I don't think I would have gone down in this direction if one glaring fact was not such a MAJOR revelation to me. Israel is NOT a country filled with Hebrews, as I had sooo erroneously believed! It is a virtual cookie-cutter-quilt of different Nationalities, Religions, and Cultures.
What any of our cities looks like, say Nashville from Clarksville or Murfreesboro is much what it looks like in Israel except in these different cities would be different people, say Arabs, Bedouins, or Druze to name a few.
Remember The Isaelities by the command of God according to The Bible TOOK this land from residing Arabs, and they want it back.
Does it start to make sense now when you hear of "Land Swapping" The City of Bethlemham which Jennie and I wanted to go to was closed to Jews, that's right, they are not by law allowed to go into the city, Our tour guide said he would take us to the gate and then on the other side we would get another taxi and go where we wanted and return to him and he would take us home. So when this city was given over to the Moslems, every Jew had to pick up and leave their home, business, school and cede it over to The Moslems and move out.
My understanding is that abefore 1948 & 1967 Israelis lived in the disputed area which was named known as Judea and Samaria in Biblical times., this all belonged to Jordan, in 1950 The Jordanians renamed it "The West Bank" and evicted all Jews, however in 1967 after the 6 Day War, the land was taken from the Arabs and given back to it owners, Israel did concede and give some land back to the Arabs.
Letsee, I think I kinda gave a quick overview of the history here, I had never seen so many "Tours" in my life, there people from all over the world in a group touring the country.
Jerusalem I believe is the most visited city in the world for prilgrimage. For centuries, Jerusalem has played a major role in many different countries and people.
With that...let's look at some of the most important events in this city's history
What any of our cities looks like, say Nashville from Clarksville or Murfreesboro is much what it looks like in Israel except in these different cities would be different people, say Arabs, Bedouins, or Druze to name a few.
Remember The Isaelities by the command of God according to The Bible TOOK this land from residing Arabs, and they want it back.
Does it start to make sense now when you hear of "Land Swapping" The City of Bethlemham which Jennie and I wanted to go to was closed to Jews, that's right, they are not by law allowed to go into the city, Our tour guide said he would take us to the gate and then on the other side we would get another taxi and go where we wanted and return to him and he would take us home. So when this city was given over to the Moslems, every Jew had to pick up and leave their home, business, school and cede it over to The Moslems and move out.
My understanding is that abefore 1948 & 1967 Israelis lived in the disputed area which was named known as Judea and Samaria in Biblical times., this all belonged to Jordan, in 1950 The Jordanians renamed it "The West Bank" and evicted all Jews, however in 1967 after the 6 Day War, the land was taken from the Arabs and given back to it owners, Israel did concede and give some land back to the Arabs.
Letsee, I think I kinda gave a quick overview of the history here, I had never seen so many "Tours" in my life, there people from all over the world in a group touring the country.
Jerusalem I believe is the most visited city in the world for prilgrimage. For centuries, Jerusalem has played a major role in many different countries and people.
With that...let's look at some of the most important events in this city's history
ISRAEL 2011
How Israel Became Israel
How Israel Became Israel
(Jericho is one of these city-states, so is Ai, and Jerusalem, where Canaanite tribesmen called Jebusites dwell.)
Coming to this part of our adventure has really caused me to pause, it is at this point I cease to feel like a tourist and was transported back as if it were just yesterday to listening to my father preach the stories of The Old Testament. An unexplainable energy which was not only on the outside of me but the inside too seemed to take a secure hold of me~~~For it is at this place (Jerusalem) I knew I was upon
Holy Ground.
I spent some time trying to think of how to share this experience I could only think of one way...the way I did.
I took myself back to the first known time (to me) that I remember mention of the word Jerusalem. I am not a Biblical Scholar, I am a simple man that listened intently to the teaching and preaching of my father. So I believe as I was taught, it may not be just right for you or the way that you may want to believe ...that's okay and
I am not trying to proselytize anyone, I am just gonna tell what I believe if thats alright with you.
I opened with the intro about Joshua as this is where I first remember Jerusalem. Jerusalem (Jubusites) was part of the land that God said He had set aside for The Children of Israel. What most do not put together when they hear or remember this story is "Exactly WHO did they take this land from and how is this significant today?"
That would be The Arabs
Okay, I tried to get into the story of our trip but kept getting tripped up by the history and significance...so I found a synopsis of the history of Jerusalem for those that might be interested, those who would like to go directly to the pictures and that story, it follows this on the Next Page
The First Temple
Around the year 1010 B.C.E, King David defeated the Jebusites in Jerusalem and decided to make the city his administrative capital. When he brought the Ark of the Covenant to the city, he stripped the Twelve Tribes of the spiritual source of their power and concentrated it in his own hands.
