Diversity of Christian Attachment

To understand the diversity of Christian attachment in Jerusalem I set up an argument because we may all have preconceptions on what is sacred and important for Christians. My argument is that Christianity is very diverse. This diversity is what unifies all Christians together. This has been the case for centuries. I aim to remove any homogenous ideas about Christians by showing how there are sects of the religion which have differing practices. This also highlights how despite differences they are harmonious and united together. To catch everyone up to speed and to refresh previous knowledge, it is important to go over some of the most holy sites for Christians. The first is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the place where Jesus is believed by most Christians to be buried. The final stations of the Via Dolorosa happen here (burial and resurrection). Next is the Church of the Redeemer, which for some Christians this is the most holy site. This site houses many evangelical Christians and is arguably the most diverse Christian site. Many Christians from all over identify as evangelical and find it to be very accepting and open. The last site to mention is the Monastery of Saint Savior. This is important to address because many religious sites are structured similarly. This monastery has a school, a printing press, and a library! This site is an example where a site is more than just a sacred place but also used to help the well being of others by providing multiple services. Next, I would like to get into two sects of Christianity and only two because a) I would like to highlight their differences and similarities and b) because there are way too many sects of Christianity to cover. Additionally, many know of Protestantism or have some knowledge and I assume many know nothing of the Coptic Christians. 

Firstly, Protestantism hit its stride in Jerusalem along with archeological discovery. The two went hand in hand as protestants were concerned with finding truth in religious artifacts and sites while archeology wanted to find the history and facts of religious stories and sites. This interaction between the two started in the 19th century with the notable Dr. Robinson who headed most of these archeological digs. Dr. Robinson is argued to be the most influential archeologist in all of Jerusalem. For Dr. Robinson and many protestants, they found the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to be not the appropriate burial site for Jesus. It was noisy and crowded with people. According to their logical mindset the site for Jesus should be the Garden Tomb, a peaceful and quiet place where Jesus would have been buried (Silberman, 2001). But in actuality, it is unknown as to where Jesus was buried. Protestants claim that their site is the correct one based on science, but they are just at fault for making this claim without factual backing. Next, I read a blog post from a Protestant and her experience in Jerusalem. It struck me that she found very little connection to physical places and relics. In fact, the blogger found it to be ridiculous to even pay respects to these things. To her, faith is enough and the important of component of Christianity. But in the end she was with fellow Christians with all different backgrounds and beliefs about Christianity and she prayed with them (Frykholm, 2019). Which leads to my argument that Christians still feel this unity despite disagreements about these outer aspects of Christianity. 

The next sect to talk about is the Coptic Christians, who, recently have been involving themselves in Jerusalem through restoration projects and more pilgrimages. These projects included the Church of St. Antony and St. Helena. Also, the creation of the college of St. Helena which schools not just Christians. For Coptic Christians, Jerusalem is has a lot of historical ties. One notable story is the Saint of Mary the Egyptian. She was a courtesan and while in the streets of Jerusalem she heard the Virgin Mary speak to only her. She was brought to her knees and was told to change her ways (Meinardus, 1995). Because of this story, Jerusalem is a place for divine intervention and repentance for many Coptic Christians. While the Garden Tomb is the Protestant's most holy place, for the Coptic Christians that place is the alter in the Church of Resurrection. That church is connected directly to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. They believe that alter is the place where Jesus rested his head before he was captured by the Romans (1995). Now, there has been some conflict between Christians which is seen between Ethiopian and Coptic Christians who fought over the Dair as-Sultân, the site on the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The High Court of Israel had to step in and reconciliation was met in August 1994 (Meinardus, 1995). Now, the site is shared between both groups. Although there may be some territorial discourse, Christians will unite together under the same roof. Next, it is crucial to highlight how modern Christians do pilgrimage and where the influence comes from. The key person in how Christians view pilgrimage today is thanks to Pope John Paul II. He highlighted aspects of pilgrimage that he believes Christians should follow. Jerusalem is a physical connection to Jesus. We may fully realize the realness of Jesus through the concrete places we visit. Going through Jesus' journey (Via Dolorosa) is an exercise of repentance from human weakness, ascetism, and preparation for a change of heart. Also, John Paul II wanted Christians to cross over boundaries and come to an understanding with all other religious groups, mainly Muslims and Jews (Taylor, 2011). This is all mainly experienced in the Via Dolorosa where Christians experience the different stations of Jesus' path to being buried and resurrected.

The last thing I would like to address is music. Music has always been a part of Christian attachment to Jerusalem. Although music has evolved through the years, it has always been inclusive. The original Jerusalem chant book was spread to Latin, Syriac, Armenian, and Georgian liturgies. These chant books are so old that we have uncovered Georgian chants that date back to the 4th century. Some songs were meant for public display of devotion to God while others were meant for stricly mass and office. The Greek Orthodox Church still sings many of these songs today. It is argued that the Jerusalem chant book is the oldest chant book of all time (Jeffery, 1994). We see that music is a tool in which Christians become close together. Although they speak different languages and come from different backgrounds, Christians find unity with one another.