Jerusalem Becomes Christian
The Romans Become Christians In 310 CE, Constantine the Great (reigned 310–337) ascended to power in Rome with the blessing of Jesus, who revealed the symbol of the cross to…
Byzantine Jerusalem
From Temples to Churches In the 4th century CE, the Romans converted to Christianity and began building churches instead of temples. Until then, Christianity had been a persecuted religion with…
Early Christian Saints
Monastic Life Christian mysticism was prominent in Cappadocia and Alexandria in the fourth century, in the monasteries on Mount Sinai in the sixth century, and in Byzantium and on Mount…
The Syrian Church
Monophysite Churches Monophysite means “one nature” (mono = one, physis = nature). The Monophysite movement includes all those who believe in the single nature of Jesus, in contrast to the…
Coptic and Ethiopian Christianity
The Coptic Church The Apostle Mark, in whose house the Syrian Church is located, was one of Jesus’s 70 disciples and a key figure in the Jerusalem of the early…
Armenian and Georgian Christianity
Saint Nino and the Holy Robe Saint Nino (296–340) is the founder of Georgian Christianity. This is a unique case of a national religion being founded by a woman. She…
The Spiritual Meadows
The Works of Justinian The sacred planning of Byzantine Jerusalem was initiated by Constantine and completed by Justinian, the greatest of the Byzantine builder-emperors (reigned 527–565), who extended the Cardo…
Early Muslim Period
The Early Muslim Period At the beginning of the 7th century CE, a miracle happened to the Arab tribes of the desert: God chose them as the chosen people and…
Dome of the Rock Night Journey
The Night Journey Al-Isrāʾ wal-Miʿrāj (The Horizontal Journey Leading to the Vertical Journey) is a concept in Sufi Islam that refers to the Night Journey of the Prophet Muhammad to…