LAST ONE!

Tuesday: 20^th Century Jerusalem           

Today we started talking about Modern Jerusalem. During this time period Zionism, the movement to re-establish a Jewish State, began to rise in Jerusalem. Saladin had allowed the Jews to resettle in Jerusalem, Nachmanides flees Spain and tries to make aliyah, and Maimonides spread the belief that Jerusalem is “the center on the Jewish people.” It became increasing popular to believe that Jerusalem was the “gate to heaven” and Jews needed to return to Jerusalem and lay claim. More Jews begin to come towards Jerusalem also because of the growing Anti-Semitism and the rise of Hitler. The British start to conquer and General Allenby takes Palestine in 1917. (He chose to walk through the gates into the city as opposed to ride because that is something that only Jesus did). There was the Sykes-Picot Agreement with split up the Near East amongst the French and British. But with the Balfour Declaration in 1917 and the British Mandate in 1918 we see that the British were in support of the Jews in Jerusalem. All the British in Jerusalem caused unrest and in 1948 the War of Independence broke out. The British leave Jerusalem leaving it to Israel and Jordan, leading to the rise of Jordanian Jerusalem. 

Jordanians take control of the west bank. King Abdullah (who was given Jordan during in Churchill’s “White Papers”) is assassinated in front of the Al-Aqsa Mosque by an Arab radical. King Hussein declares Jerusalem as “the second capital of the state of Jordan” and Jordanians develop tourism.

Thursday: 21^st Century Jerusalem

Today was the last lecture. WE started off by talking about the Six Day War (1967). The soviets inform Syria of impending Israeli attack so Egypt amasses troops in Sinai. Jordan signs military agreement with Egypt. Israeli forces launch pre-emptive strike and reduce Egyptian air force within hours. Israeli forces enter the old city. Moshe Dayan, and Israeli general, gives control of Haram to Muslins and the Jews are forbidden to pray on the Haram. The UN rejects the annexation of Jerusalem. Everyone wants the Golan Heights.

Next we talked about the Intifadas or Uprisings. The First Intifada began in 1988. This led to the Oslo Accords. The Oslo Accords was the first face-to-face agreement between Israel and the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization). It called for the creation of PNA and the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Strip and West Bank. Both sides wrote Letters of Mutual Recognition and Israel acknowledged PLO as legitimate representative of Palestine People.

In 2000 Israel withdrew from Southern Lebanon. The Second Intifada occurs when Ariel Sharon ascends the Temple Mount. In 2002 Israel begins the construction of the West Bank Barrier. In 2004, the PNA chairman Yasser Arafat dies. 2005, the Israelis are forcibly removed from Gaza. 2006, Hamas defeat Fatah in Palestinian Elections and the Israeli-Hizbullah War is fought. 2007, the “Palestinian Civil War” and “Operation Cast Lead” occur. And in 2010 Israel announces new housing settlements in east Jerusalem.

In the end, Professor talked about the importance of peaceful protest. And in terms of Jerusalem, whether peace will ever occur depends on peaceful meeting and agreement. Only time with tell…

Week 9!

Tuesday: Crusader Jerusalem

A Crusade is Holy War, it was a battle between Roman Catholic forces and Muslims. Crusaders took vows and were granted penance for past sins (indulgences).  The Crusades were an attempt to recapture Jerusalem from Islamic rule. The Crusades occurred in Jerusalem from 1099-1187. There were several factors that contributed to the crusades: The emergence of Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe; the division in Christianity in terms of Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church; the late reaction to persecution of Christians in Jerusalem; the Holy Sepulcher being set on fire and the Patriarch of Jerusalem killed; Al hakin destroyed the Holy Sepulcher in 1009; Christians had a difficult time making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem because they were be killed along the way. The Crusades were set into motion in 1095 when Pope Urban II makes a speech calling upon western Europe urging Christians to take action and liberate Jerusalem.

In the 1^st crusade (1095-1099) Jerusalem is conquered by Godfrey de Bouillon and divided into 4 quarters: Patriarch’s quarter, Templar’s quarter, Syrian quarter, and Armenian quarter. There is a renewed interest in the Temple Mount, the existing Islamic monuments were modified, there was a rebuilding of ruined Byzantine churches, and building of other new churches. Saladin conquered the Crusaders in 1187. Saladin gave the Holy Sepulcher to the Greeks.  A third crusade occurred in 1187 led by Richard “the Lionheart”, where he was able to make a truce with Saladin and the Christians were finally able to return to Jerusalem.

