How Does The Bible Affect The Culture Of City Jerusalem?

Now enters the city, New Jerusalem (21:1-22:5), the symbol of hope. Instead of presenting another worldly power, John brings God’s power to earth, an enormous city which only the worthy can access. Unlike the beast’s (Rome’s) wealth, New Jerusalem contains a bounty of wealth for all those worthy, everything from shelter found in the high walls built with strong foundations to food provided year-round from the tree of life, and yes even jewels are present in God’s city which knows no night. Just in case the community loses its sight on how they might arrive at such a divine city, God’s throne rests at the center of New

“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’?

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.

In the biblical text, Jerusalem is characterized as a “differentiated” religious place by portraying it as God’s selection for Israel people. In the book Genesis, God tested Abraham by commanding him to go to the land of Moriah and sacrifice his only son Isaac as a burnt offering. The language in Hebrew Bible specifically emphasized how the “land of Moriah” is divinely mandated: “…one of the mountains that I shall show you”, “…went to the place in the distance that God had shown him”, and “when they came to the place that God had shown him” all highlight that it is the Israelite God who explicitly chose the “land of Moriah” as the place for Abraham’s test. Because of such divinely mandated feature, the “land of Moriah,” where the city of Jerusalem is located, differentiated itself from other generic

All the major religions of the world have cities that hold special significance to their religion. It

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.

While his words, intending to draw in potential soldiers with mentions of being a "race chosen and beloved by God" (Document 1), or by demonizing the enemy by calling the Muslims "an accursed race, a race utterly alienated from God" (Document 1), true aims are uncovered as he continues, swaying from his faithful words. Although he promises eternal life, even more stress in put on his material promises. Jerusalem was the center of not only religion, but trade, as Urban says himself it is "situated at the centre of the world" (Document 1). Even Christian scripture describes it as a land that "floweth with milk and honey" (Document 1), alluding to the trade and resources that come through. The Pope extends on this, calling the Holy Land a "paradise of delights" (Document 1), implying that this land of riches has been seized by some enemy, but the holy land belongs to the Christians, and therefore so do the riches; guaranteeing to his listeners that if they fight they deserve the "imperishable glory of the kingdom of heaven" (Document 1). Left downtrodden and poor by the Dark Ages, promises of power and money have just as a much appeal as promises of eternal life. To escape Lords service, debt, or just pure poverty, the Christians of Europe "simulated a zeal for God" (Document 3) to flee from their problems. Hidden under a false cloak of devotion, the

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

Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica 2. Jerusalem was a place that Jesus spent a lot of his

Comic resolution is seen symbolically as an act of rebirth, renewal and affirmation in the final act of Jerusalem. Act 3 is the scene where all problems that have arisen in Act 1 and Act 2 are solved.

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.

“People built many altars on mountains to serve the Canaanite gods, the Baal and Ashtarte. The Golden Calves, which the first Jeroboam set up in the north and south of the country to turn the people away from the Beth Hamikdosh in Jerusalem, were worshipped more than before and the teachings of the Torah and the holy commandments were viewed with contempt.”

An understanding of Israel’s history and geography is necessary for proper interpretation of the Old Testament. The Middle East provided the setting for the events recorded in the Old Testament, specifically Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Syria-Palestine. This area lies along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia up to the Persian Gulf. This area was the cradle of civilization and the scene of God 's activities as recorded in the Old Testament. The majority of the events take place in Palestine, the ancient land of Canaan, though at times the Israelites lived in Egypt and Babylon. This is

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.

“The grandeur of the ancient city is evident in the remains uncovered by archaeologists, including the ruins of the Artemision, the civic agora, the temple of Domitian, gymnasiums, public baths, a theater with seating for 24,000, a library, and the commercial agora, as well as several streets and private residences” (Holman, np). This was a big city, full of culture, and full of ungodly people and activities. Among the many religious groups in the city, there were many Jews there who were brought the gospel right after Pentecost (Orr, np). Because of the pluralism of religions in the city, new Christians didn’t know exactly what to believe or how to worship. On top of this, the city was constantly bombarded with false teachers trying to tell people that salvation came from works, not faith (MacArthur, np).