History of Jerusalem: The BBC Documentary is Misleading

Jerusalem has been one of the hottest topics of discussion for thousands of years. It has been conquered, destroyed, rebuilt, and conquered again. Its historical and political importance are unquestioned. It’s place in the Bible is without peer.

When I learned that the BBC had done a three-hour documentary on the subject, I was skeptical of its validity. Mainstream media has a way of diluting religion down to fable and must stay politically correct when it comes to documenting history, particularly one with such a wide range of diverse opinions that billions in the world consider facts. What I realized when I watched it was that their handling of the subject was much worse than I could have imagined. It isn’t just a standard “safe” exposition on the history of the city. It attempts to diminish the truth of what the city represents, going so far as to say that the Bible is “sometimes correct but only when compared to historical documents”.

Here is a transcript of the introduction in the first video given by its narrator, author and historian Simon Sebag Montefiore. As you’ll see, it’s the standard vanilla. Only later do we start to really get into the mangling of the history of the city.

Jerusalem is the shrine of three faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It’s a place of exquisite beauty but also of ugly vulgarity. For some, this is the center of the world and the home of God Himself, but for others, Jerusalem is the best argument against religion there’s ever been. Jerusalem’s holiness has made it the most fought-over city in history. Over the centuries, Jews, Christians, and Muslims have competed viciously to commandeer the history and holiness of this place, but as the competition has intensified, so has the holiness.

All three religions have shared origins in the Old Testament and all have laid claim to Jerusalem. For many, the history of the city is more a matter of faith than fact, but I believe you can piece together Jerusalem’s fractured history and that’s the story I’m going to tell. It’s a story of empires won and lost, power and identity. Above all, it’s a story for man’s search for holiness.

So how did this craggy, remote, obscure little stronghold become the holy city, the prime place on earth for God to meet man?

The real problem is with the subtlety. As we posted in a previous article about the Importance of Subtle Blasphemy, there are small bites being taken out of our collective understanding of our place in the world. It isn’t the overt attacks that should worry Christians and Jews the most. It’s the little doubts that documentaries like this can bring into one’s consciousness.

I’m posting the video, but be warned. The history as told here does not ring true from a Biblical perspective. If you are strong in your faith and wearing the Armor of God as you watch, you’ll be able to distinguish the false statements from the truthful ones. This is how deceptions are made most powerful. When the truth is intermixed with lies, it’s easier to deceive or be deceived. Watch the video and leave a comment here and/or on the video about the points you found most erroneous.

via Judeo Christian Church http://judeochristianchurch.com/history-of-jerusalem-the-bbc-documentary-is-misleading/