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Al-Hakim assumed the throne of Islam in 996 AD. Armstrong (p. 258) describes him as "a pious, austere man who was passionately committed to the Shii ideal of social justice. Yet he was of a troubled disposition, given to outbreaks of fanatical rage and cruelty." He started his reign by showing the tolerance toward Jews and Christians that had typified the caliphs before him. For unknown reasons, however, in 1003, he undertook a program of destroying churches. In 1008, upon seeing Coptic Christians making pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Easter (much in the style of Muslims making pilgrimage to Mecca) he made inquiries. An advisor told him about the rites in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, including a "trick" performed by the clergy. On the Saturday before Easter, Christians come to the Church bearing unlit torches. The bishop enters the Tomb of Jesus, and there (claimed al-Hakim's advisor) he lights a lamp while pretending that fire descended from heaven and lit it. This lamp is then used to light the torches of the congregation, who bring the fire home to their hearths.
Enraged at this "trick," which he thought had duped a great many, al-Hakim sent a team to destroy the church. They did not stop at the sacred tomb, but hacked it to pieces, as well as the rock of Golgotha. What we see today is only part of that rock. As for the tomb, it is a replica. The memory of al-Hakim's behavior became a motive for the Crusades. (Peters, pp. 258-260, quotes the Muslim sources for this destruction.)
The Holy Sepulcher: An Introduction Destruction in the 11th Century The Christian communities at the Church
© 2003 Near East Tourist Agency (NET) Text © 2003 Stephen Langfur
Scripture taken from the NEW A
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