Subject: JUICE Geography 11 - Jerusalem Part 1
Date: Thu, 4 Jun 1998 00:30:38 +0000
To: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
From: JUICE Administration <juice@wzo.org.il>
To: geography@wzo.org.il
Subject: JUICE Geography 11
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World Zionist Organization
Jewish University In CyberspacE
birnbaum@jer1.co.il juice@jer1.co.il
http://www.jer1.co.il/gate/juice
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Course: Biblical Geography
Lecture: 11/12
Lecturer: Robin Treistman
Accompanying images: http://wzo.org.il/juice/map/jerusalm/1/index.htm
Jerusalem: Part One
(Earliest Beginnings Through the Roman Conquest)
Introduction to lectures on Jerusalem:
In the introduction to this course, we mentioned that the
material on each city or region is so vast that it is even
possible to write a whole course on each. How much more so that
rule applies to Jerusalem. The very name of this city
reverberates with holiness, sanctity, and even suffering, and
when examining traditional Jewish sources, the number of
references to Jerusalem seems infinite. Note that the name
"Jerusalem" (not including other names or references to the city)
appears in the Bible no less than 667 times! Yet, its full name
does not appear ONCE in the Torah (Five Books of Moses or the
Pentateuch).
When studying Jerusalem from a Biblical/Talmudic point of view,
it is hard to detach the city from its religious significance.
The Temple Mount (and the Temple when it stood) has always
been the focal point of Judaism: Jews in prayer around the world face
Jerusalem (or the Temple Mount if inside Jerusalem), prayers and
legends are filled with references to the city, breaking the
glass at a Jewish wedding symbolizes our continued mourning of
exile from the idealistic state of the city, etc... Because of
the intimate relationship between Judaism and the location of the
its focal point (the Temple) in Jerusalem, references to the
Temple Mount may often apply to the whole city, and references
to the city relate to the Temple Mount.
The presentation of Jerusalem in the Bible can be complicated
because the city didn't really become a viable Jewish entity
until the time of King David. On the other hand, complementary
Midrashic literature draws our attention to several indirect
references, hints or implications of the city within the Bible.
This lecture will attempt to combine both aspects - the literal
Biblical references to Jerusalem along with the allusions to
Jerusalem. The appearances of Jerusalem will be presented in
chronological (Biblical) order, whether literal or based on
midrashic interpretation. However, it must be noted that this
lecture will not even scratch the surface of the incredibly
numerous Rabbinical references to the city.
The last part of this lecture is the post-Biblical history up to
the Roman conquest. The limit of space has compelled me
to prepare only a very general historical overview of what
was happening in Jerusalem at the time, without citing the
vast storehouse of Talmudic and Midrashic references
relating to the Jerusalem of that time period.
(LITERAL AND INDIRECT) REFERENCES TO JERUSALEM IN THE TORAH
The Biblical account of creation contains a midrashic allusion
to Jerusalem. On top of the Temple Mount sits a stone called
"Even Hashetiyah" or the Foundation Stone. It is known to have
been located in the center of the Holy of Holies (inner-chamber
of the Temple where only the Holy Ark was placed). Today, it is
reputedly the "Rock" lying within the Dome of the Rock, the
golden-domed Moslem shrine located on the Temple Mount.
The talmudic debate about how the earth was created includes the
opinion that creation essentially evolved from this point in
space - at the "Even Hashetiyah." Thus, the sages (see Talmud
Yoma 54b) and later, Kabbalists (Jewish mystics) reached the
conclusion that Jerusalem is at the center of the world.
Similarly, in the account of the creation of man, the verse
(Genesis 2;7) describes the formation of man from dust of the
earth. Rashi deals with the question of the origin of this dust.
One opinion he cites is that of the midrash Bereishit Rabbah
(14;9) stating that the dust came from the Temple Mount.
Similarly, there is a passage in Bereishit Rabbah (34;9) and
another midrash called Pirkei Derabi Eliezer (31) which suggests
that Adam built an altar on the future Temple Mount and offered
sacrifices to God (this coincides with the view that Jerusalem
lies next to or near the entrance of the Garden of Eden from
which Adam was ejected). Furthermore, those same midrashim state
that after Noah exited the ark and brought sacrifices to God,
(Genesis 8;20) he did so on the Temple Mount in the same spot
that Adam (and his sons) had done.
