Tourists, pilgrims, scholars, and activists can encounter little-known places outside and inside the Old City of Jerusalem. By looking at these hidden gems in Jerusalem, the minds, bodies, and souls of faithful Christ-followers will receive a blessing.[1]
By Mark D. Harris, MD, MPH, MBA, MDiv, ThM, PhD, DBA
The murmurs of tourists and the low rumble of shopkeepers fill the Old City of Jerusalem. From the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Wailing Wall, Christians and Jews come here to find God, or to find Him again. Muslims visit the Islamic Quarter, the Dome of the Rock, and the al-Aqsa Mosque. Many tourists jet in for a week, visit the Old City of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, jet out, and never set foot elsewhere in Israel, the West Bank, or other areas mentioned in scripture. Others stay much longer to soak their bodies and souls in the Land of the Bible.
Biblical and historical places to visit in the Levant outside of Jerusalem
The Levant has hundreds of important historical sites from the Patriarchs to the Present Day. The north of Israel boasts Nazareth to Capernaum and Hazor to Mt Gilboa. The central and southern parts of Israel include Joppa, Jerusalem, and Jericho. The northern kingdom, comprised of the ten tribes of Israel, was named Samaria. The capital city of that kingdom was also named Samaria. The Canaanite settlement at Shechem, and the holy place at Shiloh, all on the Palestinian West Bank, beg to be explored. These sites are outside the scope of this article, as our focus is on Jerusalem.
Interesting and important Crusader sites abound, including the Muslim castle of Nimrod (1228-1759), the Crusader castle at Belvoir (1168-1189), the Horns of Hattin (4 July 1187), and the last Crusader city at Acre (1104-1291). Other battle sites stretch from the World War I British victory at Beersheba (31 Oct 1917) to the conquest of Jerusalem under General Edmund Allenby (11 December 1917). These sites are also outside the scope of this article, as our focus remains on Jerusalem.
The Value of Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a historical, geographic, and archeological marvel with layer upon layer of discoveries that never seem to end. Springs bubble up from the dense limestone ground, while the hill on which the city sits provides a natural defense.[2] From the Mount of Olives and the Kidron River to the Hinnom Valley and the Mount of Calvary, the culture of the Old City and its environs intrigues and tempts. Every blind alley leads to a relic, a trinket, an icon, a morsel of information, and a cup of tea.
The Jerusalem University College (JUC) campus lies on Mount Zion, adjacent to the Protestant Cemetery and near the Tower of David and the Jaffa Gate. JUC specializes in teaching Biblical geography, history, languages, and their impact on the current world. Their experts in history, geography, and archeology guide tours, write books, and enliven the history of the Holy Land.
You find what you seek
The casual sightseer will miss most of these places and will be no worse for wear. The tourist comes with the available time and money and leaves with the illumination, or at least information, that he desires. The pilgrim approaches the Holy Land in the hopes of seeing God. He wants a once-in-a-lifetime spiritual epiphany that will change his heart toward the Almighty. The scholar comes to deepen his knowledge and perhaps discover new knowledge. He wants material to teach a class or write a book. The end-times activist arrives to push history forward into the last things described in Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation. The political activist uses history, geography, and archeology to serve a political agenda, such as an advantage in the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict.
Uncommonly visited churches in Jerusalem
Many churches fill the Old City of Jerusalem with a host of traditions. Many more are outside the traditional walls. These are harder to find but are worth a visit.
Ethiopian Orthodox Compound (Abouna Selassie and Abouna Zion)
- Kidane Mehret (Covenant of Mercy) Church
- Debre Genet (Monastery of Paradise)
Ethiopian history teaches that Ethiopia’s ties to Israel extend from Menelik I, a child born to the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon (1 Kings 10). Since the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8), Ethiopia has leaned Christian and served as a bulwark in East Africa. Despite centuries of trying, Muslim armies were never able to conquer Ethiopia.[3]
Since the rulers of Ethiopia remained Christian, the land was not under Islamic Law and the Ethiopian Christians and Jews were not classified as dhimmi. Ethiopians were not subjugated as dhimmi and were not required by governing authorities to wear black, as the Coptic Christians were.[4] Leaders and worshippers alike wear white to show their freedom from sin and their love for God.
During my visit, everyone at the Ethiopian church wore white. Facing the front door, men entered the church from the left and women and young children from the right. The sexes did not mix.
Russian Orthodox Compound
- Holy Trinity Cathedral
- Sergei’s Courtyard
- Church of Saint Alexander Nevsky
Our group watched devotees light candles and receive a blessing from the priest. The choir, which I never actually saw, sang beautifully. The many visitors present were silent, and Orthodox nuns sold icons at the front door. Sergei’s courtyard was shaded, quiet, and peaceful on a hot day.
The Russian Orthodox Church has been solidifying its grasp on its portion of Jerusalem for the past several years. It has spent large sums of money to do so. Of the Palestinians and Jews with whom I have spoken, some see faithfulness and generosity, and others see a cynical attempt to increase Russian political influence.
Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate (Abouna Theophilus)
- Church of Mar Yaacoub
- Anthony’s Monastery
- Mary’s Apparition Church
- Antonine College
- Bishoy’s Church
- Church and Well (cistern) of Saint Helena
Islamic Arab armies conquered Egypt in AD 641, less than ten years after the death of the Prophet (AD 632). Under Muslim law and consistent with Islamic history, when Muslims conquered a city, everyone in the area was given three choices: to die, to become a Muslim, or to become a dhimmi. After the conquest, Coptic Christians who live in a Muslim land are dhimmi, translated as protected people.[5]
Dhimmi fell under special rules.[6] They had to wear black (and sometimes get a tattoo on the volar part of the right wrist) so they could be identified from a distance. Dhimmi paid a special tax called the jizya. They could not marry Muslim women and had to hold themselves lower than the Muslims at all times. Dhimmi were restricted from building new churches and denied certain jobs. They could be sold into slavery or even murdered. The treatment of dhimmi varied by date and region, but the Coptic Christians’ lives and traditions were shaped by these rules. Abouna Theophilus complied.
During my visit, many that I encountered in the Coptic Church wore black. I asked the priest why he still wore black. He replied that, as a Coptic Christian, he was still a dhimmi, so he wore black and had his wrist tattooed. He also said that it was tradition. I couldn’t help considering how millennia of dhimmitude impacted how people perceived themselves.
We found the Cistern of Saint Helena after braving low ceilings and many flights of stairs. The area was cool, but the water was low and dirty.
Anglican Church – The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem comprises about 7,000 Anglicans in 28 congregations. It includes Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel. This diocese manages thirty institutions, including retirement houses, guest houses, clinics, rehabilitation centers, and schools. The Christian population west of the Jordan River has dwindled from more than 25% a century ago to less than 2% today.[7]
Uncommonly visited religious and secular sites outside the Old City
British and Foreign Bible Society – A group formed in 1804 in Wales to make the Bible available to all people. The approach includes translation, production, distribution, literacy, engagement, and advocacy. The office was closed on the Friday morning that we visited.
Salesian Catholic School – This school boasts interesting architecture and a shady campus, but we did not enter. Historically, half of the pupils at this school were from Jewish families who preferred high quality European education for their children. The school currently houses the Israeli Ministry of Education department for Jewish religious schools.[8]
The hospital of Saint Louis – This Christian hospital saved many soldiers from both sides during the 1948 war. Neither Jews nor Muslims wanted them around, but the good works of these Christians could not be denied. We did not enter the hospital, but heard the history from our guide.
The lands of the cis-Jordan, also known as the Levant, are holy to Jews, Christians, Muslims, and the Baha’i. The French influence on the city waned after the Crusades but increased again when Napoleon marched through the Holy Land in 1799.
The Protestant Cemetery – For centuries, Muslims, Jews, and Catholics had their own cemeteries in Jerusalem. Protestants did not. In 1848, Bishop Samuel Gobat opened a cemetery on Mount Zion for Anglicans, Lutherans, Calvinists, and others. It is located just south of the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem and is owned by the Anglican Church Missionary Trust Association Ltd., London. The front gate opens onto the JUC campus.
Horatio Spafford, songwriter of the famous hymn, It is Well with My Soul, is buried there. He has been laid to rest with others just inside the main gate. Several German soldiers from World War I, British constables from 1946-1948, and American missionaries are also interred in this cemetery. The cemetery is in poor condition and seemed to me to have been vandalized repeatedly.
The New Gate and the 1948 battle for the Old City
After the British withdrawal, Arabs and Jews held portions of the Old City. On 28 May, Jewish soldiers and residents in the Old City surrendered. They were allowed to leave Jerusalem. Jordanian soldiers of the Arab Legion occupied the Jewish Quarter, and thus, they held the entire Old City. Israeli forces attacked the Old City near the Notre Dame hospital and the New Gate, both to take the city and to remove pressure on the Jewish quarter. After heavy, house-to-house fighting, the Jordanians withdrew. Israel moved into the Old City.[9] The story is written on concrete tablets overlooking a modern intersection near the New Gate.
In the Nakba, Palestinians from all over Palestine were displaced. In the peace settlement of 20 July 1949, Israel and Jordan divided Jerusalem between them. After the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Israel gained total control of Jerusalem.
Conclusion
Israel boasts historical and religious sights to last a lifetime. Tourists, pilgrims, scholars, and advocates can all benefit from visiting. Those who wish to walk the road less traveled may wish to take a day and experience the places noted here. They will be blessed in their minds and their souls.
References
[1] Islam, Judaism, and other religions are largely outside the scope of this article.
[2] The famous tunnel of Hezekiah carried water from springs in the Kidron Valley into the city, providing water even when the city was besieged.
[3] The Ethiopian-Adal War (1529-1543) pit the Ethiopians and Portuguese against the Ottomans and Adal Sultanate.
[4] Secular Derg communists ruled Ethiopia from 1974-1991.
[5] The obvious question about the term dhimmi (protected people) is protected from whom? Christian and Jewish dhimmi did not need protection from other Christians and Jews. Hindus, Buddhists, and other religionists were not much of a factor at the time. The obvious conclusion is that dhimmi were “protected” by Muslims from other Muslims.
[6] Keller, Nuh Ha Mim (trans), Non-Muslim subjects of the Islamic State, Reliance of the Traveler, o11.0-o11.11, (1991, Amana Publications, Bethesda MD), pp 607-609
[7] Welcome to the Diocese of Jerusalem!, https://j-diocese.org/.
[8] Salesian Catholic School, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=219969.
[9] War diary: An eyewitness account of the 1948 battle for Jerusalem, https://www.timesofisrael.com/independence-day-1948-war-diary/.
