This is a decent-enough historical overview of Jerusalem and the earlier portions reflect recent research. There is also some lovely photography. But the coverage of the post-Roman periods is uneven, uninspired and marred greatly by out-of-date stereotypes, particularly the treatment of the three religions who share the city: saintly-victim Jews, benevolent Muslim overlords and bloodthirsty Christian crusaders. When a documentary completely glosses over the destruction of Muslim Arab culture in the Levant perpetrated by 12th-century Kurdish general Saladin, in order to concentrate only on his eventual contest with the "foreign" Christians, you know there's a lack of balance. When the subsequent eight centuries are skipped over in the space of five minutes, to concentrate on how "wonderful" things are today, that shows some truly lumpy coverage. It's a two-hour documentary. There's just no excuse for practically ignoring that period. Not that any one group in the Holy Land was wonderful at all times--nor is it necessary to ignore the good points of the Muslim occupations of the city--but there are so many holes in this documentary that you'd probably learn more about Jerusalem from what they left out than from what they put in. Too bad. It's still recent and could have been so much better.
2 Reviews
The religious history of an ancient and not always heavenly city
take2docs18 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The title of the documentary is perhaps taken from scripture (Ezekiel 38:12). Although Israel is today considered the epicenter of cutting-edge technological innovation (robot manufacturing and so forth), after watching this you'd have a hard time believing it. Its focus is on the Abrahamic presence that exists in the region, with an emphasis on the past. The film is also a PBS presentation, which means a dry, scholarly tone undoubtedly best appreciated by those with studious minds and the patience of Job.
Mercifully, JERUSALEM: CENTER OF THE WORLD does not start 'in the beginning' but only some 4000 years ago, with the first Hebrew patriarch. From there, the film proceeds onto Abraham's immediate descendants and a brief look at the various world empires alluded to in the Bible, beginning with the Assyrians, followed by the Babylonians, and so on. By the end of this leisurely paced doc the viewer is likely to find himself knowing a little more about this geographical location and its religious inhabitants than before.
Among some of the things this (if not entertaining than at least educational) film covers, include the following: Yahweh's binding, unilateral promise that was made to the Israelites in the form of the Abrahamic covenant; King Solomon (by far, one of the luckiest guys to have lived); the destruction of the first and second Jewish temples; the significance of Mount Moriah; the Zealots, and the fortress, Masada; Emperor Constantine; the Crusades; and, of course, Yeshua and, finally, the founder of the third monotheistic faith and his legendary/historical 'night journey' atop a volant steed.
Okay, so this is not the most exciting of documentaries to watch. Granted, I enjoyed it perhaps more than most viewers would, on account of my theological embrace of a restorationist worldview and interest in biblical eschatology. Those thinking or hoping this film to be a tour of, and commentary on, Jerusalem as it exists today will be sadly disappointed. Those with more than just a passing interest in either the Bible or the Koran will not be. Personally, I found this film to be just as interesting as other docs I've seen on, say, ancient Greece and the Olympians. Only here, three monotheistic holy books take center stage instead of a bunch of pagan myths.
Another reason why I appreciated watching this has to do with the fact that I have no desire to visit the Holy Land in person. I know some people who have traveled to Jerusalem/Israel only to return feeling rather disillusioned. They didn't realize how very modernized and secular the place has become compared to the preconceptions they had of it. Here they had been expecting deserts and shepherds and ancient sites but were unprepared for shattered illusions. Upon arriving home from their overseas trip, they vowed never to return, not even to personally witness the numerous regional conflicts in the land. Can't say I blame 'em. Me, I'll stick to travelogues on Jerusalem and documentaries such as this one. They're cheaper, too.
Incidentally, it is thought by many Bible believers -- Christian Zionists, especially -- that Jerusalem will factor into things and play a significant role in the fulfillment of end-times prophecy and in the ushering in of a Messianic Kingdom. Only time will tell. (Curiously, the documentary refers to the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, strictly in passing.) Then again, there are those who regard present-day Israel (and possibly Jerusalem, by extension) as being the world headquarters of the conspiratorial globalists, but that's a whole other story.
Mercifully, JERUSALEM: CENTER OF THE WORLD does not start 'in the beginning' but only some 4000 years ago, with the first Hebrew patriarch. From there, the film proceeds onto Abraham's immediate descendants and a brief look at the various world empires alluded to in the Bible, beginning with the Assyrians, followed by the Babylonians, and so on. By the end of this leisurely paced doc the viewer is likely to find himself knowing a little more about this geographical location and its religious inhabitants than before.
Among some of the things this (if not entertaining than at least educational) film covers, include the following: Yahweh's binding, unilateral promise that was made to the Israelites in the form of the Abrahamic covenant; King Solomon (by far, one of the luckiest guys to have lived); the destruction of the first and second Jewish temples; the significance of Mount Moriah; the Zealots, and the fortress, Masada; Emperor Constantine; the Crusades; and, of course, Yeshua and, finally, the founder of the third monotheistic faith and his legendary/historical 'night journey' atop a volant steed.
Okay, so this is not the most exciting of documentaries to watch. Granted, I enjoyed it perhaps more than most viewers would, on account of my theological embrace of a restorationist worldview and interest in biblical eschatology. Those thinking or hoping this film to be a tour of, and commentary on, Jerusalem as it exists today will be sadly disappointed. Those with more than just a passing interest in either the Bible or the Koran will not be. Personally, I found this film to be just as interesting as other docs I've seen on, say, ancient Greece and the Olympians. Only here, three monotheistic holy books take center stage instead of a bunch of pagan myths.
Another reason why I appreciated watching this has to do with the fact that I have no desire to visit the Holy Land in person. I know some people who have traveled to Jerusalem/Israel only to return feeling rather disillusioned. They didn't realize how very modernized and secular the place has become compared to the preconceptions they had of it. Here they had been expecting deserts and shepherds and ancient sites but were unprepared for shattered illusions. Upon arriving home from their overseas trip, they vowed never to return, not even to personally witness the numerous regional conflicts in the land. Can't say I blame 'em. Me, I'll stick to travelogues on Jerusalem and documentaries such as this one. They're cheaper, too.
Incidentally, it is thought by many Bible believers -- Christian Zionists, especially -- that Jerusalem will factor into things and play a significant role in the fulfillment of end-times prophecy and in the ushering in of a Messianic Kingdom. Only time will tell. (Curiously, the documentary refers to the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, strictly in passing.) Then again, there are those who regard present-day Israel (and possibly Jerusalem, by extension) as being the world headquarters of the conspiratorial globalists, but that's a whole other story.
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