Jerusalem in the Time of Emperor Justinian (527-565 CE)

1. Jerusalemin the Time of Emperor Justinian (527-565 CE) Carl Pace, Jan. 2008

2. Introduction • Byzantine Jerusalem held the unique quality of being both on the periphery of the Empire and ideologically at the center of the world. • Profound economic, social, and political changes accompanied Imperial interests in Jerusalem as a sacred site. • Because of Jerusalem’s sacred character, the political and social importance the city had lost after the Roman was slowly being regained. • The development of Byzantine Jerusalem reached its zenith under the reign of Justinian I. “Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Creator of the World and Savior of Mankind, appeared in this land, and there He thought fit to take upon Himself our sins,” (Justinian, Novel 103; Maas 1986: 23).

3. Emperor Justinian • Reigned 527-565 CE. • Engaged the Sassanid Persian Empire in military combat. • Published many legal works and collections, some of which dealt severe blows to the rights of non-Christians in the Empire. • Urged the persecution of pagans and Samaritans, and the suppression of Jews in Palestine. • Made a lasting impression on Jerusalem through building projects and imperial patronage of the Church of Jerusalem and its institutions.

4. Previous construction • First major period of Byzantine construction in Jerusalem began under Constantine the Great and his mother Helena. They are responsible for the Church of the Holy Sepulcher inside the city and the Eleona Church on the Mount of Olives. • The second period of Byzantine construction occurred under the Empress Eudocia, who had taken up residence and rule in Jerusalem in the fifth century CE. She is responsible for the construction of several churches, and perhaps also the new southern wall of the city. • All of the sites established by previous generations were incorporated into sixth-century CE Jerusalem, some even being renovated and replanned by Justinian.

5. Development of Jerusalem Under Justinian • Repair and renovation of the city following the Samaritan revolt of 529 CE. • Construction of the Nea Church. • Extension of the Cardo Maximus into the southern portion of the city. • Establishment of hospices, hostels, and a home for the aged.

6. Government of Byzantine Jerusalem • Under Justinian, Jerusalem was governed by the Proconsul of Palaestina Prima. The Proconsul held judicial and military power, and was charged with maintaining the peace in Palestine, which was often beset with problems of religious dissent. • It is likely that some measure of political power was in the hands of Jerusalem’s clergy, who were in leadership over the faithful at the spiritual heart of the Byzantine Empire.

7. Economy of Byzantine Jerusalem • The economy of Jerusalem experienced a dramatic boost during much of the Byzantine period. • Imperial building campaigns and state funding, as well as private donations, made Jerusalem a wealthy city, as is reflected in the high standard of living attested in the archaeological record. • Because of Christian pilgrimage to sacred sites in and around Jerusalem, tourism and related industries became an essential part of Jerusalem’s economy. • Due to the increased wealth of the city, and the foundation of many charitable organizations, Jerusalem was soon flooded with many poor individuals. • After a devastating Samaritan revolt in 529 CE, Justinian attempted to revive the economy by enacting a building campaign, through which many buildings were renovated, the Cardo Maximus was extended, and the Nea Church was built.

8. Demographics of Byzantine Jerusalem • During the Byzantine period, Jerusalem was a truly cosmopolitan town, being home to by Arabs, Greeks, Cappadocians, Armenians, Latins, and Egyptians, among others. • Regardless of ethnicity, the majority of Jerusalem’s inhabitants were Christians. Some chose to live within the walls and to participate in the civic life of Christianity’s first Metropolis. Others eschewed the city, and chose to dwell as monks in the monasteries on the Mount of Olives. • Pilgrims, both those who made Jerusalem their temporary home and those who visited only to stay forever, constituted a major part of the populace of the city. • During the time of Justinian, Jews were forbidden to enter Jerusalem except on the 9th of Av, when they would visit the site of Herod’s Temple in mourning. This was intended, no doubt, to serve as a reminder that the Jews had been replaced by the Christian as Verus Israel ‘True Israel’.

9. Madaba Map

10. Jerusalem in the Madaba Map

11. The Walls of Byzantine Jerusalem According to the Madaba map, the walls of Jerusalem formed a formidable protective circuit around the city, puctuated by many defensive towers. In the Byzantine Period, the Damascus/Neapolis gate was once again fortified and filled in, abolishing Hadrian’s free-standing open gate for good. To the south of the city, possibly under the direction of Empress Eudocia, the southern city wall was extended to bring the southern hills and the valley between them into the city proper.

12. The Cardines The cardines, main, columned streets, one passing through the center of Jerusalem and the other passing through the city’s eastern side, were not only the main thoroughfares. They were also centers of economy and social interaction.

