Thursday was the first official day of lecture for Jerusalem: Holy City. The class began with questioning what exactly is it that makes a space sacred. Two points that stuck out were the belief that something significant or supernatural occurred within the space, or someone of major importance was born there. The reason that certain spaces are made sacred is due to the routes that lead to the space. When one journeys to visit a sacred space, it is known as a pilgrimage. We learned the two major routes of Jerusalem- The Via Maris (Great Trunk Road) and The King's Highway (Transjordan). After, we looked at a map of Jerusalem and were informed that it connects three major continents-Asia, India, and Egypt. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on the face of the Earth. I found it interesting how the Jordan River means to descend and is the connection between the high and low point of Jerusalem. Due to the fact Jerusalem contains water and valleys, it is a city that contains a great deal of importance and history. The Kidron, Tiropean, and Hinnom Valleys are referred to as the sacred places of Jerusalem. Dr. Cargill had the class look at a few Google Maps containing specific monuments such as Jaffa Gate, the Dome of the Rock, Hebrew University, Sultan's Pool, etc. I found it fascinating that just by looking at a map, I felt as though I had traveled there.
Jerusalem established itself on a hill with valleys protecting it from invaders. There were Four Quarters:
NW-Christian
NE-Islamic
SW-Armenian
SE-Jewish
On the eastern side is the temple mount, which was known as the fifth quarter. We took a look at the Western Wall; known as the holyest site in Jerusalem. What I found captivating was hearing how much elevation plays a role within Jerusalem. For example, if you are on a mountain, you are closer to God. The opposite is with valleys (The Valley of the shadow of death).
Nowadays, Jerusalem has resources. However, back then water was so scarce in Jerusalem that they had a find a way to take water from the Gihon spring. The people did this by digging a tunnel down underground, so that they could lift water up from the spring. Dr. Cargill stressed that the biggest issue and Jerusalem has ALWAYS been water. Water plays a role in religious sites as well, for example in Catholic churches. It is also central to the faith because it holy and purifying. In addition, we looked at the Siloam pool, the location of John 9 miracle-- and how it turned into a controversial site, due to the fact that someone built a house on top of it. Also, the people expanded the excavation of the Siloam pool so that you can see everything. In order to excavate, they had to destroy houses which Palestinians lived in (Israelis destroyed them)-- therefore this created a huge conflict. This conflict was the use of archaeology as a weapon, and shows surprisingly enough how archaeology can be misused.
Jerusalem began its tradition as a holy city because of the physical attributes. Once things become larger due to talking, everything grows. Once it gets going, it begins to assume other legends. Another point was that after Jerusalem becomes a city, it begins to grab other stories. Dr. Cargill made an analogy to Jerusalem in relation to a magnet. This is solely because it attracts stories and legends. For example, the prophet Ezekiel acts out his prophecies--his prophecy told of water flowing out of a temple.
On to the topic of the construction of a Sacred Space: Once a tradition is established about a holy space, there is an effort to memorialize the place where they structure it. We learned that the center of the world was Axis Mundi, which contains the Temple, Dome of the Rock, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
We ended lecture with a few passages form "Sacred Space" by Eliade, and the events of the Jewish Temple. I was shocked at the amount of times it was rebuilt and then destroyed!
That ended the lecture from Thursday--Cannot wait for next week :)
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