The Evolution Of Jerusalem As A Sacred Space

Now enters the city, New Jerusalem (21:1-22:5), the symbol of hope. Instead of presenting another worldly power, John brings God’s power to earth, an enormous city which only the worthy can access. Unlike the beast’s (Rome’s) wealth, New Jerusalem contains a bounty of wealth for all those worthy, everything from shelter found in the high walls built with strong foundations to food provided year-round from the tree of life, and yes even jewels are present in God’s city which knows no night. Just in case the community loses its sight on how they might arrive at such a divine city, God’s throne rests at the center of New

The city of Jerusalem has been recognized as the holy city throughout the history of three religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. During the time of Judaism, Biblical writers presented Jerusalem as the most sacred space, the center of the world, and the city of the Lord. A leading interpreter of religious texts, Mircea Eliade, in his book The Sacred and The Profane, defined several religious experiences with specific terminologies, such as hierophany, which means the sign of sacredness, and axis mundi, which is the center of the world. These terminologies will help us in interpreting how the biblical writers promote Jerusalem as the holy city. In the Hebrew Bible Genesis 1-3, 22, 2 Samuel 6-8, 1 King 6-8, the writers reveal Jerusalem

Jerusalem should be solely their own in order to bring closeness to their God. But in fact the

In the biblical text, Jerusalem is characterized as a “differentiated” religious place by portraying it as God’s selection for Israel people. In the book Genesis, God tested Abraham by commanding him to go to the land of Moriah and sacrifice his only son Isaac as a burnt offering. The language in Hebrew Bible specifically emphasized how the “land of Moriah” is divinely mandated: “…one of the mountains that I shall show you”, “…went to the place in the distance that God had shown him”, and “when they came to the place that God had shown him” all highlight that it is the Israelite God who explicitly chose the “land of Moriah” as the place for Abraham’s test. Because of such divinely mandated feature, the “land of Moriah,” where the city of Jerusalem is located, differentiated itself from other generic

The Crusades were a series of wars over the holy lands such as Jerusalem between European Christians and the Ottoman Empire between the 11th and 15th centuries. They fought for many reasons such as control over religious sights, access to trade and protection of fellow christians.

Religious spaces, characterized by Thomas Tweed, are “differentiated,” “interrelated,” and “kinetic.” As a sacred city with spiritual significance in three major religions, Jerusalem is depicted thoroughly in the Hebrew Bible and illustrated as one of the spaces Tweed defines. The Bible emphasizes that Jerusalem was chosen by God and honored by Israelites, which differentiates it as a special, singular space; the description of Solomon’s Temple shows that the Holy City was interrelated to economic power and involved in the judgment of civil cases. Moreover, the conquest, development and destruction of Jerusalem illustrate the city as a kinetic space, reflecting the unsettled history of the Iron Age. These characteristics all make Jerusalem a religious and political center from the ancient Near East time to present day, guiding the footsteps of believers around the world.

The Spoils of Jerusalem is a very interesting sculpture. This sculpture was constructed in c. AD.82 by Emperor Domitian after the death of his oldest brother Titus, to show off Titus' victory over the siege of Jerusalem (Khan, n.d). The relief sculpture is located within the "Arch of Titus" and it represents the victories of Domitian's father and his brother in the Jewish War (Cartwright, 2013).It is relief sculpture, which means that it is attached to a background and can only be viewed from one side (Sporre, 2015). The original sculpture is located within the Arch of Titus, in Rome, which is a beautiful piece of art in its self.

Jerusalem had always been known to the Christians as an ideal city, or a holy city- the walls had been touched by Christ

Thomas Tweed in his article Space claims that there is a deeper connection between space and religion than meets the ordinary eye. The article examines how Christianity, Islam, and Judaism describe, imaginatively figure, and construct Jerusalem as a religious space. According to Tweed, space, in a religious context, is defined by three different and distinguishable characteristics: differentiated, kinetic, and interrelated. As revealed throughout many of the books in the Hebrew Bible, Jerusalem is one of these religious spaces that Tweed is talking about. Various Biblical texts, like Genesis 22, 2 Samuel 5-7, 1 Kings, and the Psalms reveal the city of Jerusalem, its geography, and its people’s history as being differentiated, kinetic, and interrelated.

Certain physical locations take on important meanings in the world’s religions. Religions consider various geographic elements such as different cities, regions, mountains, and rivers to be sacred. For example, Hindus travel to the Ganges River to cleanse themselves from their sins (Momen 157). One of the requirements of all Muslims is that they make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca (Eastman 398). Judeo-Christian religions also have certain places that are held sacred to their followers. The concept of sacred space is important to Judeo-Christian religions, because it helps to explain the questions of existence. Sacred space provides something tangible to represent

Religious spaces, characterized by Thomas Tweed, are “differentiated,” “interrelated,” and “kinetic.” As a sacred city with spiritual significance in three major religions, Jerusalem is depicted thoroughly in the Hebrew Bible and illustrated as one of the spaces Tweed defines. The Bible emphasizes that Jerusalem was chosen by God and honored by Israelites, which differentiates it as a special, singular space; the description of Solomon’s Temple shows that the Holy City was interrelated to economic power and involved in the judgment of civil cases. Moreover, the conquest, development and destruction of Jerusalem illustrate the city as a kinetic space, reflecting the unsettled history of the Iron Age. These characteristics all make Jerusalem

To begin with, the Bible illustrates that Jerusalem is a special space due to God’s residence in the city. Tweed argues that “differentiated” religious space is sensually experienced locales that are “more or less ‘special’, ‘singular’ or ‘set apart’” in that it can “orient daily life” (Tweed 2011:119). In that sense, Jerusalem in the Bible is differentiated, since God’s presence in the city indeed affected Israelites’ life. With the Ark of the Covenant in the city, people’s life in Jerusalem had been changed as they felt a sense of safety being in a center connecting heaven to earth, and thus being close to the deity; they could from then on

John H. Walton’s Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible is broken up into fourteen chapters. Those fourteen chapters are each part of one of five sections. This book also contains over twenty historical images. Before the introduction, the author gives readers a full appendix of all images used in this published work. The author then gives his acknowledgements followed by a list of abbreviations.

Nehemiah the Israelite leader displays numerous traits of a Servant Leader in the biblical book, Nehemiah. Nehemiah sets out on a quest to rebuild the city of Jerusalem and the wall that surrounds his beloved home. During this time, he encounters many obstacles and will overcome all roadblocks put in front of him. This paper will provide an analysis of two significant events, building the wall around Jerusalem and organizing Jerusalem’s people to rebuild the city.

Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world. Located in between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea, It is the main destination for those tourists that have a desire of getting a grasp of the Western East Countries, and for many, a unique religious experience. However, Jerusalem: also called the "Holy Land" has by its name a very controversial meaning: " The City of Peace". Once ago in this place, according to the Hebrew Bible (The Tanakh), the Temple of Solomon was built. According to the Muslim Bible (The Quran), also the location of the Dome of the Rock. From the Christian point of view and The Bible, It was once the place where the trial, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus took place. This series of religious events have brought up along with it a conflict in between Middle Eastern Countries for more than 50 years long with one main question on the plate: Who fairly and ethically deserves to live in the Holy Land?