Thursday: Mamluk and Ottoman Jerusalem

During Mamluk Jerusalem (1250-1516), Jerusalem becomes a religious center. There is the development of the Haram, n intensive building of schools, hospices, and hostels, the construction of Al-Madrasa al-Ashrafiyya, and Ghawanima Minaret. Politically and militarily the time period is insignificant and from 1351-1353 Jerusalem suffers from the plague. Mamluk is known best of its characteristic architecture. Most of the architecture had walls built of alternating red and white courses of stone, was domed, contained muqarnas and had alternating black and white inlay designs in entrances and walls. During this time the Jewish Quarter actually grew significantly and Rabbi Moses ben Nachman makes aliyah in 1267 CE and developed Kabbalah.

Ottoman Jerusalem followed Mamluk Jerusalem from 1516-1918. Ottomans take Constantinople in 1453. Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent rules from 1520-1566. He put in place many public works such a repairing and enlarging aqueducts and pools, rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, refurbishes the Haram and its monuments, rebuilds and renovates the markets, and builds a huge public charity for Jerusalem’s inhabitants. He also established a shari’a court and Jewish refugees are encouraged to settle in Jerusalem to restore the city and the population of Jews triples. Lastly we talked looked over slides and discussed the significance of the Western Wall and the Damascus Gate.

Week 8!

Tuesday: BYZANTINE JERUSALEM

The Romans banned the Jews from Jerusalem and converted the city into a Roman city known as Aelia Capitolia. In 285 CE, Emperor Diocletian splits the administration of Roman Empire between West and East instituting a tetrarchy. The tetrarchy did not work well and eventually Constantine the Great comes into power in 312 CE. During the Battle of Malvian Bridge in 312 CE, Constantine uses Christianity to unify his entire kingdom and conquer in the name of Jesus. In 313 CE in the Edict of Milan, Christianity is legalized and begins to expand westward. Constantine turns the Christian faith based off of the teachings of Jesus into a religion that conquers in the name of Jesus. He fundamentally changes the religion. Helena, the mother of Constantine, rededicated the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Holy Sepulcher becomes the new Axis Mundi.

In 361, Julian “the Apostate” takes control and tries to convert Jerusalem back into a Jewish city. He attempts to rebuild the Temple and rejected Christianity. But in 391 Theodosius names Christianity the state religion and undid the changes of Julian.  Christian Jerusalem under the rule of Justinian expands the there is the building of the Nea or New Church. We learned about the many pilgrimages that occurred during the time and then looked at the Madaba Map. The Madaba Map is a mosaic on the church floor that is highly accurate and depicts all the gates of the city, the cardo, and the church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Thursday: ISLAMIC JERUSALEM

Sasanians take Palestine and Jerusalem until 628 CE. When Muhammad leaves no heir, Caliphs (delegates or representatives) are established to lead the Islamic community. The Muslim Caliph Umar takes Jerusalem in 638 CE marking the beginning of the Umayyad Dynasty. Caliph Umar allowed for the Jews to resettle back in Jerusalem. The city, whose name was changed to Aelia Capitolia, became Al Quds or “The Holy” under Islamic rule. Caliph Abd al-Malik builds the Dome of the Rock in 691 CE to divert pilgrimage from Mecca to Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque is built of the site of Caliph Umar’s mosque. The Dome of the Rock was modeled after the Byzantine Martyria and was intended to outshine Christian monuments and demonstrate the final truth of Islam. The Dome of the Rock, like Jerusalem, attracted many stories and legends. The Al-Aqsa Mosque or “The Farthest Mosque” was built by Caliph Walid al-Malik was a prayer at the Al-Aqsa mosque is said to be 500 times a prayer elsewhere. Along with the Dome of the Rock there was the Dome of the Chain, the place where final judgment will occur in the end of days. The five “Pillars” of Islam were also discussed: Shahada (testimony or witness), Slata (Prayer 5 times a day), Zakat (almsgiving to the needy), Sawm (fasting in the month of Ramadan), and Hajj (making pilgrimage to Mecca one in one’s lifetime).

Professor finished up the lecture the following Tuesday and discussed the Abbasid Dynasty and the Fatimids. The Abbasid Dynasty tried to wipe out memory of Umayyid’s accomplishments and tried to take credit for building the Dome of the Rock. In 965 CE Muhammad al-Sanhaji, governor of Jerusalem kills John the Patriarch of Jerusalem. The Fatimids ruled from 969-1099. It was marked by a period of upheaval, but the population of Jerusalem steadily increased. The welfare of Christians and Hews changed depending on ruler. In 1009 Caliph al-Hakin orders the destruction of all Jewish and Christian houses of prayer including the Holy Sepulcher. In 1034 the Dome of the Rock is restored and the City walls rebuilt. In 1070 the Seljuqs occupy Jerusalem, destroying and looting much of the city and massacring thousands of its inhabitants. But in 1098 the Fatimids lead a 40-day siege on Jerusalem’s fortifications and eventually retake the city from the Seljuqs.

