Christianity and Jerusalem: Religion, Politics and Theology in the Modern Holy Land

Abstract

As a sacred city, Jerusalem is arguably the single most important place in the Middle East: for Muslims, the Haram al-Sharef is a symbol of victory; for Jews the Wailing Wall a symbol of loss, and for Christians, the Holy Sepulchre a symbol of victory through loss. Religion and politics have interacted in every sacred story encompassed in the idea of this Holy City. Political theologies remain at least implicit in the histories of all major faith communities, and at the centre of every sacred story is at least one sacred place, which in turn carves out of the cosmos a space held to be inviolable and safe for believers, a sanctuary, the place where everything of ultimate significance has occurred. For the Christian community and in particular for the Christians of Jerusalem, the principal holy spaces are the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the Churches and Holy Places in Nazareth, and especially, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which remains an important symbol of Christian presence and custodianship.