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David Captures Jerusalem - for DAVID'S JERUSALEM page

'Now the Jebusites, who were the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and were by extraction Canaanites, shut their gates and placed the blind, and the lame, and all their maimed persons, upon the wall, in way of derision of the king; and said, that the very lame themselves would hinder his entrance into it.
This they did out of contempt of his power, and as depending on the strength of their walls. 

Jerusalem, City of David

David was enraged, and began the siege of Jerusalem, and employed his utmost diligence and alacrity, as intending, by the taking of this place, to demonstrate his power, and to intimidate all others that might be of evil disposition towards him;
so he took the lower city by force, but the citadel held out still; whence it was that the king, knowing that the proposal of dignities and rewards would encourage the soldiers to greater actions, promised that he who should first go over the ditches that were beneath the citadel, and should ascend to the citadel itself and take it, should have the command of the entire people conferred upon him.
So they all were ambitious to ascend, and thought no pains too great in order to ascend thither, out of their desire of the chief command.
However, Joab, the son of Zeruiah, prevented the rest; and as soon as he was got up to the citadel, cried out to the king, and claimed the chief command.
When David had cast the Jebusites out of the citadel, he also rebuilt Jerusalem, and named it 'The City of David', and abode there all the time of his reign.'  
(Josephus Antiquities, 7:3:1)

Herod's Palace - for KING HEROD'S JERUSALEM page

'......he (Herod) built himself a palace in the upper city, raising the rooms to a very great height, and adorning them with the most costly furniture of gold, and marble seats, and beds; and these were so large that they could contain very many companies of men.'
(Antiquities 15:9:3)

Royal Palace in Jerusalem

'.....the king had a palace built, which exceeds all ability to describe it;  for it was so very curious as to want no cost or skill in its construction, but was entirely walled about to the height of thirty cubits, and was adorned with towers at equal distances, and with large bed chambers, that would contain beds for a hundred guests apiece;  in which the variety of the stones is not to be expressed; for a large quantity of those that were rare of that kind was collected together.
Their roofs were also wonderful, both for the length of the beams and the splendor of their ornaments.  The number of the rooms was also very great, and the variety of the figures that were about them was prodigious; their furniture was complete, and the greatest part of the vessels that were put in them was of silver and gold. 
There were besides many porticoes, one beyond another round about, and in each of these porticoes curious pillars; yet were all the courts that were exposed to the air everywhere green. 
There were moreover several groves of trees, and long walks through them, with deep canals, and cisterns, that in several parts were filled with brazen statues, through which the water ran out.
There were withal many dove-courts a of tame pigeons about the canal; but, indeed, it is not possible to give a complete description of these palaces and the very remembrance of them is a torment to one, as putting one in mind what vastly rich buildings that fire hath consumed'.
(Josephus, Wars of the Jews 5:5:4)

Jesus in Jerusalem

JESUS IS PRESENTED IN THE TEMPLE
'After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord", and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons." 
(Luke 2:21-24)

Jesus Is Found In The Temple

THE BOY JESUS IS FOUND IN THE TEMPLE
'Every year his parents used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When the days of the feast were over and they set off home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was somewhere in the party, and it was only after a day's journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances.
When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere. It happened that, three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies.
They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, 'My child, why have you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.'
He replied, 'Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?' But they did not understand what he meant.
He went down with them then and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart.
(Luke 2:41-51)

JESUS AND THE ADULTEROUS WOMAN

The Woman Taken in Adultery

'Then each of them went home, while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the Temple. All the people came to hear him and he sat down and began to teach them.

The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" '
(John 8:1-3)

For more on this story, go to THE WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTERY

THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE
'When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!"
His disciples remembered that it is written:"Zeal for your house will consume me." Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" 
Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?"  But the temple he had spoken of was his body.'
(John 2:13-21)

THE PASSOVER WITH THE DISCIPLES

1st century house in Jerusalem  /span>

'On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, "Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?" So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, "Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready.'
(Mark 14:12-15)

For Christians, the most important events to take place in Jerusalem were the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus. The Gospel texts, too long to include here, are Matthew  26-28, Mark  14-16, Luke 22-24, John 18-20.

PENTECOST
'When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.'
(Acts of the Apostles 2:1-6)

Excavated sign forbidding entry to Gentiles

Photos of Jerusalem at GALLERY PAGE