Jerusalem: The Holy City, Paper 1 Despite having no seemingly admirable qualities with location, Jerusalem is a greatly influential city that shapes beliefs and religious views of people, even in this modern time. Jerusalem is a shared central place representing three major religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism, making this city a place that is highly revered by many. This well-regarded city has proven to be a sacred space through the way it is set apart, ever changing and connected to other times and events. Over centuries, Jerusalem developed from a small town into a political center by David’s reign and decision to make it his capital, while it evolved into a religiously important space with the addition of the Ark of the …show more content…
It was not a commonly visited city nor was it well known before the reign of David, but it has always been set aside in a unique geographic location. Jerusalem is differentiated through the mindset of believers with the idea that is it God’s chosen city and the site of many divine encounters that can be seen throughout texts in the Old Testament. One example saying, “At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart.” (Jeremiah 3:17). This reference in particular, shows the importance that is being placed on the small city as it is being referred to as the “throne of the Lord”. Along with the name, this passage explains that everyone will come together in Jerusalem within the presence of the Lord and leave their immoral and corrupt ways. This is an incredible claim being made, yet there are numerous passages that describe Jerusalem in a similar fashion, as being holy and sacred. Zachariah 8:3 says, “Thus says the Lord: I have returned to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem, and Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain.” In this text, the Lord is declaring that he will dwell in Jerusalem and portrays the city as faithful and holy, once again clearly depicting the prominence of the
To Christians, the city of Jerusalem has big part in the life of Jesus. It is the place where Jesus was brought as a child and presented at the Temple and to attend festivals. Jerusalem is the place where Jesus stayed and completed his reign. It is also the place where He rose from His grave.
“Throughout comedy the emphasis is on human limitations rather than on human greatness” (John Morreal Comedy Tragedy and Religion). To what extent does Jez Butterworth focus on human weakness and ineptitude in his play ‘Jerusalem’?
The city of Jerusalem has been recognized as the holy city throughout the history of three religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. During the time of Judaism, Biblical writers presented Jerusalem as the most sacred space, the center of the world, and the city of the Lord. A leading interpreter of religious texts, Mircea Eliade, in his book The Sacred and The Profane, defined several religious experiences with specific terminologies, such as hierophany, which means the sign of sacredness, and axis mundi, which is the center of the world. These terminologies will help us in interpreting how the biblical writers promote Jerusalem as the holy city. In the Hebrew Bible Genesis 1-3, 22, 2 Samuel 6-8, 1 King 6-8, the writers reveal Jerusalem
Jerusalem should be solely their own in order to bring closeness to their God. But in fact the
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.
The Crusades were a series of wars over the holy lands such as Jerusalem between European Christians and the Ottoman Empire between the 11th and 15th centuries. They fought for many reasons such as control over religious sights, access to trade and protection of fellow christians.
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.
The Spoils of Jerusalem is a very interesting sculpture. This sculpture was constructed in c. AD.82 by Emperor Domitian after the death of his oldest brother Titus, to show off Titus' victory over the siege of Jerusalem (Khan, n.d). The relief sculpture is located within the "Arch of Titus" and it represents the victories of Domitian's father and his brother in the Jewish War (Cartwright, 2013).It is relief sculpture, which means that it is attached to a background and can only be viewed from one side (Sporre, 2015). The original sculpture is located within the Arch of Titus, in Rome, which is a beautiful piece of art in its self.
Jerusalem had always been known to the Christians as an ideal city, or a holy city- the walls had been touched by Christ
Have you ever noticed that when people talk of Jews, at least in a protestant church, that the Israelite legalism, rituals, dress and hair standards are the first things to mind? The topic of Judaism may come with stereotypical opinions and “Christian Judgement” that are without merit or understanding. Judaism, by a Christian worldview, had to change after Pentecost, since the animal sacrifice to atone for sin Christ completed on the Cross. However, Judaism does not accept this truth of Christ and His work on the cross, but Judaism remains in the world. So, what was this change in Judaism and when did it take place? There have been numerous fluctuations within Judaism, only the theme constructed in this essay has its foundations around the most important facet of Judaism- the Temple. With the Temple in the forefront of this essay, we will discuss the modifications that Judaism went through, at what time, different perspectives that the destruction of the Temple had, and how the Christian sect views these vagaries. The Temple destruction of A.D. 70 converted the Jewish faith in its singular fashion, while, at the same point, the Jewish faith never had a total change by always changing throughout time.
Thomas Tweed in his article Space claims that there is a deeper connection between space and religion than meets the ordinary eye. The article examines how Christianity, Islam, and Judaism describe, imaginatively figure, and construct Jerusalem as a religious space. According to Tweed, space, in a religious context, is defined by three different and distinguishable characteristics: differentiated, kinetic, and interrelated. As revealed throughout many of the books in the Hebrew Bible, Jerusalem is one of these religious spaces that Tweed is talking about. Various Biblical texts, like Genesis 22, 2 Samuel 5-7, 1 Kings, and the Psalms reveal the city of Jerusalem, its geography, and its people’s history as being differentiated, kinetic, and interrelated.
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.
Through the deliverance of a speech the former Pope Urban II incited Catholics all over Europe to take action in reclaiming the Holy city of Jerusalem from the Muslims in the Middle East. It was in this year,1095, that the beginning of the first, of nine, Crusades and thus the first series of religious wars between the Catholics and Muslims begun. The focus of this paper will remain on the Third Crusade (1189-1192 A.D)- more specifically the actions of ‘Islam’s Warrior Hero’ Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb who was better known to the English as Saladin- Sultan of Egypt. How did one individual gain the respect of both his Muslim followers and his enemies- the Catholic Europeans? Throughout history Saladin has been portrayed as a charismatic, honourable, virtuous and chivalrous man by the historians and chroniclers of the Middle East and Europe. Even the Europeans who sought to dislike this man due to his religious affiliations could not, as he encompassed all the qualities in which a great leader and a good ‘Christian’ was thought to possess.
Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world. Located in between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea, It is the main destination for those tourists that have a desire of getting a grasp of the Western East Countries, and for many, a unique religious experience. However, Jerusalem: also called the "Holy Land" has by its name a very controversial meaning: " The City of Peace". Once ago in this place, according to the Hebrew Bible (The Tanakh), the Temple of Solomon was built. According to the Muslim Bible (The Quran), also the location of the Dome of the Rock. From the Christian point of view and The Bible, It was once the place where the trial, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus took place. This series of religious events have brought up along with it a conflict in between Middle Eastern Countries for more than 50 years long with one main question on the plate: Who fairly and ethically deserves to live in the Holy Land?