13. Probatica Church of St. Mary of the Probatica The Church of St. Mary of the Probatica (Church of the Sheep) was built in the mid-fifth century CE to commemorate Jesus’ healing of a man at the nearby Pool of Bethesda. Excavation in the area indicates that the site was previously occupied by a pagan religious center, possibly a shrine of healing.

14. Holy Sepulcher Church of the Holy Sepulcher The Church of the Holy Sepucher was originally constructed under Constantine the Great in the fourth century CE. It commemorated and preserved the site of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. As is suggested from the ideological placement of the church in the center of Jerusalem in the Madaba map, the Holy Sepulcher was at the heart of the Christian image of Jerusalem.

15. Holy Zion Church of Holy Zion The Church of Holy Zion, also called “The Mother of all Churches,” was built by Empress Eudocia in the fifth century CE to commemorate the beginning of the church on the day of Pentecost. The church that stood before Holy Zion was the seat of Jerusalemite Christianity until it was eventually overshadowed by the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

16. Nea Church The New Church of St. Mary Theotokos (The Nea Church) Constructed in the sixth century under Emperor Justinian, the Nea was viewed as the crowning achievement of Imperial building in Jerusalem. The structure, standing as it does on the verge of a downward slope, was a feat of engineering in its day. In order to create a flat area for construction, a massive, many-chambered vault was built on the slope-side. This vault supported the southern side of the massive church, along with several other structures related to the church, most likely Justinian’s hospices for pilgrims and the infirm.

17. Size and Extent of Jerusalem

18. City plan and housing

19. The Cardo/Cardines

20. Cardo/Cardines 2 “[Cardines are] one of the most pleasing things in cities, and…one of the most useful,” (Libanius of Antioch; Pullan 1998: 166).

21. Church of St. Mary of the Probatica Constructed in the fifth century CE, the Church of the Probatica (‘sheep’) was a massive building project commemorating the miraculous healing of a man by Jesus at the pool of Bethesda. Archaeological remains on the grounds of St. Anne’s Monastery attest to the grand design of the church.

22. Church of the Holy Sepulcher Certainly the crowning achievement of Constantinian Jerusalem, the Holy Sepulcher eventually became, and has remained, the center of Christian Jerusalem. There can be no doubt about the central role played by the Holy Sepulcher in Byzantine Christian ritual in Justinian’s day. This can be clearly seen in the central position the Holy Sepulcher occupies in the Madaba vignette of Jerusalem, in spite of the real position of the shrine in the city.

23. Church of Holy Zion Although remains of the Byzantine Church may have been discovered, the Church of Holy Zion from Justinian’s day has been swept up into the ecclesiatical tradition of building and rebuilding. Today, the Church of the Dormition of Mary lies somewhere near the site of the Church of Holy Zion.

24. Nea ChurchThe New Church of Mary Theotokos “In Jerusalem [Justinian] dedicated to the Mother of God a shrine with which no other can be compared. This is called by the natives the "New Church"; and Ishall explain of what sort it is…” (Procopius, De Aedificiis, V, 6, 1-2).

25. Procopius’ Description of the Nea “The church is supported on all sides by a number of huge columns from that place, which in colour resemble flames of fire, some standing below and some above and others in the stoas which surround the whole church except on the side facing the east. Two of these columns stand before the door of the church, exceptionally large and probably second to no column in the whole world.  Here is added another colonnaded stoa which is called the narthex…Beyond this is a court with similar columns standing on the four sides. From this there lead doors to the interior which are so stately that they proclaim to those walking outside what kind of sight they will meet within. Beyond there is a wonderful gateway and an arch, carried on two columns, which rises to a very great height.  Then as one advances there are two semi-circles which stand facing each other on one side of the road which leads to the church, while facing each other on the other side are two hospices, built by the Emperor Justinian. One of these is destined for the shelter of visiting strangers, while the other is an infirmary for poor persons suffering from diseases. And the Emperor Justinian endowed this Church of the Mother of God with the income from a large sum of money,” (Procopius, De Aedificiis, V, 6, 22-25).

26. The Vaults of the Nea In order to complete the construction of the Nea Church, workers were required to build massive vaults and a retaining wall, which would support the southern side of the edifice. “They threw the foundations out as far as the limit of the even ground, and then erected a structure which rose as high as the rock. And when they had raised this up level with the rock they set vaults upon the supporting walls, and joined this substructure to the other foundation of the church. Thus the church is partly based upon living rock, and partly carried in the air by a great extension artificially added to the hill by the Emperor's power,” (Procopius, De Aedificiis Book V, 6, 6-8;

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