Introduction: The city of Jerusalem has seen the rise and fall of Canaanites, Jews, Greeks, Byzantines, Moslems, Turks, and British.  Stretching through the centuries, this remarkable city on the edge of the desert has perhaps more greatly affected the morality, ethics, and religion of more people than any other place in the world. What follows is intended as a brief reference for the stages of growth, both expansion and destruction, of this remarkable city.

I. Stage 1: Unwalled

A. 3000 BCE - earliest discovered remains of habitation at Jerusalem on the Hill of Ophel.
B. 2450-2300 BCE - some reports of the Ebla Texts appear to mention the Canaanite village city.
C. 1850 BCE - Jerusalem (“Rushulimim”) referred to in Egyptian execration texts.

II. Stage 2: Jebusite (Canaanite) walled city

A. 1800 BCE - The Jebusites (according to Kenyon) build the wall of Jerusalem, which was not excavated until 1961.  Some would identify Gen. 14:18 and Melchisedek of Salem as a Jerusalemite.  The land of Moriah is identified by some with the Temple Mount (cp. Gen. 22:2).

B. 1350 BCE - Jerusalem (“Urusalim”) referred to in five Amarna letters, diplomatic correspondence written in cuneiform Akkadian and discovered in Tell el-Amarna, Egypt.  The letters were from Adbi-Heba, “King of the City,” and give reference to the Hapiru (tribal invading peoples of which the Israelites were a part) and their dangers to his throne.  The Conquest narratives of Joshua 10:3 show King Adoni-zedek there, and explain that Judah did not capture the city (Joshua 15:63; Judges 19:10).

III. Stage 3: City of David

A. 993 BCE - David captures Jerusalem seven years after becoming king. Jerusalem becomes the City of David and the capital of the country (2 Sam. 5:6-10; 1 Chron.11:4-9).

B.  David later purchased the adjacent land (2 Sam. 24:18-25).

IV. Stage 4: Solomonic expansion on Ophel

A. 961 BCE - Solomon anointed king at the Spring Gihon (1 Kings 1:38-40), and built the Temple (1 Kings 5,6), as well as fortifying Megiddo, Hazor, and Gezer (1 Kings 9:15).  The expansion of the city northward, was to build the Temple. The Millo (“to fill”?) was restored from David’s work (2 Sam. 5:9) to greater strength (2 Kings 9:15).

B. 928 BCE - Succession under Rehoboam (1 Kings 12).

C. circa 925 BCE - Shishak threatens the city from Egypt under Rehoboam’s reign (1 Kings 14).

D. 850-750 BCE - Numerous plunderings of the city by the Northern Kingdom, one of the worst of which was Joash’s taking of the Temple treasure and the overconfident Amaziah (2 Kings 145).

E. 722 BCE - The kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrians.

V. Stage 5: Hezekiah’s expansion and water protection

A. 701 BCE - The Assyrians, after destroying much of Judah, lay siege to Jerusalem. The siege was unsuccessful partly because of the tunnel of Hezekiah and his fortifications. The kingdom of Judah is saved (2 Chron. 20-32).

B. circa 670 BCE - Manasseh, the evil son of Hezekiah led a rebellion against Jehovah and (apparently) Esar-Haddon, who took him captive. Asurbanipal rose to the throne after Esar-Haddon’s death (669?) and apparently sent Manasseh home, humbled and ready to make religious, as well as civil reforms.

C. 640-610 BCE - King Josiah reforms & reestablishes the worship centralization at the Jerusalem Temple (2 Kings 22-23). Josiah’s later turning from Jehovah renews the deterioration process that causers the fall of the city of Jerusalem.

D. 606-586 BCE - Jerusalem is destroyed by the Babylonians in three waves of attacks:

1. Wave one - 606: Nabopolassar carves out his confederate empire and takes Jehoikim (2 Kings 24) *some indicate Daniel taken.

2. Wave two - 598: Nebuccadnezzar (Nabopolassar’s son) of Babylon takes Jehoichin (2 Kings 24) along with Ezekiel.

3. Wave three - Jerusalem decimated under further attack of Nebuccadnezzar II who desired to quiet uprisings in the empire.

The kingdom of Judah comes to an end, but Jerusalem is still dreamed of and longed for (Psalm 137).

VI. Stage 6: Rebuilding and expansion to northern markets. Second and third walls.

A. (538?) - Cyrus’ edict allows for return Joshua and Zerubbabel to reconstruct the city as a Jewish Center. The Temple is completed in 515 BCE (Ezra 2-6) and the Ezra reforms begin (Ezra 7-10).

B. 445 BCE - Nehemiah rebuilds the walls of Jerusalem, builds a new wall on the east side of Ophel higher up on the slope (Neh. 2).

