ON TOP OF MOUNT ZION, ALL COVETED BY ROME
by Barry Chamish
Just a few weeks ago, the following was the issue of the day in Israel:
www.isfsp.org...
www.israelnationalnews.com...
www.timesonline.co.uk...
www.haaretz.com...
Report: Israel to hand control of Jerusalem holy site
to Vatican
Haaretz November 6, 2005
By Amiram Barkat
Israel is to give the Vatican control over one of the
most sacred Christian sites in Jerusalem, several
European newspapers have reported recently. According
to the reports, Israel will give the Holy See
possession of the Coenaculum, or the Room of the Last
Supper (also known as the Upper Room or the Cenacle),
on Mount Zion.
In response to the news, I wrote an article which proved the handover of the Old City of Jerusalem was a done deal. In fact, it was one of the
secret clauses of the first Oslo "peace" accord signed by the Israeli government.
A week after, I received a phone call from a rabbi of the Diaspora Yeshiva. He explained that the Tourism Minister was visiting their school
the next day and he was trying to fill the study hall to prove to the government that their yeshiva was too valuable to be given away.
I replied that I would not partake in such a spectacle. I might come if the students forcibly barred the Minister or any government official
from entering the property. Hadn't he learned anything from Gush Katif? The government of Israel couldn't care less about him and could care even
less how many students he can pack into a room. Mount Zion was a litmus test of how much opposition the government and its corrupted army could expect
when all of the Old City was turned over to the Vatican.
He said I must talk to the headmaster of the Yeshiva, Rabbi Goldstein.
An hour later, I was honored by a call from Rabbi Goldstein. Soon, however, I was in despair. As far as he knew, the Vatican wanted to turn
his school into a money making tourist site and the Ministry of Tourism was being enticed by the prospects of millions of Catholic tourists visiting
Israel to see the Last Supper room.
I did my best to wake the Rabbi. I told him that tourism was the facade, not the issue. I tried to explain the global forces using their
muscle to get the Jews out of Jerusalem's holy sites. I noted that the government of Israel was the worst enemy of Judaism and that he must block the
entrance of their representative with whatever force he could muster.
However, as with the Rabbis of Gush Katif, my words were wasted. Mount Zion will give up without a real fight. You watch.
Nonetheless, the truth marches on. A brilliant Jerusalem-based German-born historian, Dr. Asher Edar, also honored me with a conversation.
Vive le difference:
BC - Why is the Vatican suddenly so interested in getting its hands on Mount Zion real estate?
AE - There's nothing sudden about it at all. In fact, the roots of the desire go back 1200 years to the time of Charlemagne. He was the Vatican's
military tool for converting Europe to Roman Catholicism.
He succeed magnificently and created what is known as the Holy Roman Empire but what was then called The Holy Roman Empire Of The German Nation.
Charlemagne's capital was at Aachen and there he built his first cathedral.
BC - Excuse me but, so?
AE - Next to the yeshiva on Mount Zion is the Dormition Abbey, built by the Germans starting in 1906. It is an exact duplicate of Charlemagne's
Aachen Cathedral.
BC - How did that happen?
AE - Kaiser Wilhelm II came to Jerusalem in 1898 to build two churches, a modest Lutheran Church of minor religious significance and a magnificent
Catholic structure on Mount Zion. In 1898, the ruler of a nation didn't make such a difficult journey to a diplomatic backwater unless it was
extremely important. The Vatican was worried that the British had an operating church in Jerusalem and its presence could solidify and spread. The
Vatican provided much of the funds for the trip and the bribe to the Turkish Sultan, Khamid. Since Wilhelm had a Protestant population to appease, he
put up a smaller Lutheran church as well, but the real prize was Mount Zion.
BC - Why all the money and trouble if the Vatican gets the real estate? What was in it for Germany?
AE - Germany has never given up its dream of reviving the Holy Roman Empire. At the height of that empire, their greatest king, Frederick the Great,
marched into Jerusalem and became the city's king. Jerusalem was once part of the Holy Roman Empire and the dream is that it will be again. In this
empire, the delineation of powers was strict. The pope was the spiritual leader, but the political leader was whoever ruled Germany. This dream led
straight to World War I.
BC - Where do the Jews fit in all this?
AE - Nowhere. Herzl tried to get a role for the Jews and met with Wilhelm in Jerusalem. Wilhelm would have nothing to do with him. His goal was to
save Jerusalem for a Christendom led politically by Germany and spiritually by Rome. Nothing has changed except now the pope is a determined German.