The next reference to Jerusalem in the Bible is the first of
those written in the text. On the way back from his successful
battle against the 4 kings who kidnapped his nephew, Lot, Abraham
is greeted by "Malki-Tzedek, the King of Shalem" (Genesis
14;18). Shalem here is considered by most Biblical commentators
and midrashic sources to be Jerusalem. However, based on the
findings of the El Amarna letters, Jerusalem was not merely the
city - it was an entire kingdom whose northern border touched the
kingdom of Shechem (see Lecture 1) and stretched south until
Hebron and Tekoa. The Canaanite kingdoms that dotted the land
characteristically included a central fortified capital city
(named for the entire kingdom) and outlying rural areas.
Jerusalem was one such kingdom (there were probably tens in the
Land of Canaan by the time Abraham was born). This fact adds a
third dimension to this discussion: Biblical passages about
Jerusalem could refer to one of three entities: The Temple Mount
only, the city, or the entire Canaanite kingdom.
Read through the story of the Binding of Isaac (Genesis 22;1-19).
In verse 2, God tells Abraham to take Isaac to the "Land of
Moriah" and to offer him as a sacrifice on one of the mountains
there. Biblical commentators (Rashi, Radak, Ramban, Even Ezra,
etc...) agree that "Moriah" is one of the names of Jerusalem.
Furthermore, the next two verses set an important precedent in
the Bible: Where Abraham takes Isaac is called "Hamakom" or "The
Place" in verses 3 and 4. This "place" turns out to be the Temple
Mount (most likely on that same Foundation Stone). This reference
is used for comparison throughout later verses in the Bible -
whenever a passage says "hamakom" without any further
qualification, it most likely refers to the Temple Mount.
In verse 14, Abraham names this place. He calls it "God will
show" or "God will be seen." The Hebrew pronunciations of these
names is "A-do-nai Yir-eh" or "A-do-nai Yi-ra-eh." Either way,
the beginning of the second word, "yir" is most likely the basis
of the first half of the name of Jerusalem:
Yerushalayim = yer (from yir-eh or ye-ra-eh) + shalem (from the
name of Malki Tzedek's kingdom).
A second explanation for the name Jerusalem is based on a
combination of the two words, "yesod-shalem" - meaning a perfect
foundation. This explanation is connected to the midrash which
asserts that Jerusalem contains the foundation-stone of the
world.
Even though the name Jerusalem does not appear in the Bible until
the book of Joshua, the El-Amarna letters mention Jerusalem (in
a list of Kings that were loyal to the Egyptian Empire). It is
written with the letters "A R S L M" which suggests that the name
"Jerusalem" (or a minor permutation) was already in place during
the Canaanite period (at the time of the Israelite slavery in
Egypt).
In the book of Deuteronomy, there are many references to "the
place that God will choose to settle his presence there." See
Deuteronomy 12;5,11 and 14;23 and 16;2,6,11,16 for some examples.
Ultimately, these imply Jerusalem, and when one reads the
passages with these or similar words, it is Jerusalem that comes
to mind. However, not once does the name Jerusalem get mentioned
- only the "chosen place." The reason for this is twofold:
First of all, logistically, the center of worship before the
construction of the Temple in Jerusalem was the Tabernacle (a
portable temple-like structure used in the desert and in Israel
until King Solomon's time). All commandments referring to
sacrificial worship were required to be performed in the
Tabernacle, wherever it may be. Because ultimately the Temple
became the center of worship, it became known along with
Jerusalem as "the chosen place." However, at prior points in
time, the "chosen place" was in Gilgal, Shilo, Givon, and Nov.
Therefore, the "chosen place" alludes to the transit stops of the
Tabernacle in addition to Jerusalem (Seforno, Hizkuni).
On a more philosophical level, the Bible seems to be imparting
a basic message by hinting at Jerusalem through this obscure
description. Until the beginning of the process of making
Jerusalem the spiritual center of the nation it remains nameless.
Jerusalem (especially the Temple Mount) in and of itself is not
so special - there is nothing geographically unique about it that
should automatically qualify it to be the focus. However, what
makes it special and holy is the mere fact that it was _chosen_,
and the Bible emphasizes and reemphasizes this concept.
JERUSALEM IN THE PROPHETS
In the Book of Joshua (10;1), the name Jerusalem ("Yerushalayim")
makes its debut. Adoni-Tzedek (a later distortion of the generic royal
name "Malki-Tzedek") King of Jerusalem, became nervous of the
military success of Joshua and the Israelites. He called together four
kings to unite with him against the Gibeonites who entered into a pact
with Joshua. Read Joshua 10 for details of the ensuing battle. What
transpires is that the kings and their kingdoms were subdued, but
survivors fled back to their cities and closed themselves in (verse 20).