King David wanted to build a great Temple for God as a permanent resting place for the Ark of the Covenant. According to Jewish tradition, David was not permitted to build the Temple because he had been a warrior. The task was to fall to a man of peace, David's son, Solomon. The Temple would become the focus of Jewish veneration from that point to the present.
After Solomon died in 931 B.C.E., a civil war led to a split in the Israelite nation.
Jerusalem became part of the southern kingdom of Judah, while ten of the northern tribes formed the new kingdom of Israel.
King David wanted to build a great Temple for God as a permanent resting place for the Ark of the Covenant. According to Jewish tradition, David was not permitted to build the Temple because he had been a warrior. The task was to fall to a man of peace, David's son, Solomon. The Temple would become the focus of Jewish veneration from that point to the present.
After Solomon died in 931 B.C.E., a civil war led to a split in the Israelite nation.
Jerusalem became part of the southern kingdom of Judah, while ten of the northern tribes formed the new kingdom of Israel.
The Book of Joshua begins:
And it was after the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, that the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, "Moses my servant has died and now arise and cross the River Jordan. You and all this nation go to the land which I give the Children of Israel. Every place on which the soles of your feet will tread I have given to you, as I have spoken to Moses. No man shall stand up before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so shall I be with you. I will not weaken my grasp on you nor will I abandon you. Just be strong and very courageous to observe and do in accordance with all the Torah that Moses my servant has commanded you. Therefore, do not stray right or left in order that you will succeed in wherever you go."
After the death of Moses Joshua leads the Jewish people for 28 years.2 The Book of Joshua describes the seven years of conquest and seven years of settlement of the Land of Israel. After the land is conquered is divided into separate tribal portions via a divinely guided lottery. The Book of Joshua also describes the Biblical boundaries of the Land Of Israel.
At this time the so-called Promised Land is bounded by the Egyptian empire to the south and the Mesopotamia to the north. But it is not ruled by either of them. In fact, there is no one power ruling this sect of land, rather it is settled by seven Canaanite tribes who inhabit 31fortified city-states scattered all over the map, each ruled by its own "king."
Jerusalem becomes part of the southern Kingdom Judah, while ten of the northern tribes form the new kingdom of Israel
That kingdom lasted until 722 B.C.E., when it was conquered by the Assyrians.
Exile
Meanwhile, Judah staved off the Assyrians and other potential invaders until the Babylonian King, Nebuchadnezzar, led his army into Jerusalem and captured the city in 597 B.C.E. He deported thousands of Jews and appointed 21-year-old Zedekiah, a descendant of King David, to serve as king, expecting him to be a puppet ruler. Zedekiah had different ideas, however, and mounted a revolt. After an eighteen-month siege, Nebuchadnezzar razed Jerusalem Most of the population was deported to Babylon in 586 B.C.E.
In 560 B.C.E. a new empire emerged, the Persians, led by Cyrus the Great. Cyrus conquered Palestine and then unexpectedly told the Jews they could return to their homeland. While he was probably motivated primarily by the desire to have someone else rebuild Palestine and to make it a source of income for the Persian Empire, the impact on the Jews was to reinvigorate their faith and stimulate them to reconstruct the Temple The Second Temple was completed in 516 B.C. Over the next 150 years, Judea flourished as the Jews rebuilt Jerusalem and developed the surrounding areas.
In 560 B.C.E. a new empire emerged, the Persians, led by Cyrus the Great. Cyrus conquered Palestine and then unexpectedly told the Jews they could return to their homeland. While he was probably motivated primarily by the desire to have someone else rebuild Palestine and to make it a source of income for the Persian Empire, the impact on the Jews was to reinvigorate their faith and stimulate them to reconstruct the Temple The Second Temple was completed in 516 B.C. Over the next 150 years, Judea flourished as the Jews rebuilt Jerusalem and developed the surrounding areas.
In 332 B.C.E. a new power swept through the Middle East. This time it was Alexander the Great who became Palestine's ruler and introduced Greek culture and ideals -- Hellenism. Though many Jews had been seduced by the virtues of Hellenism, the extreme measures adopted over the years helped unite the people. When a Greek official tried to force a priest named Mattathias to make a sacrifice to a pagan god, the Jew murdered the man. Responding to Greek reprisals, the Jews rose up in 167 B.C.E. behind Mattathias and his five sons and fought for their liberation. Three years later, Jerusalem was recaptured from the Greeks by the Maccabees and the Temple purified, an event that gave birth to the holiday of Chanukah
The last Jewish kingdom survived only 76 years. The grandsons of the Maccabees who had won Jewish independence lost it in large part because of their jealousy and greed. In all likelihood however, with their own empire expanding, the Romans would not have permitted the Jews to keep their kingdom much longer anyway. After three years of fighting, Herod's Roman-backed army wrested control of Jerusalem and the rest of Judea from the Jews in 63 B.C.E.