The Vatican want the Jews out of the Old City and apparently our government is agreeing with them.
Now a history lesson with little comment:
www.infoplease.com...
Encyclopedia—Frederick II, Holy Roman emperor and German king
King of Jerusalem
Having married (1225) Yolande, daughter of John of Brienne, he claimed the crown of Jerusalem, but again postponed his departure on crusade. He
further offended the pope by reasserting at the Diet of Cremona (1226) the imperial claim to Lombardy. The Lombard League was immediately revived, but
open conflict did not break out until 1236. On the insistent demand of the new pope, Gregory IX, Frederick embarked on a crusade (Sept., 1227), but
fell ill, turned back, and was excommunicated.
In 1228 he finally embarked. His “crusade,” actually a state visit, was a diplomatic victory. At Jaffa he made a treaty by which Jerusalem,
Nazareth, and Bethlehem were surrendered to the Christians, with the Mosque of Omar being left to the Muslims. In 1229 he crowned himself king at
Jerusalem.
www.notfah.com...
In 1226, by means of the Golden Bull of Rimini he confirmed the legitimacy of rule by the Teutonic Knights under their headmaster Hermann von Salza
over the Prussian lands east of the Vistula, the Chelmno Land.
At the time he was crowned Emperor, Frederick had promised to go on crusade. In preparation for his crusade, Frederick had, in 1225, married Yolande
of Jerusalem, heiress to the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and immediately taken steps to take control of the Kingdom from his new father-in-law, John of
Brienne. However, he continued to take his time in setting off, and in 1227, Frederick was excommunicated by Pope Gregory IX for failing to honor his
crusading pledge - perhaps unfairly, at this point, as his plans had been delayed by an epidemic. He eventually embarked on the crusade the following
year (1228), which was seen on by the pope as a rude provocation, since the church could not take any part in the honor for the crusade, resulting in
a second excommunication. Frederick did not attempt to take Jerusalem by force of arms. Instead, he negotiated restitution of Jerusalem, Nazareth, and
Bethlehem to the Kingdom with sultan Al-Kamil, the Ayyubid ruler of the region.
www.chivalricorders.org...
THE TEUTONIC ORDER OF HOLY MARY IN JERUSALEM
Some forty knights were received into the new Order at its foundation by the King of Jerusalem and Frederick of Swabia, who selected their first
Master in the name of the Pope and Emperor. The knights of the new confraternity had to be of German birth (although this rule was occasionally
relaxed), a unique requirement among the Crusader Orders founded in the Holy Land. They were drawn predominately from the noble or knightly class,
although this latter obligation was not formally incorporated into the rule until much later. Their blue mantle, charged with a black cross, was worn
over a white tunic, a uniform recognized by the Patriarch of Jerusalem and confirmed by the Pope in 1211. The waves of German knights and pilgrims who
followed the Third Crusade brought considerable wealth to the new German Hospital as well as recruits. This enabled the knights to acquire the
Lordship of Joscelin and, soon thereafter they built the castle of Montfort (lost in 1271), the rival of the great hospitaller fortress of Krak des
Chevaliers. Never as numerous in the Holy Land as either the Hospitaller or Templar Orders, the Teutonic knights were nonetheless a formidable power.
www.chivalricorders.org...
THE EQUESTRIAN ORDER OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER OF JERUSALEM
© Guy Stair Sainty
The origins of the Order of the Holy Sepulcher have been disputed for centuries. In this examination of the history of what is today a major Catholic
Order of Knighthood, under the direct protection of the Holy See, it has been my intention to separate fact from fantasy and outline the historical
development of this great institution. It now has a world-wide mission to support the Holy Places, particularly in Jerusalem, and has approximately
eighteen thousand members across the globe. [1]
Two Christian sources who are certain the goal of the "peace" process is to establish a German/Vatican capital in Jerusalem are David
Ben-Ariel, and the Philadelphia Trumpet:
www.thetrumpet.com...
Looking to Jerusalem
We have also said that the next pope would have his sights set on Jerusalem. Ratzinger was known for statements he made concerning a reconciliation of
sorts with the Jews. That reconciliation being, “the moment in which Israel too will say yes to Christ.” After all, the “star points to
Jerusalem,” Ratzinger said once. Watch for this new pope to have a more fervent interest in Israeli politics and affairs surrounding Jerusalem.
First let's understand Aachen Cathedral's history:
www.holycross.edu...
