Jerusalem is the city of God

“Jerusalem” was the theme of the 46th Biblical-theological refresher course held April 11-14 in the “Immaculata” hall of St. Savior’s Convent. The theme was presented and studied in depth by lecturers from the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum, and achieved the highest number of participants ever.

Br ROSARIO PIERRI, ofm Dean Studium Biblicum Franciscanum

We exceeded 150 attendees; we have never reached such a number. And the conferences are enriching us because the reflection on Jerusalem is central, because from Jerusalem the proclamation started, it was in Jerusalem that the main episodes of Jesus’ life took place: the Passion, death and resurrection.

The speakers took turns on different topics. “Jerusalem: a silent but significant presence, in the Torah” was the theme of the first lecture.

MICHELANGELO PRIOTTO Stable professor at the Interdiocesan Theological Studio in Fossano

I have positioned myself from the perspective of the current redaction of the Torah. It is from this reading that we consider the presence of Jerusalem. The redactor who gathered the traditions into the Torah wanted to affirm that Jerusalem was already present then in the figure of Abraham, and since Abraham is the man of faith, here Abraham and Jerusalem go together.

Prof. Ruiz Rodrigo developed “The Theme of Zion in the Book of Isaiah.” Jerusalem is one of the dominant motifs, so much so that it appears in all those chapters that constitute the axes of the compositional layout of the whole Book.

Br. Alessandro Coniglio explained how the Book of Psalms is traversed by the presence of the city of Jerusalem.

Br ALESSANDRO CONIGLIO, ofm Professor Studium Biblicum Franciscanum

Jerusalem is the city of psalms by definition, because if psalms were also used in Jerusalem worship, in temple worship, of the centralized temple in Jerusalem, surely they were sung, used right here, in this city. But Jerusalem is also at the heart of the psalms because the name Jerusalem often recurs in them: there are more than 30 psalms, almost 35, in which the name in which the name Jerusalem-or Zion-is explicitly mentioned within the Psalter.

From the Psalms to the New Testament: Jerusalem in the gospel according to Matthew plays a key role in the story of Jesus, as indeed it does in all the canonical gospels.

Br MATTEO MUNARI, ofm Professor Studium Biblicum Franciscanum

First of all, I tried in a few minutes to describe a little bit of all the complexity of the city of Jerusalem in the Gospel according to Matthew: it is a city that is troubled by the birth of the Messiah, by the coming of the Messiah within its walls. At the same time it is the holy city in which God performs his most prodigious works first of all the resurrection of Jesus.

On Jerusalem and the violence happening in the Holy City at this time Br. Munari highlights how the Holy City is also for Christians.

Br MATTEO MUNARI, ofm Professor Studium Biblicum Franciscanum

Of course it is for us Christians as well: the thing we should all stand on is that Jerusalem is not “of the Christians” or “of the Jews” or “of the Muslims,” but that Jerusalem is God’s city, it belongs to Him, and we are all here to experience His presence and to worship Him.

Professor Samuele Salvatori developed the theme of Jerusalem in the life and mission of St. Paul, which is witnessed both in his letters and in the Lucan narrative of the Acts of the Apostles, in which the “Apostle of the Gentiles” plays a key role.

Revelation serves as a reference for Prof. Francesco Piazzolla’s paper on “The New Jerusalem: eternal coexistence of God with humanity.”

FRANCESCO PIAZZOLLA Stable professor at the ISSR “Mons. Pecci” in Matera

Revelation speaks at the end of the book of the New Jerusalem. It already foreshadows it as a promise to the victor of the Church, but the Jerusalem that Revelation deals with is not the earthly one. It is the New Jerusalem, it is that new identity that the Christian community will assume, having prepared itself here on Earth.

Prof. Massimo Pazzini gave a lecture on Jerusalem in the Midrash on the book of Psalms, that is, the rabbinic commentary on the book of Psalms that makes extensive use of biblical references and quotations that have a direct or indirect relationship to Jerusalem and Zion.

Space on the topography of Jerusalem, with Prof. Yunus Demirici, who gave the topic “The Topography of Jerusalem from the Beginning to the Present Day.”

Br YUNUS DEMIRCI, ofm cap. Professor Studium Biblicum Franciscanum

Topography is a natural fact within which we live, and this vitality can be reconstructed through archaeological excavations, historical studies, and these historical studies actually give us an idea of the charm of this place, which has been inhabited by different peoples, different nations…

For Br. Eugenio Alliata, Christian pilgrimage was born and developed as a response of the mind and heart to the proclamation of faith.

Br EUGENIO ALLIATA, ofm Professor Studium Biblicum Franciscanum

The city of Jerusalem is a point of attraction, not only for Christianity, but also for Judaism, for Islam, we can say in general for humanity, which frequents this place until today. For the Christian it is a desire that comes from the heart: you have known Jesus and you want to see his land, you want to find something of the air that He breathed.”

Inside the update proposal there is also a part dedicated to guided tours:

GIANANTONIO URBANI Invited Professor of Studium Biblicum Franciscanum Biblical Excursions

“It’s a tradition that we’ve been carrying on forever, right back from the origins, from Father Bellarmino Bagatti who was, in fact, one of the founders of this course. Where we add to the exegesis – which is the most substantial important part – the biblical archaeological tours, and then the topography of the city of Jerusalem, its surroundings, and then the somewhat larger, longer excursion, the one we do on Fridays. We choose geographical and archaeological areas that will help us read the Scriptures in a greater light, and then the expression that we can say of the Bible on earth, of the Bible being told, seen and experienced on the ground, is particularly close to our hearts as Studium Biblicum Franciscanum.

(Christian Media Center)