The Comprehensive History of Jerusalem and the Land of Israel up to the Time of Jesus

The city of Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world and it was already extremely old when Jesus and the Apostles walked its streets. Some historians believe the location has been inhabited since 3,500 B.C. The first clear reference to Jerusalem in the Bible is found in Joshua 10:1. Jerusalem was also known by the name Jebus, because it was the home of the Jebusites. The Israelites were told by God to drive out all the inhabitance of Jebus, but the men of Judah and Benjamin failed, choosing instead to live in Jerusalem alongside those they were supposed to oppose (Joshua 15:63; Judges 1:21).

The Rise of the United Monarchy and the First Temple

Jerusalem wouldn’t be completely conquered until almost 500 years later, when King David fought against it in approximately 1,000 B.C. His army took possession of the stronghold of Zion (Zion was the southernmost hill on which Jerusalem was built) and he made his home in the city. For this reason, Jerusalem is often called the City of David. Following this conquest, David’s son Solomon built a temple in Jerusalem to replace the tent (tabernacle) that housed the holy items of Israel, including the Ark of the Covenant. This made Jerusalem both a political and religious centerpiece for the people of Israel.

Division, Destruction, and the Return from Exile

Unfortunately, the kingdom divided when Solomon’s son took the throne and Jerusalem’s status as the capital was only honored by those living in the southern half of the nation. Jerusalem remained secure through the following century until the Babylonians destroyed the city and the Temple in 587-586 B.C. The people of Judah (the southern half of the kingdom) were taken captive and sent to Babylon, where they would remain confined for several decades.

In the year 539 the Persians conquered the Babylonian Empire and Cyrus the Great gave the Jews permission to return to Jerusalem. Houses were built and the construction of a new Temple was completed around 516 B.C. The city continued in a state of renovation for many decades, and it wasn’t until 445 B.C. that a man named Nehemiah rallied his countrymen to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls.

The Hellenistic Period and the Maccabean Revolt

The Persian period ended when Alexander the Great conquered the Middle East in 332 BC. Jerusalem’s inhabitants did not resist the armies of Alexander the Great when they arrived on their doorstep but capitulated to Greek rule. After Alexander’s death, Jerusalem changed hands many times between the warring dynasties that sprang from the chaos of an heirless throne. Between the years 323-141 B.C. control of Jerusalem was shared between the Antigonid, Seleucid, and Ptolemaic dynasties.

In 167 B.C., a man named Mattathias and his 5 sons rebelled against their Seleucid overlords and started a revolt (the Maccabean Revolt). They won back control of the city and the Temple for a time. The revolt was a catalyst for the further decline of the Seleucid dynasty and a step towards autonomous Jewish rule. In 140 B.C., the Hasmonean dynasty formed from the Jewish descendance of Mattathias.

The Roman Era and the Advent of Jesus

Jerusalem stayed under Jewish control until it was conquered by the rising power of the Roman Republic in 63 B.C. In 37 B.C., the Romans set up Herod (Herod the Great) as “King of the Jews.” Herod made several attempts to endear himself to his Jewish subjects, including greatly expanding and beautifying the Temple in Jerusalem and marrying Mariamne, a Hasmonean princess. He built a fortress to protect the Temple on its northwest side and named it after his friend Mark Antony, the Antonia Fortress.

The New Testament gospels pick up around 5 B.C. So, by the time John the Baptist, Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah, and Jesus of Nazareth made their appearance in the story, Jerusalem already had an extensive and tumultuous history.

Chronology of Key Historical Events

The following table summarizes the major milestones in the history of the region prior to the New Testament era:

Date / Period	Significant Event
3,500 B.C.	Earliest believed inhabitation of the Jerusalem location.
1,000 B.C.	King David conquers Jerusalem and makes it the capital.
587-586 B.C.	Babylonians destroy the city and the First Temple.
516 B.C.	The construction of the Second Temple is completed.
332 B.C.	Alexander the Great conquers the Middle East and Jerusalem.
167 B.C.	Maccabean Revolt begins against the Seleucid Empire.
63 B.C.	Roman Republic conquers Jerusalem.
37 B.C.	Herod the Great is established as King of the Jews.
5 B.C.	Approximate beginning of the New Testament gospel accounts.