AELIA CAPITOLINA, the name given to Jerusalem, when the emperor Adrian, (whose family name was AElius,) about A. D. 134, settled a Roman colony there, and banished the Jews, prohibiting their return upon pain of death. We are assured, that Tinnius Rufus, or, as the Rabbins call him, Turannus, or Tumus Rufus, ploughed up the spot of ground on which the temple had stood. There are medals of Adrian extant, struck upon this occasion ; on the reverse of which Judea is represented as a woman, holding two naked children by her, and sacrificing upon an altar. On another medal, we see Judea kneeling, submitting to the emperor, and three children begging mercy of him. Jerome states, that in his time, the Jews bought from the Roman soldiers permission to look on Jerusalem, and to shed tears over it. (Paulin. ad Sever. Ep. 11.) Old men and women, loaded with rags, were seen to go weeping up the mount of Olives, (see Mark xiii. 3.) to lament from thence the ruin of the temple.

The city was consecrated by Adrian to Jupiter Capitolinus, after whom it was named Capitolina, and a temple was built to him on the spot where Jesus rose from the dead. A statue of Venus was also set up on Calvary, a marble hog was placed on the gate leading toward Bethlehem, and at this place a grove was planted in honor of Adonis, to whom was dedicated the cave in which our Lord was sup posed to have been born. (Hieron. ad Paulin. Ep. 13.) Notwithstanding these degradations, however, the places consecrated by the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus, continued to be held in repute, and were, in fact, identified by the very means employed to destroy their locality, and put out their remembrance. See Calvary, and Sepulchre of Christ.

It appears that Adrian's order for expelling the Jews from Jerusalem did not extend to the Christians. These remained in the city, and the church, which had been previously composed chiefly of converted Jews, who had connected many of the legal ceremonies with the Christian worship, was now formed exclusively of Gentile converts, who abolished the Jewish observances.

From this period the name AElin became so common, that Jerusalem was preserved only among the Jews, and better informed Christians. In the time of Constantine, however, it resumed its ancient name, which it has retained to the present day.