Christians and the Holy Places : The Myth of Jewish-Christian Origins

The origins of Christian holy places in Palestine and the beginnings of Christian pilgrimage to these sites have seemed obscure. From a detailed examination of the literature and archaeology pertaining to holy places in Palestine, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Mamre, Nazareth, Capernaum, and elsewhere, the author finds no evidence that Christians of any kind venerated `holy places' before the fourth century. She explores evidence showing that pilgrimage to intrinsically sacred shrines had been a pagan practice, which was grafted on to Christianity. Many Jewish, Samaritan, and pagan sites were thereafter appropriated by the church and turned into Christian holy places. This process helped to destroy the widespread paganism of Palestine and mark the country as a `holy land'.