The Holy LandJerusalem

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam’s relationship to the Holy Land of Jerusalem as rooted in Scripture and Tradition

A Presentation by Aaron Cator, Molly Leaverton, and Jessica

Power

Where is the Holy Land?

Ancient Israel Modern Israel

A Brief History of the Holy Land

ca.1800 BCE- God promises Abraham the Land ca. 1000 BCE- King David establishes Jerusalem as the capital of the

United Kingdom of Israel 587 BCE- Destruction of the First Temple of Jerusalem 30 CE- Death of Jesus 70 CE- Destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem 621 CE- Muhammad descends into heaven from the city of Jerusalem

during his “night journey” 633 CE- Islamic conquest of Palestine (beginning of 1300 years of the

rule of more than 10 different empires) 1096 to 1099 CE-First Crusade 1270 Eighth and Final Crusade 1918 CE- British control of Jerusalem 1948 CE- establishment of the modern day state of Israel.

Black: Date has significance to all faiths of the bookBlue: Significant to JudaismRed: Significant to ChristianityGreen: Significant to Islam

Scriptural/Traditional Attachment to the Holy

Land: JUDAISM

• Jerusalem has been the holiest place in Judaism since the 10th century and the establishment of the Kingdom of David– First Chronicles 11:1-11

• Exile/destruction of Jerusalem as punishment from God and restoration of Jewish rule of Jerusalem as a divine reward– Second Chronicles 7:19– Babylonian Exile– Book of Lamentations– 1 Maccabees 1:20-40, 2:8-13

• destruction of 2nd Temple • Love/Mourning of Jerusalem throughout the Hebrew Bible

– "By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion." (Psalms 137:1)

– Psalms 147:2-12

Scriptural/Traditional Attachment to the Holy Land: CHRISTIANITY

• Significance in the Hebrew Bible, Christ’s Jewish identity• Birth of Christianity in Jerusalem

– Place of some of Jesus’ teachings – Place of the Last Supper, Death and Resurrection of

Christ– Site of Jesus’ burial at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher

• Jesus and the Temple of Jerusalem

– Jesus is presented as a child at the Temple (Luke 2:22)– Cleanses the Temple of Jerusalem (Mark 11:15)

• Acts 1-8, 12,15, etc. take place in Jerusalem– The Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15)

• Early Church doctrine was decided upon in Jerusalem

• Medieval Christians believed Jerusalem was the center of the World– The Crusades

Scriptural/Traditional Attachment to the Holy

Land: ISLAM

• Night Journey of Muhammad 621 CE – “In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Glory to (Allah) Who did take His Servant For a Journey by night From the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque, whose precincts We did Bless—in order that We Might show him some Of Our Signs: for He Is the One Who heareth and seeth (all things)” Surah 17:1

• Throughout the Qur’an references the Al-Aqsa Mosque as “the farthest mosque”

• Dome of the Rock – believed by Muslims to be the site where Muhammad

ascended into heaven. • Al-Aqsa Mosquw-Site of the first “Qibla” before it was changed to

the city of Makka.• Shortly after Muhammad’s death, Muslims conquered Jerusalem.

Worksheet # 19b

Question # 2: Based on the assigned secondary readings, do you think the notion of “Holy War” is affirmed in any of the scriptures used by the three “Religions of the Book”?

Overview: Common Beliefs about the Holy Land

Jerusalem is a Holy city, explicitly mentioned in all three religion’s holy scriptures

The Temple Mount is the place that Abraham nearly sacrificed his son

City that many prophets visited and prophesized in– Abraham, Moses, Elijah, etc.

Common Jewish heritage

Tomb of Abraham

Current Relationship to the Holy Land: JUDAISM

Zionism– Political movement that began in the 19th century for the

state of Israel– "The builder of Jerusalem is God, the outcast of Israel he

will gather in...Praise God O Jerusalem, laud your God O Zion." (Psalms 147:2-12)

– Mainly secular, but rooted its legitimacy in biblical nationalistic claims

Religious Zionism– Jews have an inalienable right to the land of Jerusalem

because God granted it to them– Orthodox Jews tend to adopt this view, while many other

branches of Judaism vary from finding it insignificant to being completely opposed

The Modern State of Israel was established in 1948

The Holocaust Memorial

Current Relationship to the Holy Land: CHRISTIANITY

Site of the pilgrimage of thousands of Christians each year

– Birth place of Jesus-Bethlehem– Christ in Bethany, Gethsemane

Around 2.5% of population is Christian (ca. 150,000 people)

Although Jerusalem is a Holy site for Christians, God is everywhere and can be found in any place

Current Relationship to the Holy Land: ISLAM

Jerusalem is considered the third holiest city, next to Makka and Madinah

Dominated by current conflict

– Most Arab Muslims believe that Israel belongs to the Palestinians

– Most Muslims believe that the Palestinians have been unfairly portrayed through the media and that their position is not fully understood

Israeli/Palestinian Conflict

Before WWI what is now the state of Israel was under the control of the Ottoman Empire.

In 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement stated that once the Ottomans were defeated this land would be international territory

Balfour Declaration: 1917– The British create plans for the creation of an Israeli state

Palestinian Exile – Flee to nearby Arab states– Around 10 million people considered “Palestinian”

1948-Creation of the State of Israel and the Arab-Israeli War 1967 6-Day War Continued fighting over the West Bank, Jerusalem, Gaza Strip

Worksheet #19b

Question 3: What are your own thoughts regarding the ongoing struggle over the Holy Land? Do you think the media fairly represents the motives for each religion’s stake in the ongoing conflict?

Works Cited

Ali, Abdullah Yusuf. The Meaning of the Holy Qur'An. 10th ed. Beltsville: Amana Publications, 2001

Shumate, Richard. "Holy Lands: the State of Israel is a Sacred Sitefor People of Many Faiths." CNN. 1998. 27 Feb. 200 <http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1998/israel/holy.land/>

"Holy Land." Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. 27 Feb. 2007. 27 Feb.2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Land.

Isseroff, Ami. "Israel and Palestine: a Brief History." MidEast Web.19 Feb. 2007. 2 Mar. 2007<http://www.mideastweb.org/briefhistory.htm>

McCann, Barbara. "View From the Westbank: for the People of Palestine1948 Was Not a Good Year." CNN. 1998. 27 Feb. 2007http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1998/israel/palestinian.view/.

The Catholic Study Bible. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2006.