Visitors entering Christ Church expecting to see splendid representations of the evangelists and flamboyant illustrations of the Crucifixion are bound to be disappointed. Outwardly resembling a grand European synagogue more than a Christian house of worship, Christ Church was built from 1842-1849 by the London Society for the Promotion of Jews to Christianity for the specific purpose of drawing Jews into the Christian fold. Before that time simple proselytizing - and the promise of financial gain - had resulted in very few Jewish conversions, if any; the Protestant Bishopric in Jerusalem hoped that an attractive, accessible church might facilitate the cause.
It wasn't easy to build a new church in Jerusalem during the 1840's. The Turks allowed existing churches to operate but didn't permit new construction. Thus it was necessary to employ a stratagem: Christ Church was billed as a chapel for the British consul, and the sanctuary was annexed to his residence. Living quarters for the clergy were constructed around the courtyard.
At first, because the Moslems did not permit Christian use of a bell to call parishioners to worship, the church didn't even have a belfry. However after the Crimean War (1853-1856) had left the Turks in debt to the English, the London Society added a modest bell tower and dared to ring the bell for worship. Christ Church had the first bell - and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher followed suit. Soon bells began to ring at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Jerusalem's Russian Compound, and from that time on they could be heard all over Jerusalem.
Despite a typically Protestant lack of embellishment, Christ Church is a beautiful sanctuary. The design combines a touch of English beauty (rich, dark, wooden ceilings and tables) with Middle Eastern stone walls and medieval vaulted arches. While all of the original oak pews were removed to make room for more easily maneuverable wooden chairs, a few can be found along the sides of the church.
The church's only real decorations are a brilliantly colored tapestry and a stunning trio of stained-glass windows which face the entrance. Installed when the church was expanded in 1910, the middle window represents the Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The words are in Hebrew and the dominant figure is either a tree or a vine which only vaguely looks like a cross.
Until 1996, the side windows held only plain glass panes and the result was rather flat. Since the addition of two splendid stained-glass windows in 1996, the church's apse has taken on a new look. All three windows are replete with symbols and biblical quotes from the Old and New Testaments. Each side window includes a play of branches. Interestingly, on one side the branches end in a Jewish menorah and on the other, in a cross.
There is one more stained-glass window in the church. You see it as you leave, towering above the entrance. Colorful and elaborate, it features a Star of David.
An unusual wooden screen covers most of the wall behind the communion table. Designed to remind onlookers of the Holy Ark which, in synagogues, contains the Five Books of Moses, it is divided into four panels. The Ten Commandments (in Hebrew) are written in the two middle panels; on either side are the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed - both in Hebrew script.
The communion table located near the middle of the church is even more unique. It is divided into three parts. On the left is the IHS, an ancient Christian symbol. In the middle, a crown tops the Star of David. The name Immanuel next to the symbol refers to the biblical phrase: "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). The third symbol is an artistically worked Alpha and Omega: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End" (Revelations 22:13).
Today there is one cross in the church, on the main table. It appeared in 1948, when the Old City of Jerusalem was occupied by Jordan. Worried that the new Arab rulers might mistake this sanctuary for a synagogue, they placed a cross on the table, and it remains there to this very day.
Across the path from the church stands a spanking new Heritage Center. Inside, the history of Christian Zionism in Jerusalem is displayed through historic documents and artifacts, medieval bibles, and contemporary models of the city. It also features a multi-colored 1864 depiction of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher with removable domes, and examine a model of the 19th-century Protestant Quarter. An added attraction: steps descend down into a 2,000-year-old water reservoir that leads to an ancient tunnel.
Christ Church and Heritage Center - Jerusalem
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