New-York tribune., 1917-12-11
Jerusalem Centre
Of Many Battles
Through Centuries

Jerusalem's origin is lost IN the
mists Of time, but reference IN the
Tcll-el-Amara letters and in Genesis
viv. 1s. show it fourished long before
Moses led the children Of Israel out OF
Ervpt. It was strongly fortified
when the tribe Of Judah captured the
region just to the south and remained
in the hands Of the Jebusites until
King David captured it md made II
his capital.
David's son Solomon erected royal
palace. temple and other beautiful
buildings. which caused the Queen OF
Sheba to remark that "the half had
never been told" TO her about its won
ders.
After being a tributary state Of the
Assyrian Empire for many years, the
city rebclled and was besieged and capt
ued By Nebucbadnezzar l5S7-JS6 b.
c. The splendid buildings were
levelled and the population carried into
captivity.
Fifty years later Cyrus permitted
The Jews TO return and rebuild their
holy city. About fifty thousand are
supposed TO have come back. The city
was mostly under Persian rule until
the time Of Alcxander's conquests.
The Greek Emperor does not seem TO
have visited Jerusalem, but for one
hundred years the city was subject TO
the Greek rulers Of Egypt.
Greeks Once Held 1t
In io7 p. c. the Greco-Roman King
dom Of Antioch gained control. A de-
termined effort was made 90 Hellenic
the population. This led to continued
disorders. and finally Antiochus ~, in
l6s B. c., massacred large part Of
the people, broke down the walls and
erected an altar Of Jupiter i'm the
temple.
Then Judas Maccabeus, a Jewish
priest and his brothers led a success
ful revolt, purified the temple and re-
stored the fortihcations.
The capture Of the city by the
Roman Iompey in 6S B. c. had no dis
astrous consequences, and the place
attained great prosperity under Herod
the Great, 81 y. c. lie built a hip
podrome, a theatre, a great reservoir
and many other magnificent buildings
and reconstructed the temple on a
magnificent scale.
This period Of good fortune termi-
mated with tho terrible sige and capt
ure by Titus IN 20 A. d., when most Of
the city was laid in ruins. About 1870
A. D. the Emperor Hadrian rebuilt it,
nut forbade all Jews to enter it. From
uadrian 10 Constantine the Great lit
tie is known Of its history. Constantine
built the Church of the Holy Sepul-
chre. The city was now favorite re-
sort Of Christian pilgrims.
Captured by Persians
Jerusalem was captured by the Per
SLAMS in GA. recovered by tho En-.
pericr Heraclius m 62S. and taken By
the Caliph Omar in 637. The Arab
Ashometans treated the Christians
leniently. 4, was "a different matter
when the wild Seljuk Turks took pos
session. in 1917. Their maltreatment
OF the Christians principally brought
about the Crusades. and in 1929 God
frey Of Bouillon and his comrades
wrested it from the infdols.
Godfrey WAS offered the kingship.
but he refused 20 wear "a crown OF
gold where the Savior had worn a
crown Of thorns." and called himself
simply Protector OF the Sepulehre"
In 1887 the line Of Christian rulers
terminated with the conquest Of Sa-
lAdin. In 1929 the Emperor Frederick
II got possession OF the city by treaty
with the Sultan kameel. and in 1874 IL
passed finally out of Christian hands 10
this day with the capture by the
kharezmians.
Hapsburgs Held Crown
The title Of KING Of Jerusalem, how
ever, was long borne By the kings Of
Naples and Sicily, from whom II passed