Christianity After the Crusades
Christianity After the Crusades The re-conquest of the Land of Israel by the Muslims was completed in 1291. From that time onward, Catholics were generally not permitted to gain a…
Ottomans and Bektashi Janissaries
Ottomans and the Bektashi Dervishes The Ottomans conquered Jerusalem in 1517 and ruled it for 400 years. Ostensibly, this was merely the replacement of one Muslim rule with another, but…
Whirling Dervishes in Jerusalem
Whirling Dervishes in Jerusalem It appears that the Bektashi Order established a center for its rituals in Jerusalem in the 16th century, but the more important order established in Jerusalem…
Spanish Spirituality in Jerusalem
Christianity in the Ottoman Period The conquest of Jerusalem by the Ottomans led to an increase in the flow of Christian pilgrims to the Holy City. It was important for…
Orthodox Spirituality in Ottoman times
The Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulchre During the Ottoman period in Jerusalem, the Greek Orthodox Church held a senior and dominant status—both because it was the largest Christian community and…
Great Magicians in Jerusalem
Christian Alchemy Alchemy reached the West before the Renaissance, and according to Eliade, the first Latin translations of alchemy, including the Emerald Tablet, were made in the 12th century [1].…
Kabbalah in the Jewish Quarter
Kabbalah in the Jewish Quarter Kabbalah appeared in southern France and Spain in the 13th century with the publication of the Zohar, and swiftly conquered the Jewish center in Spain.…
Messianism in the Jewish Quarter
Shabbatai Zevi In the late 17th century, interest in Kabbalah intensified, and the Zohar became increasingly popular. Refugees from Russia (persecutions of 1648–1649) arrived in the Ottoman Empire. Against this…
Meaning of the New Era
The Modern Era and Its Meaning The Modern Era is perhaps the most fascinating subject of all, because we are living in the midst of it—in the middle of a…