Jerusalem: Three Major Religions

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.

The function of the dome of the rock as believed by the Muslims is that the Prophet Muhammed ascension from the rock to the heaven took here and therefore the site was chosen to mark this important event. The dome of the rock was completed in a decade in which Muslims lost control of Hijaz and also Mecca and Medina, and survived serious challenges from religious opposition groups. The location was previously a temple of Solomon and it is also believed that Prophet Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac on this location. This is why it is so important for Muslims, Christians and Jews. Santa Costanza is also built upon a temple of Saint Agnes and it is believed that his catacombs are somewhere closely under the church. The Christians used to worship their religion and buried their dead in secret as at first they were persecuted before Costinanine accepted and gave them respect and protection.Not until the emperor Constantine proclaimed tolerance for all religions of the Roman Empire

Jerusalem is mentioned in the Old Testament 660 times. David transformed Jerusalem into the religious center of his kingdom by bringing into it the Ark of the Covenant. The arrival of the ark forever linked Jerusalem with the cult of Yahweh.

The three different Monotheistic religions Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have gradually developed into exceedingly divergent faiths. They vary in many concepts and differ from each other in a multitude of ways, such as all having different characteristics/customs, different beliefs, and different origins.

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 Holy site of the Church includes the Golgotha, or location of Jesus of Nazareth's crucifixion, the tomb in which he was buried, and Anastasis, the site of his resurrection. The responsibilities and care for the site are shared between the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Orthodox, and Syrian Orthodox orders. Conflicts between these denominations have led the Church to be damaged, destroyed, rebuilt, desecrated, and neglected for centuries. In addition, given the different periods of construction, varying influences including the Roman, Jewish, Christian, Byzantine, Medieval, Crusader, Romantic, and Modern styles can be identified in the structure. Liberation of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was a central motivation to the First Crusade (1096-1099). Presently the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Jerusalem, and consists of dedicated chapels as well as Holy relics, including the Stone of Anointing, Rock of Calvary, Angel's Stone, Stone of Unction, and the

to Christians because it is the place where Jesus was born. “The Christian life involves a

Jerusalem had always been known to the Christians as an ideal city, or a holy city- the walls had been touched by Christ

The Dome of the Rock is located in the city of Jerusalem and stands upon the land of the main three sacred religions of the world: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. To them, Jerusalem was their holy city, a place for pilgrimage and an area for devotion.

For a long time, Jerusalem was seen as the center of the world, or axis mundi. To many, it still is. It is the setting in the bible of many out of the ordinary event, of theophanies and hierophanies, it is the Holy Land. Jerusalem

Ori also mentions that the tensions rose due to Jews visiting the al Aqsa mosque complex. It is the holiest Islamic site in Jerusalem---and the “location of two ancient biblical temples.” (Ori, 2016).

Religious Islamic architecture is intricately related to Muslim prayer which is an obligation to do every day. The Dome of the Rock was said to be the first great Islamic building. The Muslims had taken the city of Jerusalem in 638 created the shrine of worship to commemorate the event and the triumph of Islam. The Dome of the rock, similar to the Acropolis, was built atop holy ground. Called the Noble Enclosure, the site was where the Hebrews built the

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.

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.

The Dome of the Rock, which translates to Qubbat al-Ṣakhrah in Arabic, was constructed in the 17th century by Abd el-Malik. The religious belief behind the Dome varies from religion to religion, though the most popular religions that are connected to the Dome are the Muslims, the Jews, and the Christians. However, located underneath the dome is a religious shrine which is the main reason behind the construction of the Dome. The focus point of this religious shrine is a sacred rock, which serves a significant purpose in the representation of the religious beliefs of the Muslims and the Jews, though, each religious group have a different legend about the history of that stone. The known tales of the different cultural groups of the sacred stone is described as, “For Jews, the stone acts as a connection between the spiritual world and the physical world, as it was the very first stone crafted by God during the Creation, and is the support for the rest of the universe around it. As such, it is also a possible site for the Holy of Holies, and it is forbidden for Jews to visit the site. For Muslims, on the other hand, the Foundation Stone is the object from which Muhammad ascended into Heaven and spoke to God to learn the details of proper prayer to take back to the Muslims. As such, Muslims are encouraged to visit the site, the third-holiest in Islam”. Additive, Jewish and Christian religious groups also believe the