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To: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 01:53:24 +0000
Subject: A Study of Jerusalem
>From iea at INTERNET
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To: IEA 101-50 iea at INTERNET
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Subject: 3: Jerusalem
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INGEBORG RENNERT CENTER FOR JERUSALEM STUDIES 3 March 1997
BAR-ILAN UNIVERSITY
RAMAT-GAN, ISRAEL
Internet Educational Activities <iea@netvision.net.il>
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Yisrael Shalem
Jerusalem: Life Throughout the Ages in a Holy City
3/12 Jerusalem in the First Temple period (c.1000-586
B.C.E.)
When David began his reign in Hebron c. 1007 B.C.E. he ruled only over the
tribe of Judah (southern Israel). After several years of civil war against the
tribes supporting Saul's son, Ish-boshet, he was acclaimed king of all the
tribes. Though his first act as king of all Israel was to conquer Jerusalem,
Jerusalem first appears much earlier in David's life. After defeating Goliath
he brought the giant's head to Jerusalem (I Samuel 17:54). It is unclear why,
but obviously Jerusalem was important to David at a very early stage. Rabbi
Aryeh Kaplan suggests that Goliath's attack violated a treaty or modus vivendi
between the Jews and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. David's purpose in bringing
his head to Jerusalem was to emphasize that as the peace had been violated,
the Israelites were now free to attack Jerusalem. The story of David's battle
for Jerusalem appears twice in the Bible (II Samuel 5:6-9 and I Chronicles
11:4-7). Several aspects of the story are unclear. The Bible relates that "the
king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of
the land. The Jebusites said to David, 'You cannot come in here except by
removing the blind and the lame.' They thought, 'David cannot come in here.'"
(II Samuel 5:6-7). Maybe this was a Jebusite taunt; i.e. the city is so strong
that even the blind can defend the walls. Perhaps it is an example of the
Hittite custom of cursing their enemies (a custom known from other sources as
well), in which case the text suggests a magic spell: "if you dare to attack
us, you will become lame and blind."
Jerusalem's defenses, natural or supernatural, stymied David, and he sought
help from volunteers, proclaiming that whoever led the attack would be named
commander in chief of the army. By use of the "tzinor" his relative Yoav
successfully conquered Jerusalem. The meaning of this word is unclear. Until
recently it was thought that tzinor ("pipe" in modern Hebrew) referred to the
shaft, a secret Jebusite tunnel connecting the city to the
Gihon Spring. Perhaps Yoav discovered the tunnel and infiltrated into the
city. Recent studies contend that the shaft was dug long after the time of
King David, though the date is not certain. Tzinor might also be a kind of
weapon, a musical instrument (like the ram's horn in the conquest of Jericho)
or a magic wand to ward off the Jebusite curse!
Why did David choose Jerusalem to be the political capital of Israel? He had
secured the crown of Israel through civil war. To consolidate his gains, heal
the wounds of the conflict and unite the tribes he chose an extraterritorial
location for his administrative center. Jerusalem, then outside the tribal
territories, was a neutral site (somewhat analogous to the choice of
Washington D.C. as the U.S. capital, a compromise between the northern and
southern states).
How did David come to make Jerusalem, and in particular the present-day Temple
Mount, a religious center for the Jews? From the start there were several
sites in Israel holy to the Jews. When the Jews first returned to the Land of
Israel under Joshua's leadership, they built an altar to God at Mount Ebal
near Shechem (Joshua 8:30). Later, Jews made the yearly pilgrimage to Shilo
where the ark was kept (I Samuel 1:3). The ark was subsequently captured by
the Philistines, returned to the Jews, and remained for 20 years
at Kiryat Yearim (I Samuel 7:2). Apparently no need was sensed to keep the ark
at a particular site or declare one site as the central focus of worship.
