Lecture 19: 21st Century Jerusalem

First off, Dr. Cargill announced that his wife is expecting a baby boy! Congratulations!

Today, we finished up 20th century Jerusalem and then moved onto 21st century Jerusalem. Dr. Cargill went into the Six-Day War 1967. The soviets “inform” Syria of impending Israeli attack. Thus, Syria began to prepare for war against Israel. In response, the Israelis also begins to launch a pre-emptive strike and reduce Egyptian air force within hours. On June 7, the Israeli forces enter the Old City and Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook announces: We shall never again move out of here. On June 17, Moshe Dayan gives control of Haram to Muslim and Jews are forbidden to pray on the Haram. This Six Day war also led to the First Intifada, and the Palestinians declare independence Nov. 15, 1988 (“Declaration of Principles” – The Oslo Accords). The Oslo accords called for creation PNA and called for Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza strip and West Bank. Israel acknowledge Arafat was legitimate representative of Palestinian people (short end of the stick much?) and PLO recognized Israel’s right to eist as a state and renounced terrorism.

Dr. Cargill also jumped into Jerusalem in today’s times (21st century). Most of these events involving fighting among the Israelis and Palestinians over control over Jerusalem. Notable events mentioned in class are:

1. 2000, may, Israel withdraws from southern Lebanon
2. 2000 Sept, Second (Al-Aqsa) Infitada
3. 2001, Sept 11 terrorist attack
4. 2002, Israel begins construction of West Bank Barrier
5. 2004, Yassar Arafat dies
6. 2005, Israel’s Unilateral Disengagement Plan” forcibly removes Israelis from Gaza
7. 2006, Hamas defeats Fatah in Palestinian Elections
8. 2006, “Lebanon War”
9. 2007, Palestine Civil War
10. 2007, Operation Cast lead
11. 2010, Israel announces new housing settlements in East Jerusalem
12. 2010, Gaza Flotilla boarded by Israeli troops

At the end of class, Dr. Cargill expressed his wish that one of us will find the solution for peace in Jerusalem. For a religious city, it is heartbreaking to hear of all the pain and suffering, war and hate that takes place in the Middle East. Although most people want peace more than anything else, there are still a few people who like to create conflict. Dr. Cargill also expressed his belief and places hope that peace in Jerusalem is not far off in the future!

Lecture 18: 20th Century Jerusalem

Today in AN N EA 10W, we discussed finished up Mamluk and Ottoman Jerusalem, and focused mainly on Jerusalem in the 20th century. First, we discussed secular Zionism or the desire for the Jews to retake Jerusalem. A fund was established to buy land in Palestine, but most Orthodox Jews rejected Zionism on the basis that it is impious. Another important figure, Theodore Herzl, suggests in his book The Jewish State that Jews should focus on establishing a Zionist state in Uganda. In 1899, the first “Zionist” conference is held in Basel, where Herzl is described as a “Messiah the Son of David standing before us”. Dr. Cargill pointed a messiah is “an anointed person who leads easier, and a son of David”.

Dr. Cargill also discussed the origins of Anti-semitism. Interesting, anti-semitic pogroms in the Islamic would were instigated by Catholics. The rising anti-semitism meant that the Jews had to flee the countries, thus the Jews needed a land to call their own. In 1917, the British enacted the Balfour declaration that stated support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The Churchill White Papers also clarified how Britain viewed this declaration. The Peel Commission in 1937 recommended a partition plan following the outbreak of the 1936 revolt in Palestine. In 1948, the “War of Independence” broke out between the Israelis and Arabs over a disagreement about who controlled what part of land.  Moreover, the Jordanians also began to occupy Palestine which required the UN to designate new boundaries (Green line)

Lecture 17: Mamluk and Ottoman Jerusalem

Today’s lecture in AN N EA 10W mainly covered Mamluk and Ottoman Jerusalem. The Mamluks were soldier slaves who converted to Islam who led a grassroots movement to take Jerusalem. The Mamluk period is noted for its extensive development of its infrastructure. These are:

1. The development of the haram
2. Intensive building of schools, hospices, hostels (used Crusader structure as quarries for stones (or incorporated their walls, two bath-houses built, colonnaded madrasas built around the Haram, cotton market built along Sha’ar Ha’gai, Crusaders markets enlarged

Dr. Cargill also appreciated the detailed workmanship of Mamluk Architecture and the typical features that characterize their style of architectural design.

