Israel 2000 Land of Three Religions

 “For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and pure offering; for my name is great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts”(Malachi 1.11).

 
 The idea of one God appears in Greek philosophy and other religions, too, but the concept of one personal God whom men may pray to and worship, originates in the Jewish religion.  Abraham was not only the forefather of Israel, but also the father of a multitude of nations.  The two other monotheistic religions, Christianity and Islam also own Abraham as their father and believe in the same God as the people of Israel do.  Christians accept the Jewish Bible as their Holy Book and in the Qur’an, the Holy Book of Islam; the sacred history of Israel is the basis of the religion and its confirmation.  The biblical heroes of Israel - their kings and their prophets – are thought of as a cultural and religious heritage not only by the Jewish faith but also by Christianity and Islam.
 
 King David is honored by all three of the religions and in both Judaism and Christianity; he is the forefather of the Messiah who, according to Christian belief is identified with Jesus, the founder of Christianity.
 
In Islam, David is regarded as a great king and a prophet.  David made Jerusalem the capital of his kingdom and there Solomon built the Temple of God.  From them on, Jerusalem and its temple became a living symbol of the one, unique God who is adored by Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This was not changed by the two destructions of Jerusalem and its temple, first by the Babylonians and then by the Romans.  It was therefore natural for the State of Israel to ensure freedom f religion for all faiths and thus it has been possible for the three great monotheistic religions to develop and flourish n Jerusalem, which is regarded as a holy city by Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
 
The common roots of Judaism, Islam and Christianity and the veneration of the same one God give living expression to the unity of mankind.