to restore the city, and their were no taxes for Jews which caused a tripling in the population. They provided restoration to the Haram and to the Christian church of the Holy Sepulcher (all holy places). It was a now a place where the Jews felt safe and welcomed to live and worship god.

Lecture 15

       Jerusalem was under Christian rule for less than 100 years; it was a time called the crusade. It was an attempt to retake Jerusalem from the Islamic rule. Some of the factors contributing to the crusades was the emergence of the holy roman empire in western Europe, the split of Christianity in 2 ways, a late reaction to the persecution of Christian population in Jerusalem, the holy sepulcher was set on fire and the dome collapsed, and Al Hakim destroyed the holy sepulcher. 1099 CE is when the Christians actually took Jerusalem. The first crusade took place in 1095 CE and the second in 1147 CE. A crusade is an expedition authorized by the pope on Christ’s behalf. The crusaders took Jerusalem and changed the Islamic monuments into Christian ones by adding a cross to the Dome of the Rock and the Al- Asqa mosque. They restored the byzantine churches and created new churches (42 new ones). In 1187 CE Saladin conquered Jerusalem at the Horns of Hattin. Saladin allowed the residents to leave and go free if they chose to, but if they stayed it would be under his rule. The church of Holy Sepulcher was given to Greek orthodox, and Christian topography was replaced with Muslim shrines. In the 5^th crusade the walls of Jerusalem were dismantled; 6^th crusade the Jews retook control of Jerusalem; Jews lost to the Muslims in the 7^th crusade. It was a tug of war over control of Jerusalem.

Lecture 14

        The Byzantine era ended when the Sasanians took Palestine and Jerusalem in 614 CE. The Sasanians allowed the Jews to resettle in Jerusalem, which was the first time they were allowed back into the city since the Bar-Kokhba Revolt. Then in 628 CE the byzantine emperor Heraclius retook Jerusalem. Unfortunately, he allowed massacres of the Jews in Jerusalem. Once again Jerusalem is taken by a new man in 638 CE named Caliph Umar. At this point there is no stable government or ruling in Jerusalem. The rules are constantly changing and the residents are varying. Caliph Umar had made an agreement with the Christians that he would not allow Jewish settlement in Jerusalem, but he later allowed the Jews to move back into the city. Jerusalem played a part in the Islamic religion and community as well. The Kaaba in Mecca is the most sacred site in Islam. It is a huge mosque with a  black stone in the middle, and it is used to contain hundreds of idols. Muhammad threw out the idols and made the Kaaba to be the center of Islam. Muslims don’t worship the Kaaba or the black stone; it is just the focal point of prayer. After all those rulers came the Umayyad dynasty 638-750 CE. The Umayyad Jerusalem was a much more tolerant place for Christians and Jews. Caliph Umar built a wooden mosque, Abd al-Malik built Dome of the Rock , and the Al-Aqsa Mosque was built on the site of Umar’s mosque during the reign of Caliph Walid. There were great Umayyad palaces that were built up against the retaining walls of the Temple Mount. Umayyad The Dome of the Rock’s model was built in Christian architectural traditions and intended to outshine Christian monuments and demonstrate the final truth of Islam. There was also an inscription all around the Dome of the Rock with anti-Christian dialogue/verses on it. The Abbasid Dynasty wiped out Umayyad efforts in 750 CE. Then from 969-1099 CE earthquakes damaged Jerusalem’s buildings, walls, and the Dome of the Rock. The Seljuqs added to this destruction by occupying Jerusalem and destroying much of the city. Next, the Fatimids laid siege on Jerusalem and destroyed much of the city walls, and took Jerusalem from the Seljuqs. This was clearly not the time to live in Jerusalem due to the constant destruction and raids from different groups. However, many continued to stay there because of its sacred value.

