Last Tuesday, Benjamin T. Rittgers wrote that Jerusalem is a city “built by Jews for Jews.” While the Jewish people do play a very intimate role in Jerusalem’s history, they are not the original founders. Jerusalem existed way back during Abraham’s time. After a major battle, Abraham met Melchizedek the priest-king of Salem (Genesis 14).

Melchizedek and his people were definitely not Jews, but it is unknown exactly who they were. Around 1000 B.C., David took Jerusalem by force from the Jebusite tribe that was inhabiting the city at that time. He renamed it the “City of David” (2 Samuel 5).

Who were these Jebusites? Genesis 10 records them as one of the Canaanite tribes. No one can say if the Jebusites themselves founded Jebus. Perhaps they, in turn, had taken it from another tribe. Many Palestinians claim to be the descendants of the Jebusite tribe. While this is certainly possible, there is a lot of special motivation to make the claim to be the earliest historical possessors of Jerusalem. At least we do know the Jews cannot make this particular claim.

I hear a lot of talk on campus about which group should have ownership rights to Jerusalem. I hear some say that a more ancient claim should win. I hear some say that a more recent claim should win.

I hear most severely underestimating the religious roots. This is more than a history of bloodshed and boundary stones. This is a war in the name of God guided by scriptural revelation.

This is a painful concept for humanists to grasp and a more painful concept for me to grasp. I believe in the God both sides are killing for, and I know seeing this is tearing him up on the inside. “As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it.” Luke 19:41

Garren HochstetlerJuniorLinguistics