Jerusalem

History

Jerusalem is a city holy to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, in which it is the third holiest city after Mecca and Medina.

The history of Jerusalem dates back to the fourth millennium BCE. According to the Biblical narrative, it was a small, fortified Jebusite city until made capital by King David in the tenth century BCE. He brought the Ark of the Covenant, holding the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments, to Jerusalem, later placed in the Holy of the Holiest in the temple built by his son, King Solomon. The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and deported much of the population in 586 BCE. However, decades later King Cyrus allowed the Jews to return, and the Second Temple was completed in 516 BCE, later rebuilt and enlarged by Herod in the first century BCE. Hellenism was introduced by Alexander the Great, who ruled from 332 BCE. While the Jews eventually regained the rule, the Romans took control in 63 BCE. Jesus, born c. 6/5 BCE, towards the end of...