Sunday at the 'Noble Sanctuary"

According to 2 Samuel 24, King David, when he had united all the tribes of the Lord as one people, was commanded by God to purchase the threshing floor of a man name Araunah the Jebusite (or 'Ornan the Jebusite' according to the same story told in 1 Chronicles 21) and there built an altar of Sacrifice. Biblical tradition equates this site with Mt. Moriah, on which Isaac was nearly sacrificed by Abraham. That altar replaced the Mosaic sanctuary on Mt. Gibeon (1 Chron 21:30). It was over this altar that David's Son, Solomon would build the first Temple of the God of Israel that would become the central focus of all Worship in Judah until the time of Jesus. Historically that site has been considered a site Holy to the One True God for more than 3000 years (and according to Biblical tradition for at least 4500 years). Today, I spent the morning at Araunah's threshing floor - only today it is most properly called the Haram esh-Sharif, which is Arab for "The Noble Sanctuary." It is also called the Temple Mount. This 36 acre platform is the site on which the Altar of David, the Temple of Solomon, the 2nd Temple, A Roman Temple of Jupiter, numerous Christian Churches, and, even until now, some of the most Holy Sites of Islam have all been located.

As a non-Muslim, the times I can visit the Haram is quite brief on certain days of the week and only under the strictest rules. At present, non-Muslims can only enter the esplanade around the Holy Shrines (entirely off limits to non-Muslims) through the gate Known as the Moor's Gate, accessible only by a ramp erected next to the Western Wall and severely guarded by the Israeli Army. Among the limitations: no religious paraphernalia of any religion other than Islam is allowed on the Haram: no Bible, no prayer book, no cross or rosary, no icons or images. The Muslims want no one but Muslims praying here and invite all others to leave their polluted prayers on the outside, thank you very much...

I have wanted to visit the Haram since arriving in Jerusalem. It is a place of great historical and religious import and is considered a Holy piece of real estate by more than 1/2 the inhabitants of the planets. I should want to go there. I was not prepared for the inner-conflict it would cause me.

On the one hand, it is beautiful. The architectural gem of Jerusalem sits dead in the center. There are fewer more magnificent structures in the world than the Dome of the Rock. It is a peaceful place - in fact, by far, the most peaceful place in Jerusalem. It is covered with beautiful structures and even 'forests' of beautiful trees. One could imagine oneself in the most beautiful park in the world. In fact, it resembles nothing so much as a park - at least to me as Christian, excluded from entering the shrines where the "holy stuff" takes place. So it's a nice peaceful place -

But the peace is a lie. That peace is guaranteed by the armed soldiers that guard the entrances. That peace is at the service of a threat of global uprising of Muslims if anyone else tries to stake a claim on this, the third most holy site in Islam. It is Ironic that the prohibition against anyone but Muslims praying on the Haram is enforced by Israeli police and soldiers. What a conflicted assignment that must be for a Jewish soldier - today as I ascended the ramp to the Moor's gate (which faces the Western Wall) there was one of the Israeli soldier guards standing half way up the ramp wearing his phylactery on his head and left arm praying facing the wall. Most Jews will not go on the Mount - forbidden by their own law, but Muslim control of the Mount is deeply saddening for many Jews. There are some who believe that it is okay for Jews to go on certain parts of the Mount. Following most of their medieval teachers, Jews believe that the Glory of God and the Holiness of the Temple Mount is a reality for eternity and that Muslim domination deprives them of access to that Holiness. The site i s Holy to Muslims too... they believe that the Prophet was miraculously transported to Jerusalem and ascended to God from the Temple Mount. When Israel came into full possession of the Mount after the 6-Days War in 1967, they agreed to the status quo that left control of the Mount entirely in Muslim hands and even agreed to use Israeli forces to enforce that religious decision.

As a Christian, I "don't have a dog in this fight." Christians believe that the Glory that once belonged to the Temple belongs now to Jesus alone and that he has shared that Glory with us as we become part of his body. We, blessed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism, have become the new temple. There have been various Christian Churches on the temple mount in the late Byzantine era and during Crusader control - in fact the Dome of the Rock was converted to Christian Worship during the Templar control of the Temple Mount. But the destruction of Christian Churches on that site has not been devastating for the Christian Community. In fact the most famous byzantine Map of Jerusalem, the mosaic map of Madaba, is a very accurate artistic description of Byzantine Jerusalem, but does not even show the temple mount at all. For Christians, the Holy Sepulcher has replaced the Temple as the most sacred site in Jerusalem. So where did my conflict come from?

I think I share the frustration of my Jewish friends that the current situation is so remarkably one-sided. It's not a compromise, it is an out-and-out exclusion. It seems to deny that there is more than one way to look at those sites on that hill, even the sites that are holy to all three religions. Instead of seeking new understanding and creative solutions, it simply ignores the holiness of this site. The Western Wall is something of a compromise, I suppose. But I cannot image what it would be like to only be allowed to pray at the Outside Wall of St. Peter's in Rome, or at the outside wall of the Holy Sepulcher (in fact I was indignant last week when I was excluded from entering the Holy Sepulcher because some crotchety old Greek priest thought my knee-length shorts - the same shorts I was wearing when I entered the mosque in Hebron - were not modest enough :)

So today, while I marveled at the beauty of the architectural gems and the peace of the Mount, I was conflicted. So I said a prayer again for the Peace of Jerusalem and for deeper understanding (don't tell the guards I was praying in Jesus' name up there). I think I would like the opportunity to pray openly on the Temple Mount. I think I would like to pray with Muslims and Jews up there. I'd like there to be some solution that would recognize the pain that exclusion is causing Jewish people, a solution that would allow all who revere the holiness of this site to approach it and give thanks to the God who makes it Holy. For the most part our original understanding of the holiness of this place is rooted in the same reasons - Abrahamic reasons. Some Muslims deny that there was ever a temple there. Some Jews deny that the Prophet was ever there - And again, what should be a place where the three Abrahamic Faiths can find (literally) common ground, becomes a harsh reminder of separation, bitterness, and sadness. This is not the will of God - This is not insha'Allah.

Despite my conflict, I was able to enjoy the beauty of the Haram. I took a lot of picture, some of which are here. I hope you enjoy them. Many others can be seen at: http://picasaweb.google.com/FrBart/0705HaramEshSharif.