Jerusalem 

Jerusalem, formerly known as Salem and later as the City of Jebus, is an ancient city revered as sacred by the devotees of many different religions. The city was conquered and laid to waste on more than one occasion and its inhabitants were taken into bondage. In the times of Abraham, it was known as Salem. Later, it was known as the City of David. Jerusalem was at the height of its glory in the times of Jesus. Even though the country was under Roman occupation, the people of Israel were allowed an unusual amount of freedom of self-government as long as they remained peaceful and faithfully paid their tribute taxes to the emperor.

Jerusalem was a crossroads for travel and trade, and a focal point for gathering pilgrims on all of the holy days and celebrations. Even 2,000 years ago, it was not unusual for over two million visitors to be in Jerusalem during holiday festivities.

Jerusalem held immense significance in the life and teachings of Jesus. It was the center of the Jewish people's religious, cultural, and political life. Jesus visited the city multiple times during his ministry, partaking in significant religious events and engaging in intense discussions with Jewish leaders. His confrontations with religious authorities and teachings in the temple marked critical moments in his mission, ultimately leading to his trial, crucifixion, and resurrection.

It was 1973 years before the birth of Jesus that Machiventa Melchizedek settled the area and, within a few years, Melchizedek had gathered around himself a group of pupils, disciples, and believers who formed the nucleus of the later community of Salem. He was soon known throughout Palestine as the priest of El Elyon, the Most High God, and as the sage of Salem. Among some of the surrounding tribes, he was often referred to as the sheik, or king, of Salem. Salem was the site that became the city of Jebus, subsequently being called Jerusalem.

The city of Jerusalem is first mentioned in the Bible as Salem in Genesis 14:18 when it was under the rule of Melchizedek, "King of Salem," who met with Abraham and blessed him. Machiventa Melchizedek, priest, spiritual leader, and peacemaker, lived nearly 4,000 years ago and founded his school on the site that would later become a great city.

In the tenth century BCE, King David conquered Jerusalem from the Jebusites, a Canaanite tribe who inhabited that city and region and at that time it was known as the city of Jebus. David established the capital of the kingdom of Israel there and it was then known as the City of David.

King Solomon, his son, built the first temple (also known as Solomon's Temple) and enlarged the city. Jerusalem started as a small hill fortress but continued to prosper and expand over the centuries until its destruction by the Babylonian army of King Nebuchadnezzar, who leveled Jerusalem including the walls of the city, the temple, and took its inhabitants captive, leading them into exile in Babylon in 586 BCE. The Jews were able to return from exile 70 years after the first of the three deportations, when Babylon was conquered by the Persian army of King Cyrus the Great and he gave them permission to go back and rebuild the temple and the altar under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua. This became known as the second temple.

In 445 BCE, Nehemiah, who was cup-bearer to King Artaxerxes I of Persia, was appointed governor of Judah and allowed to return and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

During the reign of Herod the Great (37-4 BCE), who ruled over Judea as a Roman client king, Jerusalem underwent a complete makeover through the king's numerous building projects, including the expansion of the second temple, the construction of palaces and citadels, a theater, bridges, and the development of water supplies for the city. In the 33 years of his reign, Herod transformed the city to gain some acceptance and support from the population, as he was not Jewish by birth, but his family had converted to the Jewish faith. He also aimed to gain the support of the Roman authorities by remodeling the city with a Roman design and lifestyle in mind.

After the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman Empire in 70 CE, Emperor Hadrian ruled from 117-138 CE and began to rebuild on the ancient site a new city center with a new Hellenistic-Roman design.

Temple Mount / Herod's Temple: At no time in his life did Jesus ever experience such a purely human thrill as when he stood on the Mount of Olives, drinking in his first view of Jerusalem. And in later years, on this same spot, he stood and wept over the city which was about to reject another prophet, the last and the greatest of her heavenly teachers.

