Christianity, Islam, and Judaism: The Most Influential World Religions in History

Christianity, Islam, and Judaism are three of the most influential world religions in history. They are known as the Abrahamic Religions because they all recognize Abraham as their first prophet. They were all born in the Middle East and are inextricably connected to one another. Christianity was born from within the Jewish tradition, and Islam developed from both Christianity and Judaism. For centuries, Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel, is considered as a holy city to Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike. This city holds significant meaning to these religions because of the many different events that are said to have taken place there. Jews believe that their King David, had named it and it was where Solomon had built the temple. Christians are convinced that Jerusalem was the place where Jesus was crucified. Muslims think the holy city is where Muhammad ascended to the heavens to meet God.

Jewish tradition states that Jerusalem became it’s holiest city when their King, David established it as the capital of the United Kingdom of Israel and his son Solomon, built the First Temple on Mount Moriah. According to “The Abrahamic Religions”, Judaism is the oldest surviving monotheistic religion. In fact, Jerusalem is so important to the Jewish tradition that the city is given 70 names in the Mishnah (the Jewish oral corpus) ranging from “Peace” to “Faithful City” to “City of Righteousness” to “Doorway to the World’s Peoples.” The city was ruled by King David and his successor King Solomon, whose descendants continued to maintain control for the next several centuries. Even when the kingdom split into the Kingdom of Israel in the North and the Kingdom of Judah in the South, Jerusalem remained the capital of Judah under the House of David and Solomon. According to sacred Jewish texts, Jerusalem first gained its political importance when King David established it as the united capital of the twelve tribes of Israel in 1000 BCE. Yet its religious significance was sealed centuries earlier, when Abraham ascended Mount Moriah in Jerusalem in the famous story of the Binding of Isaac, as recounted in Genesis 22.

Christians are convinced of the idea that the “holy city” was where Jesus was crucified and resurrected. The Via Dolorosa (Way of Sorrows) was the path Jesus walked while carrying a cross to Calvary. Calvary is the site where Jesus's body was nailed to the cross, where he died, and was resurrected. In this location, a cultural landmark was created called the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Therefore, this spot is very special to Christians. According to “What Christians Believe”, Christianity developed out of the monotheistic tradition of Judaism; Jesus, its founder, was a member of the Jewish community in Roman Palestine. Christians believe that God includes: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Jesus is considered the son of God, born to the virgin Mary and came to Earth to offer a better life here and in the afterlife through Christianity. In the New Testament of the Bible, Jerusalem symbolizes the new people of God redeemed by