Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives Hebrew: salim, peace  Ancient
city in Palestine, the religious and political center of the
Israelites, situated 15 miles west of the Jordan on the crest of
a chain of mountains which traverses Palestine from north to
south. It was originally called Salem, and was the capital of
King Melchisedech (Genesis 14) in 2100 B.C. First mentioned in
the Bible in Josue, chapters 10, 15, the inhabitants are called
Jebusites. In the division of the Promised Land, Jerusalem was
assigned to the tribe of Benjamin. Its most famous rulers were
David, who brought the Ark of the Covenant into the city, and
his son Solomon, who built the Temple, and during whose reign
Jerusalem attained the height of its glory and grandeur. Its
downfall came (10 AD) after a siege of 143 days, in which it is
said 600,000 Jews perished, when it was conquered and destroyed
by the Romans under Titus. The house which was the scene of
Pentecost and the Last Supper was spared, and became the first
Christian church, the