I always thought Zion or Zionism was something related to Jews or Hebrews. But just today I noticed a church named Zion United Methodist. Then I remembered another that was Zion Lutheran Church.
I don’t even care to give a speculation, as I’m thoroughly stumped. Any help here?
Zi·on
n.
[Middle English Sion, from Old English, from Late Latin Sin, from Greek Sein, from Hebrew iyyôn. See wy2 in Semitic Roots.]
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Early Out has it right. Basically, I think those churches were using “Zion” to mean something like “Paradise”, but it can also refer to Israel. (Which makes sense because Israel was the Biblical “Promised Land”, even though it doesn’t exactly seem like paradise these days.)
“Zionism” refers to the movement to reestablish a Jewish state in the ancestral homeland of the Jews. This lead to the creation of the modern-day state of Israel.
So having Zion in the name is a way to invoke the ancient promised land? What’s got me confused is these are Christian faiths incorporating the word into their names. At first I thought it was some melding of faiths, but that didn’t make sense, hence the OP. Is it more marketing than an actual article of faith?
Never mind, just noticed 2 and 3 are seperate from 1a and 1b. Thanks for the help, Early Out.
Its also a specific hill in Jerusalem that held the temple of solomon
In the Book of Kings (one of the ‘books’ (originally, scrolls) of the Hebrew Scripture, part of the Christian ‘Old Testament’), ‘Zion’ is given as another name for the whole city of Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:1). Mt. Zion (or Sion) is the hill in Jerusalem upon which the temple sat (now occupied by a Mosque with the nearby ‘wailing wall’ as the only remnant of the temple (which itself was razed and rebuilt a few times over the centuries)).
Many of the psalms (in the Book of Psalms) were the hymns of their time used in worship, especially in the feasts of the Temple (on Mt. Zion in Jerusalem). And so, many of the psalms make reference to the Temple. But rather than keep saying ‘the temple this’ and ‘the temple that,’ the psalms used ‘Zion’ as a synonym or reference to the temple. “Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion” (Ps 20:2)
Isaiah uses ‘Zion’ as a center point for the LORD to establish his rule for Israel and all nations: Isaiah 2:3 “And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.”
You might recognize from Handel’s Messiah: Isaiah 40:9 – “O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!”
Zion is not so much a time of past paradise (though it represents a time of the past glory of the Davidic Kingdom) but a place where a future paradise will be established (reminiscent of the paradise lost of Eden): Isaiah 51:3 – “For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.”
And so, Zion is a symbol of the gathering of the scattered tribes of Israel united again politically in the restored covenant of the Davidic kingship. Thus the mid-20th century ‘Zionist’ movement of creating a Jewish state.
And also, Zion is used by Christians as an eschatological promise of paradise/heaven which comes from the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah where ‘all nations’ (even the Gentiles) will be gathered to worship God because of how Jesus, the Son of David, is able to restore and perfect all of the covenants made to the Israelites.
Zionara, -m
So when Rastafarians speak of ‘Zion’ (in dub music, Bob Marley with 'Iron Lion Zion, etc) - is there no connection with the Jewish Zion, either?
A Shinto reference, perhaps? People have been taken out and flogged for better puns. 
Staggerlee: In Rastafarianism ‘Zion’ refers to either the state in Ethiopia established by Haile Selassie, or to a ideal pan-African state yet to be established. So it’s separate from the other ideas. The ‘Lion’ part refers to ‘Conquering Lion of (the tribe of) Judah’, which was one of the titles held by Haile Selassie as Emperor of Ethopia. (Previous emperors also held this title, and also claimed linear descent from Solomon and therefore David.)
Well, strictly speaking, Christianity is a sect of Judaism; specifically one that believes Jesus was the prophecied Messiah …
All of these things are connected to the Jewish Zion. Zion is a sacred place referred to in the Hebrew scriptures, so it’s a concept shared by Jews and Christians. Rastafarianism, which is a (highly variant) form of Christianity still uses the same concepts and images.
If I remember correctly, Mt. Zion is the hilltop just outside the Old City’s Zion Gate, to the southwest. The Temples were on the hilltop called Mt. Moriah. Paging Zev for a geography check, please.
I suppose the prophets and poets decided Tziyon sounded better than Moriah when they wrote their parts of Scripture.
Christianity spun itself off as a stand-alone religion several centuries ago.
I have no input, but you all missed a perfectly good chance to use this little guy. ;j
The word “Zion” in Hebrew means a momument or something of distinction.