» About the Department » Related Links The Fifteenth Annual B.F.
Stone Endowed Lyceum SHARING THE TOMB OF CHRIST: The sites
associated with crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Christ,
are housed in a structure which was built by the Roman Emperor
Constantine in 335 C.E. Destroyed and rebuilt many times over,
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City Jerusalem is a
rare example of a sanctuary in which multiple religious groups
practice their faith. Six different Christian traditions claim
rights and privileges to this place: the Armenian, Coptic,
Ethiopian, Greek, and Syrian Orthodox, and the Roman Catholic.
These groups have very different liturgical traditions,
languages of prayer, and cultural practices. The space of the
church is meticulously divided into sections to which each
denomination lays claim based on tradition. In the absence of
formal law to arbitrate between these groups, conflicts over
daily practices in the church can turn into on-going disputes.
Efforts by various secular powers