Transcript PPT

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)
1096 to 1099 CE-First Crusade
1270 Eighth and Final Crusade
1918 CE- British control of Jerusalem
1948 CE- establishment of the modern day state of Israel.
Scriptural/Traditional
Attachment to the Holy
Land: JUDAISM
• Jerusalem has been the holiest place in Judaism
since the 10th century and the establishment of the
Kingdom of David
– First Chronicles 11:1-11
• Exile/destruction of Jerusalem as punishment from
God and restoration of Jewish rule of Jerusalem as a
divine reward
– Second Chronicles 7:19
– Babylonian Exile
– Book of Lamentations
– 1 Maccabees 1:20-40, 2:8-13
• destruction of 2nd Temple
• Love/Mourning of Jerusalem throughout the Hebrew
Bible
– "By the rivers of Babylon we sat down and
wept when we remembered Zion."
(Psalms 137:1)
Scriptural/Traditional Attachment to the
Holy Land: CHRISTIANITY
• Significance in the Hebrew Bible, Christ’s Jewish identity
• Birth of Christianity in Jerusalem
– 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 and the Temple of Jerusalem
– Jesus is presented as a child at the Temple
(Luke 2:22)
– Cleanses the Temple of Jerusalem (Mark
11:15)
• Acts 1-8, 12,15, etc. take place in Jerusalem
– The Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15)
• Early Church doctrine was decided upon in Jerusalem
Scriptural/Traditional
Attachment to the Holy
Land: ISLAM
• Night Journey of Muhammad 621 CE
– “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 to the Farthest 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
• Throughout the Qur’an references the Al-Aqsa Mosque
as “the farthest mosque”
• Dome of the Rock
– believed by Muslims to be the site where
Muhammad ascended into heaven.
• Al-Aqsa Mosquw-Site of the first “Qibla” before it was
changed to the city of Makka.
• Shortly after Muhammad’s death, Muslims conquered
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”?
Overview: Common Beliefs about
the Holy Land
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Jerusalem is 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
Tomb of Abraham
Current Relationship to the Holy Land:
JUDAISM
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Zionism
– 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
Religious Zionism
– 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
The Holocaust Memorial
Current Relationship to the Holy Land:
CHRISTIANITY
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Site of the pilgrimage of thousands of
Christians each year
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Birth place of Jesus-Bethlehem
Christ in Bethany, Gethsemane
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 the Holy Land:
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?
Works Cited
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Ali, Abdullah Yusuf. The Meaning of the Holy Qur'An. 10th ed. Beltsville: Amana
Publications, 2001
Shumate, Richard. "Holy Lands: the State of Israel is a Sacred Site
for People of Many Faiths." CNN. 1998. 27 Feb. 200
<http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1998/israel/holy.land/>
"Holy Land." Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia. 27 Feb. 2007. 27 Feb.
2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Land.
Isseroff, Ami. "Israel and Palestine: a Brief History." MidEast Web.
19 Feb. 2007. 2 Mar. 2007
<http://www.mideastweb.org/briefhistory.htm>
McCann, Barbara. "View From the Westbank: for the People of Palestine
1948 Was Not a Good Year." CNN. 1998. 27 Feb. 2007
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/1998/israel/palestinian.view/.
The Catholic Study Bible. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2006.