The next era of Jerusalem is the Ottoman reign. In 1453 CE, the Ottomans takes Constantinople and Sultan Suleiman becomes the ruler of Jerusalem. Sultan Suleiman is known for his extensive public works. In Dr. Cargill’s words “He’s a pretty big deal”. We also discussed the Western Wall, and how it was given to the Jews by Suleiman as a place of prayer. Suleiman (who allowed the Jews to resettle into Jerusalem) was heralded as the “new Cyrus.”

Lecture 16: Guest Speaker – Crusader Jerusalem

Today we had guest speaker Professor Ryan Roberts come in to lecture on the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem/the Crusaders (1099-1187 CE). The Crusades were instigated by Pope Urban’s II speech’s which declared  need to “exterminate this vile race from out lands and to aid the Christian inhabitants in time”. Thus, the Pope’s speech stirred an uprising of Christian to go and take back Jerusalem from the Muslims.

The First Crusades were led by Godfrey de Bouillon and Raymond of St. Gilles. At first, the first crusade was lead by a group of peasants who did not have the resources to successfully execute the Crusades. Later on, the nobles gathered up support and resources to go toward the Crusade regime. The nobles were successful and  in 1099, Jerusalem was conquered by Godfrey de Bouillon. Professor Roberts also introduced the Knights Templars, and how they were established to keep people safe on their pilgrimages to Jerusalem.

Lecture 15: Islamic Jerusalem

 

In today’s AN N EA 10w, Dr. Cargill went over Islamic Jerusalem (which lasted between 638 BCE-1099 CE). In 614-628 BCE, the Sasanians take Palestine and Jerusalem, which allows Jews to resettle in Jerusalem for the first time since the end of the Bar-kokhba revolt. In 628, the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius retakes Jerusalem and allows massacres of Jews in Jerusalem. The end of Byzantine Jerusalem came to an end in 638 BCE, when Muslin Caliph Umar took Jerusalem. While the Byzantine emperors forbid Jews from living in Jerusalem, Caliph Umar allowed Jews to settle back into the city.

Dr. Cargill also emphasize how Jerusalem (or more specifically the temple mount) is still the third most holy site in Islam. In the Qur’an, Muhammad had the divine revelation to turn towards toward the “Inviolable Place of Worship”. The direction of prayer is called the Qibla, while the niche pointed the direction of Prayer in the Al Aqsa Mosque is called the Mihrab. The Five Pillar’s of Islam (the Shahada, Salat, Zakut, Sawm, and Hajj) were also discussed in lecture today. The Hajj are colorful door decorations that lets others know that the residents are on a pilgrimage. Thus, anyone who looted their home while they were away would be aware that they are committing a huge sin by doing so.

Next, we discussed the Ummayyad Jerusalem period (638-750 BCE). During this period, many important Muslim structures were built in Jerusalem. These are:

1. Dome of the Rock built by Abd-da-Malik in Jerusalem.
2. Great Ummayad Places
3. Ramla, administrative center of Palestine
4. Improved road network
5. Restoration of the Haram al-Sharif
6. Building on the Haram-al-Sharif

Dr. Cargill also noted that the Dome of the Rock was actually built by Byzantine Christians, and admire their detailed workmanship. The outside of the Dome of the Rock also has an inscription that bears texts that denies that Jesus is the son of God, but accepts him as a prophet. The Dome of the Rock also begins to builds its reputations by adopting different traditions. For instance, the rock is believed to where Muhammad leapt into heaven from the back of his winged house al-Buraq.

Lecture 14: Byzantine Jerusalem

Today’s lecture covered Byzantine Jerusalem, or Jerusalem under Christian rule.  Dr. Cargill first started off on the premise that Christians were originally Jews, and identified themselves with the Jewish faith. Eventually, the Christian faith because separated from Jewish faith as the Christians began to realize a schism between the faiths. First, Dr. Cargill touched upon how the Christian faith became less temple based and more spiritualized by pointed to the scripture in the new testament. In the gospels, Jesus himself predicted the destruction of the physical temple, and introduces the concept of a spiritual temple that exists within oneself. Other passages such as Acts, which reveals the nature of the Holy Spirit and Jesus’s ascension into heaven also place an emphasis on the spiritual context of Christianity. Thus, the more spiritualized Christianity became the more it realized a inseparable schism from the Jewish religion.

