<P> From the perspective of the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, the holiness of Israel had been concentrated since the sixteenth century, especially for burial, in the "Four Holy Cities": Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed and Tiberias - as Judaism's holiest cities . Jerusalem, as the site of the Temple, is considered especially significant . Sacred burials are still undertaken for diaspora Jews who wish to lie buried in the holy soil of Israel . </P> <P> According to Jewish tradition, Jerusalem is Mount Moriah, the location of the binding of Isaac . The Hebrew Bible mentions the name "Jerusalem" 669 times, often because many mitzvot can only be performed within its environs . The name "Zion", which usually refers to Jerusalem, but sometimes the Land of Israel, appears in the Hebrew Bible 154 times . </P> <P> The Talmud mentions the religious duty of colonising Israel . So significant in Judaism is the act of purchasing land in Israel, the Talmud allows for the lifting of certain religious restrictions of Sabbath observance to further its acquisition and settlement . Rabbi Johanan said that "one who walks a distance of 4 cubits in Israel may be confident of a share in the future world". A story says that when R. Eleazar b . Shammua' and R. Johanan HaSandlar left Israel to study from R. Judah ben Bathyra, they only managed to reach Sidon when "the thought of the sanctity of Israel overcame their resolution, and they shed tears, rent their garments, and turned back". Due to the Jewish population being concentrated in Israel, emigration was generally prevented, which resulted in a limiting of the amount of space available for Jewish learning . However, after suffering persecutions in Israel for centuries after the destruction of the Temple, Rabbis who had found it very difficult to retain their position moved to Babylon, which offered them better protection . Many Jews wanted Israel to be the place where they died . R. Anan said, "To be buried in Israel is like being buried under the altar". The saying "His land will absolve His people" implies that burial in Israel will cause one to be absolved of all one's sins . </P> <P> For Christians, the Land of Israel is considered holy because of its association with the birth, ministry, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, whom Christians regard as the Savior or Messiah, and because it is the land of his people, the Jews (according to the Bible). Christian books, including editions of the Bible, often had maps of the Holy Land (considered to be Galilee, Samaria, Judea). For instance, the Itinerarium Sacrae Scripturae (Travel book through Holy Scripture) of Heinrich Bünting (1545 - 1606), a German Protestant pastor, featured such a map . His book was very popular, and it provided "the most complete available summary of biblical geography and described the geography of the Holy Land by tracing the travels of major figures from the Old and New testaments ." </P>

A history of israel and the holy land