Beyond Borders: Christianity's Love Affair With Jerusalem | Parable

This channel is part of the History Hit Network. Christmas is the world's largest holiday because of one thing. Because it celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. And where did that happen? At the Church of Nativity. I'm in Jerusalem! Jerusalem. To many, it is the holiest place on earth. And where three of the world's oldest religions began. Judaism, Christianity and Islam all started here. What secrets can I uncover on these streets? Let's find out. So people believe Jesus actually lied on this rock. This week, a journey into the seeds of Christianity. And pass the cup. Who believes in heaven? We have a ritual called awakening. Ow! Witches don't use sugar cubes. Today, we're going to have a powwow. Go Nelly! What is all of this? This is the rock that Muhammad rose to heaven. It sucks being dead. Um, um, uh... When you say tablets, you mean the 10 commandments that were given to Moses are actually sitting there. And I think I'm onto something. Christianity. Over two billion believers worldwide who believe that Jesus died on the cross for their sins. Catholics, Anglicans, Pentecostals, Evangelicals, Mennonites. There are over 40,000 religious denominations that call themselves Christians. And let's not forget that even those who believe in Judaism and Islam believe Jesus Christ was both a prophet and a true holy man. The four books of the New Testament of the Bible are all centered around Jesus' life, his death, and his resurrection. This spot right here in Jerusalem is the most sacred of them all. And I am going to find out why. And what better way to learn about Christianity than from a Christian teenager, Ramsey, who grew up for a lot of his life in Australia, but also on these streets in Jerusalem. Hey, I'm Tavia. Hi, I'm Ramsey. Pleasure to meet you. So you are my Christian guide. Yes, I am. What are we going to see today? Today we are going to explore the Old City of Jerusalem. So I say let's start. Let's go. 17-year-old Ramsey first began by showing me the sights and sounds of what is called Jerusalem's Old City. This area is filled with religious relics, nooks and crannies, and an ancient market that makes you believe that these exact stalls could have been here thousands of years ago. And they likely were. Because these alleyways lie beside the Temple Mount, often considered the holiest place on earth. Why? Because this exact spot is where Solomon's temple was erected 2,600 years ago. The same temple where the Ten Commandments rested, the two stone tablets with God's words inscribed on them. There are now quite literally 26 ancient layers of civilization buried here, each built upon each other. Now how old do you think this building is? I'd personally say like hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands of years. Next, Ramsey would take me to Bethlehem, an extension of the city of Jerusalem about 10 kilometers away in the West Bank. Bethlehem is important to Christianity for one major reason. It is the birthplace of Jesus, here at the Church of Nativity. History Hit is a streaming platform that is just for history fans, with fantastic documentaries covering fascinating figures and moments in history from all over the world. There is a great collection of religious history content from the Crusades to the birth of Islam. There are plenty of topics to choose from for your next documentary fix. We're committed to bringing history fans award-winning documentaries and podcasts that you cannot find anywhere else. Sign up now, just be sure to use the code PARABLE at checkout. So we are in Bethlehem at the Church of Nativity. Can you tell me why this place is so revered to Christians? Well, obviously this is the place where the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus when there was no info to give birth to her. So that's why many Christians come here to visit this very special place because this is where Christianity pretty much began. It doesn't matter if you meet a Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical or one of the 40,000 Christian sects, they all have something in common, this place. But for Ramsey, he does his weekly prayers not far from here, down the road at a Greek Orthodox Christian church. Sunday morning and we're in church and we're in Bethlehem in the West Bank. Yeah, Bethlehem is the most heavily Christian populated region in all the West Bank. So around 40,000 Christian Palestinians make up this population. And so you usually have the elderly women and the elderly men coming every morning at 9am. And if there are any people who recently passed away or something, they usually commemorate the gathering for them. So yeah, it's nice. It brings the community together, I guess. I see a lot of young people. I see a lot of kids, a lot of teenagers. Why do you think it's so important for Christian kids to participate in this? I mean, the Christian kids, they are the next generation. The adults are sort of passing down their knowledge of Christianity and just the whole culture down to their children so that they can do the same for their children. Anywhere in Israel and Palestine, it is not hard to come by the remnants of Jesus' time and the