History of the Holy Land. Part 3

37 BC - 135 AD Early Roman Period

Model of Second Temple

Herod the Great ruled Judea from 37 BC to 4 BC.  From Edom (south of the Dead Sea), he and his family practiced the Jewish faith by choice. He would not have been considered Jewish by the purist nationalist Jews of Judea.

 His rise to power was gradual. After ruling Judea and then loosing power to the Parthians, the Roman Senate backed Herod the Great as "King of the Jews" and seated him as client king in Palestine.  He was allowed freedom to rule.  

Wailing Wall today

He is mostly known for two things: colossal building projects and brutality towards his own family. He greatly expanded the Second Temple in Jerusalem (known also as Herod's Temple), build the port-city of Caesarea, and erecting fortresses such as Masada and Herodium. From the grand Second Temple, today only the four foundation walls remain, with the western one referred to as the Wailing Wall. 


When Herod died in 4 BC, his three sons ruled briefly. Then the Romans decided enough was enough, and took over direct rule again. This was the world into which Jesus was born. Heavy Roman taxes, administration insensitive to native peoples, and the forced imposition of Roman culture.  

Herod expanded the Second Temple, but then people selling the sacrificial animals charged prices way too high. Rome needed tax revenues to build and expand. The Jews didn't like or trust the Romans. 

 Growing anger against increased Roman suppression of Jewish life resulted in sporadic violence which escalated into a full-scale revolt in 66 AD (First Jewish-Roman War.) 

Superior Roman forces led by Titus were finally victorious, razing Jerusalem to the ground  (70 AD) and defeating the last Jewish outpost at Masada (73 AD).

The total destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple was catastrophic for the Jewish people. According to the contemporary historian Josephus Flavius, hundreds of thousands of Jews perished in the siege of Jerusalem and elsewhere in the country, and many thousands more were sold into slavery.  Those who escaped fled into North Africa or east to Babylon, This is known as the Disapora.

Roman Emperor Hadrian rebuilt Jerusalem as Aelia Capitolina, a Roman city Jews were forbidden to enter. 

 135 AD - 324 AD Late Roman Period

Church of Holy Sepulchre

The Jews kept their traditions and their religion stayed alive. The oral laws and commentaries were written down, the Talmud.

 In 306 AD Constantine  became Emperor of Rome, starting the Christianization of the Roman Empire. Constantine's mother Helena journeyed to Jerusalem, ordered the destruction of Hadrian's Temple to Venus (on Calvary) and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built. Also churches at other important New Testament sites such as Mt of Olives (Church of Ascension) and Bethlehem (Church of the Nativity.)

 395 AD - 638 AD Byzantine Period

In 395 AD the Roman Empire was divided in half.  The Latin speaking Western Empire returned its capital to Rome. The Greek speaking Eastern Empire, known as the Byzantine Empire, had its capital at Constantinople. This was a period of relative stability in the Holy Land. 

I say relative. 

The Rock of the Dome

638 AD - 1099 AD Arab Caliphate Period 

In 638 AD, six years after Prophet Muhammad's death, his successor Caliph Umar captured Jerusalem.  The Muslims became the new rulers of Palestine. They were particularly interested in Jerusalem, a city they regard as holy.  One of their three holy cities (Mecca and Medina the other two.) 

The Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to Heaven on his Night Journey from the same rock in Jerusalem which Abraham had been about to sacrifice Isaac on.  Muhammad was transported from a Mosque in Mecca to this rock, and then ascended to heaven to speak with God, and then return to earth.

This rock is where Solomon's Temple was built, and the Second Temple was built after the first one was destroyed. One rock, sacred to both religions. 

The Muslims believe it was Ishmael who Abraham took to sacrifice at that rock. Christianity follows Judaism in that Abraham took Isaac to sacrifice, not Ishmael. 

So the Muslims built two mosques on the Temple Mount, over the rock.  The Dome of the Rock, and then 14 years later El-Aqsa. The Muslims forbade Jews and Christians to enter this area. They were allowed to live in the city of Jerusalem if they paid an Infidels tax. 

