Trivia Advent Calendar

[Eva Elisabeth]

Brilliant guesses, Joe - but kudos to Gene, this is correct!!!

We have discussed all mentionings of Abraham Lincoln's alleged desire to visit Jerusalem here:
http://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussio...m#pid37088
(...and I wonder what maharba thinks about this...)

I chose the Dome of the Rock (which is admittedly rather of Jewish and Islamic than Christian importance) as this is Jerusalem's most recognizable landmark.

And since Xmas (here at least ) means 2,5 paid days off, also for non-Christians, I find it appropriate (and it doesn't harm eiter) to, whether you believe or not, know a little about the "why", the cultural background, era and area.

Jerusalem is about six miles from Bethlehem. 31 days after birth, the time came for Mary and Jesus to be presented at the temple in Jerusalem for the purification service.

"When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, 'Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord'), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: 'a pair of doves or two young pigeons." (Luke 2:21-38)

Circumcision, as part of the naming ceremony for baby boys, was required by Jewish law and still is today. It is done to remind Jewish people of the agreement that God made with Abraham in the Old Testament of the Bible. It normally takes place on the 8th day after birth and during the ceremony the baby is officially named.

Jesus had to be presented, like all new babies, to be 'paid for'. This was a way of recognising that the baby was a gift from God and really belonged to him, so the parents had to symbolically 'buy back' the baby from God. The amount that had to be paid for a baby was about 60 grams of silver.

Mary had to go to the temple to be symbolically made clean and pure for the blood that she had lost when she gave birth. To be made pure, a dove or other bird had to be sacrificed; and to be made clean, a lamb to be sacrificed. However, if you were poor, a dove could be sacrificed instead of a lamb, i.e. a pair of doves or pigeons.

The Dome of the Rock (Qubbat Al-Sakhrah) is a shrine located on the Temple Mount, the site where the Jewish First Temple and Second Temple had stood. The Western Wall, which you see in front, was once a part of the Second Temple.
           
The Second Temple was destroyed in 70AD by the Romans, who built a temple to Jupiter on the site. The Dome was completed in 691AD and is one of the oldest works of Islamic architecture. Unfortunately I had to resize the (second) photo and cut down the bits, the original photo shows the magnificent artwork much better.

At the heart of the Dome is the Foundation Stone:
   
It is the holiest site in Judaism. According to the Talmud, this rock was the first part of the Earth to come into existence, and the place where Abraham fulfilled God's test to see if he would be willing to sacrifice his son Isaac. And in Islam, the rock is the spot from which the Islamic prophet Muhammad ascended to Heaven accompanied by the angel Gabriel to pray with Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.

BTW, the birth of Jesus probably didn't happen in the year 0AD but slightly earlier, in about 5, 6 or 7BC. The dates that we use now were set by Monks and religious leaders in the Middle Ages and before. It's also quite likely that Jesus was actually born in the autumn (during Tabernacles), not in the winter! It can get very cold in the winter in Israel and it is thought that the census would have most likely taken place during the spring or autumn, at a when many pilgrims, from all over the country, came to visit Jerusalem. Also during the winter, it's less likely that the shepherds would have been keeping sheep out on the hills (as those hills can get quite a lot of snow during winter sometimes!).

Some of this and more on Wiki, and this nicely done site:
http://www.whychristmas.com/story/newborn.shtml

PS: I think the occurance of Halley's Comet (interpreted as the Star of Bethlehem) sometime between October 12BC and February 11BC is also seen as an indication for an earlier date.

I apologize for the a little off-course question and lengthy post. Now I hope you enjoy Edith Piaf's take on this:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=U8yUPEFmlBk