tales he inspired. I am halfway between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea in the middle of the desert. One of the most famous stories in the Bible happens right here. Jesus tells the story that right here by the side of the road, a man was beaten and left for dead. A rich man and a priest walk right by. But then along comes a Samaritan, who's the archenemy of the Jews, bends down, offers him assistance and brings him to an inn. And the Good Samaritan story is just one of hundreds of New Testament Bible stories about the life of Jesus and his teachings of loving thy neighbor more than thyself and lending a hand to those in need like the sick, the poor, even your enemies. And that's why Christians from all over the world flock to Jesus' message of kindness and compassion. Young Christian Ramsey was now going to take me on a walk that nearly all devout Christians worldwide wish to embark on. This is the holiest place in all of Christianity. It is amazing to see thousands and thousands of Christians walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. For this uphill path is where Jesus Christ was marched and ridiculed towards his crucifixion on the cross. Jerusalem, to many, is the holiest city on earth. And as I was discovering, one of the reasons that literally millions of Christians flock here every year is to visit the ruins of the Temple Mount. It is where the Ten Commandments rested for hundreds of years and is considered the one place on earth that is closest to heaven. It's also very close to where Jesus both lived and died. Young Christian Ramsey was now going to take me on a walk that nearly all devout Christians worldwide wish to embark on. Today we're going to explore the 14 stations of the cross in the Old City of Jerusalem. So I say let's start. Let's go. As Ramsey explained, there are 14 stations of the cross and the reason why tens of thousands of people come here every day. This is the Via Dolorosa. It is the alleyway where perhaps the most famous walk in history transpired. Christians call it the walk of pain, the walk of sorrow, or the passion of the Christ. For this uphill path is where Jesus Christ was marched and ridiculed towards his crucifixion on the cross. As Ramsey and I climb the over 600 meter long hill that is the Via Dolorosa, you can stop and reflect at each of the stations of the cross, including this one, the second, where Jesus was forced to carry his own cross. As you climb this hill, you really get a sense of how torturous it must have been for Jesus to carry this cross and climb up this hill. This is the fourth station of the cross and this is where Jesus saw his mother Mary for the last time. So now we're at the seventh station of the cross and throughout the 14 stations Jesus fell three times and pretty much due to how heavy the cross was, Jesus fell the second time here. Of the stations of the cross, numbers 3, 7 and 9 all represent how Jesus stumbled and fell but got up again. Jesus Christ's painful climb up the Via Dolorosa would culminate here, where the 10th to 14th stations of the cross lie, the grounds of the Holy Sepulchre church. This is like under here is the whole Holy Sepulchre thing and right through that door is the entrance to the Holy Sepulchre, at least one of the entrances. This is the holiest place in all of Christianity, the place Jesus Christ was crucified. This is where he was put on the cross and bowed on the cross and then this is where he was taken off the cross, washed and ready so he can be put on his throne. Once inside the Holy Sepulchre church, one quickly realizes the scope of Christianity's reach around the globe. Believers and religious leaders from every continent speaking every language fill this sacred space, all here to pray and pay homage to the memory of Jesus Christ at the place of his crucifixion. Here we are in front of the 11th and 12th stations. So these are very, very memorable. The 11th station is where Jesus was nailed onto the cross, which as you can see was over there and then right next to it, which we'll go visit right now, Ramsey now took me to the Golgotha altar or the altar of crucifixion. Here we have the place which is believed to be where Jesus was placed on the cross and died. So if you look towards the back, you'd notice that there is original rock covered by glass and that's believed to be actually from the time of Jesus. It is the 12th station of the cross and it lies above what is called the Rock of Calvary. The same rock with a hole in the middle of it, that the cross in which Jesus Christ was crucified was erected into the air. Every year, millions of people worldwide come to touch this sacred stone. Next stop was to the Stone of the Anointing, the slab of rock in which Jesus Christ lay dead and his mother Mary held him. So people believe Jesus actually lied on this rock. This is a way for people to get closer to Jesus. You can't get closer than this. It's pretty close. From this altar, Christians believe Jesus' dead body was then put in a tomb where three days later he would rise from the dead as a sign that he was truly the son of God and the gateway to heaven for those who believe in him. After experiencing the Holy Sepulcher Church firsthand, it is not hard