Dome of the Rock Mosque

Here is where the Wailing Wall became so important to the Jews. It is the closest they were allowed to get to the rock so important to their history. Father Abraham's intense event with God, where Abraham was shown to be faithful and God was shown to provide. 

Christians pilgrims were allowed to visit Jerusalem, for a price. This continued happily until 1009, when Caliph El-Hakim ordered destruction of all synagogues and churches, which included the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.  

Sixty years later, Christians were forbidden to enter Jerusalem, for any price.

Crusader Period

1099 AD - 1260 AD Crusader Period


This enraged Christian Europe, who took up arms and launched several crusades over 200 years, to recapture Jerusalem and the Biblical sites of Palestine.

 I had no idea the Crusaders ruled the Holy Land. It was called the Kingdom of Jerusalem. 

I also had no idea the Muslims had forbidden  Christians to even visit Jerusalem. 

The Crusaders' Royal Palace was in the El-Asqa Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock was transformed back into the a church by the Augustinian monks.

1260 AD - 1517 AD Mamluk Period

Most of the Holy Land was taken by the Mamluks of Eqypt, as a place of banishment for officials who fell from favor. The Crusaders held onto Akko for a hundred more years, but finally it fell as well.

The Mamluks made allowances for Christian pilgrims. In 1333 the Franciscan Friars were permitted a presence in Jerusalem, living in the Hall of the Last Supper. Jews returned to the Holy Land, escaping persecution in Europe.

1517 AD - 1917 AD Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople in 1453, renaming it Istanbul.  The Ottomans were on the increase.  After they ousted the Mamluk's, Suleyman the Magnificent restores the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, and rebuilds the city walls (which are the current walls of the Old City.) Jews continue to move to the Holy Land, joining the Sephardic Jews who fled from Spain to Galilee during the Inquisition (1481.)

Europe started showing interest in the Holy Land. Napoleon sieged Akko in 1798.  Egypt too. Jews were returning from eastern Europe and Russia, due to growing anti-Semitism. 

1917 - 1948 British Mandate Period

The weakening Ottoman Empire chose to support the losing side in World War I. The League of Nations selected Britain  and France as overseers of much the dismantled Middle Eastern section of the Ottoman Empire.  The British land included Palestine, and Iraq as well. 

  The principal Allied powers drafted a mandate, which was formally approved by the League of Nations in 1922. Britain would administer Palestine on behalf of the League of Nations. 

The preamble of the mandate declared:

"... the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, it being clearly understood that nothing should be done which might prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."

Big riots by the Arabs in 1929 and 1936.

 In 1947, the UN resolves to partition the Holy Land into a Jewish state and a separate Arab state. Jerusalem itself would be under international administration. 



1948 - now    Modern Period

David Ben Gurion declares the birth of the state of Israel the night before the British were to leave. The Arabs launched a combined attack, with Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Egypt's aid.

The result, after the fighting, in 1949, was Israel gained large land area, much larger than the UN General Assembly's Recommended Partition Plan. Neither side completely controlled Jerusalem.





 


In 1967 and 1973 again major wars broke out. 

Six Day War.

Yom Kippur War.

 In 1979, Camp David Peace Treaty was signed.

But today, still attacks, bloodshed. 

Doesn't stop.

In a  monumental UN vote November 2012, the State of Palestine has been recognized as a non-member state by 70% of the countries. The United States and Israel voted against recognition, joined by Canada, the Czech Republic, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Panama.

Palestine does not recognize Israel as a country.



 

The State of Palestine is comprised of two land areas, The Gaza Strip and the West Bank. They do not connect. 





Am I correct in thinking this all started over access/ control of a rock?  A very important rock to three major religions.

Jerusalem is a question mark to me as to who actually governs it. I realize it is divided into quarters. I will learn when I am over there, I suppose.

Here ends my history of the Holy Land. Phew.