One of David's first acts was to bring the ark to Jerusalem (I Samuel 6); but
only towards the end of his reign, 24 years later, did he choose the site
where the Temple would be built. According to II Samuel 24, God stopped the
destroying angel from inflicting a plague on Jerusalem just as the angel was
standing in the "goren" (threshing floor?) of Arvana the Jebusite (v. 16). The
Hebrew word "goren" has more than one meaning. It can refer to a circular
place of pagan worship. Many scholars believe that this particular "threshing
floor" was in fact a Jebusite shrine dedicated to the worship of the gods of
the fertility of the fields. Agricultural threshing floors are normally
located close to the fields; Arvana's goren on the Temple Mount was nowhere
near the fields.
In the Hebrew (II Samuel ch. 24) Arvana's name appears with slight but
significant spelling changes. In verse 16 he is called "the Arvana"; in verse
23 he is called "the king": "All these the king Arvana gave to the king
[David]." The word "arvana" appears in ancient Ugaritic texts as a term for
ruler. The word's etymology in the Hittite language also relates it to the
idea of ruler. This suggests that Arvana of II Samuel was no mere peasant, but
rather the last king of the Jebusite city. His role would have been political
and religious, like Melchizedek the priest-king of Shalem (Genesis 14:18).
Perhaps when Arvana lost his kingdom he continued to carry out his priestly
function. The Jebusite population of Jerusalem was not wiped out; many of
them, like Uriah the Hittite, husband of Batsheva, held important positions in
David's administration. The Biblical story suggests that the plague ended only
after an altar to the God of Israel was built on the site of the shrine
dedicated to the god Shalem.
Genesis (22:2) calls the spot where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac Mt.
Moriah. Jewish tradition identifies Mt. Moriah with the Temple Mount, but the
name Mt. Moriah appears only in Genesis 22; there are no biblical sources
corroborating the identification made by tradition. Deuteronomy prescribes a
commandment to make a pilgrimage three times a year to "the place that God
will choose" (Deut. 16:16) but never reveals the name of the chosen place.
Apparently it was King David who made known the location of the chosen place
by planning to build the Temple in Jerusalem, making Jerusalem into Israel's
main religious center.
David wanted to build a temple on the site, but was told by the prophet that
the task must be left to his son (II Samuel 7:1); as the Temple would be
dedicated to peace, David, the man of war, would not be allowed to build it.
Expansion of Jerusalem under David and Solomon. The city conquered by David
was very small, about 60 dunam (15 acres). It appears that David did not alter
the basic plan of the Jebusite city. He moved his residence to the Jebusite
fortress and the city was renamed "the City of David." He built a royal palace
around a site called the "millo" (II Samuel 5:9). The word comes from the root
meaning "to fill." Archaeologists assume that it refers to a landfill where he
built his palace. The exact location of the "millo" is not certain. An
artificial tel formed by a system of terraces covering an area of 12 x 40
meters was uncovered on the northeastern side of the city. This is thought to
be the site of David's palace, over the Jebusite fortress. Among the finds
there was a proto-Ionic capital. The royal palace itself was constructed by
Phoenician builders who imported their materials, including cedars, from
Lebanon (v. 11).
Solomon became king in 967 B.C.E., when he was only 16 years old. During his
40-year reign the country enjoyed peace and prosperity. Jerusalem was the
capital of a vast kingdom extending from Damascus to Eilat. Solomon initiated
many building projects, more than doubling the size of Jerusalem. Above the
City of David he built his palace and royal administrative complex, in the
area known as the Ophel (which means "high"). Above the Ophel, on the site
that David purchased from Arvana, he built the Temple. Solomon united the
three hills (the Temple Mount, the Ophel and the City of David) into one royal
complex, with a wall separated it from the rest of the city.
Like his father, he received technical aid and building materials from the
Phoenician king of Tyre; indeed, the design of the Temple was similar to that
of Canaanite and Phoenician shrines. To construct the Temple King Solomon
drafted 3,300 people to oversee over 150,000 Jewish workers. It took seven
years to complete, and another thirteen to complete his palace, which was
twice the size of the Temple. He also built "the House of the Forest of
Lebanon," a porch of pillars, a place of judgment, a house for his wife
(Pharaoh's daughter) and many other buildings; all built of the highest
quality (and most expensive) materials, and must have been among the most
impressive edifices in the Middle East at the time (I Kings ch. 7). He also
erected pagan altars for his many foreign wives. There are almost no
archaeological remains of Solomon's buildings on or near the Temple Mount.