Week 7!

Tuesday

In Tuesday’s lecture we discussed Herodian Jerusalem or Jesus’ Jerusalem. In 43 BCE, Antipater, the installed procurator, was murdered and Herod became the new Roman ruler. Most of our archaeological evidence of Herod the Great was coins. He tried to be sensitive with the Jews but he was also careful not to upset Rome so they could essentially overthrow him. He was not truly Jewish, he had been one of the people forcibly Judaized by the Hasmoneaons, but his knowledge of Jewish tradition enabled him to rule without provoking the Jews to rebel. He was known as being paranoid and impulsive and he was effective for Rome but hated by the Jews. Herod was most known for his massive building projects, which was good for the people of Rome because it gave them jobs. We went through lots of pictures of the different building projects such as the Herodian Temple Mount and the Western Wall. Professor brought up the question of whether Herod was a good or bad king and provided evidence for both sides. Although he didn’t defile the Temple, allowed the Jews to select their High Priest, offered generous relief during famine, and provided jobs, he was considered only “half Jewish” and worked for the Romans.

Next we talked about Jesus and Jesus’ Jerusalem. Just like with David and Solomon, Jesus’ existence was questioned. There is very little archaeological evidence that Jesus actually existed but it is believed that he most likely did. This is because there is much evidence that showed that people believed he was a prophet, rabbi, teacher, and savor and many of the descriptions of Jerusalem and Palestine at the time of Jesus are considered accurate.

Thursday

In Thursday during class we talked about Jerusalem in Revolt. After Pompey conquered Jerusalem in 63 BCE, Herod the Great comes into power. After Herod dies, his kingdom was divided among three of his sons. Archelaus, the first son, became the ethnarch of Judea. Archelaus received the most land but was not an effective ruler and was eventually sent into exile in 6 CE. Herod Antipas, the second son, became the tetrarch of Perea and Galilee. He ruled from 4 BCE until his exile in 39 CE. The third son Herod Philip became the tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis, northwest of the Sea of Galilee. He ruled from 4 BCE until his death in 34 CE. Over time Roman procurators replaced all of the Herodian rulers. These governors were inexperienced and inept and the Jews in Jerusalem became more and more provoked and angry.             

Finally in 66 CE, revolt breaks out in Jerusalem. The Jews began to mint their own coins as a way of revolting against the Romans. The first revolt was unsuccessful and as a result in 70 CE the northern city falls and the Temple is destroyed. The Romans return to power and continue to rule. Just as with the destruction of the first Temple (Solomon’s Temple) in 586 BCE, the Jew experience cognitive dissonance and the destruction of the Temple again causes rise to new traditions and reinterpretations. Many Jews, who were not prepared for the destruction, fled to Masada, but eventually commit suicide in 73 CE. There is much archaeological evidence for the 1^st revolt and the destruction of the Temple. Professor showed pictures of the revolt coins and the Arch of Titus, which Titus built to brag about his victories. The second revolt or “Bar-Kokbha” revolt has very few sources and was unsuccessful as well. The revolt coins frequently had misspelled words and many coins were overstrikes. There were also letters, that were interestingly written in multiple languages including Greek because there was almost no one who spoke Hebrew. As a result of the Bar Kokbha Revolt, Emperor Hadrian punished the Jews bloodily and rebuilt Jerusalem as a Roman city (Aelia Capitolina). There was a Temple to Jupiter built right on the Temple Mount. Lastly the Professor talked about the rise of synagogues. The rise of synagogue is believed be to a direct response to the destruction of the Temple. We then looked at Synagogue architecture during the 1^st century CE.

Week 6!

Tuesday: Persian Jerusalem           

            In lecture we talked about Persian Jerusalem, the time period from 539-333BCE. The important aspect of this time period had to do with the Prophet Ezekiel and his vision. After the destruction of the 1^st Temple and the exile by the Babylonians, many Jew experienced cognitive dissonance. Ezekiel saw the return of a mobile God, one that did not require a permanent earthly residence; this helped the Jew accept the destruction of the Temple. Ezekiel prophesized that there would be a new Temple, that a divine presence would return, and water would once again be flowing from the Temple. This then led into discussion of what happened to the Ark of the Covenant. There are multiple theories but what seems the most plausible was the idea that the Ark was already gone from the Temple before the destruction by the Babylonians due to Hezekiah or Josiah’s reforms. This is also believed because there is no mention of the Ark in the Temple lists made by the Babylonians.