C. 300 BCE -70 CE - Hellenism and Judaism began a long struggle. The four phases of this struggle were:

1. Ptolemaic Jerusalem (300-198) was largely prosperous, with the exception of the violent struggle by Antiochus III (Syria), when he  captured the city in 219 but lost it two years later.

2. Seleucid Jerusalem (198-141) was a turmoil filled period of struggle.  Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) desecrated the Temple at Jerusalem on Dec. 25, 168 BCE. This triggered the Maccabean Revolt, the overthrow and cleansing of the Temple (Hanukkah Dec. 25, 165 BCE), and the conquest of the Fortress AKRA in 141 BCE.

3. Hasmonean (Maccabean) Jerusalem (141-63) was a strong and prosperous time for the city. Much evidence of building remains, as the city was secure until the strife between the Jewish parties became unstable and the Romans occupied the city under Pompey in 63 BCE.

4. Roman (Occupied) Jerusalem (63BCE-70 CE) was a thriving, growing metropolis, as the Roman world provided certain “stability” at the cost of autonomy.  The occupation was more or less pronounced in various times, but the effect was generally prosperous until the first revolt in 66 CE began.

a. Herod the Great - a master builder, was responsible for:

1) The Upper City Palatial complex (begun in 24 BCE) including the Hippocus, Miriamne, and Phasael towers and the surrounding wall.

2) Fortress Antonia - on the NW corner of the Temple Mount overlooking the Temple, it has an internal courtyard and open water reservoirs.

3) Reconstruction of the Temple and environs - (begun 20 BCE) platform expanded.

4) Hippodrome - not known exactly where, but “south” of the city according to Josephus.

5) A Theatre which some position on modern Mt. Zion.

b. Herod Agrippa I - (41-44 CE) the grandson of Herod the Great built another northern wall (third) extending the city to include the residential quarter of the city as it grew north. The wall included a tower on the Northwest corner, the 135’ tower of Psephinus, completed in 66CE.

c. First Revolt - (66-73 CE) after the city was completely finished (the third wall and the Temple) the unemployment rise, along with the poor governing of Florus, the governor from 64-66CE, the Jewish citizenry began an uprising ending in the fall of Jerusalem’s Jewish quarter and Temple in 70 CE (by Titus), and Emperor Vespasian’s “victory” at Massada (by Flavius Silva). The city’s recovery was very slow, but eventually another revolt was brewing.

VII. Stage 7: Aelia capital. Expanded in Byzantine to include all hills

A. 132-135 CE - The second revolt of the Jews under Roman occupation left the city sizably smaller. Hadrian (Emperor) ordered the Jews from Judea and established Aelia Capitolina creating the present lines of the city walls of the Old City.

B. Jews are forbidden to live in Aelia Capitolina. Zion became Legio Fertinsis (Roman Legion) encampment. Judea was renamed Palestina after the Philistines of the Hebrew Scriptures.

VIII. Stage 8: Aelia Capitolina to Current walls. (All with the same wall lines).

A. 135-324 CE - The city was peaceful, but impoverished. Christian Pilgrims began to take an interest in the city.

B. 324-337 CE - While Constantine ruled and Christianity became a legal religion, Helena (mother-in-law) traveled the sacred sites. As creeds became important to the faith, churches began to mark the sites that were included in the creeds.

C. 360-363 CE - Julian (called the Apostate) supported Jews rebuilding a Temple, but died before a great impact on the city could be realized. One memorial is probably the inscription at the SW corner of the Temple Mount.

D. 379 CE - Legalization of official religion of Christianity in the Empire causes Pilgrim movement, followed by monastic centers in the land.

E. 420-600 CE - Saw the addition of several shrines to the Christian faith. The church of the Ascension, the Upper Room, the Garden at Gethsemane and the Dormition Abbey were located and became pilgrim sites. The Golden Gate complex was built, St. Anne’s church and Mary’s tomb were founded as the tradition concerning the Virgin Mary became more important to Pilgrims.

F. 614 - Persians assaulted Jerusalem and the Christian shrines were the key points of attack. The city was recaptured in 627 by the Byzantines and held until the Arab Conquest of 636. The named the city El-Kuds.

G. Crusaders conquered the city in 1099 to “liberate the shrines” of Christianity and proceeded to commit atrocities to both Jews and Moslems. Salahadin conquered in 1187 and the city eventually became a “divided city” between Moslems and Christians by 1229. The Mamlukes sacked the city in 1250 and held it until the Ottoman Turks took over in 1517. About 1535 Suleiman “the Magnificent” built the existing wall around the city.

H. The expansion beyond the walls began with closed industrial communities like Yemin Moshe (1892). Modern warfare had removed some of the impetus to expand the walls of the city to include the whole city. The Jewish population of east Jerusalem (Old City) left in 1948 conflict, only to reoccupy the area in 1967, after the Six Day War.