World Religions and the Holy Land

Introduction

In the Holy Land, there are close to 15 million people. A little over 9 million are Israeli citizens, of whom about 7 million are Jews and 2 million are Arab-Israeli citizens, most of whom are Muslim. There are about 2.2 million Palestinian Muslims in Gaza, and another 3.3 million in the West Bank. There are also about a quarter-million Christians, Druze, and other faiths who have communities in the area. 

Of particular importance to Muslims, Jews, and Christians is the Old City of Jerusalem. All three religions have sacred sites within its walls. People of these faiths have lived together in this small crowded place for many centuries. A historical and religious overview, from multiple perspectives, with particular emphasis on Jerusalem, comes from Churches for Middle East Peace.

This basic map, showing the Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Armenian Quarters, comes from World History Encyclopedia.

In 2022, the US State Department Office of Religious Freedom published this report on Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.

Judaism

The religious connection between Judaism and the Holy Land is woven into the history of Jewish theology, and practice. Interestingly, the term “Jew” does not originate from a faith but rather, from a place: specifically, the Kingdom of Judah, which existed in the Holy Land. This article explains how Jewish practice, culture, and spirituality formed in the region.

Here is a source presenting instances of connection to the Holy Land in Jewish religious texts.

This and this article explores the holidays and Jewish rituals that center around the Holy Land, pilgrimages to Jerusalem, and the region’s agricultural seasons. Notably, some Jewish commandments may only be performed in the land. 

Though all of the land is considered holy, there are many places that are of special significance. This article describes the 4 holy cities of the land and their centrality to Judaism and Jewish history: Jerusalem, Tzfat, Hebron, and Tiberias

The name "Zion", which usually refers to Jerusalem, but sometimes to the Holy Land, appears in the Hebrew Bible 154 times. This article summarizes the Jewish connection to Jerusalem in particular. 

The holiest site in Judaism is the Temple Mount, which is located in Jerusalem. This Jewish tour guide company gives an exhaustive list of Jewish holy sites in the Holy Land.

This article explains the significance of the Temple Mount to both Jews and Muslims, as well as the complex and delicate status-quo agreement over its governance. It also explains that the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and many other rabbinic authorities prohibit Jews from visiting the Temple Mount for religious reasons pertaining to concerns about purity and desecration of the site’s sanctity.

As we mentioned a few weeks ago, there are Jews who do not consider the Holy Land to be an important part of their Judaism. For more about Antisemitism vs Anti-Zionism, please take a peek at our previous issue. 

Christianity

The Holy Land holds importance for Christians due to its association with the Scriptural narratives found in the Old and New Testaments. Christians are taught that Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. He was tried by the Sanhedrin, crucified by the Romans, buried, and resurrected….all in Jerusalem. The Holy Land, and especially the Old City, have been essential pilgrimage sites for Christians from around the world.

There are several important sites for Christians in the Holy Land. Prominent among these is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in Jerusalem. This historical overview comes from Bible Places. The Church has thousands of international visitors. This is a link to their welcome page.

Also in Jerusalem, the Armenian Quarter in the Old City has a history that goes back well over 1000 years. This historical overview is presented by One magazine, a publication of the Catholic Near East Welfare Agency. 

The town of Bethlehem, central to Christianity as the birthplace of Jesus, is in the West Bank. Hundreds of thousands of Christian tourists visit every year. This is the city’s welcome page. Bethlehem’s importance to Christians is described in this entry from the Catholic Encyclopedia.

Just to the East of the walls of the Old City, less than 1000 yards from the Temple Mount and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, is the Garden of Gethsemane, another important site for Christian pilgrims. This is where, according to Christian Scripture, Jesus prayed with his disciples. A theological overview is offered by Bible Study Tools.

This presentation from Sar-El, an Israel-based Chrstian tour agency, describes the site now.

Christian Zionism is a widespread movement among Christian churches, in the United States and elsewhere. This group holds a sense of religious affinity towards the Holy Land. This overview, including Biblical references, is provided by the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem.

Here is a self-described primer for Christian Zionists by Pastor John Hagee, founder and president of Christians United for Israel, the US’s most prominent Christian Zionist organization. We have included Pastor Hagee’s resources because of his position of leadership in the movement, but we would like to note that he has been widely accused of antisemitism and anti-Catholic sentiment.

Here is an analysis of the religious importance of Israel to Evangelical Christians, published in the Washington Post in 2018. A description of the alliance between some Zionist Jews and evangelical Christians appeared in the online journal Aeon. 

Islam

Muslims consider Islam the natural continuation and culmination of the other two major monotheistic religions, Judaism and Christianity, and consequently the importance of Jerusalem to those religions carries over to Islam and grows.  The Quran teaches Muslims that the People of the Book (Jews and Christians) must be treated with respect and deference. This article from Islam Online describes that spiritual relationship.

The majority of Muslims in the Holy Land are Sunni. For the last century or so, and especially since the 1970’s, a prominent school of religious thought among Palestinian Muslims has been Salafism. This article, by Aaron Rock-Singer of the Harvard Kennedy School, provides an overview from a religious perspective.

The Holy Land, al'ard almuqadasa, is specifically mentioned in the Quran where Muslims are encouraged to “Enter the Holy Land which Allah has destined for you”.

In Arabic, Jerusalem is known as "Al-Quds" (Arabic for "The Holy"). Al-Quds / Jerusalem is the third holiest city in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. The significance of the city is emphasized in the Quran, and Muslims around the world face the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque during their prayers.

Both the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque are situated in the Old City of Jerusalem. According to Islamic tradition, these sites are associated with the Prophet Muhammad's Night Journey and Ascension to the heavens. The Dome of the Rock is believed to mark the spot from which the Prophet ascended to heaven. During the Night Journey Muhammad is said to have traveled to the place that is now Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, where he met with Abraham, Moses and Jesus and found his seminal status within Islam, as the final prophet of God is established.

A detailed description of the Al-Aqsa site and its significance, including a video tour, is provided by Al-Jazeera, and Oxford Bibliographies goes into more detail about the Dome of the Rock here. Islamic sites such as the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, are administered by the Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs Department, a Jordanian-appointed organization.

Druze

In the North Of Israel/Palestine, and in parts of Lebanon and Syria, there are communities of Druze, another early ethnic and religious group. Druze are Arab, and split from Ismāʿīliyyah, a sect of Shia Islam, around the first century CE, and there are about 1,000,000 today (150,000 in Israel/Palestine). Little is known about the inner workings of the faith, even to its adherents; intermarriage is strongly discouraged, and conversion is forbidden. Druze are known for their loyalty to the State of Israel.

Pew Research did a survey on Druze in Israel/Palestine, which you can find here.

Baha’i

Among the newest of the religious communities in the Holy Land are the people of the Baha’i faith. The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. You can learn more about the founding and origin of Baha’i here.

The world headquarters of the Baha’i are located in Acre, near Haifa. This page from the Baha’i World News Service provides a brief history, and the significance of the Holy Land to those in this community.

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