There is no record that the cities themselves were actually conquered
at this point in time. In fact, what happens later is that Joshua divides
up the land and allots the portions to the respective tribes. However, not
all the land that was allotted had already been conquered such
as the cities in this battle. It was up to the individual tribes
to go ahead and finish the job, taking over the cities that were
part of their portions. The fact that many of the tribes were
negligent about doing this is discussed at the beginning of the
Book of Judges (chapter 1;27-36).
Jerusalem was one such city. Though Jerusalem is allotted (to two
tribes, actually) by Joshua, it is not actually settled until
much later. As you can see in the verses, Jerusalem is called
"Jebus" after the local inhabitants (Jebusites). In Joshua 15;8,
Jerusalem is described as part of the border of Judah's
inheritance. The central city (fortress) which lay on Judah's
border actually falls to the lot of Benjamin (Joshua 18;28). What
emerges from this confusion is as follows: Judah was to inherit
most of the former kingdom of Jerusalem including the unwalled
part of the capital city itself, up to but not including the
walled fortress of the city. This fortress, another name for
which is "Zion" or "Jebus" or later "the City of David" was the
area immediately adjacent to and including the Temple Mount.
These were considered two distinct areas within the city, united
only in the time of King David. Note here that in theory, the
name of Jerusalem in Hebrew should be Yerushalem, but it is
called "Yerushalayim" which literally means Jerusalem x 2, or
double Jerusalem. The reason for this name is attributed to the
dual nature of the city - the walled fortress and the open
village.
Though later verses in Joshua (15;63) describe Judah's inability
to conquer Jerusalem from the Jebusites at that particular time,
the Jebusite reign in the greater area of Jerusalem is short-
lived: Judges 1;8 describes how Judah took over the former
Jerusalemite kingdom and then burned their portion city. However,
Benjamin's portion remained unconquered, and the Jebusites
secured themselves into the fortress of Jerusalem (Judges 1;21).
After King David established his rule over all the tribes of
Israel and was officially anointed King, he first turned his
attention to the conquest of Jerusalem. Read Samuel II 5;6-10 and
Chronicles I 11;1-9 for two parallel accounts of the conquest.
The story there actually seems a bit strange, and the
accompanying midrashim and commentaries resolve the confusing
text.
When King David approaches the city with his army, the Jebusites
call to him saying that in order to come into the fortress, he
must remove the blind and the lame. In summary, some commentaries
(Even Ezra, RadaK) explain that the Jebusites were taunting David
and his army: They were so confident in their stronghold that it
could even be (or was) defended by the blind and the lame, and
David wouldn't be able to take it. Other commentaries, basing
their explanations on the midrash (Rashi, RalbaG) maintain that
the "blind" and the "lame" refer to two idols which stood by the
wall of the fortress. They were meant to represent Isaac (blind)
and Jacob (lame). Clearly engraved on or placed in the mouth of
those enormous statues was the covenant between Abraham and
Avimelech, King of Philistines in Gerar, that Abraham's
descendants will not harm Avimelech's descendants (Genesis 21;22-
24). By the time David was ready to conquer the fortress of
Jerusalem there were no remaining descendants of Avimelech, so
he was able to go ahead with the conquest. The Jebusites, who had
intermingled with the descendants of Avimelech, were trying to
convince him otherwise by futilely reminding David of the
covenant. (There is another midrashic opinion that this covenant
was similar to one between Abraham and the Hittites from whom
Abraham bought the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron.)
In any case, King David easily took the fortress (Fortress of
Zion, then renamed the City of David). He also gave his army an
incentive - that whoever would take over the "tzinor" as well as
destroy the "blind and lame" would become his chief-of-staff.
This word, "tzinor" has many explanations though I will discuss
only one here - that the word means "aqueduct" or "water pipe."
Based on this explanation, King David made the "tzinor" a
critical objective because of its strategic importance: History
has shown that whoever controls the limited water sources of
Jerusalem usually controls the city. Today, experts say that this
"tzinor" refers to "Warren's Shaft," an underground water system
which carried water from the Gihon spring (which was outside the
city) to inside the fortress. It appears that King David wanted
either to use this tunnel to take the city by surprise, or to
capture the system itself thereby insuring his dominion over the
city.
King David then moved his capitol to Jerusalem, reigning over the
nation from the City of David. His next step was to make
Jerusalem the spiritual capital of Israel. He did so by bringing
the Ark of the Covenant to the City of David (after a 3-month
delay - see Samuel II 6;6-17). He also declared that he felt he
should begin the building of the Temple, (7;2) but was told
through Nathan the prophet that it would be built by his son
(7;13-14).
