Jerusalem

Jerusalem
Country	Israel
Settled	Before 2000 BC
Population	882,652
Area (sq mi)	48.323 sq mi
Population density (/sq mi)	18,000 sq mi
Current mayor	Moshe Lion

Solomon's Temple.

Jerusalem (in Hebrew יְרוּשָׁלַיִם and in Arabic أورشليم القدس) is the capital of Israel as well as an important city for Judaism and Christianity, along with Islam. Although most of the international community refuses to recognize that it is Israel's capital city, some countries do recognize its status, most importantly the United States since U.S. President Donald Trump made that announcement on December 6, 2017.

The Old City (0.9 square kilometers) was, until the 1860s, the entire city of Jerusalem. It is currently part of East Jerusalem.

"Jerusalem" is mentioned 47 times in the Book of Isaiah (KJV). The city name of "Salem" (e.g., a famous town in Massachusetts, and the capital of Oregon) predates Jerusalem in the Bible (e.g., Genesis 14:18).

History

The oldest biblical reference called the city Salem to which Abraham visited and paid tithes for the temple Melchizedek was building to the Creator of Heaven and Earth then.

Archeologists have confirmed that Jerusalem was the capital of the United Kingdom of Israel more than 3,000 years ago after King David had conquered the city. (Sebunking other allegations). His son King Solomon built the First Temple in 960 BCE. In 586 BCE the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and demolished this temple.

Charred wooden beams from First Temple’s destruction unearthed. (2026)

After 2,600 years.

In 2026: "Days before Tisha B'Av: Charred wooden beams from First Temple’s destruction unearthed in Jerusalem".

Beams offer significant research potential The IAA’s Dr. Johanna Regev, who is studying the beams, said: “It is very rare in Israel to find wood with such a large number of growth rings. Here in the City of David, we found thick beams with many rings, offering significant research potential, with more growth rings enabling higher dating resolution.” “Until now, we could date finds within a range of hundreds of years,” she said. “Now, we can attain much greater precision, narrowing the dating range down to as little as 10 years.” According to the IAA, Jerusalem’s returning residents, as they began to rebuild the city, probably made a deliberate decision to preserve the memory of the destruction by leaving behind remains that tell the story of the catastrophe. “The concept of a landscape of memory is familiar from many cultures around the world,” said Dr. Yiftah Shalev, who is directing the excavation on behalf of the IAA alongside Prof. Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University. “Preserving memory is a human need, seeking to preserve what once existed,” he said. “Here we see it in its clearest form: a deliberate choice to leave ruins in place as a testament to the destruction and build the new layer over them.” Evidence of the city's ancient past Bocher said: “We are just before Tisha B’Av. This discovery makes you feel that you are witnessing the very moment of destruction, the moment when it all happened. It’s deeply moving.” Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said: “Jerusalem’s soil continues to provide tangible evidence of the city’s ancient past. The wooden beams burned in the destruction of the First Temple stand as a powerful reminder of the Jewish people’s presence in Jerusalem some 2,600 years ago.” “On the eve of Tisha B’Av, this discovery underscores that our connection to Jerusalem is rooted not only in faith, but also in history, archaeology, and collective memory,” he said. “It is our responsibility to continue uncovering, preserving, and passing this heritage on to future generations.”

Finally in 539 BCE emperor Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon and in the following year he made a decree sanctioning the return of the Jews, and ordering the rebuilding of the Temple at Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36:23; Ezra 1:1-4). This decree also included the return of the Temple’s sacred vessels and furnishings as well as the levying of a tax upon his western provinces to provide building materials, in addition to what was offered willingly (Ezra 1:6-11, 6:3). The relatively small number of exiles who chose to return for this work (40,000) were led by Sheshbazzar, “the prince of Judah” (Ezra 1:11), whom some identify with Zerubbabel, likewise named “governor of Judah” (Haggai 1:1). The Second Temple was finished in 516 BCE. Later Jerusalem was at times ruled by the Greeks, the Hasmonean and finally by the Romans which also crucified Jesus Christ here. In 70CE they destroyed the Second Temple and many Jews left Israel.

In 638 CE caliph Umar conquered the city and some decades later the Dome of the Rock was built on the sites of the Jewish Temples. During the First Crusade in 1099 CE Jerusalem was captured by the Crusaders, but Muslim sultan Saladin could regain the city in 1187 CE.

During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War the Old City of Jerusalem was conquered by the Arab League and all Jewish residents of the Jewish Quarter were expelled or killed.

Jerusalem was unified under Israeli control after the Six-Day War of 1967; it had, between Israeli independence in 1948 and 1967, been divided between Israeli West Jerusalem (some 55 km²) and East Jerusalem (some 70 km²). The Knesset (the Israeli Parliament Building) is located in West Jerusalem as well as the Museum of the Holocaust.

On December 6, 2017 President Trump ordered to move the embassy of the United States from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Previous presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama also promised to recognize Jerusalem as capital of Israel during election campaigns but refused to keep their promise during their tenure. Consequently, Paraguay and Guatemala also moved their embassies to Jerusalem.

Religious significance

Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Jerusalem is considered holy by Jews as their ancient capital and home of their most holy site, the Temple Mount, as well as by Christians for its association with Christ and the Crucifixion, and by Muslims as the location of the Dome of the Rock. However while the city is mentioned in the Old Testament more than 500 times, it is not mentioned in the Koran anywhere.

Quarters of the Old City of Jerusalem

There are four quarters in the Old City:

• The Muslim Quarter which is the biggest one; the Dome of the Rock (home of the Al Aqsa Mosque) and Temple Mount are located here.
• The Jewish Quarter with the Wailing Wall (also known as the Western Wall).
• The Christian Quarter, where churches, monasteries and shines line the Via Dolorosa.
• The Armenian Quarter which is the smaller one.

Although not equal in size, the four quarters form a rectangular framework. The street running from the Damascus Gate to the Zion Gate divides the city into east and west. The street leading from the Jaffa Gate to the Lion’s gate divides it from north to south.

Today, "only the Jewish Quarter and the Armenian Quarter retain their special character. The Christian Quarter has been occupied by the Muslims and Jewish families live on the Muslim street."

King of Jerusalem, Spain's view

The Spanish Monarch is the inheritor of the title of "King of Jerusalem". The official King of Spain is Felipe VI, being disputed by Carlist Traditional Catholics who claim Sixto de Borbón (Sixtus Henry of Bourbon-Parma) of being the real Spanish King (thus inheritor of the title nowadays).

Books

• Jerusalem Rising: The City of Peace Reawakens (Ancient Prophecy / Modern Lens) by Doug Hershey and Edden Ram. Tyndale House Publishers (September 1, 2021) (Video on the book)

See also

• Israel Tourism
• Adiabene

External links

• Jerusalem, Britannica
• Jerusalem (Before A.D. 71), New Advent website (Catholic website)
• Distances from Jerusalem to towns mentioned in the New Testament

Videos:

• ‘Jerusalem Rising’: The Story of Jerusalem Through a Prophetic Lens
• Doug Hershey - Israel IS Rising. Are You?