THE TEMPLE MOUNT AND THE DOME OF THE ROCK

The Temple Mount

The Temple Mount is a very holy place for Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.  Entering early in the morning, it was beautiful. The gardens are very well kept and, for a place of such tension for the three religions, it was actually relatively peaceful. For the Jewish people, this is the holiest of all sites. Tradition says that it was from here that the world expanded into its present form and where God gathered the dust used to create the first man, Adam. The site is also the location of Abraham's binding of Isaac. Many Jews do not go up on the Temple Mount because this was the site of the Temple, and before going to the Temple requires purification.  So out of respect for the ancient traditions, they do not go up. It was the Holy of Holies of the Temple where the priest communicated with God. Seeing all this history and the place where the temple stood put me in awe.

The Dome of the Rock

For Islam, this is the site of the Dome of the Rock and Al-Asqa mosque, which is the third holiest site in Islam.  It is important as being the site of the "Farthest Mosque" (mentioned in the Qur'an as the location of Muhammad's miraculous Night Journey) to heaven. The Dome of the Rock is the image that is most visible throughout the old city, as it can be seen clearly from miles away. Seeing it in person, one could see the beauty of the place and see why for Muslims, this is also a very holy site. For Christians, the temple was very instrumental in the life of Jesus. Jesus walked here, many times. He impressed the Jewish theologians with his knowledge of the Torah as a twelve-year-old boy. Jesus challenged the corruption and distortion and prophesied the destruction of the temple. Though there are tensions between these three religions, walking around the Temple Mount the tensions appeared to be gone. There was silence and in it that silence, a very peaceful experience seeing the beauty of God's creation.