The Beginning! The earliest time in this locality is the place where shepherds buried their dead in caves around 5,000 years ago. 4,000 years ago, the land was known as Canaan and was ruled by Egypt. Perhaps its name derived from Urusalam, the Pagan God of the Evening Star.
The sacred spring of Gihon points east, to the rising sun. It was the only source of water and had two monumental towers built to protect it. These are the most ancient masonry. The city grew and flourished but the spring was outside the city walls, so they built a massive tunnel, hewn out of the solid rock, to transport the water from the spring into the city. The tunnels were rediscovered by a young boy in 2009.
When Moses led his people through the desert, for 40 years he searched for a place to settle. It did not come easy, they had to fight for it and put others to the slaughter. The twelve tribes were divided into two, often at war, Israel to the North and Judah to the south, but David brought them together as Jerusalem became the capital of their combined lands.
From I Ezra, we begin with the Passover festival, celebrated by King Josiah as part of his religious revival. The story continues with events leading up to the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in 586BC. In II Chronicles, there is an announcement of a decree by King Cyrus of Persia, which allowed the Jews to rebuild the Temple. The story continues with a contest of wits in chapter 3 - 4. This is partly eastern fairytale and partly a platonic dialogue, but the story describes a competition among three of Darius’ guards to name the strongest force in the world. It takes place before King Cyrus, who will reward the winner with the right to rebuild the Temple. The first guard states that wine is the strongest force, because it causes all men who drink it to make mistakes. “It makes the mind of the King and the fatherless child to be no wiser than each other.” The second guard chooses the King as the strongest force because though men rule over creation, if the King demands that they go to war, they do it. The third guard is Zorobabel, and he proclaims that women are the strongest force in the world because they can rule over the King. Zorobabel had seen the kings lover take his crown and slap his face! Then Zorobabel says, great is the truth, and stronger than all things! He won the right to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple.
It is said that, on Mount Mariah, Abraham took his son, Isaac. Isaac, who carried the timber for his own death by sacrifice, but Abraham saw a ram, and he heard the voice of God, and Abraham released Isaac from imminent death. The ram was used for the sacrifice instead, as a burnt offering. Human sacrifice developed into animal sacrifice on this spot. It was this holy place that was chosen to build Solomon's temple where God Jehovah, would reside in the Holy of Holies. The mount was once a threshing floor where the wheat was separated from the chaff and this is where Solomon laid the foundation stone to built the first temple to house the Ark of the Covenant. The golden box was made of shitting wood and contained the two stones upon which the 10 Commandments were written by the hand of God.
When Solomon died, the people dispersed, leaving Jerusalem. The land was invaded by the Assyrians, then Babylonians, each burnt it to the ground and deported its inhabitants. This is where the hopes of the Jews of a return from exile developed. The Jews preserved their identity, developed a sabbath meal together, and created circumcision and religious taboos. For a while child sacrifice and paganism returned. Alexander conquered the region and the Jews returned to their homeland with a love of Greek culture. Antiochus was cruel and ruthless and wanted to wipe out the Jews. A revolt ensued, led by the Hasidim. The Maccabees triumphed. Then the Romans arrived, originally working in alliance with the Jews to ensure peace, and a new temple was built by the psychopath Herod who died a horrific death.
However, the only spring of water in Jerusalem is outside the city walls. It is likely that the Temple would have been close to the spring where they ritually washed prior to services. The first Temple, built by Solomon was destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The second by Zerubbabel, was built in 520 BC when the Jews returned from exile. Then Herod’s Temple, the third, was built in 20BC and destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. The Temple was a place for animal sacrifices and for pilgrims to congregate to honour specific festivals. The innermost shrine of the Temple where the Ark of the Covenant was originally kept was entered by high priest only once a year on the Day of Atonement. Outside this was the Court of Priests where they offered animal sacrifices. Outside this, the Men of Israel Court, exclusive to Jewish men, and outside this the Court of the Women, for women and children. Outside this was the Court of the Gentiles where anyone was allowed to enter.
Into a history of great upheaval, and at a time of greatest Roman oppression, Jesus, a revolutionary teacher and healer, was to be put to death unjustly upon a cross, on a hill, Golgotha, the place of the skull, thought to be a rubbish tip, just outside the city gates. His teaching of 'Do unto others as you would be done by' became one of the most popular religions in the world. Within a few years of this event, the Romans would wipe out the Jews from the area in 70AD and the Temple would be destroyed for a second and last time.
Article by Wendy Stokes https://wendystokes.co.uk
See Part Two on this link: https://wendystokesuk.blogspot.com/2018/10/jerusalem-history-part-two.html
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