Next, Dr. Cargill talked about the transition of Jerusalem into Byzantine Jerusalem. In 285, Emperor Diocletian splits administration of Roman Empire between West and East (instituded a tetrarchy), which led to a power struggle between the four emperors. The emperor Constantine took over the Roman empire in 312 in the Battle of Milvian Bridge. In 313 BCE, Constantine decrees the Edict of Milan which legalized Christianity. In addition, Constantine realized the their needed to be an orthodox Christian religion and held the Council of Nicaea (a gathering of priest that was held in order for all of them to reach a general consensus dealing with Christian doctrine). It is believed that Constantine used Christianity in order to unite the empire. In addition, Dr. Cargill also talked about Helena, Constantine’s mother, who leads a Christian pilgrimage and begins arbitrary building churches in sites she deemed as holy (Church of Nativity and Church of Ascension in Bethlehem and Mount of Olives respectively). She also rededicated the Church of the Holy Sepulcher as the site of Jesus’s cruxifiction, and estalblished it as a a new axis mundi.

Dr. Cargill also spent a lot of time going over the Madaba map, a mosaic of a map of Jerusalem. On it, Dr. Cargill pointed out notable structures such as the Damascus gate, Hadrian’s gate, the Dung gate, Zion gate, Jaffa, and Golden gate. Also noted was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Church of Nea, and Church of Holy Zion.

Lecture 13: Jerusalem in Revolt

Today we focused on two main revolts that occured in Jerusalem, the first revolt and the second revolt (Bar Kokhba Revolt). Dr. Cargill first touched upon how after Herod’s death in 4 BCE, his kingdom was split among this sons (Archeaus, Herod Antipas, and Herod Phillip) Archelaus, became ethnarch of Judea and Samaria.  His second oldest, Herod Antipas, became tetrarch of Perea and Galilee. Herod Phillip became tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis. Due to their inexperience in terms of ruling, the Herodian rulers were eventually replaced by direct Roman prefects. However, the Roman prefects were also ineffective and provoked the Jews to revolt. In 66 BCE, the first revolt breaks out, eventually leading to the destruction of the second temple on the 9th of Ab 70 CE. (the same date of the destruction of the the second temple). Shortly after the destruction of the temple, Jewish refugees who held out in Masada commit mass suicide in 73 BCE.

The second revolt was led by Bar Kokhba, whose name means Son of a Star. He change his name from Simon Ben Kosiba (which literally meant Son of a Liar). His revolt was unsuccessful and the Romans rebuilt Jerusalem into the Aelia Capitolina, and a temple to Jupiter was also built on the temple mount.  Dr. Cargill also discussed how the fall of the temple led to the rise of the synagogue, which led to  a decentralization of Judaism. Thus, this shift from a temple-based religious to a more spiritual based religion led to new schools of thought and religious ideologies which sprung forth new religious sects such as Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity.

Lecture 12: Roman/Herodian/Jesus Jerusalem

Today in lecture, Dr. Cargill discussed Jerusalem under Roman rule. Jerusalem was annexed by the Romans in 63 BCE after Pompey overthrew the Hasmoneans. Hyrcanus was appointed as the ethnarch and Antipater as the procurator (local governor or overseer).In 37 BCE, Herod gets Jerusalem from the Parthians after the siege. Herod, who was an Idumean had knowledge of Jewish tradition that helped in effectively rule Jerusalem. He purposely ruled in this diplomatic manner to maintain his power and prevent revolts. In fact, Herod was so paranoid about being overthrown  he orders all children in Bethlehem under the age of two killed in an effort to kill baby Jesus Christ. Dr. Cargill, who loves archaeological evidence, also went into the remains of the extensive list of structures Herod erected during his reign. These are:

1. Miqvah, a jewish ritual purification bath at south entrance of temple
2. The temple mount
3. Siloam pool (expanded hezekiah’s waterworks system)
4. Antonia Fortress
5. Roman watch tower on top of temple mount
6. Theater/coliseum at Caesarea
7. Hippodrome at Caesarea
8. Aqueduct at Caesarea
9. Tort at Caesarea
10. The Herodion

Dr. Cargill also touched on the evidence on whether or not Jesus actually existed. According to Dr. Cargill, there is no credible archaeological evidence that can confirm Jesus’s existence although there are some that suggests that Jesus did exist. Evidence presented in class were:

1. Boat from the Ginosar of Sea of Galilee (no proof that this is the boat that Jesus used
2. Inscriptions of an Ossuary Bone Box (later proved to be FAKE)
3. Talpiot tomb
4. Crucified heel bone (cannot be connected to Jesus for certain)
5. Church of the Holy Sepulcher (it is claimed that Jesus’s tomb is underneath the church of the Holy Sepulcher

Dr. Cargill again asked the question if absence of evidence is evidence of absence. No, it is evidence of nothing. But this does mean that Christians really do have to acknowledge the existence Jesus Christ based on faith and the accounts given in the Bible.

