Mae Jemison works aboard the space
shuttle Endeavor.
20 Jemison, Mae BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
ated an international science camp for
teenagers.
..More to explore
African Americans • Science • Space
Exploration
Jerusalem
Population
(2006 estimate)
729,100
Jerusalem is an ancient city in the
Middle East. Three major religions—
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—
regard the city as holy. In modern times
the country of Israel and the Palestinian
Arabs have fought for control of Jerusalem.
Israel claims the city as its capital.
However, the Palestinians have protested
that claim.
Major Holy Sites
The part of Jerusalem called the Old
City has many important religious sites.
Jews consider the Western Wall to be a
holy place of prayer. It is all that
remains of the Second Temple of
Jerusalem, which was destroyed in
ancient times.
Christians consider Jerusalem holy
because of its connections with Jesus.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is in
Jerusalem. Christians built it over the
place where they believe Jesus was killed,
buried, and then raised from the dead.
The holiest Muslim site in Jerusalem is a
monument called the Dome of the
Rock. Muslims believe it marks the place
where an angel carried Muhammad, the
founder of Islam, up to heaven.
Economy
Many people in Jerusalem work at jobs
serving the public, such as in
government, health care, or education.
The city is also a center of tourism and
banking. Factories in the city make
electronics, processed foods, and other
products.
History
People have lived in Jerusalem for at
least 5,000 years. In about 1000 BC King
David made Jerusalem the capital of the
Jewish kingdom of Israel. The Jews built
the First Temple of Jerusalem in the
900s BC. Troops from Babylonia
Jews pray at the Western Wall in the Old
City of Jerusalem. Behind the Western Wall
is the Dome of the Rock.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Jerusalem 21
destroyed the temple in 586 BC. They
also forced many Jews to leave Jerusalem.
About 50 years later the Jews
returned and built the Second Temple.
Jesus was killed in Jerusalem in about AD
30. At that time Jerusalem was part of
the Roman Empire. In AD 70 the
Romans destroyed much of the city,
including the Second Temple.
Various Muslim leaders ruled Jerusalem
for most of the 600s to the early 1900s.
Christian soldiers called Crusaders captured
the city a few times during the
1000s to 1200s.
In 1948 the country of Israel was created.
The United Nations was supposed
to rule Jerusalem as an international city.
However, war broke out. During the
fighting the country now called Jordan
captured Jerusalem’s eastern section.
Israel captured Jerusalem’s western section.
Israel took control of the entire city
in 1967.
..More to explore
Christianity • Crusades • Islam • Israel
• Jesus Christ • Judaism • Muhammad
• Palestine
Jesus Christ
The teachings of Jesus, or Jesus Christ,
are the basis of Christianity. Christians
believe that Jesus was the Messiah—a
savior sent to deliver people from sin.
The word Christ comes from Khristos,
the Greek word for Messiah.
Early Life
Nearly everything known about Jesus
comes from the Bible, in the four books
of the New Testament known as the
Gospels. According to the Bible, the
angel Gabriel visited a woman named
Mary and told her she would give birth
to the Son of God. Her son, Jesus, was
born in about 6 BC in Bethlehem, a city
in the Middle Eastern region of Palestine.
Mary and her husband, Joseph,
were from Nazareth, and that is where
Jesus grew up.
Ministry
Jesus began preaching when he was
about 30 years old. He gathered a group
of 12 followers, or disciples, called the
apostles, who helped him spread his
message. Jesus was a Jew, and many of
his teachings grew out of Judaism. He
taught people to forgive others, to live a
good life, and to honor God so as to
A painting shows an artist’s idea
of what Jesus looked like. The
halo around Jesus’ head is a
symbol of holiness.
The Old City
is surrounded
by a stone
wall built in
1538–40.
Newer parts
of Jerusalem
were built
outside the
wall.
22 Jesus Christ BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
enter God’s kingdom. He often taught
by using parables, or short stories that
illustrated his message. The Gospels also
describe various miracles he performed,
such as raising the dead, turning water
into wine, and healing the sick. Jesus
attracted many followers.
Opposition to His Ministry
Jesus welcomed all types of people, even
those whom Jewish religious leaders
considered to be sinners. Some religious
leaders thought that Jesus’ teaching was
wrong and that it was leading people
astray. Others feared that he might start
a political uprising and that this would
lead to great trouble.
Death and Resurrection
Jesus knew that opposition to him was
growing and that one of his disciples,
Judas Iscariot, was turning against him.
Jesus gathered the apostles together for a
meal, later known as the Last Supper.
He told them that his death was necessary
because it would establish a new
bond between God and humans. Jesus
took bread and wine, blessed them, and
shared them with his disciples. Christians
remember this in a ceremony
known as Holy Communion or the
