Reading Response #3

The first few chapters in Armstrong are about the foundation and origins of Jerusalem's complicated history. The reason she gives is that Jerusalem is a religious holy city for three major religions; Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. It cannot be denied that providing a history based solely on facts is a challenge because of its deep religious affiliations. Most of the information that we have has come from conclusions drawn from religious texts like the Bible. Although it may be frustrating to some, especially those with no religious education or background, to follow. I think that what we often forget is that most of the history from the ancient world is based on myths, legends, and religious or folklore texts. I was raised as a Catholic and I have always attended Catholic schools. Other members of my family were of Baptist, Lutheran, or Protestant religious affiliations so I have had experience with more than one Christian religion. As a result, I learned and read Bible stories from a very young age. I learned about the heroic and courageous men and women of the Old Testament, as well as the proverbs, parables, and teachings from the New Testament. The Armstrong was easy for me to follow because I have heard many of the names before. I don't think that its possible to fully piece together the large puzzle of Jerusalem's history without taking into consideration the religious reasons that it is a place of conflict. That is not to say that there are not other motivations for conflict between, for example, Palestinians and Israelis, but wars have been fought for centuries over the right to claim the land as sacred territory. It is fascinating to me that the city has been able to survive at all after considering the constant attacks and sieges that the city has had to withstand from everyone from the Mongols to the Romans. Many of these conquering nations did so in the name of God, feeling that those who were pagan were inferior and therefore unworthy to occupy the sacred land. Some cities are valued for their geographic locations or as a place of cultural importance; Jerusalem's value is its holy sites of worship and memory. Armstrong points out that one of the most central themes throughout the Old Testament is the idea of people searching for a homeland. The twelve tribes of Jacob (whether they actually existed or not) represent the splitting of the land into separate states. Israel and Judah marked the separation of the north and south. The Muslims, Jews, and Christians have not been the only inhabitants of this holy city. The city also plays an integral part in the history of the Pharaohs and their enslavement of the Hebrews. Because of the complex web of conquerers, languages, and cultures that at one time or another made their mark on Jerusalem, the city with more than one history. Jerusalem also has a rich collection of historical relics and archeological sites that have been used as evidence in answering the questions about Jerusalem. I liked this reading because Armstrong doesn't try to gloss over the fact that much of what we know about Jerusalem is based on religious artifact, nor does she try to say that any one history is the absolute truth. She also wants the readers to understand that without taking into account the religious conflicts, we cannot understand Jerusalem as it is today.