Historically, the city, Jerusalem, is known by many names; and is one of the oldest cities in the world. According to one source, the oldest part of the city was settled in the 4th millennium BC making it more than 6,000 years old. The City of Peace (Salem or Jerusalem) does not appear to bear its name. Why? The city has been attacked fifty-two times, captured, and recaptured forty-four times, besieged twenty-three times, and destroyed twice. (Source: Wikipedia)
My interest in this subject matter is long standing. My greatest disappointment is that I did not take a trip to Israel and Jerusalem with my esteemed, late uncle, The Reverend Robert Trautmann. The Bible uses the term “Jerusalem” 806 times – 660 in the Old Testament and 146 times in the New Testament. In some cases, the frequency of use might even be higher if one considers the city’s other names.
God indeed chose Israel as His spokesmen. His appearance to Abram dates back to Genesis 12 saying, “I will make you a great nation . . .” (Gen 12:1). God’s promise continued and even in captivity, God said, “I have come down to rescue them (Israelites). . .to a land flowing with milk and honey. (Ex 3:8). And deliver He did! Joshua, Moses’ understudy, was advised to “destroy them completely!” Jerusalem was a Canaanite city (historically known as “Jebus”), inhabited by Jebusites. The actual site is defined as somewhat between 2,550 and 2,575 feet high on a plateau that is thirty-three miles east of the Mediterranean Sea and fourteen miles west of the Dead Sea.
Antiquity
The name “Rusalimum” is the first recorded mention of the city of Jerusalem in any document, including the Bible. (Source: History of Jerusalem, Part 2, “When Jerusalem was called “Rusalimum”) The same source indicates that the Hebrew name was probably “Yershalem.” The name reflected the worship of the god Shalem – commonly done in early times. This corresponds to the time of the Canaanites. Shalem was the god of creation and completeness of the setting sun.
Jerusalem was also known as “Salem,” or the city of peace. It is referenced in Genesis 14:18 with Melchizedek, the king of Salem. Father Abraham met this king of antiquity following a military victory. Melchizedek’s response is noteworthy, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” (Gen 14:17-21)
As mentioned previously, Jerusalem has been kicked around like a football. Israel’s independence did not occur until the time of king David, circa 1,000 BC. David made Jerusalem the capital of the United Kingdom of Israel. Historically, the city was a center of worship for the god Shalem. David, wanted to continue the worship center, but to the “real” God. David built an altar at the location of a threshing floor that he purchased. And he moved the Ark to Jerusalem that was the presence of God. His desire to build a temple was great but did not occur until his son, Solomon, assumed the throne of his father. Unfortunately, the United Kingdom did not last with the ten northern tribes splitting off with its capital city of Shechem. Jerusalem continued as the Judean capital city for approximately four hundred years. (Source: Wikipedia, History of Jerusalem)
Jerusalem has also been categorized in terms of a “temple period.” The First Temple Period was 1,200 – 586 BC, the final date of which corresponds to the Babylonian captivity timeframe. The Second Temple Period ranges from 586 BC – 70 AD, marking the destruction of the temple during the Roman period. The Second temple was completed in the sixth year of Darius the Great (Persian) in 516 BC – after a 70-year construction period. The wall construction took longer under Nehemiah.
Change continues! Yes, Alexander the Great conquered the Persians and Jerusalem came under Greek control and all of its influence. In 198 BC, the Battle of the Panium marked the end of the Greek period to the Selucids under Antiochus the Great.
The Maccabean Revolt (110 – 63 BC) marked the change from Selucids to an independent Hasmonean Kingdom – lasting a century. Rome enters the picture when descendants of Maccabeus asked Rome for assistance. In the beginning, Jerusalem was somewhat independent until the time when king Herod (37 BC) captured the city. He served as king with Rome’s approval. While treacherous, Herod did complete the Second Temple. According to the Talmud, Pliny the Elder comments, “(he) who has not seen the Temple of Herod has never seen a beautiful building in his life.” The Jewish revolt ended in the Roman destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.
Unfortunately, after the Second Temple was destroyed, the city of Jerusalem became a pagan city where a temple was built to worship Jupiter Capitolinus. (NOTE: Later became the Church of the Holy Sepulchre)
Early centuries continued to reflect a shuffling effect of control – Muslims, Fatimid, Seljuk – until the Crusades (1099 – 1187 AD). The capture of Jerusalem resulted in a massacre of almost all of the Muslim and Jewish inhabitants. Jerusalem then became the capital of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Christian settlers began migrating from the West and set about to rebuild shrines associated with the life of Christ. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was rebuilt during this period. In addition, other Muslim shrines on the Temple Mount were converted to Christian purposes. The Kingdom lasted until 1291 when it was captured by Saladin – who then allowed for all forms of worship.
