Update from the Temple Mount: Gate of Mercy

The Gate of Mercy is also known as the Golden Gate or Eastern Gate.  Palestinians took over the area inside the wall last Friday and seem to be claiming a victory.  They argue that Israel wants to turn the space into a site for prayer.  Palestinians also hold the view that the area belongs to them (and not to Israel).

Mahmoud Al-Habbash claimed that the “Golden Gate” is part of Muslim doctrine.  In other words, it does not belong to the Jewish People.  This claim should not be too surprising for in the past Al-Habbash denied that Palestine and even Jerusalem itself is the Jewish Promised Land.

However, there is evidence that a gate already existed during Second Temple Judaism.  Jesus most likely entered the city through the gate from the Mount of Olives after which he entered the Temple (Mk 11:11; Mt 21:10:11; and Lk 19:37).  The Mishnah refers to the gate to the city, though calls it the Eastern Gate through which the high priest would go forth to the Mount of Olives on special occasions (m. Middot 1:3).  The prophet Ezekiel shares a vision in which he sees the eastern gate and learns that it will be closed up until the Lord, the God of Israel will enter (Eze 44:1-3).  The prophet Zechariah envisions the LORD standing on the Mount Olives; on that day the LORD will come and enter into judgment against the hostile nations; the LORD will become king over all the earth; the LORD will be One; those who survive from the nations will come up to Jerusalem and worship the LORD of Hosts and keep the Feast of Booths (Ezk 14:1-16).

The present gate as it now stands is closed from the outside.  It is uncertain when it was closed and when the gate was actually constructed.  In 1969, James Fleming accidently discovered another gate beneath the existing gate.    

Golden Gate from a Distance

Golden Gate Closeup 

China, the Dragon, and the Woman

China became a home for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in the first millennium.  Presently, they still exist in the country—alongside Buddhism, Confucianism, and other religions—but the majority of the people are non-religious or atheists.  In the past twenty years, China has taken a strong stance against certain religious groups.  Nearly one million Uighur Muslims were forced into concentration camps in order to reeducate them.  The crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad bin Salman, recently met with China’s President Xi and expressed to him that “China has the right to carry out anti-terrorism and de-extremisation work for its national security.”  However, the Turkish President Erdogan accused China of “genocide.”  In 2018, an Evangelical Christian church named the Golden Lampstand Church was destroyed by Chinese officials.  Even Protestant and Catholic churches have been demolished in what appears to be the attempt to control religion.   

Remembering the Christian Martyrs

21 Coptic Christian Martyrs 

Attempting to defend Islam at all costs and/or argue that it is entirely comparable with Christianity is erroneous and problematic.   There are testimonies—both past and present—that give witness of the differences and struggles when encountering Islam.  Robert Hoyland has surveyed Christian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian sources from the 7th century through the 11th century showing there are “real and substantial” differences.  Father Henri Boulad, an Egyptian Greek Melkite Jesuit, has argued that, “by defending at all costs Islam and seeking to exonerate it from the horrors committed every day in its name, one ends up betraying the truth.”  I myself remember the 21 Christian Coptic martyrs who were killed on February 15, 2015 by masked ISIS terrorists.  I also recall Father Jacques Hamel, the French Catholic priest, who was martyred on July 26, 2016 by two Muslim men who were aligned with ISIS.    

More Unrest on Temple Mount at Mercy Gate

19 Palestinians arrested in fresh Temple Mount clashes

THE TIMES OF ISRAEL: Police say dozens of worshipers tried to breach a closed off area of the holy site that has been at the center of recent tensions; several Palestinians reported injured Palestinian worshipers clashed with Israeli police on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount on Tuesday, trying to force their way into an area of the flash-point holy compound that has been closed for years. Police said 19 Palestinians were arrested.  The incident follows a similar confrontation on Monday in which Palestinians tried to break the gate that Israel placed on the closed area last week after the Muslim Waqf religious council broke into the area and held prayers there.

Update from the Temple Mount: Conflict at the Mercy Gate

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Five Palestinians were arrested [February 18, 2019] during clashes with police over an area of the Temple Mount that has been closed off for 15 years.

Police closed and locked the Golden Gate, or the Gate of Mercy, the only eastern gate to the Temple Mount, on Thursday after worshippers gathered in the Bab al-Rahma structure that has been closed since 2003 because police determined that the Islamic heritage organization that had operated out of the building was associated with Hamas.

