Israel-Vatican Joint Issue 2015 Church of the Holy Sepulchre

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre stands on the site where Jesus, according to Christian belief, was crucified, buried and resurrected. This church, considered to be one of the most significant and holiest churches in the world, has been a key site for Christian pilgrims since the 4th century.

While the visit by Pope Francis to Israel in May 2014 was officially described as a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he participated in two events bearing both historic significance and importance for the future: the Pope met with Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I (to mark the 50th anniversary of the historic meeting between Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I); and placed a wreath at the gravesite of Theodor Herzl, "visionary" of the State of Israel, another indication of the strengthening ties between Israel and the Vatican, and between Judaism and the Catholic Church.

The three previous papal visits to Israel were made by Pope Paul VI in 1964, Pope John Paul II in 2000 and Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.

The establishment of full diplomatic relations between the State of Israel and the Holy See (as per the terms of the Fundamental Agreement signed in Jerusalem in 1993) was a significant step in the historic process of the Church's changing attitude toward Judaism and the Jewish people. The first public expression of this change was the famous declaration known as Nostra Aetate ("In Our Time"), the declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions published by the Second Vatican Council in 1965. The year 2015 marks the 50th anniversary of that declaration, which was realized and strengthened through productive dialog, meetings and cooperation.

In the Fundamental Agreement signed by Israel and the Holy See, the parties noted "the unique nature of the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people…" and committed to "appropriate cooperation in combating all forms of anti-Semitism and all kinds of racism and of religious intolerance, and in promoting mutual understanding among nations, tolerance among communities and respect for human life and dignity", and to "the peaceful resolution of conflicts among States and nations, excluding violence and terror from international life".

Additional commitments related to preserving the status quo of the holy Christian sites, issues surrounding freedom of religion, pilgrimage to the Holy Land and more.

In November 1997 an agreement defining the status of the Catholic Church in the State of Israel was signed in Jerusalem.

 

 

 

The stamp features the courtyard at the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem.

 

The background of the souvenir leaf features Mount Zion and the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.

 

The First Day Cover features the entrance to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre before it was renovated and before the ornamented lintel was removed. 

A self adhesive Postal Label was issued in 26 May 2014, with the inscription "Pope Francis in the Holy Land"

Israel 2006 The Six Orders of the Mishnah

 

The word "Mishnah" is derived from the root shin-nun-heh, which means "study." The word mishnah has two meanings in the Rabbinic literature: one, as a manner of deducing everything that is taught orally, complementing the Written Law; and the other, a book, that is second only to the written Torah. The six Orders of the Mishnah are the laws of the Oral Law that were collected by subject and redacted in the Land of Israel in the third century CE by R. Judah ha-Nasi (the Patriarch).

The need to expound the halakhot by subject arose in the late Second Temple period. The number of laws that were not directly connected to the verses of the Torah increased, and they could not be deduced by the conventional method of textual exegesis. The Rabbis who lived during the time from the Second Temple period until the time of R. Judah ha-Nasi and who employed this methodology were called "Tannaim (the Aramaic tana = the Hebrew shin-nun-heh - study). As time passed, the first collections of mishnayot, known as "early mishnayot," were formulated and redacted; these would form the basis for the Mishnah of R. Judah ha-Nasi.

The Mishnah is divided into six Orders, each of which relates to a different halakhic realm:

 

1. The Order of Zeraim ("Seeds") is concerned with the commandments observed only in the Land of Israel and with everyday ritual commandments.

2. The Order of Moed ("Appointed Time") contains Sabbath and holiday laws.

3. The Order of Nashim ("Women") relates to the relations between a man and his wife, from the creation of the relationship to the sundering of the marriage.

4. The Order of Nezikin ("Damages") includes the laws governing interpersonal relations, property laws, and judicial procedure.

5. The Order of Kodashim ("Sacred Things") relates to the Temple service and the laws of sacrifices.

6. The Order of Tohorot ("Pure Things") contains the laws of ritual purity.

 

Each Order is divided into tractates, each tractate into chapters, and each chapters, into mishnayot. 

The most complete manuscripts of the Mishnah are MS. Kaufmann, from the eleventh or twelfth centuries, and MS. Parma, from the eleventh century. The Mishnah was first printed in Naples in 1492. 