However, before the death of King David, the preparations for the
building of the Temple had begun. Read Samuel II chapter 24. The
story at the beginning of the chapter is about King David taking
a census of the people. God punishes him (and the nation) for it,
but the punishment stops when God commands David to purchase the
threshing-floor of Aravna the Jebusite in order to build an altar
there. This site was to become the location on which the Temple
would be built. Though Aravna offered it to David for free
(verses 22-23) David insisted on buying the plot of land.
According to verse 24, he paid 50 silver shekels for the land.
The corresponding verse in Chronicles I 21;25 describes a payment
of 600 gold shekels. Midrashic sources try to sort out the
difference by explaining that each tribe contributed 50 shekels
so that each would feel like an equal "owner" of the Temple
property. (Note that the midrash does not settle the difference
between the gold and the silver...)
What David began, his son King Solomon completed: In
Jerusalem, King Solomon built the first Temple, his palace, and all
the administrative buildings that were necessary to make Jerusalem
the spiritual and political center of the Israelite nation. The
city, though, remained as such for only one royal generation. As
was described in several lectures, with the split of the Kingdom,
(928 BCE) Jerusalem was no longer the capital of the northern
Israelite Kingdom. It did remain the capital of Judah.
In the books of Samuel II and Kings I & II, many episodes occur
in or concerning Jerusalem. For the sake of brevity, I will now
jump ahead to the time of King Hezekiah (727-698 BCE). It was
during Hezekiah's reign that the northern Israelite Kingdom was
exiled by Assyria in 720 BCE (Kings II 18;9-11). Eight years
later, Sennaherib, the current King of Assyria, turned his
attention toward Jerusalem (read the detailed account in Kings
II 18;13-19;37). In short, the Assyrian empire, which encompassed
a large portion of the civilized world, did not capture Jerusalem
at that time. Because Hezekiah was then left alone by external
enemies, he was able to deal with domestic matters. Included in
his building improvements and achievements is the famous water-
tunnel which brings water from the Gihon Spring to the city (of
then) (Kings II 20;20). Today, tourists can visit this site which
lies in the Silwan/Kidron Valley outside of (to the east of) the
Old City walls. As mentioned above, water was always of vital
concern to the rulers of Jerusalem; because Hezekiah witnessed
the surrender of the Kingdom of Israel, he felt compelled to
fortify his own position starting with the ensurance of water in
case of siege. In 1880, children who were playing in the area
discovered a flat stone with an inscription in ancient Hebrew,
inscribed at the order of Hezekiah marking the completion of the
water tunnel.
After the death of Hezekiah, the Kingdom of Judah existed with
Jerusalem as its capital Jerusalem for another 112 years. During
the reign of Jehoiakim Judah fell under the domain of Babylon
(Kings II 24;1). In the time of his son, Jehoiachin, Babylon
exiled all of the VIP's, the king's family, the warriors, and the
skilled-workers, taking with him many of the Temple and royal
treasures (Kings II 24;11-15). In the place of Jehoiachin, the
King of Babylon appointed Zedekiah (Mattanya), the brother of
Jehoiakim. It was during Zedekiah's time that the city and the
Temple were destroyed with the remainder of the people forced
into exile (save the very last few who went into exile a short
while later). Read Kings II chapter 25 for the account of the
destruction of the city.
The account in Kings II and its parallel in Chronicles II
(chapter 36) of the destruction of Jerusalem is actually an
episodal narrative with passing references to the words of the
prophets of the time. Jerusalem (Zion) was also used in other
Biblical writings as a metaphor for various themes.
JERUSALEM AS BIBLICAL METAPHOR
Though there was continual prophecy throughout the dynasties of
Judah and Israel, some prophets became more famous than others,
having their revelations canonized. Two of the prophets seemed
to have especially unique ties to Jerusalem: Isaiah and Jeremiah.
Isaiah lived during the time of Ahaz and Hezekiah, Kings of
Judah, prophesizing from 740-700 BCE. Jeremiah prophesized
from the time of reign of Josiah through the destruction of the
Temple (c. 627-586 BCE). Throughout the prophecies, which
contained many words of warning to the Jews about pending
destruction resulting from their sinful actions, Jerusalem is used
and reused as a poetic metaphor. In this case, Jerusalem comes to
symbolize destruction - for when Jerusalem is destroyed, the
situation reflects on the situation of the entire people. For some
examples, see Isaiah 3;1, 4;4-5, 10;10-13, Jeremiah 6;1-2,
13;9,13, 15;5. Also, the entire Book of Lamenations (Eicha) which
was written by Jeremiah, poetically describes the destruction of
Jerusalem in terms that could also be applied to the state of the
entire nation.
