Patterns of Polity
Introduction:
In this excellent book, the author discusses the way in which the Church is governed and how several institutions are merged together to provide one common whole.
Introduction:
The three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam have all left their particular mark on the city of Jerusalem. Founded in the early days of Solomon, Jerusalem has always been an important bone of contention, both as a historic city but also as a point of reference for religion. Naturally it has also been an important rallying cry for Christianity in the days of the Crusades as well as the development of the story of Jesus Christ. However today, one can say that it has reverted to its rightful owners which are the Jews although the city is still torn by sectarian strife which threatens to damage its reputation as a place for peace and tranquility.
The beginnings as the City of Judah
Jerusalem saw a considerable expansion in the second half of the Eighth century BC when the influx of refugees from the Assyrian expulsions began reaching its environs. Here one may consider the archeological remains and references which are currently below the city to observe the substantial contribution that Jewish architecture made to it. King Solomon who was undoubtedly a wise and grandiose ruler commissioned several well known architects in the building of the city and his contribution to its intrinsic history may be enjoyed also today.
Some major features which remained extant until Roman times include the stepped stone structure which is an intrinsic feature of Jewish customs and religion. This characteristic feature has remained up to a point visible today and is a clear part of the architectural prowess from early Biblical times.
Further expansion of Jerusalem under Judaism
In fact, the city of Jerusalem had its beginnings well before the 10th and 12th centuries BC. Discoveries which were unearthed by several archeologists in the 1920’s indicate houses with iron beams and superstructures which were quite advanced for their time. The early Jewish influence can be seen in these buildings which continue to astonish to this day for their avante garde prowess and rather impressive strength. In fact, buildings continue to be built in this manner as time progressed while the architectural style culminated in the Great Temple which was a miracle of architecture but which was unfortunately destroyed by the Romans in the infamous sack of 70 AD.
Christian influences
Christianity undoubtedly had an incredible effect on Jerusalem especially after its establishment as the religion of the Roman Empire after 333 AD. The architectural style of the city began changing overnight as several new churches and other buildings began being erected, particularly in the Eastern part of the city. The creation of groves, gardens, pools and other oasis like architectural features continued dominating the city while the Jewish influence was shunned and kept away. In fact according to accounts from the Bordeaux pilgrims1, we can observe that Christianity brought about a considerable change to the lifestyle and practice of the great city. Obviously not everything changed overnight but by at least 800 AD, Jerusalem could have said to be a thoroughly Christianized city.
According to Katz2, the Christians were heavily engaged in the construction of a Christianized city in the heart of Jerusalem, particularly where the Temple Mount was concerned. Viewing Jews as traitors to Christ was also another important facet to erasing any trace of Jewish customs and religion in this centre and in fact, the Jews were seen as outcasts in their own city – in all accounts a rather believable aspect. To sum up, Christainity had an incredible influence on Jerusalem in the centuries after Constantine right to the very end f the Muslim conquest.
Islam and the Islamification of Jerusalem
Of course, the other monotheistic religion which held sway over Jerusalem for a number of centuries was Islam. Jerusalem is seen as a holy place by Muslims due to the fact that it is seen as the city blessed by Allah and it is also seen as an important city in the sense that one must make a pilgrimage at one time in his/her life to it. There are also several areas which are deemed to be of historically significant importance inside the city including the area known as Al Quds where the solitary nature of prayer and meditation is important3. Obviously Jerusalem was heavily rebuilt during Muslim times with a number of mosques and other similar buildings sprouting up all over the place, most of them sublime examples of architecture and great beauty. The Muslims also introduced customs such as fasting and burial which were seen as a crucial part of their religion here and they attached great significance to the area where the Second Mosque was built. This magnificent structure which was unfortunately destroyed in the Crusades could be said to be the most spectacular contribution that Islam made to the city of Jerusalem. Several legends on the Al Quds area abound and although it is difficult to identify them today, they are undoubtedly some of the most important topographical parts of Jerusalem as a city of the Prophet.
Conclusion: Jerusalem today and in the early 20th century
Jerusalem today remains a city riven by religious factions although it is controlled practically in its entirety by Israel who have kept the most important icons as a bastion of Judaism. After centuries of decadence and abandon by the Turks where the city was left to rot without much hope of rising again, the British occupied it in the early 20th century where a revival of archeological interest took place and many important finds were unearthed4. However the city was still populated by Arabs which had reduced it to a stinking hovel and this undoubtedly had a great effect on the architecture and splendor of Jerusalem as a whole. It was not until 1947 and the establishment of a Jewish state did Jerusalem really take off as a city of beauty once again, a phoenix actually rising from the ashes.