The first commentaries on the Mishnah were written during the Geonic period (600-1040 CE). The best-known among the medieval commentaries are those by Rashi, Maimonides, and R. Obadiah of Bertinoro.

 

 

The Stamps ( 27 Sep 2005 )

Order of Zeraim - the stamp depicts a sack of grain in a field and sheaves.

Order of Nashim - the stamp portrays an unadorned golden engagement ring and an additional ring, on the background of a ketubah (marriage contract).

Order of Moed - the stamp shows the Zodiac, a wine goblet for the Festival Kiddush, and matzah (unleavened bread).

 

The Stamps ( 12 Sep 2006 ) 

Order of Nezikin - the stamp presents the archetypes of damage: an ox and fire. The scales represent the court, that judges between the plaintiff and the defendant.

Order of Kodashim - the stamp shows a dove on the background of an ancient wall. It depicts the bird burnt-offering, as written in Leviticus 1:14: "If his offering to the Lord is a burnt-offering of birds, he shall choose his offering from turtledoves or pigeons." The illustration of the altar on the border is based on a photograph courtesy of the Temple Institute, Jerusalem.

Order of Tohorot - the stamp depicts a vessel for the washing of the hands and water, that are the two elements required for cleansing hands that were defiled. A water pitcher is seen on the border.

Israel 2002 The Menorah

 

 

 

 

Different and varied artifacts were found in the Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem as were found in other ancient places of worship. Three objects were particular only to the Jerusalem Temple: The Table of Showbread, incense altar and the seven-branched menorah made of pure gold. The menorah became the symbol of the people of Israel. The Bible contains descriptions of both the seven-branched menorah and the menorah in the vision of the prophet Zechariah, (Exodus 25 31-40,37 17-24; Zechariah 4 1-7). With the destruction of the First Temple by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon (586 B.C.E) the menorah was taken, along with other treasures, from the Temple to Babylon and its fate was unknown.

When the Second Temple was built a new golden menorah was made, probably from the original mold, and this was sanctified for hundreds of years until the destruction of the Second Temple by the Roman army led by Titus (70 C.E.)  The Roman army paraded with the sacred vessels in their triumphal procession throughout the streets of Rome.   An illustration of the procession was engraved in a stone victory arch, which was built in Rome and shows the Judean prisoners carrying the sacred vessels with the seven-branched menorah in the center.

According to written descriptions, the sacred menorah had a tripod base and this is how it is illustrated in hundreds of works of art, as a symbol of Judaism, for generations after the destruction of the Temple. Illustrations from the Second Temple period were found in the archeological excavations of the Jewish quarter and include an engraving of the menorah, with a tripod base, on the wall of one of the houses.

 The menorah on the Arch of Titus actually shows a solid base and not a tripod base. In addition ,animal reliefs appear on the engraving – something that did not exist in Jewish art of the Second Temple period and certainly not on holy objects of the Temple. The Romans might have added pagan images to the menorah.
 A few months after the declaration of the State of Israel, (15 May 1948) the first Israeli government decided on the country’s emblem and flag (10 February 1949). It was natural that the seven-branched menorah be chosen as the emblem of the re-born State, since, more than anything else, it was the symbol of the Jewish people from the time of the Second Temple. Indeed Professor Michael Avi-Yona, one of the great scholars of ancient Jewish art, recommended the menorah from the Arch of Titus for the State’s emblem. Graphic artists, Gabriel and Maxim Shamir designed the emblem. Professor Avi-Yona chose the Titus Arch Menorah since the procession in Rome represents the destruction of Jewish independence and two thousand years later independence was renewed. The State’s emblem was therefore based on the Titus Arch Menorah with the animals slightly blurred but the base as a whole and not a tripod. Two olive branches surround the menorah on the emblem. This motif was taken from the Book of the Prophet Zechariah which tells of the prophet’s vision of menorah and olive branches. The word “Israel” is written beneath the menorah on the emblem. This is the name of the new country but also relates to Jewish inscriptions found in synagogues at the time of the Mishna and Talmud and also relates to the inscription “ Shalom al Yisrael” which appears under the seven-branched menorah on the mosaic floor of the Jericho Synagogue from the 7th/8th century.

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.

