The Dome of the Rock

Probably the most recognized sight in Israel, the golden dome of this Islamic shrine brightly reflects the hot, Middle Eastern sun. Begun in AD 688 and finished in AD 691, it is the first major sanctuary built by Islam. It was built by Umayyad caliph Abd al-Malik to commemorate the place of Muhammad's ascension into heaven.

Although that may have been the most simple, obvious reason for the building's construction, al-Malik may have had more subtle reasons. "By erecting a beautiful building he intended to instill a sense of pride in Muslims over awed by the majestic churches of Christendom, tours of which were organized by the clever Byzantines for simple desert Arabs who tended to equate splendor and power"(The Holy Land, 86). Not only did it provide a tangible symbol of their religion, but it also claimed dominion over the Jewish and Christian religions by its location and decoration. By building on the site of the Temple and also the traditional place of Abraham's near sacrifice of Isaac, the Muslims claimed the site as their own holy place and established the permanency and strength of their religion. The decorations on the interior contain the same symbols used in Byzantine art on Christ, Mary, and the saints - like a victor possessing the symbols of power or value of a defeated nation. A more blatant attack on Christianity is found in the founding inscription which reads, "O you People of the Book, overstep not bounds in your religion, and of God speak only the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, is only an apostle of God, and his Word which he conveyed unto Mary, and Spirit proceeding from him. Believe therefore in God and his apostles, and say not Three. It will be better for you. God is only one God. Far be it from his glory that he should have a son." A clear statement against the Christian's foundational beliefs in the Sonship of Christ and in the Trinity.

There are eight stairways leading up to the platform on the Dome of the Rock. These stairways are crowned with arches or Qanatir. They are known in Arabic as mawazin, "scales." It is believed that on Judgment Day, God will hang the judgment scales on those arches to weigh human hearts against the truth.

The Dome of the Rock is surrounded by many smaller domes, the most beautiful one being the Dome of the Chain. It is named this because of the legend that Solomon hung a chain from the roof, and anyone who swore falsely while holding the chain was struck by lightening. More likely, it was not used to discern truth but to hold the Treasury of the Haram.

The view from the Dome of the Rock is as beautiful as the view of the Dome itself. This view is toward the Mt of Olives and the gold, onion-domed Russian Orthodox church.

A Determined Little Fly

Have you ever felt a barrier between you and someone else that you wished wasn't there? It could be a number of things such as distance, being in different stages of life, bitterness, or anger. Some barriers you have more of an ability to remove than others. The barrier that I am feeling right now is language. I cannot get Hebrew! Sometimes I feel like I am banging my head against the barrier wall, but never able to break through, kind of like those annoying flies in the car that repeatedly smack into the same window, determined to break through but always thrown back.

I know that if He wanted to, God could have created me with great linguistic ability, but in His wisdom, I struggle with a poor memory and a stammering tongue. Right now, I can't think of any greater earthly desire than to be able to speak in Hebrew to the people at church. Sure, it would be nice to understand what is going on around me, whether it be in the store or on public transportation, but the ones I care most about talking to and establishing relationships with are the brothers and sisters at church. Valuable desires are worth working hard for and so, even if it feels like I am banging into the same barrier, I'll keep trying. Maybe one of these days there will be a break through!

Here are a couple pictures of some of the wonderful people in Grace and Truth. Thankfully, they can all speak differing degrees of English and so we can talk and fellowship. However, by God's grace and as far as I am able, one day we'll be able to talk in Hebrew (at some degree of fluency!).

Experiences In Jerusalem

On Wednesday, I went up to Jerusalem to spend the day with Aunt Deedee and Uncle Dan. We spent the day in the old city visiting some interesting sights and experiencing some "interesting" people (more about that later!). The day was grey and cold, threatening rain that never came. We started our day walking around the city along the top of the wall, getting various views of houses, monasteries, souks, mosques, and churches.

When we reached the Damascus gate, we decided to leave our wall walk and cut through the Muslim quarter to reach the Dome of the Rock which was open to visitors a little after noon. Uncle Dan expertly navigated us through the narrow streets crowded with shops and shopkeepers encouraging us to "please, come into my shop."

By the time we left the Dome of the Rock, we were hungry and looking for a place to eat. At last, we found a felafel shop where we ordered three drinks and the usual spread of vegetables, humus, and meat for our build your own pitas. The food was wonderful, and we enjoyed it until we were full. Unfortunately, when we went to pay for the meal, the man tried to charge us 600 shekels (which is equivalent to $150!). For a basic middle eastern meal for three people, served on paper plates, I don't think so! I'm so glad Uncle Dan was there because I would have just paid for it in shock, but he kept us from being cheated. When the owner pretended to be offended, they told him to get a policeman if he wouldn't change the price, and we would take it up with him. Whew-ee! We finally got out of there, still having paid him too much for the food but at least it was a third of the original price.

After that, our desire to barter or buy had pretty much left us so we went to the Church of the Holy Sepluchre, did a little more walking, and headed elsewhere. I won't put either of the pictures from the meat market up because they were pretty gross, and I didn't even take pictures of the brains, heads, or jaws/tongues that were for sale. To see any extra pictures that I haven't posted on the blog itself, just click on the "More Pictures" link on the left of this page under "Links". These pictures are in the album labeled "In Jerusalem with Aunt and Uncle".

The stories that experiences like our rip-off lunch enable us to tell are well worth how irritated and angry they make us feel when they happen. Even though I ended that story, we really did have a wonderful day! I'm so thankful for the family that God has given me. There are few better ways to spend my time than enjoying life with them.