Ramparts walk in the Old City of Jerusalem; the renovated Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem; the excavations in the Korazim National Park; the Emmaus and the Korazim-Capernaum trails; and spaces for prayer services at national parks such as Banias, the Good Samaritan, Avdat and Kursi. JERUSALEM “On the holy mount stands the city he founded; the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.” (Psalms 87:1-2) “Shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The King of Israel, the Lord is in your midst.” (Zephaniah 3:14-17). For over 3000 years, ever since the rule of King David, Jerusalem has been set apart from other cities. No other place on earth has been so central to man’s dreams and aspirations. No other city is described with so much love and devotion, and no other city has been subject to so much killing and bloodshed.
For Christians, Jerusalem’s place in the life of Jesus gives it great importance. Jesus was brought there as a child, to be presented at the Temple (Luke 2, 22) and to attend festivals (Luke 2, 41). According to the Gospels, Jesus preached and healed in Jerusalem, especially in the Temple courts. An account in the Book of Mark (11, 15) relates Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple by chasing various traders out of the sacred precincts. At the end of each of the Gospels, there are accounts of Jesus’ Last Supper in an “upper room” in Jerusalem, His arrest at Gethsemane, His trial, His crucifixion at Golgotha, His burial and His resurrection and ascension. In Christianity, the Jewish connection with the city is considered as the account of God’s relationship with His chosen people - the original covenant - and the essential prelude to the events narrated in the New Testament, including both universal commandments (e.g. the Ten Commandments) and those specific to Judaism- the “old order.” In medieval Christian thought, Jerusalem was considered to be the center of the world (Latin: umbilicus mundi, Greek: Omphalos), and was represented in various medieval maps. Byzantine hymns speak of the Cross being “planted in the center of the earth,” and the imagery
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