Started by Ann Marie Fischer
Dec 24, 2024
Dec 24, 2024
1
MESG Report: Ancient History
Dec 24, 2024
Middle East Study Group Report
We are beginning to discuss, and then post, short segments on the history of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
We start with Ancient History.
(This text is adapted from “The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Simplified” by Laurence Anderson, 2024)
The history of this disputed land is a complex one, that was deeply shaped by the rise and fall of empires that cast their shadows across the landscape throughout the ages.
The modern day areas of Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank are sacred for three of the world's major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
The region holds deep significance as the Promised Land and is the ancestral home for the Jewish people. The Jewish People, their religion, culture and language, were all born here. Their collective identity is deeply rooted in the soil of this land. There has been a Jewish presence in the land since deep antiquity.
The city of Jerusalem is mentioned approximately 660 times in the Jewish holy book, the Torah. (AI generated)
For Christians, these hallowed lands form the backdrop of the central tenets of their faith. It was here that the Jew, Jesus Christ, was born, and died. It was here that the events depicted in the Gospels took place.
Jerusalem is mentioned approximately 146 times in the New Testament. (AI generated)
In the Islamic religion, Jerusalem is the third most holy city, after Mecca and Medina. The Quran speaks of Muhammad's Night Journey to the Farthest Mosque (frequently interpreted as in Jerusalem). This event is widely considered to be the central spiritual event in the life of Muhammad. The Dome of the Rock, built over the ancient Jewish Temple, symbolizes this journey.
While Jerusalem is not explicitly mentioned in the Quran, Islamic scholars have associated several instances of language, including the Night Journey, with Jerusalem.
(The Study Quran - A New Translation and Commentary
Editor-in-Chief - Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Copyright 2015)
We are beginning to discuss, and then post, short segments on the history of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
We start with Ancient History.
(This text is adapted from “The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Simplified” by Laurence Anderson, 2024)
The history of this disputed land is a complex one, that was deeply shaped by the rise and fall of empires that cast their shadows across the landscape throughout the ages.
The modern day areas of Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank are sacred for three of the world's major religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
The region holds deep significance as the Promised Land and is the ancestral home for the Jewish people. The Jewish People, their religion, culture and language, were all born here. Their collective identity is deeply rooted in the soil of this land. There has been a Jewish presence in the land since deep antiquity.
The city of Jerusalem is mentioned approximately 660 times in the Jewish holy book, the Torah. (AI generated)
For Christians, these hallowed lands form the backdrop of the central tenets of their faith. It was here that the Jew, Jesus Christ, was born, and died. It was here that the events depicted in the Gospels took place.
Jerusalem is mentioned approximately 146 times in the New Testament. (AI generated)
In the Islamic religion, Jerusalem is the third most holy city, after Mecca and Medina. The Quran speaks of Muhammad's Night Journey to the Farthest Mosque (frequently interpreted as in Jerusalem). This event is widely considered to be the central spiritual event in the life of Muhammad. The Dome of the Rock, built over the ancient Jewish Temple, symbolizes this journey.
While Jerusalem is not explicitly mentioned in the Quran, Islamic scholars have associated several instances of language, including the Night Journey, with Jerusalem.
(The Study Quran - A New Translation and Commentary
Editor-in-Chief - Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Copyright 2015)