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"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 a 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 honoured 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 then 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 of religion for all faiths and thus is has been possible for the three great monotheistic religions to develop and flourish in Jerusalem, which is regarded as a holy city by Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
For the Jews, through the ages, Jerusalem has not only been the centre of their existence, but also their place of prayer. The Western Wall - a relic of the Temple - is the holiest place of Jewish pilgrimage. Jews from all parts of the world feel themselves close to their God there: all through their long history it has been the place at which to pray for salvation.
The superb Dome of the Rock was built, according to Islamic tradition, on the world's cornerstone.
Christian tradition regards the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as the centre of the world. Here is the traditional tomb of Jesus, the founder of Christianity, who himself loved Jerusalem, the city of the Great King. There he was crucified and buried and there he is believed to have been resurrected.
The common roots of Judaism, Islam and Christianity and the veneration of the same one God give living expression to the unity of mankind.