Similarly, the restoration of Jerusalem (Zion) is used by the
prophets metaphorically to symbolize the revival of the grandeur
of the Jewish nation on the whole. For examples, see Isaiah
33;20-24, 52;1-2, 65;18-18, Joel 4;15-17, and Zefania 23;16-18.
Jerusalem is also used metaphorically in other Biblical books to
symbolize beauty, purity, and glory. See Psalms 102;14-22, 68;28-
30, 125;1-2, and Song of Songs 3;10, 8;4 for some examples.
POST-BIBLICAL HISTORY
The story of the Jerusalem which appeared chronologically after
the Bible has its roots in several Biblical accounts. The Books of
Ezra and Nehemia document the history of the return from the
Babylonian Exile and the reestablishment of Jerusalem as the
spiritual and governmental center of Judea. Interestingly, though
Judea as a province was resettled, (see Ezra 2 and Nehemia 7 for
the lists of resettled cities,) the main focus of the documentation at
hand was Jerusalem and the Temple.
The completion of the Temple occurred 70 years after its
destruction in 516 BCE (see Jeremiah 25;11 and Zechariah 7;5).
The period of the construction was fraught with periods of political
backing and with a period of political enmity. However, the
description of the completion of the Temple becomes almost
inseparable from the simultaneous religious and social reforms
brought about by the influential leaders Ezra and Nehemia (see the
later chapters of their respective writings).
The one hundred years following the period of Ezra and Nehemia
were characterized by placid rural (re)settlement and growth. In
332 BCE, the Persian Empire fell to Alexander the Great. The
takeover of Judah was quiet, and the following Ptolemic reign
(through the beginning of Seleucid rule) showed a period of
autonomy and freedom of worship for the Jews. During this time,
Jerusalem prospered as the spiritual and administrative center of
Judah. The situation changed with the accession of the Seleucid
ruler, Antiochus IV, Epiphanes. Under his rule, he hoped to
enlighten the peoples of his empire by imposing on them
Hellenistic culture.
In Jerusalem, there was a certain measure of discord within the
population: Some favored Hellenism and others were sharply
opposed. Operating out of the fortress, Akra, located on a western
hill opposite the Temple Mount, the Greeks would intervene in
such conflicts, using them as an excuse for taking over the Temple.
The Temple was desecrated, used for idolatrous rites, and the
valuable vessels were plundered. Meanwhile, the performance of
exclusively Jewish rituals (such as circumcision or the keeping of
the Sabbath) became punishable by death.
Thus follows the story of Hannukkah - the armed revolt led first by
Matityahu, and later by his son, Judah the Maccabee - eventually
liberating the Temple Mount from Seleucid rule, and the people
from religious persecution. From the years 167 until 163 BCE, it
appears that the Jewish stronghold was the Temple Mount, while
the rest of the city remained under Greek control until 152 when
Jonathan (Judah's brother) entered Jerusalem as governor and high
priest by royal (Greek) appointment.
>From that point until the Roman conquest of Judah (63 BCE), the
Jews had relative autonomy under the rule of Hasmonean Dynasty.
Without going into historic details of which rulers usurped which,
one can say that Jerusalem was characterized at that time by
internal religious dissension between the Sadducees (claimed
loyalty to the "Written Torah" only) and the Pharisees (claimed
loyalty to both, the "Written" and "Oral" parts of the Torah). The
conflict was more acute in Jerusalem than in any other part of
Judah because of its religious nature. Interestingly enough, it was
the Pharisees who slowly withdrew from the Temple service and
rituals because they saw the Sadducees using the prominent
positions to further their personal causes and interests.
In the year 63 BCE, Jerusalem fell to Pompey, Rome's "conquering
hero." Between the strong resistance in Jerusalem, and the
geographic layout of the city, it took almost 3 months of siege
before the Romans were able to breach the walls and take over. For
the next 23 years or so, until the rule of Herod, Jerusalem, along
with the rest of Judah, continued to be a hotspot of rebellion and
local battles.
References:
Bible and Biblical Commentaries
Elitzur, Y. and Kiel, Y. (1993) _Atlas Daat Mikra_ (Hebrew),
Mossad Harav Kook: Jerusalem.
Ginzberg, L. (1938) _Legends of the Jews_, Philadelphia: The
Jewish Publication Society of America.
Kollek, T. and Pearlman, M. (1968) _Jerusalem: Sacred City of
Mankind - A History of Forty Centuries_, Steimatzky's Agency
Ltd., Jerusalem.
Rothenberg, B. (ed.) (1973) _The Story of Jerusalem_, Tel Aviv:
Am Oved.
Shiloh, Y. (1984) _Qedem: Monographs of the Institute of
Archaeology: Excavations at the City of David_, Jerusalem: Ahva
Press.
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