Jerusalem

Jerusalem

Judaism

The capital of the State of Israel. Jerusalem was captured by King David from the Jebusites (see 2 Samuel 5) and became his capital. It was the site of Solomon's Temple and the royal palace, and remained the seat of the Davidic kings during the period of the monarchy. The city was captured and largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE. The city was rebuilt in the Persian period. Now began the brilliant imagination of Jerusalem, containing virtually all beauty, the site of all important events from Creation to End. The Temple was reconstructed and remained the centre of social and religious life under the high priest and was greatly enlarged by Herod the Great. The Jewish revolt against the Romans in 66 CE, however, led to a prolonged siege of the city and its eventual destruction. Of the Temple only the western wall (wailing wall) remained. When the State of Israel was created in 1948, Jerusalem was partitioned. In 1967 Israeli forces captured the Arab quarter and the united city was declared the capital of the State of Israel. See also ZION.

Christianity

The Christian history of the city is associated with Jesus’ short ministry there and with his death and resurrection. The Jewish church there flourished at least until the war against Rome of 66–70 CE. The see of Jerusalem did not return to importance until the 4th cent. with the building of churches by Constantine and the new fashion of pilgrimage to the Holy Places. The Christian centre of Jerusalem is the Church of the Resurrection, commonly known as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Islam

Jerusalem is not mentioned by name in the Qurʾān, but 17. 5–7 is clearly referring to the two destructions of Jerusalem. On that basis, 17. 1 ties the Night Journey (israʾ) and the Ascent (al-Miʿrāj) to Jerusalem as the place of their occurrence. Originally the qibla (direction of prayer) was toward Jerusalem, only later being changed to Mecca. Jerusalem thus becomes in Islam third in holiness to Mecca and Madīna. Known originally as Iliya (i.e. Aelia) Madīna Bayt al-Maqdis, it became known from the 4th cent. AH as al-Quds, the Holy. Two major buildings were erected on the Temple Mount, al-Masjid al-Aqsa, ‘the furthest mosque’ referred to (in anticipation) in sūra 17; and Qubbat as-Sakhrah, the Dome of the Rock (piously, but unhistorically, also called ‘the Mosque of ʿUmarʾ).