- 13 -   Through the homeland of Jesus   Fr Joseph Kappil     The Old Jerusalem and The New Jerusalem  
 
Today's city of Jerusalem has two parts-the old Jerusalem and the new Jerusalem. In old Jerusalem are situated the pilgrimage centres connected with the history of the Bible. It is enclosed by a high wall. This wall that encircles the city has a circumference of 4 kms. It is built with strong, huge limestone, cut out from rock and has a height of 12-15 metres. There are eight large gateways to enter the city. The surrounding wall that we see today is the one built in 1542 by the Turkish Emperor Sulaiman. It is possible to walk around the city atop this wall. In this old city of Jerusalem, confined within this fortress wall, Christians, Muslims and Jews dwell in areas allocated to them.
 
Together with the inhabitants, can be seen shops and stalls of every variety lining the two sides of the narrow streets. With pilgrims and tourists to add to the number of the citizens, the streets teem with people. At times to move along a street requires a great effort. It is within this old Jerusalem surrounded by the stone wall that the majority of the holy places are located.
 
The new Jerusalem is a modern city spread out to the north, south and west, outside the wall. From the time the Jews began pouring in from different parts of the world, and settled down, these areas have been developing, constituting the new city of Jerusalem. The Jews were dispersed in almost every country in the world. At the beginning of this century they began congregating in Jerusalem with the slogan, "Return to your homeland." Those who dwell in the new Jerusalem are those who have thus come back from different parts of the world. This city is like any other modern city in Europe. In this part of Jerusalem are situated the Parliament House and other ministerial offices of the government.
 
The meaning ascribed to Jerusalem is "the city of peace". However, scholars hold that this name is derived from the two words, "Yeru" and "Saalem". It means the place or position of the god "Saalem". Before the Israelites captured the hand of Canaan, and made it their own, this was the meaning assigned to "Yerusa'alem". After they settled down in Canaan, the Jewish people, associated "Saalem" with the Hebrew word "Shalom" (peace) and, giving this explanation, ascribed the meaning "city of peace" to Jerusalem.
 
Though known as the city of peace, Jerusalem is the city wherein has taken place the greatest number of wars and the most cruel instances of bloodshed. For this city, which has a history of 4000 years, imperial powers such as Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, Mohammedans, the Crusaders, Turks, the British and Arabs have battled in turn. Jerusalem has been destroyed 17times and rebuilt 18 times. From its beginnings until this day, it is the sword and bullets which have ruled over this city of peace. There is no city in all the world that has seen so much of bloodshed and so many wars. The city of Jerusalem has not succeeded in attaining peace even today.
 
Before we set out on our pilgrimage in this city of Jerusalem, we need to have an overall view of its history from its beginnings up till now. To grasp the significance of the holy places, this study is essential. After acquainting ourselves with this study, we shall visit, one by one, the places connected with the life of Jesus. In the next issue we shall pass through the history of Jerusalem from the time of King David till today.
 
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