Aachen Aachen in north-western Germany (in French, called Aix-la-Chapelle), was the capital of Charlemagne's empire in the 9th century. It became the
site of one of the great medieval pilgrimages because of the textile relics obtained by Charlemagne and Ortho III. The four “Great Relics” include
the cloak of the Blessed Virgin, the swaddling clothes of the infant Jesus, the cloth on which St. John the Baptist’s head lay after his beheading,
and the loin cloth which Jesus wore on the Cross. These four relics were shown only once every seven years.
www.zenit.org...
CATHOLIC COMMUNITIES HAVE UNIQUE LINK WITH ROME AND JERUSALEM
John Paul II's Letter for 1,200 Years of Aachen Cathedral
VATICAN CITY, JAN 31 (ZENIT).- John Paul II referred to the ties that unite the Catholic community spread over the world with the Church of Rome and
the Holy City of Jerusalem, in a letter to commemorate 1,200 years since the construction of Aachen Cathedral, an event which was celebrated last
Saturday and Sunday in this historic German locality.
The Pope's special envoy to the celebration was Cardinal Dar?o Castrill?n Hoyos, prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy. The Holy Father
addressed the letter to Bishop Heinrich Mussinghoff of Aachen. John Paul II pointed out that the Cathedral, dedicated to the Virgin, was built at the
request of Charlemagne. That same year, 800, the emporer was crowned in Rome by Pope Leo III in the Vatican Basilica. This historical event reflects
the closeness that existed between that local Church and the diocese of Rome.
But Aachen Cathedral has yet "another link" that carries it "with heart and mind" to the Holy City. These are 4 precious relics that Jerusalem
gave to Charlemagne and that recall "with profound reverence events in the history of salvation." The 4 relics are fragments of the newborn Jesus'
diapers, the cloth Jesus wore around his waist on the cross, the dress Mary wore on Christmas Eve, and the cloth of John the Baptist's beheading.
Now, we have a look at Aachen Cathedral:
whc.unesco.org...
Next, we look at the Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion:
www.atlastours.net...
Surprise! It's an exact copy of the first church built by Charlemagne, founder of the Holy Roman Empire.
Conflicting Agendas!
Mount Zion and Dormition Abbey, JerusalemMount Zion lies to the south of today's city walls. Coming out of Zion Gate you are faced with the
Benedictine Basilica of the Dormition. The Dormition Abbey is a massive structure that rises on Mount Zion, just outside the Zion Gate, and resembles
a mighty fortress; it is topped by a high, domed belltower, a conical dome and corner towers. This Benedictine Basilica, built over the site where
Virgin Mary is said to have fallen asleep for the last time (Dormitio - from here one of the apocryphal writings describing this event). It was
completed by Kaiser Wilhelm II at the beginning of 20th century based on plans by Heinrich Renard who used as a model the Carolingian cathedral of
Aix-la-Chapelle.
www.christusrex.org... Room of the Last Supper lies just outside the Dormition Abbey behind the
Franciscan house on Sion. The whole area has been transformed by religious Jews into various Yeshivas (Schools of the Torah) especially due to the
devotion for the Tomb of King David which is believed to be located beneath the Upper Room.
Germany Rejects The Jews Not For The Last Time
www.jafi.org.il...
When Herzl met the Duke of Baden, the Kaiser's uncle, he tried to persuade him of the importance of a meeting with Kaiser Wilhelm for the Zionist
cause. After more than one and a half years of fruitless contacts with influential German figures, Herzl was called to the German consul during a stay
in Amsterdam and informed that the German Kaiser was prepared to meet him on his journey to Jerusalem.
Kaiser Wilhelm II's first stop on his journey to the land of Israel was at Kushta. In October 1898, Herzl traveled to Kushta, where he met with the
Kaiser for the first time and received a promise of a subsequent meeting in Jerusalem.
Herzl and his companions went up to Jerusalem in an optimistic frame of mind to wait the second meeting, which took place on November 2. His frosty
reception by the Kaiser and the lack of protocol led Herzl to realize that the German monarch had withdrawn his initial offer of support for Jewish
settlement in the land of Israel.
For the rejection of Herzl and the race against Britain for Jerusalem real estate, Turkey and Germany paid a heavy price. In 1910, the Dormition
Abbey was completed. Within a decade, Germany and Turkey were defeated in all out war, and Britain was in Jerusalem alongside Herzl's Jews.
Then came the Holocaust.
end