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Place · Real place

Jerusalem

The hill city where the Hebrew Bible places the Temple and the Ark, and where the Gospels place the crucifixion and later legends place Adam's grave.

c. 3000 BCE
Location
Judean hills, between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea
Ancient names
Urusalim (Amarna letters), Yerushalayim, al-Quds
Type
City; site of the First and Second Temples
Key events
Temple of Solomon; Babylonian destruction 587/586 BCE; Roman destruction 70 CE
Status
Living city; Old City and walls on UNESCO list (1981)
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What is Jerusalem known for?

Jerusalem is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the Near East. It appears as Urusalim in the 14th-century BCE Amarna letters, written by its local ruler to the pharaoh. In the Hebrew Bible, David makes it his capital and Solomon builds the Temple there, which the Babylonians destroyed in 587 or 586 BCE. The rebuilt Second Temple was destroyed by Rome in 70 CE.

For Christians it is the city of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection; for Muslims it is the destination of Muhammad's Night Journey and the site of the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque. Its political status remains disputed today.

Many of the strange stories on this site run through Jerusalem: the Ark of the Covenant and the death of Uzzah, Heliodorus being driven from the Temple treasury, the scapegoat sent out to Azazel, and the armies seen in the clouds before the Roman siege, as reported by Josephus. These are literary and religious traditions; archaeology confirms the city's long history, not the miracles.

Why it is on Credible Theories

The setting for the Ark, the Temple, the scapegoat ritual and Josephus' armies in the sky.

Mentioned on these pages

Sources

  1. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Jerusalem'Reference
  2. UNESCO World Heritage Centre, 'Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls'Reference
  3. Wikipedia, 'Jerusalem'Reference

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