Sacred Ground?
Those of us who have had Ukraine emerge as a new focal point of attention have had much to learn. Trying to explain what motivates Russia’s Vladimir Putin to attack his neighbor (and what will make him stop) provides grist for the news mills.
One of the biggest surprises for me was to learn that the former KGB agent of the atheist Soviet empire who now serves as Russia’s president is using religion as one of his rallying points. During the heyday of the USSR, the Russian Orthodox Church had been sidelined as an anachronistic irrelevant institution. It was allowed to exist as a refuge for aging babushkas and the feeble minded.
We assume Mr. Putin’s commitment to atheism is unchanged. So why has he been presenting himself an ardent proponent of religion, a defender of the mother church of Mother Russia?[1]
Doubtless it is a cynical move to garner the support of more of the Russian populace. According to a recent New York Times article,[2] in 2019 the Patriarchate of Constantinople[3] granted legitimacy to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church with its 700 or so parishes. This angered the patriarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church, which maintains oversight of the remaining 12,000 Orthodox churches in Ukraine.
A highly visible element of the conflict is the golden-domed Monastery of the Caves in Kyiv, established as a religious site in AD 1051.[4] While access is still granted to the Moscow patriarchate, the Ukrainian government holds the title deed to this historic site, part of which is a museum.[5]
Of note, the unqualified support by Moscow Patriarch Kirill for Mr. Putin’s war on Ukraine has not gone unchallenged. Some of the Orthodox churches in Ukraine which have been aligned with the Moscow patriarch now question their allegiance. Hundreds of church leaders within Russia itself are calling for an end of the war – a marked break with Russian Orthodox leadership.[6]
The “marriage” of church and state has more often resulted in building earthly kingdoms than advancing Heaven’s agenda. Religious wars have devastating effects, decimating property and destroying lives.
Those who pay attention to the Middle East have long recognized the potential of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount to spark another regional conflict. Bible students recognize Mount Moriah (aka Mount Zion) as the site of Israel’s First and Second Temples.[7] These functioned as the locus of sacrifice and worship as God commanded.[8]
The Romans destroyed the Second Temple in AD 70 and much of the Jewish population dispersed. In the ensuing millennia, Jewish worshipers mostly were denied access to the site, but prayed toward Jerusalem three times daily.
The Muslims under Caliph Umar conquered Jerusalem from the Byzantines in AD 638.[9] Construction of the Temple Mount’s iconic golden-topped Dome of the Rock began in 685.[10] A second structure, a mosque, was completed in 705. The present silver-domed Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site,[11] is a later reconstruction on that site following the destruction of earlier structures by earthquake.[12]
The First Crusade (1096-1099) was a bloody religious war; wanton slaughter of Muslims and Jews resulted from the capture of Jerusalem on July 15, 1099. The Dome of the Rock was converted into Templum Domini[13] and Al-Aqsa became Templum Solomnis, Christian churches.[14] Not quite a century later, in July 1187 the sultan Saladin destroyed the Crusader army at the Battle of Hattin. Three months later a besieged Jerusalem surrendered; Al-Aqsa again served as a mosque.[15]
In the following centuries, Jerusalem languished as a backwater town, including during the hegemony of the Ottoman Empire (1517-1917). During the British Mandate period (1922-1947), the Temple Mount remained under Muslim control.
When Israel declared its independence (May 14, 1948) the battle for Jerusalem raged fiercely. The Israelis were unable to hold onto the Jewish Quarter of the Old City; East Jerusalem, along with the territory today known as the West Bank, came under Jordanian control.[16] Jewish people were forbidden to pray on the Temple Mount and at the Western (“Wailing”) Wall.[17]
Israel’s astonishing victories in the Six Day War of June 1967[18] resulted in the capture of the Golan Heights from Syria in the north, the Sinai from Egypt in the south, and the West Bank from Jordan on the east. By far the most celebrated prize for the Jewish people was East Jerusalem. General Mordecai Gur’s “The Temple Mount is in our hands!” was a stunning declaration that excited euphoria in the Jewish world.
Israel’s Defense Minister, Moshe Dayan, understood the historical importance of the site to Muslims. Ten days later he returned the key to the Temple Mount to the Jordanian wakf and forbade Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount[19] – an order which remains in effect until today.
