Jerusalem in the Old Testament

¶ … Jerusalem in the Old Testament

Jerusalem: Ancient Roots in a Modern Context

The Holy Land has long been a source of great spiritual meanings and international conflict. For thousands of years, the city has stood tall and strong as the people within it continue the good fight to keep the city within Jewish hands. However, much of the city's history has been under the rule and control of others. Yet, the city belongs to the Jewish state of Israel within the modern context, but still is in the grips of an ancient conflict with the Muslim Palestinians who continue their fight for territory within the Jewish state.

Jerusalem was founded as the physical center of the Jewish nation. Much of this is based on the efforts of the great warrior king David, who was a major shaper of the city in its early formation. David had won the land in battle and "by this victory the warrior king had established himself firmly on his throne and overcame any opposition that still lingered among those of his subjects who favored the succession of the house of Saul," Wallace 1977:29). David began to fortify his city, which was later continued by Solomon. This heavy fortification is still a major staple of the city today, and can be seen in the general lay out of the city even in its modern context. David united the two smaller fractured cities under the banner of Jerusalem and protected them both inside a formidable wall, much of which still stands today. During his many battles after the establishment of the city, David expanded Jewish territory and increased the size and power of Jerusalem.

Much of the great city of Jerusalem is based on the principles and policies of not David its founder, but of Solomon, David's predecessor. Solomon eventually grabbed the throne. Solomon's reign and his policies and practices enacted within it helped establish Jerusalem as the Israelite capital (Barnavi 2002:16). Solomon established a great temple in Jerusalem, and with this act he established a permanent spiritual home for the Jewish faith. The establishment of a permanent temple was fundamental in the formation of Jerusalem as the center of Jewish life. Before such an action, there were only small temples and traveling tabernacles that represented the nomadic existence of the Jewish people before the establishment of Israel and Jerusalem as its center (Laughlin 2006). Solomon also fortified Jerusalem heavily. This was done to help protect the city against foreign invaders as well as to allow it and its people to withstand long sieges (Barnavi 2002:17). This also changed the layout of the city, much of which is still around today. In the end, Solomon established a long lasting peace in the state of Israel with Jerusalem as its center (Laughlin 2006). This allowed the city to establish its roots as both the spiritual and social center of Judaism, both in the ancient world and in he modern state that we know it in.

However, Jerusalem and Judah, in which it resides, fell back into foreign hands which also helped the development and diversification of the Holy City. First to arrive were the Assyrians. In order to pay for the development of the city, Solomon and the kings after him began imposing heavy taxes on the citizens of Judah. This slowly ate away at the strength of the city and opened it up for foreign invaders (Barnavi2002:24). With the deterioration already in progress, the Assyrians eventually took power away from the Jewish people, therefore subjugating them once again to living under a foreign rule. Eventually, however, Assyria also fell to its own woes, leaving Jerusalem once again open for grabs by foreign invaders. The Babylonians arrived during the end of Assyrian strength in Judah. During Babylonian rule, the city was opened up to the influence of the Babylonians (Barnavi 2002:25). When the city was under Babylonian rule, scores of Babylonian Jews returned from exile into the city. After the Babylonians came the Persians. While under Persian rule, Jerusalem was the capital of Yehud, the Persian territory encompassing Judah. In 538 BCE, the Persian King Cyrus allowed exiled Jews to return to their Holy city (Barnavi 2002:28). He issued the Cyrus Proclamation which adopted a benevolent approach to treating his Jewish subjects. Most of the returning exiles streaming in to the city from Babylon were of the poorer classes. Largely uneducated and unskilled, this massive wave of immigrants changed the face of the ancient city. With so many unskilled poor classes returning, the restoration of the once great Holy city was hindered (Barnavi 2002:29). Such information actually comes from Biblical sources, which are primary resources for the understanding of ancient Jerusalem.

Later came the Romans who incorporated Jerusalem into their system of Provinces that expanded the entire vast length of their empire. Under Roman occupation, Herod the Great took control as King of Judah, and representative of the Jewish people within the larger Roman state (Barnavi 2002:52). Coming from Galilee, he took over authority in Jerusalem. While in rule, Herod the Great began to rebuild parts of the city that represented the greatness of the Jewish nation. Many of the ancient city's treasures had been destroyed by invading armies. King Herod rebuilt a great temple in Jerusalem, the Second Temple, which began a resurgence of Jewish culture and prominence in the city (Barnavi 2002:52). The original Temple had represented much more than religious fervor in Jerusalem, but also the nation of Israel in a permanent location. When it was destroyed, it threw the Jewish people back into their older nomadic traditions, for there was no physical location to serve as a focal point for their state. Herod rebuilding the temple signified a revival of the Jewish state and brought great hope of Jewish sovereignty back into the hearts and minds of the citizens of Jerusalem. This actually also signifies the second historical period of the city, known as the Second Temple Period. These multitudes of diverse influence helped mold it into the large metropolis it is today. Much of the city's history has been plagued by rule under foreign invaders. Even as late as the Crusade periods of the Middle Ages, the city saw competing foreign rulers continuously besieging and taking the city from each other. The Christians from Europe and the Muslims from the Middle East constantly battled over the Jewish city. In fact, Jerusalem did not officially fall back into Israeli hands until after World War II when Israel was formally established as a nation.