On Monday morning, dozens of worshippers attempted to force their way through the gate, leading to clashes with police.

The Mercy Gate (Golden Gate) that faces east toward Mt. Olives.  I took this picture in the Summer of 2017.  When I visited it, this gate was locked from the inside (LFL).

Picture looking from Temple Mount facing north taken near the Mercy Gate, Summer 2018 (LFL).

One of the many olive trees on the Temple Mount.  This one was near the Mercy Gate, Summer 2018 (LFL).

Why was the Dome of the Rock built on the Temple Mount?

Women on Temple Mount for Prayers (Credit: Muammar Awad)

Hagia Sophia Museum in Istanbul (Credit: AFP)

Why was the Dome of the Rock built?  Until recently there were two proposals.  First the structure was built by Abd al-Malik from the Umayyad caliphate as a rival to the caliphate in Mecca headed by Abdallah ibn al-Zubayr.  The second suggests the dome was built as a competitor to the nearby Christian Church of the Holy Sepulcher.  A more recent proposal from Milka Levy-Rubin argues that the Dome of the Rock was built to restore Jerusalem’s significance among the holy sites.  The dome was not a rival to Mecca, rather to Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire, and Hagia Sophia.  The Dome of the Rock was a Muslim version of the Temple of Solomon.  Levy-Rubin does not deny the importance of the two above proposals, but provides the political and ideological rivalry with Constantinople as a third incentive for building the Dome of the Rock.    
      

See M. Levy-Rubin, "Why was the Dome of the Rock built? A new perspective on a long-discussed question", Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies (BSOAS), 80.3 (2017), pp. 441-464.

France, Anti-Semitism, and Anti-Catholicism

Alain Finkielkraut, Septembre 2017. ©Hannah ASSOULINE/Opale/Leemage

Has France lost a portion of her heart?  I hope not!  I have dear friends and family who love France and have spent time there.  Most of them have wonderful things to say about her.  However, occasionally there are reports that certain individuals are targeting certain groups with verbal and physical violence to both person and property.  I found two examples today.   A recent video captures Alain Finkielkraut, a Jewish French philosopher, as he is verbally assaulted on the streets of Paris. On an up note, French President Emmanuel Macron tweeted and spoke against the attack.  Since the beginning of February, there have been nearly 10 occasions of vandalism and defilement of Catholic churches in France.  According to a report, vandals have “smashed statues, knocked down tabernacles, scattered or destroyed the Eucharist, burnt altar cloths and torn down crosses, among other acts of desecration of religious items.”     

Poland, US, Israel, and the Middle East

US Vice-President Mike Pence, wife Karen, Poland Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, wife Iwona, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and wife Sara in Warsaw, Poland, February 14 (Wojtek Radwanski/AFP)

A conference entitled “Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East” met in Warsaw, Poland, February 13-14, 2019.  The gathering of nearly 70 nations was organized by Poland and the US to discuss a number of issues including the crises in Yemen, the perceived threat of Iran, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Russia and Iran did not officially attend the conference.      

Among those attending were Jordanian minister Ayman Safadi, Saudi Arabian minister, Abdullah bin Zayed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Vice-President Mike Pence, and Poland Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.  

Morawiecki had planned to visit Israel next week, but has reconsidered after Benjamin Netanyahu made despairing remarks during the conference about Polish involvement in the Jewish holocaust. 

Jordanian minister Ayman Safadi attended the conference and made known his country’s stance that there will be no peace and security in the region without resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which included the rights of the Palestinians. 

The US peace plan for the Middle East was not revealed, though there are indications it will be unveiled after the Israeli elections next April. 

Tale of Two Journeys and Two Popes

Historical Background to Human Fraternity

The tale of two journeys involves two popes.  One traveled westward and the other eastward.  It starts thirteen years ago with Pope Benedict XVI and his apostolic journey to Germany where he presented his now famous Regensburg Lecture in 2006 on Faith, Reason and the University.  In other words, the lecture discusses the rationality of faith.  Benedict XVI referred to an obscure 14^th century text concerning a dialogue between the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleogogus and an educated Persian on the subject of Christianity and Islam.  Forcefully, the emperor says to his dialogue partner, "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”  The emperor goes on to say that it is not necessary to resort to force, a whip, or any threat of death, adding no one can claim to use violence because it is an order from God.