When Herod increased the area of the Temple Mount some 900 years later he
destroyed what remained of all previous building.
Solomon's vast construction projects had all been at public expense. After his
death, the Israelites agreed to the ascent to the throne of his son Rehoboam
on condition that he lower taxes. When Rehoboam refused to accede to their
demands, the kingdom split into two: the kingdom of Judah (from Jerusalem to
the south, including Benjamin) and the kingdom of Israel (north of Jerusalem
to Dan). The territory ruled by Jerusalem was reduced to the area of the tribe
of Judah. During the following 342 years ('8-586 B.C.E.) the city underwent
great changes and witnessed many dramatic religious and political events. With
slight interruptions all of its rulers were descendants of David. The monarchy
was relatively stable, though there were cases of palace intrigue and
political assassination. The small Judean kingdom never again reached the
political or military greatness of the days of David. It suffered many years
of war with the kingdom of Israel to the north as well as raids from Egypt.
In 701 B.C.E. the Assyrian Empire conquered most of the kingdom of Judah and
laid siege to Jerusalem. The Assyrian general Rab-shakeh tried using
psychological warfare to demoralize the city, calling up in the Jewish
language (instead of Aramean, the diplomatic language of the day) to the men
defending the walls: "Let not Hezekiah (the king of Jerusalem) deceive
you...Have any of the gods of the nations saved his land from the king of
Assyria?" (II Kings 18:28-33). That same night an angel killed the entire
Assyrian army (II Kings 19:35). The Greek historian Herodotus attributed the
death of the Assyrians to a plague. When Babylonia superseded the Assyrian
Empire, Jerusalem became its vassal. Judah rebelled several times and was
eventually destroyed by the Babylonian army in 586 B.C.E. The First Temple was
destroyed on the ninth day of the month of Av. Ever since the day has been a
fast day for Jews. During these three and half centuries one of the most
revolutionary developments was a slow process of religious reform. The great
King Solomon had tolerated idolatry alongside the Temple worship. Many
subsequent kings actually promoted and practiced idolatrous rites. On one
hand, the prophets give the impression that Jewish imitation of the rites of
the Canaanites was rampant; on the other hand, this period witnessed great
religious reforms, a gradual movement towards monotheism. At this time almost
all the books of the Bible were written down. The discovery of a ancient book
in the Temple in the days of Josiah (639-609 B.C.E.) (whose exact contents
remains a mystery) led to mass destruction of idols (II Kings ch. 22-23).
The City's Size and Walls. The city expanded in the mid-eighth century B.C.E.
under King Uzziah (785-733) who "built towers in Jerusalem...and fortified
them" (II Chronicles 26:9). The population continued to grow, perhaps
including refugees from the northern kingdom which was conquered in 722 B.C.E.
by Assyria. King Hezekiah (727-698) continued the policy of strengthening
Jerusalem by building new walls and digging a new and ambitious water system
to prepare for the Assyrian military threat.
The size of Jerusalem during the reigns of the later kings of Judah is an
issue hotly debated among scholars. The answer lies with the discovery of the
"broad wall," 65 meters long and seven meters wide, during recent excavations
in the Jewish Quarter. This wall shows that Jerusalem included most of the
present Jewish Quarter. The new wall literally ran through some houses. This
corroborates the description of Isaiah "You have broken down houses to make a
wall" (Isaiah 22:10). The wall was exceptionally wide because at this point
there are no natural defenses.
Water Supply. Like many other towns, Jerusalem was built on a hill for defense
reasons, but its main water source, the Gihon Spring, lay below in the valley.
Reaching the water during a siege while preventing the enemy from discovering
it was a major problem. In several cities in Israel the water source was
hidden and a shaft dug from inside the city to the spring.