to feel the allure of being this close to history and walking in the steps of Jesus Christ himself. Thousands of monks, religious leaders, tourists and locals like Ramsey visit this church. But I wanted to know deep down and on a personal level just how meaningful the Holy Sepulcher Church is to a true believer like Ramsey. So I wonder if you could tell me as a young Christian why this church is so incredibly important to you. That is, it's a huge question. I think it's primarily because the whole basis of Christianity lies in the Holy Sepulcher. You know, as soon as Jesus died on the cross for our sins, we gained salvation through him and that is essentially the basis of Christianity. So, and plus also in a way, this is a way Christians get to connect with Jesus and you know, get closer to Jesus. But believe it or not, there was more to experience here at the Holy Sepulcher Church and I was about to be given an exclusive sneak peek to an over 1,000-year-old ritual that has everything to do with the locking of these massive doors. So far on my Jerusalem journey into the importance this place has to Christianity, I've been to Jesus's birthplace, a Bethlehem church. But most importantly, I walked up the Via Dolorosa and traced the footsteps of Jesus Christ himself to the place he was crucified and rose again here at the Holy Sepulcher Church. The whole basis of Christianity lies in the Holy Sepulcher. You know, as soon as Jesus died on the cross for our sins, we gained salvation through him and that is essentially the basis of Christianity. For one final amazing experience here, I was invited as a special guest to the locking up of the Sepulcher Church after sundown. It is a ritual that has been sacred to Christianity for over 1,000 years. So sacred that there have been fights over who holds the key to this church among the different Christian sects. It was never settled and the solution was to have a Muslim hold the key. And this person officially acts as the church's gatekeeper, closing and opening it at dusk and dawn, signifying the safekeeping of the exact place where Jesus ascended to heaven. Even 2,000 years after his death, the stories of how Jesus lived his life throughout ancient Israel echo at sites like this one. A place where Christian monks still inhabit in remembrance of one of Jesus' most famous encounters. I'm in Jericho, the oldest city on the planet. I'm standing in front of Mount of Temptation. So why is this place so important to Christians? It is told in the Bible that Jesus wandered for 40 days until he came face to face with the devil. The devil transported him to the top of this mountain and said, bow before me and I will give you the entire holy land. And Jesus said, no, I don't bow down before anyone except God. That Jesus would never sell his soul but instead would die on the cross for humanity's sins is why billions of people worldwide still devoutly follow Jesus' teachings. But my Christian journey in Jerusalem was not over. If Jesus is to rise again as it is prophesied in the Bible, where will he show himself? The Bible prophesied that Jesus Christ will return right here on the eastern edge of the Temple Mount next to this church. This is where an ancient garden lies, the Mount of Olives. And Ramsey was going to give me a first-hand look. Now, over 2,000 years ago, Jesus came to this exact spot. Did it look just like this? I certainly hope so because this place is extremely beautiful. As you can see, the olive trees are about 2,000 years old and it's just an absolutely amazing place to be. So Ramsey, can you tell me why this location is so important to a Christian teen? Definitely. So firstly, we're on the Mount of Olives in front of the Garden of Gethsemane and this spot is very important to Christians for two reasons. Firstly, this is the place where Jesus came and prayed with his disciples last before he was put on the cross. And secondly, this is the place where it's prophesied in the last book of the Bible, Revelations, where Jesus will come back and this is where the apocalypse will take place. That is right. In the final book of the Bible, Revelations, it is believed that the world and everyone on it will be destroyed by the apocalypse. But right here on the Mount of Olives, the earth will crack open and Jesus will rise again and judge all those by their deeds and save those who believe in him as saviour of mankind. How important is it to you to believe that Jesus is going to come back to this exact spot and bring you to eternity? Scary yet also exciting. Salvation is a very big part of Christianity. So through this place, we will receive salvation and go to heaven because obviously the apocalypse is the end of the world. So this is where it all takes place. So this is a place where we will receive full salvation and actually go to heaven. And with that, I would wrap up my incredible Christian journey in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and the desert areas of Israel and Palestine. I got a chance to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. I learned how he was born, how he lived and how he died. It was a week I will never forget and an exploration that everybody should try to make at least once in their lives too.