The Christian Kingdom of Byzantium

During the first five centuries after the quelling of the second Jewish revolt, peace prevailed in the holy city of Jerusalem^[1] and from 324 AD- 638 AD Christianity was the official religion of the empire.^[2]

In 330 AD, Emperor Constantine’s rule extended from the Roman Empire to the Byzantine Empire, and shortly after Christianity became the dominant religion of the Empire upon his conversion to Christianity.^[3] Byzantium was renamed Constantinople^[4] and became the capital of both empires: the western in Rome and the eastern in Byzantium.^[5]

A Flourishing Era of Churches

Constantine and his mother Helena ordered the erection of many churches in Jerusalem.^[6] The most important church built then was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, also referred to as the Church of Resurrection. They also ordered the building of the Church of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives, the Church of Martyrium midway between Jerusalem and Bethlehem,^[7] and the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem.^[8]

Similar to Emperors before him, Constantine prohibited Jews from entering Jerusalem and soon the city became inhabited entirely by Christians. Although the prohibition of the entry of Jews into the city existed as the general policy of the Roman Empire from the fourth century until its fall in the seventh century, during the reign of Emperor Julian, there was a brief period when Jews were allowed to return to the city.^[9] Julian persecuted Christians while allowed Jews to return to the city and rebuild their temple. After he died, e Jews were expelled once again, before they had a chance to rebuild their temple in the city.^[10]

Christians once again became the dominant inhabitants of the city and they continued to establish and expand their churches. From the beginning of the rule of Empress Eudokia in 444 AD, there was a flourishing of churches.^[11] The empress ordered the building of many churches including the Church of St Stephen where she is believed to be buried.^[12]

A pictorial map of the holy land, produced in mosaic form, was discovered in the ruins a church in Madaba, Jordan in 1897. The map dates back to the sixth century and is the oldest representation of Jerusalem. It includes the churches and monasteries of the city, its walls, streets and markets. The map is a witness to the flourishing era of both Christianity and culture in Jerusalem.^[13]

Flourishing Commercial Life

With the erection of many churches in Jerusalem, the city became a center of Christian pilgrimage. The Jerusalem that witnessed the last days of Jesus according to the Christian tradition, now attracted pilgrims from different places, which resulted in the prosperity of commerce and business. Soon the city became the richest in the East.^[14] he Fifth Church Council cemented the place of Jerusalem by declaring it the center for the Patriarchate.^[15] However, the economic and cultural growth of the city also made it a target for invasion campaigns from the competing empire of the East, Persia.^[16]

The Persian Invasion

In 614 AD, the Persian emperor Chosroes II invaded Jerusalem.^[17] Many Jews living in the northern parts of Palestine joined Chosroes’ invading troops and made their way into the city.^[18]

Upon the capture of Jerusalem, Persians and Jews massacred Christian inhabitants, destroyed churches and took The True Cross, upon which Jesus was believed to be crucified, with them to Persia.^[19]

The Persian victory, however, did not last, and ; 627-628 AD Heraclius, the emperor of Byzantium, attacked the Persians, defeated Chosroes II and restored Jerusalem to Byzantine rule again.^[20] The True Cross was also taken back to Jerusalem.^[21] Muslims believe that this battle between the two empires was mentioned in Quran in the chapter on the Romans (Surah al-Rum) where Quran predicted the victory of Rome after its defeat at the hands of the Persians.^[22]

Once again, Heraclius followed in the footsteps of Hadrian and issued an edict forbidding the Jewish presence in the city under penalty of death.^[23]

While the great empires of Persia and Byzantium were fighting over n Jerusalem, a new power emerged under Prophet Muhammad in the Arabian Peninsula that threatened both empires.^[24] The new Muslim nation fought the Romans first in Mu’ta (a city in the south of present day Jordan) and shortly afterwards, defeated them in 636 AD in the battle of Yarmouk.^[25]

In 637 AD the Arabs lay siege to the city of Jerusalem and one year later the Muslim Caliph Umar Bin Al-Khattab received a message that Aelia (Jerusalem) would surrender to him alone. The Patriarch of Jerusalem handed the city’s keys to the Caliph upon a guarantee of the city’s security to begin a new chapter of the city’s history.^[26]