The land of Israel was blessed as the cradle of faith within Christian tradition due to the ‘Historia Sacra' events as described in the Christian Holy Scriptures. Events and figures from the Holy Scriptures connect the tidings of Christianity with the Land of Israel. The covenant sealed between God and man reached its peak in the New Testament in the image of Jesus, as it did in the holy figures preceding him - from Abraham to Joseph, husband of Mary (mother of Jesus), and those following him - Peter, Paul & others. Many places were sanctified by way of religious historical memory and later by commemorative, memorial and ritual structures, which became pilgrimage sites.

Another aspect of the Land of Israel as the cradle of Christianity can be seen in Israel as the origin of the first Christian community whose existence is hinted at already in the Holy Scriptures (Acts of the Apostles) and in external Christian literature. While Jesus' life and activities took place mainly in the Galilee, the apostles worked mostly from Jerusalem and from there to Samaria and the coastal plain (Lod, Jaffa, Caesarea and others).

The Gospel was spread from the Land of Israel throughout the world. In time, the direction of spreading the gospel from the Holy Land changed and instead of "Jerusalem to Rome" the nations clung to the Holy Land.  Eventually the descendants of the local communities met here with the representatives of the Christian communities who came to the Holy Land from all corners of the earth: from the Crusaders and the Franciscans through the European powers and missionaries from other countries.

Christian Survival in the Holy Land

The survival of Christian communities in the Holy Land is an impressive and instructive issue.  Already in the first centuries, the believers suffered Roman persecution, often paying for it with their lives, as described in the ‘Revelation of John' in the New Testament, and also in the writings of the Church of Eusebius of Caesarea "The Martyrs of the Land of Israel". The Martyrs were destined with the mythological role of structuring the Church's identity as identifying with Jesus' suffering and the glorification of the spirit of personal sacrifice. No less impressive, but not as well known, is the Church's struggle for survival under the different conquerors throughout history. After the Arab conquest the Christians were forced to develop means of survival. It is amazing to find that most of the ancient communities continue to exist and have rights in the holy places to this very day. Paradoxically, the Christians who refused to accept the edict of the Arian and Monophysite Church Councils had to contend both with the Christian-Byzantine rule and the Latin Crusader rule. The hardships of each community, between the overall Arabization and Islamization and the definition of the Christian and particular identity of the congregation, are noticeable in the communities' histories, their rights and assets and also the unique combinations created in the rituals and traditions (e.g.  Latin European medieval hymns sung in Arabic by local Christians).

The involvement of the powerful nations in the 19th century released the churches from the necessity of survival, but dragged them in to the whirlpool of attraction to the West which blurred their unique identity: Eastern congregations which united with Rome (e.g. the "Uniate" churches ) and new Protestant congregations.

The founding of the State of Israel and the Jewish-Arab conflict, which broke out in the Holy Land, placed the Christian communities in the face of challenges, hardships and identity problems, which further intensified their battle for survival as a minority within a minority.

The Local Christianity and the Church Division Phenomenon

The phenomenon of multiplicity of religious groups and rites is one of the identifying marks of Middle-Eastern Christianity. Up until the large immigrations of the 19thcentury, which created a mosaic of minorities, religions and congregations all over the world; our region could be presented as the most diverse anthropological-theological museum. Even today, the variegated range of local Christianity is worthy of introduction: Christians speaking different languages and liturgies, with diverse theologies live side by side. In spite of the difficulty to distinguish between them, even in their daily life, most live in a unique collective identity in their churches, in separate education systems and in affinity to the religious-historical sites they own.

We can learn about the rich variety of Christianity present in the first centuries of its existence, even before it became the official religion of the Roman Empire, from Christian sources. Already in the New Testament there is talk of the existence of trends of faith and awareness competing with the ‘official line' ("....in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction", 2 Peter 3:16).

Denunciation of different streams, authored by those who would later be considered patriarchs of the Church, is proof of the existence of different definitions of Jesus' image and gospel. Archeological findings from the 20th century establishing what is known from the polemic literature, such as the Gnostic writings found in Egypt and Judas Iscariot's "Gospel", which was recently exposed, enrich our knowledge about the historical variety of the groups believing in Jesus.

