Holy Land

Holy Land

he Holy Land (also known as Bilad Ash’Sham in Arabic) is a term which refers to the geographical region of the Levant of no definite borders which has significant religious importance for Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Bahá’í Faith.

Nowadays, it comprises roughly the territory of Israel, the Palestinian territories and parts of Jordan and Lebanon. Part of the significance of the land stems from the religious significance of Jerusalem, the holiest city to Judaism, the birthplace of Christianity, and the third-holiest to Islam.

The perceived holiness of the land to Christianity was the ideological driving force behind the Crusades. The land has been a destination for religious pilgrimages since biblical times.

Judaism

The Holy Land, or Palestine, showing the ancient kingdoms of Judah and Israel in which the 12 Tribes have been distinguished, and their placement in different periods. Tobias Conrad Lotter, Geographer. Augsburg, Germany, 1759

The Tanakh does not refer to the Land of Israel as “holy land”; but as land given to the Israelites by God, and commonly referred to as the “promised land”. Only occasionally is it referred to as the holy land. The cities of ancient Israel, on the other hand, are at times referred to as holy cities. According to the list of “Four Holy Cities”, Jerusalem, Hebron, Tzfat and Tiberias are regarded as Judaism’s holiest cities. Jerusalem, as the site of the Temple, has been the spiritual focus of Judaism

Keys of the Soul

Jerusalem is mentioned 669 times in the Hebrew Bible. Zion, which usually means Jerusalem, sometimes the Land of Israel, appears 154 times. In the Book of Genesis, the area of Jerusalem called Mount Moriah, the location of the binding of Isaac, is believed by many to be the Temple Mount.

Jerusalem view pendant

Jerusalem pendant

In the Hebrew Bible, Jerusalem and the Land of Israel are considered a divine gift, part of several covenants. Jerusalem has long been embedded into Jewish religious consciousness. Jews have studied and personalized the struggle by King David to capture Jerusalem and his desire to build the Jewish temple there, as described in the Book of Samuel and the Book of Psalms.

Many of King David’s yearnings about Jerusalem have been adapted into popular prayers and songs. Jerusalem is mentioned in many Jewish prayers; the Passover seder prayer ends with Next year in Jerusalem. Jews turn towards Jerusalem to pray.

The Western Wall of the Temple of Jerusalem, also known as the “Wailing Wall,” has been a site of pilgrimage by Jews and non-Jews for centuries. It and the Temple Mount are considered the holiest sites to Jews.

Christianity 

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Christianity.

Sea of Galilee

For Christians, the concept of a Holy Land is derived from the promise made by God to Abram in Genesis 15:18-21. New Testament Matthew 2:19-21 refers to the land as the land of Israel: “an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.”

“The uniqueness of the Land of Israel is thus ‘geo-theological’ and not merely climatic. This is the land which faces the entrance of the spiritual world, that sphere of existence that lies beyond the physical world known to us through our senses. This is the key to the land’s unique status with regard to prophecy and prayer, and also with regard to the commandments.” 

The concept of the land being holy is especially prominent in the Book of Numbers. The land is also considered holy because God’s “holy people” settled there. At the end of Joshua, the land has been distributed among the tribes, the patriarchal promise is fulfilled and the land becomes the holy land ^.

The Holy Land is also significant in Christianity because of the association with the place of birth, ministry, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians regard as the Saviour or Messiah.

The holy cities for Christians of all denominations are:

• Jerusalem is believed to be the site of some of Jesus’s teaching, the Last Supper (believed to have occurred at the Cenacle), the subsequent institution of the Holy Eucharist as well as His entombment; Christians believe he was crucified on a nearby hill, Golgotha (sometimes called Calvary). It notably contains the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of All Nations, but many other Christian institutions as well.
• Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus.
• Nazareth is Jesus’s hometown and the site of many holy places, including the Church of the Annunciation in Basilica and Mary’s Well.

During the Crusades, Christian pilgrims often sought out the Holy Places in the Outremer, especially in early 12th century immediately after the capture of Jerusalem.^[5] Besides the sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, Christian holy places also included:

• Sephoria (Tzippori), where the Virgin Mary was said to have spent her childhood
• The River Jordan, site of Christ’s baptism
• Cave dwelling of John the Baptist
• Sea of Galilee
• Mount Tabor, site of the Transfiguration of Jesus
• Jericho, along the road to which was the location of the Good Samaritan’s charity.

Islam

Muslims consider the land of the Mount Sinai to be sacred, as mentioned in the Qur’an.

” Moses said unto his people, ‘O my people, enter the Holy Land, which Allah hath decreed you.’ “ – (Qur’an 5:21)

The first few months of Islamic history considered Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to be the first Qibla (direction of prayer), as opposed to the Kaaba in Mecca. Both Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, are considered to be sacred in Islam. In Arabic, the city of Jerusalem is known as “Al-Quds”, meaning “the Holy”.

Muslims believe that Muhammad journeyed on a Buraq from Masjidul Haram in Makkah, to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and back. Scholars debate whether the journey took place physically or spiritually through a metaphorical vision. It was at the Al-Aqsa Mosque that Muhammad performed Salah (the prayers) with all of the Prophets of Islam, and thereafter ascended to heaven, called Mi’raj.

Muslims also consider the depression below Mount Sinai, known as “Tuwa”, to be sacred as mentioned in the Qur’an as the “Holy Valley” (الوادي المقدس):

” Has not there come to you the story of Moses? How his Lord called him in the holy valley of Tuwa “ – (Qur’an 79:15-16)

There are other mentions of “Holy” or “Blessed” land in the Qur’an, however there is much dispute amongst scholars as to the exact whereabouts of those places. For instance, the “Blessed Land” referred to in verse [21:71] has been interpreted very differently by various scholars: Abdullah Yusuf Ali likens it to a wide land range including, Syria, Palestine and the cities of Tyre and Sidon; Az-Zujaj describes it as, “Damascus, Palestine, and a bit of Jordan”; Qatada claims it to be, “the Levant”; Muadh ibn Jabal as, “the area between al-Arish and the Euphrates”; and Ibn Abbas as, “the land of Jericho”.

The term “Holy Land” is also often used by Muslims (although not in the Qur’an) in reference to the Hijaz – the land of the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah. Shi’a Muslims also include the land of Karbala under the high status of a “Holy Land” based on narrations from the archangel Gabriel to Muhammad