Years ago, during the Jesus People movement that swept North America in the ’60s and ’70s, a friend of mine rented a large old three-story house and a bunch of the single guys in our hippy church moved in.

It was unofficially called the “Home of the Unwed Brothers.”

I don’t know how it happened, but after a while, people began to find out about this house, and we regularly had people dropping by and staying with us for a few days as they were on their travels.

I remember two guys who were on their way to Jerusalem. One of them believed he had been called as one of the two end times prophets mentioned in the book of Revelation.

I thought it was a bit weird, but hey it was the ’70s, everything was kind of weird back then.

He continued on his journey after a few days, and we never heard from him again. I don’t know if he ever made it to Jerusalem or not. His friend who was traveling with him decided to stay and lived with us for a few more months.

But looking back on it, I wonder if the Israel-bound guy was suffering the early stages of what today is referred to as the ‘Jerusalem Syndrome.”

I guess it’s officially kind of a thing and in fact was recently used in the defense of a tourist who damaged two ancient statues in a recent visit to Jerusalem, the Times of Israel reports.

This past week an American tourist in his 40s was visiting the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and smashed two Roman statues that were on display there by pushing over the pedestals on which they were being displayed.

The two statues, the head of Athena and the other representing the Roman god Nemis, shattered when they hit the ground in what has been described as a “horrifying destruction of cultural assets” by Israel Antiquities Authority.

According to the police, the man thought that the statues were ‘against the Torah’ and were promoting idol worship.

In defense of the man’s action, his lawyer claimed his unnamed client was experiencing what is known as the ‘Jerusalem Syndrome’.

“Jerusalem syndrome is the name given to religiously-themed delusions or psychosis triggered by a visit to Jerusalem,” writes Amy Spiro and Sue Surkes for the Times of Israel. “The condition can affect visitors who have shown no signs of mental illness previously, and usually resolves upon departure from Israel.”

“Each year, several dozen tourists are reported to experience Jerusalem-themed mental problems,” Spiro and Surkes continued.

This is not the first time we have heard of this type of thing happening in 2023. In February, another man was arrested after vandalizing a statue in the Jerusalem Church of the Flagellation.

READ: US tourist who smashed ancient statues may have ‘Jerusalem syndrome’ — lawyer