The ramification of Christianity into different church branches continued into the initial days of established Christianity, beginning in the time of Constantine the Great, who changed Christianity to a licit religion in the Roman Empire. Despite the vision and ideal of  "One Holy, Apostolic & Universal Church" within less than two hundred years there were at least four churches which refused to accept each other (Byzantine & - Orthodox Church, the Arian Stream, the Nestorians and the Monophysites) and during the second century, splits occurred in the Christian civilization, such as the schism of 1054 between Rome and Constantinople (catholic vis-à-vis Orthodox churches) and the Protestant revolution in the 16th century.

The Protestant Variety  - from Reformation to the Present Day

Ramifications and sub-ramifications following the 16th century reformation, characterized the Protestant streams. There is not one "Protestant Church" rather hundreds of churches, groups and streams. In the 20th century, with the social changes and changing self-awareness, a new and widespread phenomenon formed, of Christian believers who don't define themselves as part of the Church or a specific organization, rather with a wide definition such as Evangelists, and choose to experience their faith as an affinity to a particular preacher and not as an affinity to a defined organization. This phenomenon can be described as a Christian "mental atmosphere" and not as specific Churches according to the old terminology.

This ecclesiastical super-identity makes conventional typology difficult, but marks a new stage in the modern world Christian experience.  Technological progress, in particular television and Internet, contribute to this phenomenon of  ‘wandering' between communities. Using technology creates an additional channel for virtual community gatherings. The existence of communities, including virtual ones - based on charismatic preachers - creates novel dynamics and encourages the preachers to reach and appeal to the hearts of as many Christians as possible. The believer-preacher relationship is changing the historical pattern of the believer's subordination to the religious minister and the ecclesiastical establishment and the preacher is forced to contend for the believer's heart, with other preachers.

This phenomenon of preachers and their congregations has many implications on the State of Israel, in the tourism and political arenas.  Several preachers explicitly encourage the believers to visit and support the State of Israel and their involvement is noticeable in tourism and in ties with establishments and communities in Israel. This sympathy has political implications and it emphasizes the political polarization in the question of the Jewish-Arab conflict, it aggravates, challenges and strengthens the position of the opposing churches (mostly the Main line churches).

Multiple Catholic Orders and Organizations

Despite the centralization of the Catholic Church's authority in the papacy and the Holy See, there is a notable phenomenon of multiple and varied Catholic orders and organizations worldwide, and, in particular, in Israel.

The phenomenon of classifying monastic communities as "orders" according to destiny, code and clothing, is unique to the Catholic world (contrary to Eastern Churches). Over 40 monastic orders and congregations exist in hundreds of sites around the Holy Land and add their colors to the Christian human mosaic. The creation of new ascetic communities continues to this day and their presence in Israel, beside the old and historic communities (such as the Franciscans and the Carmelites) enrich the existing variety. Besides monks' orders, in light of the current crises of faith and society, new organizations are being created, targeting the Christian community and families, in an attempt to revive the believers' lives while accepting the Church's authority. This type of congregations have purchased or settled in different places in Israel - Neo Catechumenals at Domus Galilaeae near the Mount of Beatitudes, Emmanuel Community in Tiberias, Regnum Christi at Notre Dame Center in Magdala and in Jerusalem and others. (The movement known as Opus Dei has no presence in Israel).

This summarizes and presents the Christian diversity in the Holy Land - the local communities and their establishments, together with Churches and organizations from other countries. The dynamics, which characterized the history of the Churches, the congregations and the orders, continues today, and over the years, some of these may come and go. The dynamics, the survival, and the contact with centers of culture, religion and power, worldwide, are a challenge to research and a wonder in the history of mankind. The rich diversity of the groups is one of the Holy Land's important resources, which should be conserved and cherished as a cultural asset of utmost significance.

Yisca Harni is a renowned Christianity expert,  Independent Scholar and Senior Lecturer for the Israel Ministry of Tourism.  She is a contributor to Travelujah.