Lecture 13

         There was a rise of Christianity during this time. Jesus came into the picture and predicted the destruction of the temple, and offered the rejection of the temple for a more spiritualized religion. It is envisioned in Revelation 21-22 that there will be a “new” Jerusalem that will be a perfect paradise for god’s chosen people. This is a sign of hope for the Jews after everything they have gone through, and it is the beginning of Christianity. Jerusalem’s status as a holy city increased even more when the story of Jesus being crucified, buried, and resurrected here became known to many. To Christians, the body of Jesus Christ was becoming the temple; the means of worship. In 285 CE Emperor Diocletian split the administration of the Roman empire between west and east and appointed 4 different emperors. It was the Edict of Milan that legalizes Christianity in 313 because Constantine the Great realized he could use Christianity to unify his kingdom. There was some tension between the Jews and Christians now so the Council of Nicaea was put together to resolve the differences between Jews and Christians, in which they came up with the doctrine of the trinity. Constantine’s mother comes to Jerusalem in 324 CE and ordered construction of the church in Egypt to commemorate the burning bush. She also tore down the church of Venus to find evidence of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. After Constantine, Julian “the Apostate” began to rebuilt the Jewish Temple because he did not believe in the new Christianity and wanted to undo all that Constantine had done to support Christianity. But then in 391 CE Theodosius, the new emperor, named Christianity the state religion to undo Julian’s reforms. It was a back and forth debate not only between all people, but also the ruler. Empress Eudocia (wife of Theodosius) made pilgrimages to Jerusalem and built churches, hospitals, and hospices there. Justinian expanded Jerusalem in 527 CE and built a Nea (new) church for St. Mary. Christian Pilgrimages started to take place in Jerusalem. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher became the location of primal myths of migration and such (instead of the Temple). It became the symbolic center where divinity touches humanity.

Lecture 12

        Herod died in 4 BCE and his kingdom was divided among three of his sons, whose powers were very limited. Archelaus became “ethnarch” of Judea; he was an ineffective ruler and was recalled to Rome and sent into exile in 6 CE. Herod Antipas became “tetrarch” of Perea and Galilee; he ruled from 4 BCE until exile in 39 CE. Herod Philip became “tetrarch” of Iturea and Trachonitis, northwest of Sea of Galilee; he ruled from 4 BCE until death in 34 CE. Pontius Pilate was the only Roman governor of Judea mentioned in the Gospels. He was ineffective & provoked the Jews. Pilate also was the one who tried Jesus and ordered his execution. He was recalled back to Rome in 36/37 CE because he minted coins with pagan symbols on them, which angered the Jews. His existence is proved by the Pontius Pilate Inscription, which is a block of stone with an inscription addressed to Pilate himself. Most of the Roman governors in Jerusalem were “inexperienced and inept, which caused Jewish nationalism on the rise, growing internal Jewish conflict, provocations from all sides, and steady decline of law and order.” The Jewish Revolt Coin was a way for the Jews to declare independence from the Romans. Then in 66 CE  revolt breaks out. In 68 CE, Nero committed suicide, then Vespasian was proclaimed emperor, and then his son, Titus, took charge in Spring 70 CE. The northern city falls and the temple was destroyed by Titus. The temple remained in ruins until Hadrian built a temple to Jupiter in 135 CE, for which the Jews had to pay a Temple Tax. Hadrian rebuilt Jerusalem as Aelia Capitolina, and banned all Jews from ever visiting Jerusalem except on the 9^th of Ab so they could mourn the defeat of their city. The Bar-Kokhba revolt occurred in 132 CE when Bar-Kokhba thought he could take back Jerusalem as the messiah.  He minted revolt coins that looked exactly like the revolt of 70 CE coins, except the words were frequently misspelled. In response to the Bar-Kokhba revolt Hadrian punished the Jews bloodily and banned circumcision. In response to the destruction of the Temple, the Jews built synagogues to worship in. It was now that Judaism became a spiritualized religion because there was no longer a physical temple or place to worship. All that mattered now was the “kingdom” in heaven; they no longer needed to make sacrifices or go to temple as long as they praised the Lord. Judaism went from a religion of blood sacrifice to a religion of the law/bible.

Lecture 11

         Roman rule began in 63 BCE when Pompey besieged Jerusalem for Rome. He assumed control of Jerusalem to settle the dispute between brothers Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II. Hyrcanus was installed as “ethnarch” and Idumean Antipater was installed as “procurator.” In 43 BCE Antipater was murdered and in 40 BCE was the Parthian invasion. Herod kicked all Parthians out of Palestine and Rome backed Herod as king of Judea. He took control of Galilee, Samaria, and Idumea, and in 37 BCE Herod took Jerusalem from the Parthians. There is proof of Herod the Great from coins with his name on them. He was considered a “client king”- which meant he was good to his people so he wasn’t overthrown but also respected Rome and collected taxes for them so he would stay on the throne. In the bible there is mention of the Magi coming to see “new king” from the star they followed. Once Herod had heard of this new king he felt threatened and asked the magi to tell him where the king was, but they outwitted him so he became furious. He ordered his men to kill all babies under the age of 2 years old in hopes that this new king would be killed. There is no hard evidence of this story to be true but it follows his personality very well as he was a brutal leader. Herod was best known for his massive building projects, which was beneficial for the people because it opened many more job opportunities. The Herodian Temple Mount was the actual mount (not the temple) that was done with Roman architecture, and it was the size of 15 football fields on top. Herod the Great also added 3 fortifications to the Citadel of David. He would use it as protection to retreat there when his own people were coming after him in anger. It was, however, originally built to protect the people if the city was breached. The Siloam Pool was expanded by Herod and the Romans put drainage systems in place. He built the Antonia Fortress on top of Temple Mount, where Romans could stay and watch over what was going on in the city. So the question is was Herod the Great a Good King or Bad? It is true that he didn’t defile the temple, he allowed Jews to select high priest, he married a princess, he offered relief during the famine, he put objects on coins (not his face), he avoided building pagan temples, and he employed numerous Jewish workers as builders. However, there is no question that he was a dictator, he was only half-Jewish, and he worked solely for the Romans (which included taxing people). From a political point of view, Herod was a good successful king who helped Jerusalem to flourish. But from a religious and moral stand point, he was a tyrant who was power hungry and would do anything immoral to keep that power all to himself.