Today Jerusalem is practically a city where Jewish influence is paramount. The Christian influence has almost disappeared although there is a vast tourism industry in that respect. The Muslim culture certainly has no place at the moment as the Jews are adamant not to accept any partition of the city alongside sectarian or religious lines. Thus one can conclude that all three religions have had a profound influence on the city of Jerusalem over several centuries yet it has returned full circle to its original roots, the roots of Judaism and Jewishness which after all make it the City of Judah.
The book starts out by pointing out that at least one third of China’s huge 1.4 billion population will be Christian. This brings several factors into account. For many years, Christians were a persecuted religion in China which delved into the atheist but as time went by, Christians began to be accepted into the social mainstream. This has considerable consequences for politics in China in the sense that these Christians can also start delving themselves into power politics thus having a hand on what is the largest population in the world.
Naturally Aikman discusses the implications of this policy which sees Christians getting much more involved in local politics. China has huge clout in the sense that it has massive economic power but there is also the spiritual aspect of 400 million Christians who are practically the whole population of Europe which could easily form part of this community in the next three decades.
The most interesting part of the discussion is that persecution and encouragement actually exist side by side in China. This is due to the fact that the government actually encourages its own form of the Christian religion where it can obviously continue to control and connect into its own facets. How these co-exist side by side is interestingly argued by Aikman who delves into various problems that this creates. For Aikman, there is the great philosophical question of who is right and who is wrong on the question of persecution and the imposition of state religion into local politics and the local populace. The Church in China seems to be quite powerful in the sense that it has quite strong backing from official channels and that has a certain leverage on what might happen in the future especially in relation to the West.
Chinese Christians as allies of the US
Interestingly enough, Aikman argues that Chinese Christians see themselves as allies with the United States on various issues, primarily against the spread of Islam. With the total conquest of capitalism in the country, China appears much more poised to take over global leadership and even religion wise this is having an effect on what goes on in the world. Chinese Christians also see themselves as consistent allies with Israel over the Islam question due to a number of factors but principally due to the fact that all this instability in certain regions creates economic repercussions which are not welcome for China. Other than that, the global influence of the Chinese economic powerhouse will be negatively affected by Islamic dominance as this creates an instability which cannot be undermined.
The beginnings of Christianity in China
Aikman recounts what happened when St Francis Xavier came to China in the 16th century and started off Christianity by converting several people into the faith. He is circumspect about the early beginnings of the Christian faith which was obviously not always easy and comments extensively on what happened in those early years.
Aikman then turns to the Communist years where anti Christian persecution was the order of the day with Mao tse Tung the chief architect of these rabid and violent persecutions. Aikman is very descriptive on the violence towards the Christians which came in all shapes and sizes and this situation was a rather terrible one at the time.
Aikman also recounts the huge bravery of those Christians who worked underground to keep the flame alive at huge personal risk. Some of these accounts are rather harrowing in their intensity but they also demonstrate the sheer personal determination to keep everything alive in the dungeons of Communist China. I was really gripped by Aikman’s text in this regard as he creates situations where one cannot fail but admire these great people who single handedly kept the Christian religion from total oblivion.
Aikman’s arguments on the post-Mao era are also quite interesting as the thaw which appeared across all strata of Chinese society was singularly affected by the government’s attitude towards organized religion. Although persecution did continue up to a point, the thaw also affected religion which was also seen as a possible outlet for reaching out to other parts of Chinese society which perhaps were not so singularly affected by the thaw.
The taming of the Chinese lion by the Christian lamb.
David Aikman also comes up with an interesting comparison about the taming of the Chinese lion by the Christian lamb. With the liberal, economic reforms currently sweeping China, the rise of Christianity is certainly an important factor, Aikman argues that the rise of Christianity continues to factor in several differences in the country which has risen from the ashes of hard line Communism into what can only be termed as a global economic powerhouse.
Aikman also analyzes what is happening in the deep echelons of the Communist Party where this is getting more and more influenced by Christian ideals which act as a buffer against the more extreme elements of the party. This creates an intriguing balance in the sense that economic reforms can continue but the influence of the Christian religion on the population and also on world affairs is powerful enough to warrant severe consideration by Chinese foreign policy makers.
Bibliography
Hammer R, The Jerusalem Anthology; The Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, Jerusalem, 1995
Vaughan, Killibrew; Jerusalem in Bible and Archeology; Brill Leiden Boston 2003
Irshai O; The Christian Appropriation of Jerusalem; from The Jewish Quarterly Review, University of Philadelphia Press, Philadelphia 2009
Abdul Hameeed M, Khateeb; Al Quds, The Place of Jerusalem in Classic Judaic and Islamic Traditions; Ta Haa Publishers London, 2009