The Temple of God was located on the Temple Mount, high above the City of David. Herod's Temple was a gigantic renovation of the original second temple; it included turning the entire Temple Mount into a huge flat platform and erecting a massive retaining wall made of limestone blocks to extend the base of the Temple. It is not called the "Third Temple" because the rituals and the animal sacrifices continued without interruption during the whole renovation project.

Solomon's Porch: When the Sabbath-breaking session of the Sanhedrin was in progress in one of the temple chambers, Jesus was walking about near at hand, teaching the people in Solomon’s Porch, hoping that he would be summoned before the Sanhedrin where he could tell them the good news of the liberty and joy of divine sonship in the kingdom of God.

Fortress of Antonia: On April 7, 30 CE, Jesus was brought before Pilate, the Roman procurator who governed Judea, Samaria, and Idumea. The Master was taken into the presence of the Roman governor by the temple guards, bound, and was accompanied by about fifty of his accusers, including the Sanhedrist court (principally Sadduceans), Judas Iscariot, and the high priest, Caiaphas, and by the Apostle John.

Pilate was up and ready to receive this group of early morning callers, having been informed by those who had secured his consent the previous evening, to employ the Roman soldiers in arresting Jesus. This trial was arranged to take place in front of the praetorium, an addition to the fortress of Antonia, where Pilate and his wife made their headquarters when stopping in Jerusalem.

Fortress of Herod the Great: When Herod Antipas stopped in Jerusalem, he dwelt in the old Maccabean palace of Herod the Great, and it was to this home of the former king that Jesus was taken by the temple guards, and he was followed by his accusers and an increasing multitude. Herod had long heard of Jesus, and he was very curious about him. When the Son of Man stood before him, he did not recall the lad of former years who had appeared before him in Sepphoris pleading for a just decision regarding the money due to his father, who had been accidentally killed while at work on one of the public buildings. Herod had heard much about the miracles wrought by Jesus, and he really hoped to see him do some wonder.

Palace of the High Priest Caiaphas: The chief priest, Caiaphas, called the Sanhedrist court of inquiry to order and asked that Jesus be brought before them for his formal trial. On three previous occasions, the Sanhedrin had decreed the death of Jesus, deciding that he was worthy of death on informal charges of lawbreaking, blasphemy, and flouting the traditions of the fathers of Israel.

This was not a regularly called meeting of the Sanhedrin and was not held in the usual place, the chamber of hewn stone in the temple. This was a special trial court of some thirty Sanhedrists and was convened in the palace of the high priest. John Zebedee was present with Jesus throughout this so-called trial.

Palace of Annas: Jesus spent about three hours at the palace of Annas on Mount Olivet, not far from the garden of Gethsemane, where they arrested him. John Zebedee was free and safe in the palace of Annas not only because of the word of the Roman captain but also because he and his brother James were well known to the older servants, having many times been guests at the palace as the former high priest was a distant relative of their mother, Salome.

Pool of Siloam: Earlier in his public ministry, at the pool of Siloam, Jesus said to Nathaniel and Thomas: “Let us create the sight of this blind man on this Sabbath day that the scribes and Pharisees may have the full occasion which they seek for accusing the Son of Man.” Then, stooping over, he spat on the ground and mixed the clay with the spittle, and speaking of all this so that the blind man could hear, he went up to Josiah and put the clay over his sightless eyes, saying: “Go, my son, wash away this clay in the pool of Siloam, and immediately you shall receive your sight.” And when Josiah had so washed in the pool of Siloam, he returned to his friends and family, seeing.

Pool of Bethesda: On the afternoon of the second Sabbath in Jerusalem, as the Master and apostles prepared for temple services, John said, “Come with me, I would show you something.” John led Jesus through a Jerusalem gate to Bethesda. This pool was surrounded by five porches where many patients sought healing. This hot spring's reddish water bubbled up irregularly due to gas accumulations in the rock caverns underneath the pool. Many believed that supernatural forces caused periodic disturbances of the warm waters, and the first person to enter the water after such a disturbance would be healed.