Lecture 10

       The Maccabean Revolt was led by Judas Maccabaeus. They attacked renegade Jews and gentile villages in Palestine and Seleucid armies by using guerrilla tactics. In the end the revolt was successful and the Jews regained control of Jerusalem and the temple from the Seleucids. From there, they resumed the sacrificial system, established Hanukkah to commemorate victory, and established Jewish self-rule (first time since exile from Babylonians). There were Hasmonean coins that were made with no human images on the coins like there was on the Greek ones. Judas Maccabeus was the first part of the Hasmonean rule. The Hasmonean Dynasty was said to be leaders from the descendants of “Hasmon.” They had restored the golden age, expanded Jewish territory, and self ruled for about 100 years. However, the Hasmonean rulers ironically became Hellenized, secular, and corrupt as they would assume office of high priest AND king. They were rebelling before against the people meddling with the position of high priest, but now they considered themselves high priests. They became insensitive to Jewish religious tradition, executed political and religious opponents, engaged in brutal territorial expansion, employed mercenary soldier, and forcibly “Judaized” surrounding gentile regions (forcibly circumcised all). The Hasmoneans built their kingdom like David and Solomon and made pools called “Solomon’s pools.” There was a destruction and exile of native populations, forced conversion of foreigners, and a temple tax implemented. The Pharisees demanded Hyrcanus give up the high priesthood, so Alexander Jannaeus massacred 6000 Pharisees for opposing it. The Roman conquest ended the rule of the Hasmoneans by allowing Hyrcanus to be high priest but with no political authority.

Lecture 9

       The sources of the Hellenistic period were Apocrypha and Josephus (Roman historian). The area of Israel/Judah began to be called “Palestine” during this time. Palestine was the Greek translation of Hebrew “philistine” and applied to the territory by the Romans. Alexander the great had conquered known world of the time (336-323 BCE) including Palestine in 332 BCE. There is evidence of his existence from stamped coins with his face on them. Alexander the great defeated Persia’s King Darius at the Battle of Issus in 333 BCE. Once he had died in 323, the kingdom was divided into Ptolemies (Egyptians- captured Jerusalem in 320) and Seleucids (Syrians- Antiochus III defeats Ptolemies and annexes Jerusalem and Palestine). The Ptolemies invented coins, controlled Palestine, and had the power to choose their own high priest. Under the Seleucids, Antiochus III defeated Ptolemy V in 198 BCE and annexed Jerusalem and Palestine. He began to rule in Jerusalem and to aggressively Hellenize Jews. Seleucids wanted to turn Jerusalem into a “polis,” city that is the center of Greek life. The Greeks regarded the polis as the highest and most natural civil institution. Some of the essential characteristics of the polis are supply of food, skills and crafts, military supplies, commerce, religion, and a system of justice. EVERY aspect of Jewish life was Hellenized by Greeks. Even the Kindron Valley Tombs (tombs of Hezir and Zechariah) looked like Greek tombs. Also, some Jewish burial inscriptions were written in Greek. There were zodiacs in places of worship such as the Beth Alpha mosaic. The Hebrew bible was translated into Greek, and it was the most widely used bible. Then Antiochus III “The Great” took control of Palestine from Ptolemies. Antiochus IV thoroughly Hellenized Palestine and Jerusalem. He suppressed Jewish resistance by attacksing Egypt, conquering Jerusalem, looting the temple treasury, outlawing Jewish religious practices, sacrificing a pig on the temple altar, and converting the temple into the temple of Zeus. In reaction to this hellenization, some welcomed it and other resisted. Some Jewish priests cooperated in promoting Hellenism, some Jews abandoned circumcision, some Jewish infighting became intense, and some revolted.