In 1229, a treaty with Egypt resulted in Jerusalem placed in the hands of Frederick II of Germany. This truce lasted 10 years with the walls being destroyed. In 1243, the city came into the power of the Christians with the walls repaired once again. This lasted a brief time when the control went from one party to another. The resultant control fell to the Mamluks who controlled Jerusalem for over two hundred years – 1260-1516.
The Ottomans took over in 1516 with a period of peace! The Ottomans constructed the wall that defines the “Old City” of Jerusalem. This period of peace allowed the Jews, Christians, and Muslims free to worship. The concluding years of the Antique Period reflected an influx of Jewish immigrants and an increase in the number of synagogues.
Modern Period
This period is marked by the mid-19th century and the decline of the Ottoman Empire. The city was small with only a population of 8,000. The inhabitants were heterogenous with the city divided into four communities – Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Armenian. This separation also was evident in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where partitions separated the Greek Orthodox, Catholic, Armenian, Coptic, and Ethiopian churches.
During this timeframe, there was an increase in Jewish immigration from the Middle East and Eastern Europe – including a segment of Orthodox Jews. The Ottoman control was declining with European influence waxing. This was also a time when Christian influence was revived. By 1860, Jerusalem measured only one square kilometer, was overcrowded. Thus, a New City was constructed outside the city walls. Establishing settlements in the New City was first undertaken by Jewish population. Their settlement was on a hill overlooking the Zion Gate, across the Valley of Hinnon.
The final straw breaking the Ottomans was the British victory in the Middle East during World War I. Palestine was now under British control (1917) with a city that was a patchwork of peoples. The New City continued to grow while the Old City diminished. But that period of British control revealed a period of unrest. The Jewish immigration continued with the Arabs not only resenting British rule but also boiling over with increased Jewish influence. Riots ensued over a 10-year period (1920-1930). The unrest continued an increasing level of violence throughout the 1930s and 1940s.
Enter the United Nations General Assembly that eventually approved a plan that partitioned the city and modern Palestine into two states – Jewish and Arabic. The city fell under international control as a “Corpus Separatum.”
This treaty was short-lived resulting in the War of 1948. March 1948 marked the end of British rule and its withdrawal. The war resulted in massive displacement of both populations – Arabs and Jews alike. The Israeli troops captured much of the Arabs and relocated them to East Jerusalem with western areas under Jewish control. Outside mediation resulted in the deaths of both the US Consul and the UN mediator.
The 1948 War resulted in a divided Jerusalem. The western half of the New City became the state of Israel, while the eastern half, including the Old City, was occupied by Jordan. This division was short-lived with Jordan desecrating multiple ancient synagogues. The result was the Six-Day War in 1967 when east Jerusalem was captured by the Israelis. The status of East Jerusalem remains highly controversial with many of the international countries not recognizing the annexation. Thus, most embassies are located in Tel-Aviv, however, both the United States and Guatemala moved their embassies to Jerusalem in 2018.
Whose City Is It?
The previous pages outline multiple peoples who have controlled the city of Jerusalem, some longer while others a very short timeframe. It would be impossible to title the city to a group using this method. But, if we look to God and His Word, the process becomes easier in my view. First, God created the heavens and the earth. Over a six-day creating period, God created every living thing – both plant and animal. But most of all He created “light” that separates the light and the dark. This light and darkness also define the separation of God’s perfection (light) and sin that separates us from the love of God (darkness).
While sin entered the world in Genesis, God’s love did not remove itself from creation, rather He promised to provide “Light” that removes the darkness of sin. This Light is none other than the Son of God, Jesus, the Christ. This Light is for all peoples as the Bible states, “God wants all to be saved.”
So if God creates, then God owns! He has given us everything in His creation to be managed by us as a trust (Stewardship). God indeed entrusted the land of milk and honey to Abraham and his descendants. God instructed Joshua to siege the land and to control it! Does that mean that only descendants of Abraham are welcome? I suggest not! Rather, God’s intention was and is that Israel was God’s spokesperson to the world and Israel was to be the center of His presence.
The city’s name (City of Peace) should reflect the demeanor of its inhabitants. If God’s chosen people are not peace loving, then the love of God will not and cannot be revealed. God’s love is manifested in His gift to all in His Son, Jesus, the Messiah. His atoning sacrifice brings light to all who believe in His atonement. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son… (John 3:16).
In closing, remember the great Aaronic Blessing that has survived antiquity. “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24ff)
Peace
Connected in Him, I stand
GHR
