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The Holy Land
Jerusalem
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
Black: Date has significance to all faiths of the
book
Blue: Significant to Judaism
Red: Significant to Christianity
Green: Significant to Islam
A Brief History of the Holy Land
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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)
1918 CE- British control of Jerusalem
1948 CE- establishment of the modern day state of Israel.
Scriptural/Traditional Attachment to
the Holy Land: Judaism
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Jerusalem has been the holiest place in
Judaism since the 10th century and the
establishment of the Kingdom of David
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Exile/destruction of Jerusalem as
punishment from God and restoration of
Jewish rule of Jerusalem as a divine
reward
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First Chron. 11:1-11
Second Chron. 7:19
Babylonian Exile
Book of Lamentations
Love/Mourning of Jerusalem throughout
the Hebrew Bible
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"By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and
wept when we remembered Zion."
(Psalms 137:1)
"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)
Scriptural/Traditional Attachment to
the Holy Land: Christianity
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Significance in the Hebrew Bible,
Christ’s Jewish identity
Birth of Christianity in Jerusalem
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Jesus and the Temple of Jerusalem
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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 is presented as a child at the
Temple (Luke 2:22)
Cleanses the Temple of Jerusalem
(Mark 11:15)
Medieval Christians believed
Jerusalem was the center of the
World
Scriptural/Traditional Attachment to
the Holy Land: Islam
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Night Journey of Muhammad 621 CE
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Dome of the Rock
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believed by Muslims to be the site of
where Muhammad ascended into heaven.
Al-Aqsa Mosque
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“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 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
“So Sakariya came out to his people From
his chamber: He told them by signs To
celebrate Allah’s praises In the morning
and the evening.” Surah 19:11
Cite of the first “Qibla” before it was
changed to the city of Makka.
Shortly after Muhammad’s death,
Muslims conquered Jerusalem.
Worksheet # 19b
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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”?
Common Beliefs about Jerusalem
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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
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Abraham, Moses, Elijah, etc.
Common Jewish heritage
Current Relationship to Jerusalem:
Judaism
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Zionism
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Religious Zionism
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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
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
Current Relationship to Jerusalem:
Christianity
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Site of the pilgrimage of
thousands of Christians each
year
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 Jerusalem:
Islam
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Jerusalem is considered the
third holiest city, next to
Makka and Madinah
Dominated by current
conflict
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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
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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
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Palestinian Exile
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The British create plans for the creation of an Israeli state
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
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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?