Lecture 8

       Persian Jerusalem was the period of the 2^nd Temple. There are no non-biblical texts dealing with Jerusalem for this entire period that have been discovered. Aramaic was now going to be the dominant spoken language for Jews coming back to Judah. Prophet Ezekiel had visions of a mobile ark, a journey to Jerusalem, and a temple. The Ark of the Covenant was a mobile shrine of god but Ezekiel had envisioned a different ark with wheels in Ezekiel 1:15. There is no mention of what ever happened to the Ark after the exile of the Jews, it just disappeared. Here we see Ezekiel replace it with a “mobile ark” vision. King Cyrus was the Persian king who opposed and conquered the Babylonian empire. He had wondered why the Jews were in Persia/Babylon, so he sent them home with money to rebuild the temple. Cyrus wanted to be seen as a liberator not a conqueror. In Isaiah 44 god says of cyrus , “he is my shepherd, he shall carry out all my plans.” So Cyrus wanted to build second temple for god. The only problem here is that Cyrus was not a son of David or a part of the Davidic line, so the covenant was technically still broken. Archeologists discovered the Cyrus cylinder which says Marduk seized Babylon with Cyrus, which gives proof of Cyrus. The Jerusalem temple was rebuilt between 520-515 BCE under Darius I. Other second temples were built as well such as the Utopian, Samaritan, Leontopolis, and Qumran. There is evidence of other temple building through the Elephantine letter, which was asking for permission to build temple for Yahu in elephantine. The Dead sea scrolls also mention the temple of Israel and call for the construction for another temple. Through all of this Jerusalem was largely depopulated because of heavy taxation by the Persian empire and conflicts with Samaritans.

Lecture 7

       The Jews went through a time of cognitive dissonance when Jerusalem and all that was in it was destroyed, so it was through this that the people of Jerusalem began to create explanations why this had happened. Cognitive dissonance deals with reality verses belief contradicting each other, and choosing which to trust. The Jews experienced this when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and they were exiled to Babylon. The people of Jerusalem trusted God because of his covenant to David that promised a land for his people and a line of descendants that would never end (2 Samuel 7:4-17). However, once Jerusalem was besieged and Josiah was killed this covenant with god was broken and people started to doubt their religion. It was a matter of cognitive dissonance to believe the reality of things (the destruction of their holy city) or to remain faithful to God. Those who stood strong by their religion came up with excuses of why God destroyed the city and why the Ark was gone; for example they could have been being punished because God was angry. There was a huge depopulation in Jerusalem due to the exile; only the poorest of the poor remained. Out of this, there was a new way of worshipping the Lord emerging from the exiled Jews. After the Temple was destroyed these people had to develop new ways to worship without the Temple. Jewish people still practiced the laws of Sabbath and sacrificing to preserve what little they had left of their culture. 

Lecture 6

         Josiah soon took over and followed in the footsteps of Hezekiah. There was a eruption of urbanization in Jerusalem during this time and the population increased. Literacy was even becoming abundant in the city, which is proven through the “letter of a literate soldier.” This letter was discovered by archeologists and it is written evidence that being literate was an important part of city life now. Josiah, inspired by Hezekiah, reinstated the reforms first put in place by his grandfather that would destroy any idols used for worship, possibly such as the Ark of the Covenant. In order to undo what King Manasseh had done during his reign, Josiah cleansed the temple in Jerusalem, tore down the high places, and began to implement the laws in the newly discovered book of the law, which included the centralization of worship in Jerusalem.  Josiah wanted all religious activity “to be offered and observed only at the temple in Jerusalem” and to only one holy god. In 609 BCE Josiah was killed by Pharaoh Neco, and in 586 BCE Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple and exiled most of its residents. The Davidic dynasty was destroyed and the “chosen people” were driven out of the promise land. The Jews were confused and unsure of why God had broken his promise with David.

Lecture 5

         In Isaiah 9: 1-7 the prophecy of deliverance from Assyria and of a messiah being born is in reference to Hezekiah. When Assyria was surrounding Jerusalem taunting them that they could not defeat Assyria, Hezekiah prayed to god and it is then that a prophet told him “god will deliver you” to save the city for the sake of David (referring to god’s covenant). Sure enough, Jerusalem survived the Assyrian attack, and because of this people believed god was always going to protect this city for David. This was considered Zion Theology, that God defended and saved Jerusalem for the sake of David. After this, Jerusalem was considered even more of a sacred city. Sennacherib’s prism gives evidence of Isaiah 26-39 that Jerusalem wasn’t destroyed. The Assyrian failure to destroy Jerusalem was the single greatest catalyst for the snowballing legend of an inviolable Jerusalem. Because of victory, Hezekiah set out for religious reform. He abolished all shrines, smashed pillars, cut down sacred posts, and broke the bronze serpent.

