Needless to say, there are LOTS of churches in the Holy Land. Like the relationship among different groups of people, the church situation is….complex. There are: Muslim, Catholic, Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Armenian, Druse, Coptic, and even some Baptists and other Protestants tossed in for good measure.
In many cases churches share; literally, they share the same building. In some cases, different denominations are allocated specific time when they have “possession” of a building. Some buildings have sections for each, such as a Catholic section, a Coptic section, and an Orthodox section. Some holy sites are actually commenorated in two or more locations, with each church claiming they have the “real spot” where an even occurred.
In the Jewish holy places one must cover their head; in the Catholic churches one must remove their hat. Anybody can go into the Temple Mount area where the Dome of the Rock is, but Jews and Christians cannot pray or make any overt “religious” actions.
There are laws, treaties, and status quo agreements.
It’s all very complex and hard to understand. One thing is easy to understand, though. The architecture, engineering, artisan-ship of many of these various places of worship is outstanding, and worth appreciating regardless of one’s beliefs.
On the left is the Greek Orthodox Monastery on the Mountain of temptation. The two on the right are Greek Orthodox Churches near the Jordan River.
The Church of the Primacy of Saint Peter
Church of the Loaves and Fishes
Carmelite Monastery on Mount Carmel
Church of the Mount of the Beatitudes
Church of the Nativity
Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Chapel of the Condemnation and the Church of the Flagellation
Church of Saint Peter’s Denial
Church of All Nations
Chapel at the Shepherd’s Field
The Dome of the Rock
Various Mosques
March 14, 2017 at 07:19
Thanks for the tour !! 🙂
bruce
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March 14, 2017 at 07:24
Glad you enjoyed Bruce!
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March 14, 2017 at 07:41
Whoa! Gorgeous pics, Wally. They sure knew how to build churches back in the day, eh?
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March 14, 2017 at 08:01
They sure did. And most were built in a time when all the work had to be done by hand. That’s impressive
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March 14, 2017 at 07:44
amazing pictures of Church
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March 14, 2017 at 08:16
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
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March 14, 2017 at 08:17
Thanks brother Vincent
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March 14, 2017 at 13:04
You’re very welcome Brother Wally 🙏
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March 14, 2017 at 10:17
Great pictures, Wally.
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March 14, 2017 at 10:21
It’s some astounding work isn’t it Sue?
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March 14, 2017 at 10:35
It amazes me how in other countries, like Israel, they appreciate the old, where we tear down the old and put in a parking lot, for instance.
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March 14, 2017 at 11:35
Well…yes and no really. I am sure you remember this from your trip, but there is a real tendency for one set of conquering people to just build on top of the others. Like Tel Meggido, where there are 25 different civilizations piled up one on the other for thousands of years.
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March 14, 2017 at 10:37
Boy you took some great pictures Wally.
“The church of the condemnation” sounds like a bunch of churches we’ve got over here in the states.
And good mornin to ya
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March 14, 2017 at 11:37
LOL…that was funny Lee. My wife gets the credit for the pictures though. The church of the Chapel of the Condemnation and the Church of the flagellation are stops in the Stations of the Cross along the Via Doloroso.
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March 14, 2017 at 15:00
Love the photos Wally.
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March 14, 2017 at 15:13
Thanks much James
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March 15, 2017 at 06:43
YW 🙂
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March 14, 2017 at 16:54
each one beautiful, each one Holy…
thank you Wally
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March 14, 2017 at 17:23
They were amazing. I wish I had good equipment. I bet with that a person could really get some amazing shots. I am solidly in the world of the point and shoot LOL.
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March 14, 2017 at 17:24
You and me both my friend
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March 14, 2017 at 17:27
How’s things for you today, Julie?
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March 14, 2017 at 17:37
just hanging one, barely…how bout you?
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March 14, 2017 at 17:29
Thanks for all those pictures of historical churches in Israel!
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March 14, 2017 at 17:32
Thanks for taking the time to read!
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March 14, 2017 at 17:33
My pleasure!
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March 15, 2017 at 10:35
Hope the trip has been a blessing for you!
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March 15, 2017 at 11:16
It was, sad to be back home though LOL. Just didn’t get all the posting done when I was there!
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March 17, 2017 at 00:45
Wow Wally, you must have been on a VIP tour that didn’t involve crowds. Everywhere we went it was a mob scene of people, especially the Holy Sepulchral.
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March 17, 2017 at 04:22
Hey Tricia. Actually is was crowded. Apparently my wife has a gift for finding a gap in a crowd to take a picture LOL.
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May 31, 2017 at 08:06
I went to a yard sale the other day and bought a book about Jerusalem. I was so surprised to discover that there were so many different religious groups there. I had always heard of the “Christian Quarter,” but for some silly reason, it never occurred to me that it was talking about a literal 1/4. I think the other quarters were Jewish, Muslim, and Armenian.
I had also heard about the Dome of the Rock, so I realized that there were a few Muslims there, but I didn’t know how many. I’m not familiar with Armenian beliefs, but I do know that Christians, Jews, and Muslims all believe in the God of Abraham. I’m pretty sure that accounts for over half of the world’s population right there. With that in mind, it’s no wonder that so many religions flock to Jerusalem.
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May 31, 2017 at 09:40
It is a fascinating place, for sure. Thanks so much for coming by and commenting. Of course I don’t believe that Muslims and Christians actually do believe in the same God, but hang around her for a while, and perhaps we can talk.
The Armenians are actually Armenian Christian, but beyond that I honestly don’t know much about the Armenian Church.
It does amaze me that, despite the differences, all these folks manage to live in Jerusalem with at least some semblance of getting along.
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May 31, 2017 at 11:56
My son is wanting to go to Pakistan someday, so I’ve been studying a lot about Islam. I believe they are incorrect about a great many things (hope this doesn’t offend you – I didn’t read the rest of your blog, so I don’t know where you stand on religion), but I believe the Christians are also wrong about a lot too. But just because neither religions have a complete or perfect picture of the One True God, I don’t think that means they are worshiping different ones. They worship the Creator, the God of Abraham. Well, there’s only one Creator, and Abraham only had one God, so in my mind, they worship the same God. Sorry if I’ve oversimplified it – that’s just how I see it.
Also, I know it seems presumptuous for me to call out the religions as a whole and say they are wrong about so many things. I feel like I’m starting to sort things out in my own head, but I’m not trying to claim to know the truth 100%. It’s just that I can see some issues with Judaism, Islam, and Christianity – how they haven’t remained entirely true to the Word of God. They are all guilty of picking and choosing.
Of course, the things I am blind to are the issues within myself. That’s why I keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking – hungering and thirsting after righteousness.
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May 31, 2017 at 12:28
Well, I do write a Christian blog, so that’s pretty much where I stand. Having said that, I am not out to argue anybody into faith by any means. I am certainly not offended by anything you say.
Feel free to hang around and check things out, and I am always ready to talk and maybe help if I can!
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