Hezekiah and josiah 1/27/11

Jerusalem continued to swell in population as the Assyrians strengthened and conquered.  People fled their villages and moved behind the walled city.  This urbanization forced Jerusalem to expand at a rapid rate.  Part of the reason for Assyria’s success was the fact that they changed from their native tongue, and adopted Aramaic as their official language.  This was beneficial because it was simpler and easier to not only learn, but also use.  The king of Jerusalem, Hezekiah, brought more water to his city by way of Hezekiah’s tunnel.  Without this tunnel the city would have no real water source. 

Hezekiah is credited with the defeat of the Assyrian king Sennacherib.  This greatly added to Jerusalem’s growing fame and reputation, that it held out against and defeated the mighty Assyrian warriors.  After Hezekiah, the next king is Josiah, and he finds the book and religious reforms.  Josiah took control when he was only eight years old, this makes many historians believe that for the most part he was a puppet ruler at the beginning of his reign with the elders and advisors pulling the strings behind the city. 

        

Hezekiah's Jerusalem 1/25/11

            The eras of King David and King Solomon ruling in Jerusalem are often referred to as the “Golden Age.”  David united Israel and built a great palace, while Solomon built the Lord a magnificent temple.  After Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, took control of the kingdom, it split in two.  The Northern tribes were the Israelites, while the tribes in the south were in Judah.  The leader of Israel decided to build alternate places to worship, as Jerusalem was in Judah and he did not want all of his citizens traveling there boosting the economy there. 

            Around 925 BCE Pharaoh Shoshenq invades the land of Canaan, some scholars suspect that he was paid by the king of Judah to invade and help fight Israel.  Both Israel and Judah seem to make a habit of enlisting, and paying for the help of other—stronger—countries to fight their battles.  One of these such countries was Assyria.  Assyria quickly rose to prominence off of its reputation of being militarily dominant and merciless.  When Assyria invaded and took the capital of Israel, Samaria, the population of the city of Jerusalem inflated dramatically.  It was a walled city and many northerners fled there to escape the Assyrians.          

David and Solomon 1/20/11

           After David had taken control of Jerusalem, and built himself a palace he turned his attention to the lord.  The Ark of the Covenant had been sheltered in a tent up until that point.  David intended to build the Lord a great temple for him to live in, and for all his people to worship in.  But through a prophet, the lord told David not to build a temple, and that God would build up David’s family—a dynasty.  This is referred to as “the Promise to David.”  Some believe that the reasoning behind this is that David had spilled too much blood in the conquering of Israel, and he should not be the one to build a home for the Lord. 

            David’s son Solomon would be the one to build the Temple on the Mount for the Lord most high.  Solomon gave a wonderful dedication speech and is known as “wise” King Solomon.  He is accredited to writing the book of proverbs, ecclesiastics, and song of songs.  It is difficult to know for sure if Solomon’s Temple ever truly existed because there is no archeological evidence found, but this does not mean that it did not exist either.  The Bible writes a description of the temple, and it is very similar to other temples built around that time.   

City of David 1/18/11

Historians still debate whether or not David actually existed.  It is estimated that if he were a real ruler, he would have been alive around 1000 BCE.  The only evidence of David is in the Tel Dan Inscription.  This tablet refers to the “House of David,” so it does not mention him personally, but it does show that there was a group of people in Israel that referred to themselves as descendants of David.  Warren’s shaft was discovered and believed to be how the City of David got its water supply, but now some historians are questioning that thought. 

2 Samuel 5:6-9 and 2 chronicles 11:4-8 both write about how the Jerusalem was conquered by David.  When David takes control of Jerusalem he builds the City of David and pitches a tent for the Ark of the Covenant.  The Gihon spring is just out side of the city and was vital to Jerusalem’s survival.  Later, David’s son Solomon would have his coronation ceremony down by the Gihon Spring, and Jesus himself would one day follow his trend and ride to the Gihon on the back of a donkey.         

Canaanite Jerusalem 1/13/11

          The earliest settlement of Jerusalem was during the Chalcolithic period—around 4,000 BCE.  It has possessed continuous settlement till this very day.  Jerusalem has had occupants for over 6,000 straight years, and even during times of exile, the Holy City has had occupants.  Some archeological digs have uncovered remnants over the historical city referenced in the Bible, such as the Fountain Gate mentioned in Nehemiah 2:14.  Not only is Jerusalem written about in the Bible, it is also referred to by non-biblical texts like the Amarna letters. 

            The Bible explains how Joshua took over Jerusalem by force and killed all in Israel that were not aligned with him and his allies.  But, in the book of Judges and Joshua, this idea is contradicted because it refers to the Jebusites being in Jerusalem when in earlier books have them wiped out completely.  There is some debate over how the Israelites got to Jerusalem.  Did they take it over by force, did they immigrate slowly there, or was Canaanite Jerusalem of mixed ethnic background and were they always there?        

Jerusalem as Sacred Space (cont) 1/11/11

           Before Jerusalem could become sacred space for the three major religions in the world, it had to be founded and constructed.  Stories in the bible, such as the tower of babel and beth-el—house of god help to establish the city as the center of the religious world.  It is said that the plans for the temple were of ‘divine origin.’  That the Lord himself directed how it should look.  As all great legends, Jerusalem began to attract other important stories very early into its history.  From Genesis: the Garden of Eden mentions the river Gihon, which is in Jerusalem, therefore Eden is equated with the Holy City.  Mount Moriah is also said to be a part of Jerusalem.  Legends and stories act as positive feedback on this ancient city.  As more important religious facts, dates and places get related to Jerusalem its reputation gets larger, which only attracts more facts, dates, places and stories.

            Two extremely sacred places in Jerusalem are the Dome of the Rock and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  The Dome of the Rock was first completed in 691 CE.  This was the 72^nd year of the Muslim Era. When Crusaders took over the city in 1099CE they also took control of the Dome of the Rock.  The Muslims take it back by the year 1187.  The Tomb of Adam is said to be buried under the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  The Holy Sepulcher is made up of many churches and chapels built on top of each other.  It is complex and there isn’t much room inside the actual building.  The complexities of this church reflect the complexities of the city itself.         

1/6/11 jerusalem as sacred space

Jerusalem is considered one of the most holy places in the world.  It is regarded as sacred space by the three major religions—Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.  It is located up on a hill and is believed this makes it closer to the heavens and the Lord.  There are three surrounding valleys: Kidron Valley to the east, Hinnom Valley to the west, Tyropean Valley directly south.  Because Jerusalem is atop a hill it possesses a natural defense against invasion from foreign armies.  The Holy City may not be located directly on a trade route or major water source, but it has been a central point to the history of the world.  Europe is to the west, Asia is to the east, and Africa is to the south. 

Modern day Jerusalem is split into sections: Christian quarter, Jewish quarter, Islamic quarter, Armenian quarter, and to the east is the fifth quarter where the temple mount was built.  The only source of water locally is the Gihon spring, therefore to satisfy this populated area, water must be brought in from abroad.  There is no other city quite like Jerusalem in the world, with its rich history, religious complexity, and political strife.