The Holy Land - A Sacred Tour

Religious significance of Jerusalem

January 12th, 2007

Wikipedia

Jerusalem plays an important role in three major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as in a number of smaller religious groups. A large number of places have religious significance for these religions, among which the Temple Mount and its Western Wall for Jews, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for Christians and the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock for Muslims. Currently, there are 1204 synagogues, 158 churches and 73 mosques in Jerusalem. There are also 70 mikvahs and 72 monasteries.

Jerusalem in the Tanakh
Jerusalem has long been embedded into the religious consciousness of the Jewish people. Jews have always studied and personalized the struggle by King David to capture Jerusalem and his desire to build the Jewish temple there, as described in the Book of Samuel and the Book of Psalms. Many of King David’s yearnings about Jerusalem have been adapted into popular prayers and songs.

Jerusalem in Christianity
For Christians, Jerusalem’s place in the life of Jesus gives it great importance, in addition to its place in the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible, as described above. Jerusalem is the place where Jesus was brought as a child, to be ‘presented’ at the Temple and to attend festivals. According to the Gospels, Jesus preached and healed in Jerusalem, especially in the Temple courts. There is also an account of Jesus’ ‘cleansing’ of the Temple, chasing various traders out of the sacred precincts. At the end of each of the Gospels, there are accounts of Jesus’ Last Supper in an ‘upper room’ in Jerusalem, his arrest in Gethsemane, his trial, his crucifixion at Golgotha, his burial nearby and his resurrection and ascension.

Jerusalem in Islam
The city of Jerusalem is considered sacred by Islam and has played a significant role in the faith. The al-Aqsa mosque of Jerusalem is considered third holiest site in Islam, after the mosques of al-Haram and al-Nabawi. Regarding the mosque, the Quran states “Glory be to Him Who made His servant (Muhammad) to go on a night from the Sacred Mosque to the remote mosque of which We have blessed the precincts, so that We may show to him some of Our signs; surely He is the Hearing, the Seeing.” According to the vast majority of Islamic scholars, the “Farthest Mosque” referred to is the site of the Temple of Solomon, and the present day location of the al-Aqsa mosque of Jerusalem. However, it is not mentioned in the Qur’an, so scholars and historians have different views on its status in Islam. Some scholars claim it is holy after the cities of Mecca and Medina, some assert it is a city that contains a holy site, and some conclude it has little or no actual sanctity.

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Entry Filed under: Jerusalem