Jerusalem: A City Without a Temple
The city of Jerusalem is one of the most important places in the world. It's hard to think of any city that matches the political, historical, cultural, and religious significance of the land of three faiths. It has played a major role in human history for thousands of years, and that influence doesn't show signs of waning anytime soon. One of the major things to which Jerusalem owes its significance to is the ancient Jewish Temples. The Temple made Jerusalem a holy city for the Jews, which indirectly played a role in making it significant for the Christians as well, and one of the possible reasons why it's important for the Muslims is that it was seen as a major religious center by the time of Mohammad. For the Jews especially, the Temple made Jerusalem the focus of their entire way of life. Jerusalem was the center of their world. Jerusalem was the city of David. Jerusalem was the location of the house of YHWH. But what happens when this Temple, the center of the Jewish way of life disappears?
Now all that remains is one part of the foundations. The destruction of the second Temple in 70A.D. is perhaps one of the most important moments in the history of the Near East, as it had profound consequences for the Jews, as well as the rest of the world. For the Jews, the Temple's destruction and subsequent exile from their homeland created the diaspora. Judaism would not have a nation to call its own until 1948. Beyond that, the fact that most of the people that lived there were forced to leave set the stage for the next two millennia for the city. After the Temple's destruction, the city would become a fighting ground between the Jews, the Romans, the Christians, and later the Muslims over the course of the next two thousand years.
Now, this begs the question: what would have happened if the Romans hadn't destroyed the Temple and the Jewish establishment in the city? My theory is that Jerusalem would have remained a mostly-Jewish city, though more Christians would move in over the centuries. The diaspora would have never happened and tensions would rise between the Jews and the Christians as the latter's religion became more influential. Perhaps the Jews would have revolted against their oppressors; Pagan, Christian, or Muslim. It is also likely that, as Rome grew weaker, the Jews of Israel might have even gained independence. Or, more than likely, they would have had their city destroyed, if not by the Romans, then probably the Christians or the Muslims. We will never know what would have happened to Jerusalem, to Israel, and to the world as a whole had the Romans not given the order to destroy the Temple.
Now all that remains is one part of the foundations. The destruction of the second Temple in 70A.D. is perhaps one of the most important moments in the history of the Near East, as it had profound consequences for the Jews, as well as the rest of the world. For the Jews, the Temple's destruction and subsequent exile from their homeland created the diaspora. Judaism would not have a nation to call its own until 1948. Beyond that, the fact that most of the people that lived there were forced to leave set the stage for the next two millennia for the city. After the Temple's destruction, the city would become a fighting ground between the Jews, the Romans, the Christians, and later the Muslims over the course of the next two thousand years.
Now, this begs the question: what would have happened if the Romans hadn't destroyed the Temple and the Jewish establishment in the city? My theory is that Jerusalem would have remained a mostly-Jewish city, though more Christians would move in over the centuries. The diaspora would have never happened and tensions would rise between the Jews and the Christians as the latter's religion became more influential. Perhaps the Jews would have revolted against their oppressors; Pagan, Christian, or Muslim. It is also likely that, as Rome grew weaker, the Jews of Israel might have even gained independence. Or, more than likely, they would have had their city destroyed, if not by the Romans, then probably the Christians or the Muslims. We will never know what would have happened to Jerusalem, to Israel, and to the world as a whole had the Romans not given the order to destroy the Temple.
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