The last Jewish kingdom survived only 76 years. The grandsons of the Maccabees who had won Jewish independence lost it in large part because of their jealousy and greed. In all likelihood however, with their own empire expanding, the Romans would not have permitted the Jews to keep their kingdom much longer anyway. After three years of fighting, Herod's Roman-backed army wrested control of Jerusalem and the rest of Judea from the Jews in 63 B.C.E.
Rome Rebuilds the Temple
The most significant of Herod's projects was the rebuilding of the Second Temple in the first century B.C.E. It took 10,000 people and a thousand priests nine years to complete the project. The original Temple of King Solomon was a relatively small building on top of Mount Moriah. Herod doubled the area of the Temple Mount and surrounded it with four massive retaining walls. The western wall is the longest, about 1600 feet (485 meters), and includes the Jewish area of prayer known as the Kotel or Western Wall
In 66 A.D., after the procurator Florus provoked the Jews through a variety of activities that ranged from stealing silver from the Temple to desecrating the vestments of the High Priest, the Zealots started a revolt The Jews initially met with success, routing Roman armies in Jerusalem but the Romans returned with a larger force. The Jews hoped to hold off the Romans in fortified Jerusalem but they began a fratricidal battle in which the Zealots murdered Jewish leaders who refused to go along with their rebellion. The Romans laid siege to the city and in the year 70 A.D. overwhelmed the remaining defenders and destroyed the Second Temple Some of the Zealots escaped and made their last stand at Masada
Though the mighty Romans had been held at bay for four years, their ultimate victory was never in doubt and the consequences of the Jews' defeat was devastating. Not only was the Temple destroyed, but perhaps as many as one million Jews were killed and many survivors enslaved.
In 66 A.D., after the procurator Florus provoked the Jews through a variety of activities that ranged from stealing silver from the Temple to desecrating the vestments of the High Priest, the Zealots started a revolt The Jews initially met with success, routing Roman armies in Jerusalem but the Romans returned with a larger force. The Jews hoped to hold off the Romans in fortified Jerusalem but they began a fratricidal battle in which the Zealots murdered Jewish leaders who refused to go along with their rebellion. The Romans laid siege to the city and in the year 70 A.D. overwhelmed the remaining defenders and destroyed the Second Temple Some of the Zealots escaped and made their last stand at Masada
Though the mighty Romans had been held at bay for four years, their ultimate victory was never in doubt and the consequences of the Jews' defeat was devastating. Not only was the Temple destroyed, but perhaps as many as one million Jews were killed and many survivors enslaved.
After the suppression of the Jewish revolt, relative calm settled on the Holy Land for nearly 60 years. The Emperor Hadrian had even talked at one point of rebuilding the Temple He did build a temple; however, it was in honor of Jupiter rather than the god of the Jews. He also renamed Jerusalem Aelia Capitolina and made it a Roman city.
This insult, along with other indignities that went along with being Roman subjects, provoked yet another rebellion beginning in 132 A.D., this time under the charismatic leadership of Simeon Bar-Kokhba It took nearly three years for the Romans to pacify the country and, when they were done, roughly 600,000 Jews were dead (including Bar-Kokhba) and Judea had been devastated. The Emperor renamed the entire province Syria Palaestina, Jerusalem became a pagan city that Jews were forbidden to enter, and the persecution of Judaism became widespread.
After the destruction of the Second Temple the center of Jewish life shifted from Jerusalem to Yavneh, where Yochanan ben Zakkai established an academy to train scholars. Meanwhile, the influence of Christianity began to grow in the region, culminating in 330 C.E. with Emperor Constantine's decision to move the capital of the empire from Rome to the city of Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople (now Istanbul).
This insult, along with other indignities that went along with being Roman subjects, provoked yet another rebellion beginning in 132 A.D., this time under the charismatic leadership of Simeon Bar-Kokhba It took nearly three years for the Romans to pacify the country and, when they were done, roughly 600,000 Jews were dead (including Bar-Kokhba) and Judea had been devastated. The Emperor renamed the entire province Syria Palaestina, Jerusalem became a pagan city that Jews were forbidden to enter, and the persecution of Judaism became widespread.
After the destruction of the Second Temple the center of Jewish life shifted from Jerusalem to Yavneh, where Yochanan ben Zakkai established an academy to train scholars. Meanwhile, the influence of Christianity began to grow in the region, culminating in 330 C.E. with Emperor Constantine's decision to move the capital of the empire from Rome to the city of Byzantium, which he renamed Constantinople (now Istanbul).
The Rise of Islam
The Islamic conquest of Palestine, which began in 633, was the beginning of a 1,300-year span during which more than ten different empires, governments, and dynasties were to rule in the Holy Land prior to the British occupation after World War I.
