Lecture 13: Byzantine Jerusalem

One of the trends we see is the gradual movement of Christianity westward. The importance of city's shift from Jerusalem to western cities like Rome. Much of this western movement comes from Paul's letters to the various Christian churches. Through the period of 63 BCE-614 CE, we see increasing Hellenization. There is also an increasing amount of spiritualization of faith and attitude toward Jerusalem. This leads to Faith becoming mobile once more and allowed people to cope with the destruction of the 2nd Temple in 70CE. To Christians, Jerusalem gains more of a symbolic role in their faith. As this sect of Judaism grew, there also arose issues about what was to be kept from Jewish Traditions. At the Jerusalem Council mentioned in Acts 15:1-4, there were debates over kosher regulations, circumcision as a prerequisite to becoming a Christian, and the devouring of offering that had been made to other deities. All of these issues were a Doctrine debate rather than issues regarding Jerusalem the city itself. Here we see the shift of importance from the Temple to the upkeeping of faith.

The growing influence of a faith based religion came as a result of the predicted destruction of the Temple by Jesus and other preachings such as in John 4: 19-26, which talked about a more spiritual Jerusalem rather than a physical one. With the conversion of Jerusalem into Aelia Capitolia in 300 CE, Christians internalized their faith and thus were able to survive as a religion while others that had been based on Temple worship, struggled and received more persecution.

Some other key events that took place that helped lead to the growing influence of Christianity was the division of the Roman empire into a Tetrarchy. This system had flaws regarding the issue of succession. One of the Tetrarchs Constantius, had a son, Constantine, that later would become the sole ruler of the Roman Empire. Some scholars argue that Constantine used Christianity as a political tool because the faith was growing in popularity. Nonetheless, his Edict of Milan in 313 made practicing Christianity legal once more. However, one radical change he brought was use of Christianity for war and conquer. This clashed with the more pacifistic teaching of Jesus, who preached peace and non-violence. Other issues of faith brought divisions amongst Christians of the East and the West. One result was the Council of Nicaea which set a standardized Doctrine for Christians to follow. All that did not agree were considered heretics and non-Christians. This was another result of Constantine's rule.

Constantine's mother, Helena, also helped bring a change to Jerusalem with the finding of the Jesus's tomb. This led to the construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and gave Christians a holy site to which they could pay pilgrimage to. The Church became a new center that attracted other myths and legends such as being the place where Adam was buried and where Abraham bound Isaac for sacrifice in the Akadeh.