In the ensuing years, contention over the Temple Mount has been the source of much strife.[20] Notably, following the breakdown of the Camp David Accords in June 2000, then-Knesset-member Ariel Sharon “took a stroll” on the Temple Mount in September. His declaration that “The Temple Mount is in our hands and will remain in our hands. It is the holiest site in Judaism and it is the right of every Jew to visit the Temple Mount”[21] sparked the second Palestinian intifada (uprising).[22] More recently, “skirmishes”[23] and “clashes” have occurred, one of which ostensibly ignited rocket attacks from Gaza[24] in June 2021.[25]
The Temple Mount Faithful, a movement of observant Jews, clearly states its purpose: “The goal of the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement is the building of the Third Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in our lifetime in accordance with the Word of G-d and all the Hebrew prophets and the liberation of the Temple Mount from Arab (Islamic) occupation so that it may be consecrated to the Name of G-d.”[26] Visitors to Jerusalem’s Old City are welcome to view the extensive preparations already in place for when sacrifices can once again be offered when the Third Temple is constructed.
This of course remains a point of deep contention in the Muslim world,[27] adding fuel to the always-ready-to-be-ignited fire. It is also viewed as a source of provocation by many Israelis, particularly secular Jews.
As has been observed for centuries in Israel and we are seeing afresh in Ukraine, wars fueled by religion can burn exceedingly hot, destroying lives as well as “sacred property.”
As believers, we are enjoined to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6). These days we are also praying for an end to the unjust war in Ukraine and for God’s protection on those in harm’s way.
Written by Wes Taber, LIFE Global Ambassador
What can we learn by seeing the conflicts over “sacred ground” in history?
How do “wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6) affect your prayer life?
Is God stirring your heart to practically assist? You can donate to help believers in need (designate “Ukraine project”) or to speed the gospel to those who don’t yet know the Prince of Peace, Yeshua.
Endnotes:
[1] https://www.heritage.org/europe/commentary/how-putin-uses-russian-orthodoxy-grow-his-empire.
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/02/world/europe/russia-ukraine-orthodox-church.html.
[3] https://www.patriarchateofconstantinople.com/index.html.
[4] https://orthochristian.com/82144.html.
[5] See New York Times article, above.
[7] A concise overview of the history of the Temple Mount is found at https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-temple-mount.
[8] E.g., Deuteronomy 12:4-6, 16:2; 1 Kings 14:21.
[9] https://www.gojerusalem.com/article/260/Islamic-Conquest-of-Jerusalem.
[10] The Dome of the Rock in Arabic is Masjid Al Sakhrah; https://smarthistory.org/the-dome-of-the-rock-qubbat-al-sakhra.
[11] Jerusalem is never mentioned in the Quran but Haram es-Sharif (the Temple Mount) with the Al-Aqsa Mosque, is considered Islam’s third holiest site.
[12] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Aqsa_Mosque. For a Muslim perspective on the site (including Solomon’s Temple!) see https://www.visitmasjidalaqsa.com/islamic-history-of-al-masjid-al-aqsa.
[14] https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-temple-mount.
[15] https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1553/saladins-conquest-of-jerusalem-1187-ce.
[16] To learn how Transjordan (originally part of the territory of Palestine which the Balfour Declaration claimed would become the Jewish homeland) became the Kingdom of Jordan see https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/when-churchill-severed-transjordan-from-palestine. For a comprehensive background to the making of the modern Middle East, David Fromkin’s A Peace to End All Peace (Avon Books, 1989) is highly recommended.
[17] https://zoa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Facts-About-the-Temple-Mount-Summary.pdf.
[18] Michael B. Oren’s Six Days of War (Random House, 2003) provides details of this remarkable chapter in Israel’s history.
[19] https://zoa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Facts-About-the-Temple-Mount-Summary.pdf.
[20] In August 1929, “Defend the holy places!” was the rallying cry of Muslims incited against the Jewish people, resulting in 133 Jewish deaths and 339 wounded; https://www.camera.org/article/anti-jewish-violence-in-pre-state-palestine-1929-massacres.
[21] https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/161960.
[22] https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/intifada2.htm. The first intifada began in December 1987 following the death of four Gazans in a traffic accident; see https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/first-intifada.
[23] May 10, 2021 – https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/fresh-skirmish-reported-on-temple-mount.
[25] https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/temple-mount-clashes-break-out-between-israeli-security-and-palestinians-671417. This followed a day after the Sheikh Jarrah riots; https://jcpa.org/article/2021-gaza-war-timeline.