In 638, the Jews in Palestine assisted the Muslim forces in defeating the Persians who had reneged on an agreement to protect them and allow them to resettle in Jerusalem As a reward for their assistance, the Muslims permitted the Jews to return to Jerusalem and to guard the Temple Mount.
The Muslims fended off their rivals until the end of the 11th century. In 1095, Pope Urban II called for Crusades to regain Palestine from the infidels. They succeeded in 1099 and celebrated by herding all the Jews into a synagogue and burning them alive. Non-Christians were subsequently barred from the city.
Saladin succeeded in expelling the Crusaders and recaptured Jerusalem for the Muslims in 1187. Two years later, the Christians mounted the Third Crusade to retake Jerusalem but Saladin's forces repelled them.
In 638, the Jews in Palestine assisted the Muslim forces in defeating the Persians who had reneged on an agreement to protect them and allow them to resettle in Jerusalem As a reward for their assistance, the Muslims permitted the Jews to return to Jerusalem and to guard the Temple Mount.
The Muslims fended off their rivals until the end of the 11th century. In 1095, Pope Urban II called for Crusades to regain Palestine from the infidels. They succeeded in 1099 and celebrated by herding all the Jews into a synagogue and burning them alive. Non-Christians were subsequently barred from the city.
Saladin succeeded in expelling the Crusaders and recaptured Jerusalem for the Muslims in 1187. Two years later, the Christians mounted the Third Crusade to retake Jerusalem but Saladin's forces repelled them.
Here Come the Turks
The next important phase in the history of Jerusalem was the conquest of the Ottoman Turks at the beginning of the sixteenth century. The Turkish sultan then became responsible for Jerusalem The Holy Land was important to the Turks only as a source of revenue; consequently, like many of their predecessors, they allowed Palestine to languish. They also began to impose oppressive taxes on the Jews
Neglect and oppression gradually took their toll on the Jewish community and the population declined to a total of no more than 7,000 by the end of the seventeenth century. It wasn't until the nascent Zionist movement in Eastern Europe motivated Jews to return to Palestine that the first modern Jewish settlement was established -- in Petah Tikvah in 1878.
The Ottoman Empire held its own against rivals from Europe and Asia for roughly 400 years. They chose, however, to engage in a battle they could not win -- World War I -- and lost their empire. Palestine was captured by the British, who subsequently were awarded a mandate from the League of Nations to rule the country.
Neglect and oppression gradually took their toll on the Jewish community and the population declined to a total of no more than 7,000 by the end of the seventeenth century. It wasn't until the nascent Zionist movement in Eastern Europe motivated Jews to return to Palestine that the first modern Jewish settlement was established -- in Petah Tikvah in 1878.
The Ottoman Empire held its own against rivals from Europe and Asia for roughly 400 years. They chose, however, to engage in a battle they could not win -- World War I -- and lost their empire. Palestine was captured by the British, who subsequently were awarded a mandate from the League of Nations to rule the country.
Politics & Religion Mix
Ever since King David made Jerusalem the capital of Israel 3,000 years ago, the city has played a central role in Jewish existence. The Western Wall in the Old City - the last remaining wall of the ancient Jewish Temple the holiest site in Judaism - is the object of Jewish veneration and the focus of Jewish prayer Three times a day for thousands of years Jews have prayed, "To Jerusalem thy city, shall we return with joy," and have repeated the Psalmist's oath: "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning."
Jews have been living in Jerusalem continuously for nearly two millennia. They have constituted the largest single group of inhabitants there since the 1840's (map of Jerusalem in 1912 Today, the total population of Jerusalem is approximately 662,000. The Jewish population in areas formerly controlled by Jordan exceeds 160,000, outnumbering Palestinians in "Arab" East Jerusalem
Jews have been living in Jerusalem continuously for nearly two millennia. They have constituted the largest single group of inhabitants there since the 1840's (map of Jerusalem in 1912 Today, the total population of Jerusalem is approximately 662,000. The Jewish population in areas formerly controlled by Jordan exceeds 160,000, outnumbering Palestinians in "Arab" East Jerusalem
Muslims also revere the Holy City. According to Islam, the prophet Mohammed was miraculously transported from Mecca to Jerusalem and it was from there that he made his ascent to heaven. Still, despite controlling the city for more than a thousand years, Jerusalem was never the capital of any Arab entity. In fact, it was a backwater for most of Arab history.
For Christians, Jerusalem is the place where Jesus lived, preached, died, and was resurrected. While it is the heavenly rather than the earthly Jerusalem that is emphasized by the Church, places mentioned in the New Testament as the sites of his ministry and passion have drawn pilgrims and devoted worshipers for centuries.
For Christians, Jerusalem is the place where Jesus lived, preached, died, and was resurrected. While it is the heavenly rather than the earthly Jerusalem that is emphasized by the Church, places mentioned in the New Testament as the sites of his ministry and passion have drawn pilgrims and devoted worshipers for centuries.