In Jerusalem three different systems built over the centuries provided secret
access to the spring. The earliest is now called Warren's Shaft, named for its
discoverer, Charles Warren. The shaft begins inside the City of David with a
chamber leading to a horizontal tunnel ending in a vertical shaft to the
spring 13 meters below. The shaft gave the inhabitants access to the water
without leaving the city walls. It was once thought that the shaft was
constructed by the Jebusites and discovered by David when he attacked the city
(Yoav's "tzinor"?). It is impossible to date the shaft's construction, but its
similarity to shafts from later dates lead most archaeologists to conclude
that it was made during the Israelite period, after David conquered Jerusalem.
The next system was the Silwan Channel, built contemporaneously with or
slightly later than Warren's Shaft. The channel brought water from the Gihon
to a reservoir at the eastern end of the Tyropoeon Valley, indicating that the
city had expanded to the area of the present Jewish and Armenian Quarters.
The most grandiose scheme was executed by King Hezekiah before the Assyrian
attack in 701 B.C.E. He dug a 533-meter long conduit bringing the water to a
pool inside the city walls. The S-shaped tunnel has a slope of only 30
centimeters (12 inches) along its entire length. Teams of workers began
digging at opposite ends of the tunnel. It is not clear why they didn't dig in
a straight line or how they managed to plot the courses of the tunnels as
they excavated to meet in the middle. It is obvious from the angle at the
meeting point that there were a few slight wrong turns. The biblical story of
its construction (II Kings 20:20, Isaiah 22:11 and II Chronicles 32:2-4) is
well supported by the archaeological evidence and an inscription in ancient
Hebrew found in the tunnel.
Another important water project was the Beth Zetha pool. In the twilight of
the Kingdom of Judah a dam 40 meters long, 6 meters broad and 13 meters high
was built across Beth Zetha Valley on the north side of the city, converting
it into a huge reservoir. The water was brought to the City of David via a
conduit 1 meter deep and 75 cm. wide, part of which has been uncovered.
The Bullae. One of the interesting finds from the First Temple period in
Jerusalem are some 53 bullae, seals of important officials. They were all
found in one house in the City of David. One of the names appearing in the
bullae, Gemaryahu son of Shafan, is mentioned in the Bible as a scribe
(Jeremiah 36:10). The find suggests that the house was the residence of a
royal scribe.
Other archaeological remains from the First Temple period include a royal
palace about four kilometers south of Jerusalem (at kibbutz Ramat Rachel). The
date of its construction is not clear; perhaps Jeremiah was referring to it
when he said, "Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness...who uses
his neighbor's services without wages...who says, 'I will build myself a wide
house'" (Jeremiah 22:13-15). Several pieces of pottery dating from the time of
King Hezekiah and inscribed with the words "for the king" were found in the
palace. These were containers that probably contained produce paid as taxes.
After living under Babylonia rule for many years, Jerusalem rebelled in 586
B.C.E. and paid dearly. King Zedekiah expected military aid from Egypt which
never arrived. The remains of a First Temple period tower or gate 8 m. high,
12 m. long, and 4.5 m. wide, uncovered in the Jewish Quarter, bear silent
witness to the destruction wrought by the Babylonian army. Built in the
twilight of the Judean Kingdom, Archaeologist Nachman Avigad believes it might
be the "middle gate" through which King Nebuchadrezzar entered Jerusalem. When
the king of Judah saw the Babylonian royal retinue entering the city he fled
(Jeremiah 39:1-4). Some of the arrowheads found near the tower were of local
manufacture, while another was a bronze arrowhead of a type first made by the
Assyrians. These arrowheads and the layer of ash testify to the battle that
took place here in 586. The Kingdom of Judah, like the Kingdom of Israel 136
years earlier, succumbed to superior military power. The Temple was destroyed
and the rulers, artisans, and most of the population were exiled to far away
Babylonia. However, unlike the Kingdom of Israel, who are called the ten lost
tribes, these exiles maintained their distinct Jewish identity. 48 years later
their descendants returned to Jerusalem and built the Second Temple. The
exciting period of the Second Temple will be the subject of the next two
lessons.
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