Israel 2000 Pilmigrage to the Holy Land - St.Andrew's Church ; All Apostles Church ; The Church of the Visitation

 The Church of the Visitation, Ein Kerem 

 Ein Kerem, today a picturesque suburb in west Jerusalem, was known during the Byzantine period as The City of Judea as mentioned in the New Testament (Lucas 1, 39).  This was the birthplace of John the Baptist who heralded the coming of Jesus, and who baptized him in the Jordan River.  The Church of Visitation is located on a mountain slope and belongs to the Catholic Franciscan Order.  It was built on the site identified as the home of Elizabeth, mother of John, who was visited by her relative, Mary, the mother of Jesus (Lucas 1, 39-56).  In and around the church are remains dating back to the First Temple Period as well as the Roman and the Byzantine periods.  The identification of the site as the place of the visitation was consolidated during the Crusader period, and the fist church was built at the same time.  The place was purchased by the Franciscans during the 17th century, who restored it in 1862.  The existing church was built in 1955, following archeological excavations on the site.  The church, designed by prominent Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi, is elaborately ornamented and contains ancient remnants.  The church fa?ade is decorated with a beautiful mosaic describing the visit of Mary and in the courtyard are porcelain plaques inscribed with the words of Mary’s prayer – The Magnificant – “My soul magnifies the Lord…” (Luke 1; 46-56) in various languages.

 

 

 

St. Andrew’s Church, Jerusalem 

 The church is located west of the Old City, close to the railway station, on a hill that towers above the Valley of Hinnom.  It is owned by the Scottish – Presbyterians – one of the Calvinist fractions of the Protestant Church.  The church is named in memory of Andrew, one of Jesus’ Apostles, and national saint of the Scots.  The corner stone of the church was laid by Field Marshall Edmond Allenby in 1927,  and is dedicated to the memory of the soldiers who fell during the British conquest of the country during the First World War.  The church was designed by K. Holliday and combines eastern and western characteristics.  The church is one of the more beautiful buildings built during the British mandate period. 

The church decorations are minimalist and modest, some made or Armenian ceramic tiles.  The banners of the military units who fought here during the First World War are kept inside the church.  There is also in the church, a metal plate in memory of Robert Bruce King of Scotland (1274-1326) who requested that his heart be buried in Jerusalem, but was not so rewarded.  To the east, adjacent to the church, is the archaeological site of Katef-Hinnom, where burial caves from the time of the First Temple were uncovered.  Two silver plaques, inscribed with Priestly Benedictions, or the Aaronic Blessings (Numbers 6, 24-26), were discovered inside one of the caves.  These are the earliest biblical verses known as yet, which were written in the seventh century BCE.

 

 

 

All Apostles Church, Capernaum 

 Capernaum, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee was a center of Jesus’ activities in Galilee, and was even called “his own city” (Matthew 9, 1).  Capernaum was the home of Simon Ben Jonah, or St. Peter, brother of Andrew, who was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee and was appointed by Jesus “to shepherd his flock”. 

The people of Capernaum rejected Jesus and his preaching and therefore he cursed the place saying that its fate would be worse than that of Sodom (Matthew 11, 23-24; Lucas 10, 15).  The All Apostles Church belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church, successor of Christianity from the Byzantine period.  The church is exceptional in its five-domed structure, characteristic of Greek churches. It was built by Damianos, the patriarch of Jerusalem, in 1932 and is dedicated to the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus in the region of Capernaum.

 Archaeological excavations were conducted near the church, which exposed the remnants of Capernaum from the period of the Second Temple until Crusader times.  Due to the church’s proximity to the armistice lines between Israel and Syria, it was deserted from the time of the War of Independence and  until the Six Day War, when it was restored.

 

 

The First Day Cover – The Cenacle or Room of the Last Supper, Jerusalem 

 The room is located on the second floor of a building on Mount Zion, on the ground floor of which, according to tradition, is the Tomb of David, King of Israel. According to the New Testament, the Last Supper of Jesus, the Passover feast, was held in an “upper room”, the exact location of which was not stated (Mark 14, 12-16).  The place of the Last Supper was identified at this site from the early days of Christianity.  Late in the fourth century a large church known as Holy Zion (Hagia Sion) was erected on the site.  The present day hall was built during the Crusader’s rule in the 12th century and was given its current appearance in the 15th century.  During the 16th century it was turned into a mosque.  Today the hall is under authority of the State of Israel, which ensures free access and freedom of worship at the site for all Christian denominations.