Lecture 11: Hellenistic Jerusalem and Hasmonean Jerusalem

Today in AN N EA 10w we moved on from Persian Jerusalem onto Hellenistic Jerusalem (or Greek Jerusalem). After the Persian King Darius was defeated and conquered by Alexander the Great in 333 BCE at the Battle of Issus, Jerusalem was annexed into Greek control. After the death of Alexander the Great, Jerusalem came under control of the Ptolemies in 320 BCE, and later by the Seleucids (Syrians) in 201 BCE. Under the Ptolemies, the Israelites were allowed to rule fairly autonomously given that they paid their dues to the Eygptians (Ptolemies). However, under the Seleucids, the Israelites were forced to adopt Greek culture, and were even forced to learn and speak Greek. Dr. Cargill also provided archaeological evidence of the Hellenization of Jerusalem. These are:

1. The kidron valley tombs
2. Jewish Burial Inscriptions (written in GREEK)
3. Sepphoris Mosaic
4. Bet She’an
5. Beth Alpha Mosaic
6. A Hebrew translation of the Bible

In regards to the Jew’s response to Hellenization, some Jews resisted, while others welcomed it. In any case, the Greek influence basically drowned out the Hebrew culture to the extent that it became “uncool” to be Jewish.

The next era discussed in lecture today was Hasmonean Jerusalem. Judas Maccabee, a “conservative” Jew, led a Jewish rebellion called the Maccabean revolt to overthrow the Seleucids. The revolt was highly successful and Jewish rule was restored. Jerusalem grew and the golden age was restored under Hasmonean rule. However, as “absolute power corrupts absolutely”, the Hasmonean rulers progressively became more power-hungry and corrupt, meddling with the high priesthood and forcibly judaizing surrounding gentiles. Again, the Jews became divided into different groups due to different attitudes toward the temple: The Pharisees who were not temple-based but did not mind its existence, the Sadducces who were temple-based, the Qumran who were against the temple, and the Christian who believed in a temple that dwelled within the body. The Hasmonean rule came to an end in 63 BCE when the Romans took Jerusalem.

 

Lecture 10: Persian Jerusalem

Today’s lecture in AN N EA: 10w went over Jerusalem under Persian rule. However, before going into that Dr. Cargill first went into an interpretation of Ezekiel 1. Dr. Cargill argues that Ezekiel 1 demonstrates a shift from an anthropomorphic view of God to a more transcendent view of God. The imagery described in Ezekiel 1, as Dr. Cargill points out, resembles a modified tabernacle with wheels. The addition of these wheels is significant because it implies that instead of being stationary (like the tabernacle which required two humans to carry it), God has the ability to move about the heavens. Dr. Cargill argues that taking a more trascendent view of God was imperative in reducing cognitive dissonance.

Moving onto Persian Jerusalem… during the exile, the Persians (King Cyrus) conquer the Babylonians and allow the Jews to return from exile into Jerusalem. Thus, King Cyrus was heralded as a messiah by the Israelites, even though he did not believe in God. In lecture, Dr. Cargill juxtaposed the accounts of the Israelites Babylonian conquer with the Persian account to demonstrate while the Israelites attributed Babylon’s defeat through God’s hand, the Persian attributed it to their own god’s hand. This demonstrates that historical accounts really depend on who is writing it.

After the Israelite’s return to Jerusalem, they reestablish the line of David (Zerubbabel) and high priest (Joshua) to rule Jerusalem. However, because Jerusalem was technically still under Persian rule, Zerubbabel held more of a governor position. Construction for the 2nd temple began in 520 BCE, which was met with alot of infighting between Jews. Moreover, due to the high taxes impinged upon them by the Persians, the Israelites lived in poverty, not at the former glory that Jerusalem once was.