There were of course a variety of responses to the Regensburg Lecture.  These ranged from outright condemnation, a call for the pope to apologize, defense of the pope, and an initiative to dialogue with the pope.  Pope Benedict XVI himself did express his regret for the reactions in some countries by his address at Regensburg, which was offensive to the sensibility of Muslims.  Among the more radical reactions, it was reported that several churches were attacked and burned in the West Bank and Gaza.  There even were news reports that some groups were calling for violence against Catholics, Christians, and even the pope himself.  However, one of the more remarkable responses was a call for an inter-religious dialogue in the spirit of intellectual exchange and a quest for mutual understanding.  In 2007, a group of 38 Muslim religious scholars and leaders wrote an Open Letter to His Holiness PopeBenedict XVI in response to his Regensburg Lecture demonstrating openness to dialogue. * 

In 2010, the Synod for the Middle East met to discuss the Catholic Church in the Middle East.  Before Pope Benedict XVI released his post-synod letter on the meeting, several churches of Coptic Christians in Alexandria were bombed.  Pope Benedict condemned the attack.   In response, Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt broke off diplomatic relations with the Holy See (though later restored in 2016).  When the post-synod exhortation was released by the Vatican, entitled Ecclesia in Medio Oriente (Church in the Middle East), Pope Benedict XVI reaffirmed and encouraged interreligious dialogue among Christians, Jews, and Muslims as children of Abraham (secs. 19, 23, 25-28).  Benedict XVI expressed himself as follows:

May Jews, Christians and Muslims find in other believers brothers and sisters to be respected and loved, and in this way, beginning in their own lands, give the beautiful witness of serenity and concord between the children of Abraham. Rather than being exploited in endless conflicts which are unjustifiable for authentic believers, the acknowledgment of one God – if lived with a pure heart – can make a powerful contribution to peace in the region and to respectful coexistence on the part of its peoples (Eccleisia in Medio Oriente 19).

In 2014, Ahmed al Tayyib, Grand Imam of Al Azhar, established the Muslim Council of Elders, which is based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.  It is an international organization of Muslim scholars, experts, and dignitaries.  The Council of Elders would later have an important role in the meeting with Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi and the signing of the document Human Fraternity with Ahmed al Tayyib in February 2019.  Before the signing of the document, there were several meetings, conferences, and declarations between the years 2014-2019.  For example, meetings took place in Morocco, Cairo,  Islamabad, and the UAE. 

Finally, this brings us the second journey.  Pope Francis’ trip to the UAE February 3-5 was intended to be an encouragement to Catholics living in the UAE and to be an engagement in inter-religious dialogue. After thirteen years, the West finally met the East within a tradition begun by his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI, which stressed the importance of the reasonability of faith, the importance of dialogue, and the rejection of using faith as a pretense for violence and war. 

Human Fraternity

One of the goals of Pope Francis' trip to the UAE was inter-religious dialogue.  He seems to be writing a page in the history of religious conversation.  Specifically, he signed a joint document "Human Fraternity” with the Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayyeb.  There already have been a number of responses to the document.  Some are critical.  Others are less so.  US Catholic officials welcomed the signing of the document.  

One of the controversial points in the document is its comments on pluralism and diversity of religion as something willed by God.  There are other points that might not be objectionable: the condemnation of terrorism and the pretense of religion to wage war; the call to protect various places of worship – synagogues, churches, and mosques; and the call to stop supporting terrorist movements.  Time will reveal the problems, merits, and degree of success of the document.  

Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb 

UPDATE (3/8/2019): Bishop Schneider later received a clarification from Pope Francis on the statement in Human Fraternity that pluralism and diversity of religion is willed by God.  The diversity of religion is the result of the permissive will of God and not as something positively willed by God such as the diversity of sexes. 

Appraisal of Pope’s Visit to UAE

An Appraisal of the Pope’s Visit to UAE

I came across an episode of “Inside the Vatican” on Pope Francis’ recent trip to the UAE.  Its authors, Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell, argue that the visit was successful.  There were several accomplishments during the trip including the encouragement of the Catholic minority in Abu Dhabi, the largest Christian act of worship ever to take place in the Arabian Peninsula, and dialogue between Christians and Muslims, which included a gift of land from Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Hahyan, the Crown Prince of the UAE, for the construction of side by side buildings (a church and a mosque) to commemorate the pope’s visit.  During the trip, Pope Francis even was able to address the humanitarian crises in Yemen, which is the result of four years of civil war including famine, malnutrition, and the displacement of 2,000,000 people.  

