Jewish Temple Essay

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.

After their exile, around fifty-thousand Jews returned to Jerusalem which was now called Judaea. The leader of Judea, the Persian King Cyrus, allowed the Jews to return and to build another place of worship (Fisher 251). The second temple was built in 515 BCE and according to the text Living Religions, became “the central symbol to a scattered Jewish nation” (Fisher). The temple became a place where the Torah was formed and where the religion prospered. However, Jewish prosperity was not going to last. After four centuries of Roman rule, that was domineering and dreadful, a group of Jews decided to rebel against their oppressors. This led to Jews being slaughtered by the Romans and to the second Temple being destroyed. All that is left of the Temple are foundation stones which are referred to as the Western Wall. The temple has never been rebuilt and the Western Wall has become a place for prayer and remembrance for Jews all over the world. Jewish people look at the Western Wall as a representation of the hardships and oppression that their religion and people have endured. According to the article, Mystical Secret of the Western Wall:

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.

Before we can totally dive into how the Temple destruction changed Judaism, we must gain some knowledge of the Jewish faith itself, as well as Jewish terms. One of the first ideas many people may discover about the term “Jew” is its lack of use in the Old Testament scriptures.

By doing so he is making Jerusalem the established and distinguishable capital of Israel. A once of the beaten trail Jerusalem is now the home of the Ark of the Covenant. If it had not already been differentiated, now it is. By being close to this object, people feel closer to God. While this is a religious act by David to curry with God, but it is also a smart political move to exalt Jerusalem as the capital of government and to attract people to it.

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).

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.

To the ancients, the temple was a constitution and the source of all things in life. Walton describes it as the center of the cosmos. Because of this significance, the central focal point was the power produced through their god’s presence in the temple that was able to bring world order and peace. Alike the Israelites, the temple was not the source of power, but the presence of the deity itself was the uniqueness of this place. Therefore, it is possible to find similarities with the Solomon temple for Jehovah. The fact is, that the OT has the same views as the ancients since both groups use the temples so that the presence of their Gods dwelt in among

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.

In Genesis 22, God called Abraham to the land of Moriah and tested him by asking him to offer his only son, Isaac, as a burnt offering. Abraham demonstrated his fear and faith by obeying God’s command, and therefore God provided him with ram as sacrifice and promised him, “your offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves” (Genesis 22:17). Abraham called that place in Jerusalem “The Lord Will Provide,” which set it apart from other generic places Israelites has been to, and God’s promise triggered their occupation of this particular space. After King David conquered Jerusalem and made it the capital of Israel a century later, he brought the Ark of the Covenant into the city, showing his loyalty to God. God therefore sent words to him, “And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more” (2 Samuel 7:9). As God confirmed his blessings on the Israelites, Jerusalem is differentiated as the singular space where God reigns over the kingdom, and where both the monarch and people would be

Originally built by Solomon, the Temple’s basic layout was similar to the Tabernacle first constructed during the Exodus period under the leadership of Moses. It was there that the Glory of the LORD resided signifying the special relationship between the one true God and Israel, His chosen people. The presence of the glory of the LORD was also manifest in the Temple built by Solomon. Herod sought to make his temple grander than the one constructed under the rule of Solomon.

After King Saul died, David was appointed king. The temple built by King Solomon who also held the Ark of the Covenant. This was where sacrifices were made to God. After the first temple was built the Jewish people were sent to Babylon and after their return 50 years later, a second temple was built. This second temple was where the Torah was established. After a war with the Romans in 132-135 CE the Jewish temple was destroyed and Jewish people were forbidden to practice their faith (Fisher, 2005). Judea was renamed Palestine and the Jewish people no longer had a home.

One day in class with the professor Joseph Hoolbrok, I was thinking about which essay would be easier to do, but then I thought about how interesting would be to know about other religions, costumes and different traditions. One friend of mine works in events in a Jewish temple and I asked him if I could go there to do a site visit. The Jewish temple I went is called “Dor Dorim” and is ubicated in Weston, Florida. As Christianity is my religion, in this site visit essay I am going to talk about the Jewish ceremonies, their sacred days and their traditions.

After the temple was completed, Zechariah gave several prophecies about Israel’s future. It vividly describes the first and second coming of our lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This book contains more about the person, work, and glory of Christ than any other minor prophets combined. Israel’s king would come, but his people would reject him. They would later repent and be restored to God. The king is going to come again for the Judgment, we pray that when he comes again that we have been faithful and he will find us pure in his sight. The building of the temple is important here. Our bodies are our temple and we must continue to work on them until Christ comes again to claim us, the Church the people of