Garden of Gethsemane / Mount Olivet: Gethsemane was a shaded park, or garden located on the western slope of the Mount of Olives not far from the brook Kidron. Jesus and the apostles spent a month camped in Gethsemane. This park was situated on the western slope of the Mount of Olives not far from the brook Kidron. The Sabbath weekends they usually spent with Lazarus and his sisters at Bethany. Jesus entered within the walls of Jerusalem only a few times, but a large number of interested inquirers came out to Gethsemane to visit with him.

Golgotha / Jesus' Tomb: Golgotha was the official crucifixion site of Jerusalem. Ordinarily, it was the custom to journey to Golgotha by the longest road so that a large number of persons might view the condemned criminal, but on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, they went by the most direct route to the Damascus gate, which led out of the city to the north. Beyond Golgotha were the villas of the wealthy, and on the other side of the road the tombs of many well-to-do Jews.

A crucified person could not be buried in a Jewish cemetery; there was a strict law against such a procedure. Joseph and Nicodemus knew this law, and on the way out to Golgotha, they had decided to bury Jesus in Joseph’s new family tomb, hewn out of solid rock, located a short distance north of Golgotha and across the road leading to Samaria.

Jerusalem Academies: During his childhood, Nahor, one of the teachers in a Jerusalem academy of the rabbis, came to Nazareth to observe Jesus, having been on a similar mission to Zacharias’s home near Jerusalem. While at first he was somewhat shocked by Jesus’ frankness and unconventional manner of relating himself to things religious, he attributed it to the remoteness of Galilee from the centers of Hebrew learning and culture and advised Joseph and Mary to allow him to take Jesus back with him to Jerusalem, where he could have the advantages of education and training at the center of Jewish culture.

Home of Elijah and Mary Mark: Parents of John Mark, the home of Elijah and Mary Mark served as a second home, meeting place, and sanctuary for key events in Jesus’ life. Their house had an upstairs with a large and spacious room ideal for gatherings. This was the site of the Last Supper and where the apostles hid after Jesus' crucifixion. It was also the place where the apostles and leading disciples gathered on Pentecost. While in prayer, the bestowal of the Spirit of Truth occurred.

Home of Joseph of Arimathea: As one of Joseph's daughters worked among the women's corps that Jesus established to minister to the sick and afflicted, all of the women gathered at the home of Joseph of Arimathea after the crucifixion. It was at this home that the women stayed over the Sabbath to comfort one another

Notable historical persons connected with Jerusalem include Melchizedek, Abraham, his wife Sarah, and his nephew Lot. In addition, Jacob, King Saul, King David, Bathsheba, Solomon, Absalom, Herod the Great, Annas, and Caiaphas are also connected to Jerusalem. Many prophets are associated with Jerusalem over the years, including Jeremiah and John the Baptist. Herod Antipas visited Jerusalem from time to time, and Pontius Pilate, who ordered the death of Jesus, also resided and ruled over Jerusalem.

The Roman Empire in 70 CE, after four years of Jewish rebellion, and just as prophesied by Jesus, ransacked and leveled Jerusalem. The temple was burned and destroyed a second time. The temple was left "not one stone upon another," just as Jesus had forewarned. The temple contents were seized and taken by the Roman army and put on display to celebrate the victory as depicted on the Arch of Titus which is just to the southeast of the Roman Forum.

After the inhabitants were conquered, many dying by crucifixion and others being sold as slaves, the only thing remaining of the city was the wailing wall, which is held sacred to this day.

Modern Jerusalem, also known as Yerushalayim and Al-Quds, is still an important center of three world religions and therefore enjoys a lively tourist trade when relative peace prevails. The city is a jewel of architecture and stands among the most beautiful and picturesque sites in the world. Modern Jerusalem has an underlying current of tension among the religions who strive to control it, but it remains one of the most desirable tourist destinations for those who want to make religious pilgrimages to the temple mount, the wailing wall, and to walk in the footsteps of Jesus.