The Sacred Space And Sacred Spaces Forged By The Divine

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

Hierophany is defined as “manifestation of the sacred”(Arnold, 2012 p.17). Most of all religion has there owned sacred places. For example, Tibet has Mount Kailas, Oregon has Crater lake etc. Sacred places like this have played a vital role around the world because people believed that places like this have provided spiritual power to them. As it mentions in the book, “A dramatic example of this phenomenon is seen in Islam when Muslims kneel in prayer five times a day facing

Mircea Eliade’s The Sacred and the Profane analyzes a wide variety of components that are found within various world religions. Eliade uses the history of religion to support his ideas as the the book itself is a brief introduction to religion as a whole, particulary the religions of primitive societies. Nonetheless, when looking to the past one can see that mankind’s desire to associate itself with the sacred has been occuring for thousands of years. From temples to passages of intiation, religious man is a unique microcosm that follows and repeats the structure of the religious macrocosm, the creation of the cosmos. One can conclude that Eliade views religion as the “paradigmatic solution for every existential crisis.” (p210) and

Artfully constructed and etched in Quranic verse, the Dome sits upon its ominous perch and serves as the center of Jerusalem. Regardless of one's religious or political slant, the sheer magnificence of the building cannot be ignored – nor can its intrinsic message. From an uninfluenced perspective, one cannot help but observe the Dome as an attempt to

Thomas A. Tweed, in his article Space, defied Durkheim’s characterization of space as sacred vs. profane: he argued that spaces are not static and isolated, but “differentiated,” “kinetic,” and “interrelated.” As the holy city with cultural significance, and as the center of three major religions, Jerusalem is characterized by the Hebrew Bible as one of the religious spaces Tweed defines. THESIS: “Differentiated,” “Kinetic” “Interrelated”

Throughout the Old Testament, the tabernacle was a centerfold of worshiping God for the Israelite people. This was where believers could congregate to seek peace, sing praises, and make animal sacrifices to God. The tabernacle was also a resting place for God to come down from Heaven and dwell with His children. Similarly, the Garden of Eden was once a perfect creation for God to have an earthly dwelling place to be with Adam and Eve. That, until the age-old story of sin and deception came into place. The Garden of Eden was a perfect model of how God designed a place of worship to be, that is why He provided Moses with specific instructions of how the tabernacle should be built- as a replica of the garden. The tabernacle stands as a symbolic model of the original creation- the Garden of Eden, through its reproduction of several of the garden’s well-known features, such as the cherubim guarding the entrance, the Tree of Life, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the direction of the Garden facing east.

In Eliade’s The Sacred and the Profane, he accentuates the inevitable distinction between the sacred and profane.This develops when an individual tries to establish himself in his world and acknowledges his own individuality of the worldly and physical spaces he takes up. Chaos seems to be in the areas where the profane governs and there are no principles in a profane universe. The idea of the sacred comes from knowledge itself. The brahmanas defines religion and human existence with the sacredness embedded in water which brings forth life.

The beginning of the Old Testament starts by explaining how God created everything within seven days. He creates night and day, the sky and the ocean, vegetation, the stars, sun and moon, sea creatures, land creatures, and for the seventh day he rests. The Garden of Eden was the paradise where man once lived until Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit thus creating the original sin. Eve listened to the serpent and gave into temptation leading to the fall of man.

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.

Joseph M. Bolton RELS 103-02 Online Old Testament Studies Spring Semester 2011 Session E May 8, 2011 to July 2, 2011 The Old Testament TimeLine Creation & Primeval History The Creation: * God creates the Heavens and the Earth * God creates man in his image. *

Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica 2. Jerusalem was a place that Jesus spent a lot of his

God planted the Garden Eden using the knowledge what is in Heaven, The same is applied when he created the Earth. The new earth will be a replica of what will already have before in the Edena present Earth.

For many, the Hebrew bible is read and accepted without question. It plays a significant role in the practice of many religions and yet not many dare to wonder who wrote such sacred writings that would still be read to this very day. For generations, it was almost unheard of to ask or even fathom the identity of the author. Richard Elliot Friedman, a biblical scholar and graduate from Harvard University, explores, studies, and analyzes the bible to discover who wrote it. Having earned a master degree in theology, B.A degree in Philosophy, and master degree in Hebrew literature, Friedman proves to be a knowledgeable expert in his field of studies. From the years of work he invested into, Friedman aims to provide convincing evidence that the book is written by four persons through historical, archaeological, logical proof.

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.

It goes without saying that everyone on earth has at least one sanctuary. For some, this place is high up in the branches of a tree, where they can touch the sky with outstretched fingertips and feign a lack of attachment to the busy world lying below. For others, this sacred place might be found in a place as close and accessible as a cubbyhole in their own home. For others still, it might be in a library, or on a quiet mountaintop, the hard pews of a church building, or even a person. I myself have found my haven to be far away and, for now, out of my reach, in a city called Wilmington in North Carolina. It is the seventh or eighth largest city in the state, but the downtown area isn’t too busy to relax and breathe in the fresh air drifting from the beach only a few miles away. It is peaceful and serene, but still bustling with just the right amount of life and activity to be always uplifting, and flawless in its own way.