Lecture 4

         After David, Solomon took over Jerusalem. It was under him that the first Temple was built. It was designed as a physical place for god to live, and for the Ark of the Covenant. There has been no archeological evidence found for Solomon’s temple but it could be due to the fact that Herod removed all remains of whatever was there prior to his own Temple. There were two parts mentioned of Solomon’s temple. There was a large front hall way area and in the back there was the holy room where the Ark of the Covenant would have been. He also set up columns named Boaz and Jachin at the front of the Great Hall. Although there is no physical evidence of Solomon’s temple, the description in the bible is almost identical to other palaces that were built during that time period. Many of them contained an inner shrine, a main hall, pillars, and side chambers just as Solomon’s Temple did. What did remain was the stepped stone structure (millo) that was the foundation to David’s palace possibly. After the reign of Solomon and David the Golden Age had come to an end. Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, the kingdom was divided into North (Israel) and South (Judah). The king of Israel, Jeroboam built Bethel and Dan as alternative shrines to the Temple in Jerusalem.

Lecture 3

           The 2^nd temple was rebuilt in 515 BCE and Dome of the Rock was first built in 691 BCE. The Mesopotamian temples were sacred spaces where god could be worshipped. The idea that Jerusalem was made sacred attracted many storied that revealed the divine communicating with regular people. Some of the stories may be historical or borrowed from other mythical stories. Regardless it attracted people to Jerusalem so that they could experience a connection with god. David’s Jerusalem consisted of the western hill, the Gihon Spring,  Warren’s shaft, and the Siloam pool; all of which were vital to the city of David. He built a palace, not the Temple, as a residing place for the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was believed to be the symbol of god’s physical presence on earth. It was made of pure gold and protected by two cherubim on the sides of the mercy seat. There were also rings on each side of the ark with poles in them so that no  mortal man would have to touch it when carrying it. If someone did touch it they would immediately be struck dead. The promise to David occurs in 2 Samuel 7 when the Lord tells David that “your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.” This was god’s covenant to David. There is no concrete evidence that David was an actual man besides the Tel dan inscription. This inscription is of a man bragging about him defeating the house of David. The inscription does not mean David existed but it is the first mention of his name outside of the Bible. Jerusalem was made sacred by the existence of the Ark of the Covenant, God’s covenant with David, and so much more that occurs later on.

Lecture 2

There were so many reasons why Jerusalem was such a great city, such as its location and routes. These routes were the via maris (from Egypt to Mesopotamia) and the king’s highway (red sea to Mesopotamia). It was located between the Mediterranean sea and the desert. Also, it was the connecting land between Africa, India, and Europe. Although there are trade routes along the route to Jerusalem, there are no routes that go directly through the city because it lies on a hill. The Hinnom valley is on the west side of the city and the Kindron valley is on the east side. The closest a person can get to the Temple Mount is by the Western Gate, which is the western gate of the Temple Mount, not of the city. Water in Jerusalem was so scarce that they built a tunnel underground to bring water up to the city from the Gihon spring; it was called Warren’s Shaft. The very first temple was built by Solomon in 950 BCE. Herod built the second Temple and the Temple Mount around it.

Jerusalem Lecture 1/11

            Although Jerusalem is known for some of the most divine “sacred spaces,” it is not the first place to establish sacred space. The Mesopotamian people built temples that were sacred where they could worship. Sacred spaces like this and in Jerusalem are consecrated through attraction. Residents of these cities tell stories about the divine revealing itself to the regular world. Whether these stories are historical or borrowed, people are attracted to these sacred spaces to experience contact with a higher power. An example of one of the most sacred spots in Jerusalem is the Dome of the Rock. It is here, also known as Mount Moriah, that God sent Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac to prove his obedience to God. Just as Abraham was about to strike his son, an angel appeared and interfered to save Isaac from having to be sacrificed. Later in history, King Solomon built a temple on top of this mountain, which was very holy to his people. The actual Dome of the Rock, which is a shrine to the old Jerusalem temple, was built by Byzantine Christians and still stands today. Many travelers who are hoping to be closer to God visit it today. People in history believed that mountains were sacred because the higher you were, the closer to heaven you could be. To many it was the “center of the Earth.”