New Jerusalem

The city of Jerusalem is a religious and holy space to many who live there or simply visit, but what about Jerusalem makes religious or holy in the first place? There are buildings with an empty meaning until it is labeled, buildings with an unacknowledged history that can or cannot be proven, and people confused with their purpose in life. Jerusalem has carried many of these characterizations and factors and yet no one truly understood how the religious and holy space was formed in the city.…

Jerusalem is mainly associated with Jewish customs and being known as the birthplace of Judaism, but the city is also enriched with other religions like Christianity and Islam and influenced by the cultures of Christians and Muslims. One religious site that is entwined with all three of these religions is the Dome of the Rock located on the Temple Mount. The Dome of the Rock which was finished under Caliph ‘Abd al-Malik around 692 was not a mosque but a shrine. This structure is significant not…

affecting the lives of millions. At the center of this discord lies the city of Jerusalem. Throughout its history, Jerusalem has been attacked, defended, destroyed, and rebuilt over its long history. Of the thousands of cities in the world, Jerusalem is lauded as one of the holiest, holding significance in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Thousands of years ago, only one of these three religions was present in Jerusalem: Judaism. In Thomas Tweed’s essay, “Space,” Tweed states that religious…

concerned with the theological aspect of the new state of restoration by dealing with several theological themes such as New Jerusalem, Inheritance, and servants. These theological themes can be discerned…

and choose the rules that apply to them. One of the major focuses the Dean’s sect promotes was the denial of the many “pleasures of this world, for the earth and all that it held to them was but a kind of illusion, and the true reality was the New Jerusalem toward which they were longing.” (pg 1) Though the Dean was the leader of his sect, he was a walking, talking contradiction. He claimed to believe in selflessness and non materialistic goals, but he held onto the most material things in his…

Today, many regard Jerusalem as one of the most sacred spaces on Earth. People from all over the world partake in the sacred pilgrimage to the city not only for spiritual gratification, but also for an enrichment of the mind and soul. The journey allows pilgrims to observe and experience the rich history embedded in the soil of Jerusalem, an experience that cannot be felt through literature and photographs. The sacred and holy nature of Jerusalem stems from the biblical texts of Genesis, 2…

Manzikert, the Byzantine army battled the Seljuk Turks. Romanus IV, the emperor of the Byzantine Empire, was killed and his army obliterated. The Turks expanded their empire into Anatolia, Syria, Jerusalem, and throughout the Holy Land. Turkish zealots prevented Christian pilgrims from visiting Jerusalem and other places Christians considered sacred. (Acrobatiq, 2014) Alexius I Comnenus, the emperor of Greece, was very troubled by the expeditious expansion of the Muslim Turks and…

Nehemiah, a Persian official, helped the Jews rebuild the city of Jerusalem. Ezra was a scribe and priest. They sympathized with the Jews in Judah who strayed from traditional worship, contributed in reforming, reorganize the Jews. Ezra collected essential traditional and sacred writings in the Torah or the first five books…

Babylonians created their own empire to replace the Assyrian one and in time they turned their eyes on Judah. (m) Josiah was king of Israel (640-609 BC) King Josiah made a decision for the repair of God’s temple in Jerusalem. By accident, they found part of the Old Testament there and Josiah tried to enforce all of its requirements. Josiah tried to rid his kingdom of idols. Unfortunately after his death the people went back to worshiping idols. God warned the…

the ominous giant Goliath armed with a mere slingshot. In 1 Samuel 18:20-30 it states that with a dowry of 200 Philistine foreskins he married King Saul’s daughter Michal. Unfortunately, David’s marital bliss was cut short by the jealousy of his new father-in-law. Already a seasoned warrior David was praised as a military force with songs proclaiming “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands” (Rogerson, 1999, p. 78). While fleeing Saul’s armies to the south, David…