Pope attends a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace in Abu Dhabi, UAE along with Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum and Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Hahyan (CNS photo/Paul Haring).

Critical View of Pope's Visit to UAE

If you have been following my comments on Pope Francis’ visit to the UAE, I mentioned various views on the relationship between Christianity and Islam.  The first is a kind of inclusivism, which holds that there is no real difference, so perhaps let us just all get together.  The second is a kind of exclusivism, which argues the two religions have nothing in common.  The third is a kind of conversation that works to discover those truths held in common.    

I found a recent post entitled “A Not-So-Innocent Abroad: Pope Francis in Arabia,” which is the first part of an article by Srdja Triflovic who scrutinizes the papal visit to the UAE.  Triflovic expects nothing good to come from Pope Francis’ meeting with the “Muslim Council of Elders.”  He is especially critical of Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb who is involved with the  dialogue.  Triflovic’s view of Islam seems to find very little if anything common between the two religions.  Thus, he is not very optimistic about Pope Francis’ meeting with Muslim leaders in the UAE. 

Pope Francis, Christianity, Islam, and the UAE (part three)

Pope Francis’ visit to the UAE this week is historical for a number of reasons.  His journey is the first papal visit to the region.  Nearby Saudi-Arabia is the birth place of Islam. Not surprisingly, his trip takes place during the 800^th year anniversary of the historical meeting between Francis of Assisi and Sultan al-Malik of Egypt.  Francis has not been afraid to warn of the extremism that is sometimes inherent in the name of religion.  Thus he seems to follow the warning of his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI.  However, Francis like Benedict is also consistent with Vatican II’s teaching on Islam that seeks to point out and appreciate those aspects that are good.  Pope Francis sees the coming meetings an opportunity for mutual dialogue and understanding between Christianity and Islam.  Hoping the visit will be encouraging to Christians and fruitful for inter-religious conversation.

Pope Francis arrives in Abu Dhabi, UAE (AFP/Getty Images)

Pope Francis, Christianity, Islam, and the UAE (part two) edited

The approach of Saint Francis is needed today.  Among our present western mentality, there are a number of approaches toward Muslims.  The first would argue that there is really no difference between Christianity and Islam.  This view is too simplistic and does not acknowledge important differences between the two religions.  The second sees Islam as an intrusion, alienation, and perversion of the Judah-Christian religion.  Islam is seen as a radical people set on violent hostility in order to bring the world into submission to Islam.  This view tends to instill mistrust and fear among Christianity and Islam.  The third approach looks for those essential things that are common in order to open doors of dialogue and mutual understanding in order to promote mutual growth and development.  This way does not deny differences, but rather seeks truth, beauty, goodness, and a just society with civility.  

Giotto - Saint Francis before the Sultan of Egypt

I visited Assisi, Italy in 1994.  This is a picture looking down from the mountain/hill where Francis spent time in prayer. 

I captured this still on top the mountain/hill of Assisi.  It was a wonderful experience.  There was a mysterious fog that covered the area and suddenly I spotted this vine like growth.  It was like seeing traces of the divine Trinity among God's creation.

Pope Francis, Christianity, Islam, and the UAE (part one) edited

Pope Francis will visit Abu Dhabi, UAE February 3-5.  While visiting the Catholic community in the region, the pope's mission appears to be modeled on Saint Francis of Assisi.  As the crusades were taking place large numbers of Europeans were heading to the Holy Land in order to defend Christians with the willingness to follow the steps of Jesus.  Weapons were employed and a desire to lay down one’s life.  However, Saint Francis is an alternative and very much the imitation of Jesus.  Not only is he willing to go to Jerusalem and die as a martyr, Francis is also willing to take up the preaching of the Gospel (without arms), which he did before the Sultan al-Malik al-Kamil in Egypt.  Apparently he did not entirely convince him, but Francis did appear to win the hearts and minds of others with his approach.   

Saint Mary's Catholic Church in Dubai, UAE (REUTERS/JUMANA ELHELOUEH)