            Next we discussed King Cyrus of Persia. King Cyrus was fostered as the “liberator” because he was responsible for exiling the Jew back to Jerusalem. His reasoning for why he did this is under interpretation, but either way this led to the creation of a 2^nd Temple.  Whether a new temple was needed or not was under much debate as seen in Haggai 1-2, Isaiah 66: 1-2, Ezekiel 40-48, Elephantine Letter 30, Dead Sea Scrolls, Ezra 3, and Zechariah 6:9-15. In the end a new temple was build.

Thursday:  Hellenistic and Hasmonean Jerusalem

In 336 BCE, Alexander the Great began his conquest of the Mediterranean. In 332 BCE he conquered Palestine with the defeat of the Persian King Darius at the Battle of Issus. But when Alexander dies in 323 BCE, we see the division of the Kingdom into the Ptolemies (Egyptians) and the Seleucids (Syrians). The Ptolemies control Palestine from 300 BCE-201 BCE and Jerusalem was given autonomy. They were allowed to do as they pleased and could choose their own High Priest as long as they paid taxes and did not revolt. In 198 BCE, Antiochus II defeats Ptolemy V at Paneas and the Seleucids begin to rule in Jerusalem. This began the aggressive Hellenization of the Jews. The Seleucids wanted to turn Jerusalem into a polis, a center of Greek life. Every aspect of Jewish life was effected and even the Jewish tombs and homes began to have Greek influence. When Antiochus IV came to power in 175 BCE, he did much to suppress Jewish resistance including looting the Temple Treasury, outlawing Jewish religious practices, sacrificing a pig on the Temple Altar, and converting the temple into a temple of Zeus. Jewish reaction varied greatly and some welcomed this new Greek influence, other did not. Jewish infighting became intense and we soon saw revolt.

The revolt of the Jews was known as the Maccabean Revolt after its most famous leader, Judas Maccabaeus. They killed and attacked the Greeks and any Jews that collaborated with the Greeks. The revolt was amazing successful and the Jews regained control of Jerusalem and the Temple in 165 BCE. The Jewish holiday Hanukkah was established to commemorate this victory. This was the first time there was Jewish self-rule since the exile to Babylon. The period that followed became known as the Hasmonean Dynasty, where the leaders were said to be descendants of “Hasmon”, and was said to be the restoration of the “Golden Age”. This self-rule lasts about a century. During the Hasmonean Dynasty, Hasmonean rules became increasingly Hellenized, secular, and corrupt. The leaders assumed the office of High Priest as well as King, they were insensitive to Jewish Religious tradition, executed political and religious opponent, and forcibly “Judiazed” surrounding gentile regions. Eventually there was second division, and the battle between the Sadducees and the Pharisees began. In the end the political unrest within Jerusalem allowed it to be conquered by Pompey and the Romans in 63 BCE.

Week 5! Half way there :)

 Much of this week lecture focused on the rise of literacy in Jerusalem and its effect. We also talked about the destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE and how religious believers dealt with the fall of the City of David.

Firs,t we began with talking about the Lanchish Letters, which showed that literacy was spreading and more and more people were learning how to read and write. Next we talked about the Ostracon and how the writing on the pottery can be tied to scriptures such as Exodus and Amos. These texts referred to the writing down of laws and about people taking advantage of others. We then talked about the 2 silver emulates that were found. The emulates are important because they showed that literacy was spreading so much that people were wearing it. And, further, how by writing stuff down it can now be analyzed and they last longer than human’s, literacy changes everything.

The second half of lecture dealt with the fall of Jerusalem. Jerusalem fell in 586 BCE to the Babylonians. The Babylonians took over the city and exiled all the nobles, leaving just the poor in the city. With the fall of the Temple and Jerusalem we saw what is called cognitive dissonance. For years the people of Jerusalem believed that God was protecting the city and because of God’s promise to David, the city would never fall. But when the city did fall, people had no idea what to do because their beliefs contradicted reality. Some chose to abandon religion all together and others reinterpreted the promise to David and transformed their beliefs, in a way, to match reality. We ended with the discussion of Psalms and Lamentations all which related to the fall of Jerusalem and the people’s way of dealing with cognitive dissonance.

I feel like the end of today’s lecture was really interesting and could even be applied to life and religion now. How do people who believe in God deal when something horrific happens to them? Do they abandon religion or do the reinterpret it to match what is occurring? As someone who is not very religious at all I find it fascinating how people never seems to blame God, they look at themselves and often claim that they did something to deserve this, that they were in the wrong.

Week 4!

Tuesday: Hezekiah’s Jerusalem

During the reign of David and Solomon, the kingdom was united as one. When Solomon dies, his son Rehoboam, takes the throne. Under Rehoboam, the 10 Northern tribes, unsure of Rehoboam’s as king, send Jeroboam to basically say: “lower our taxes and don’t make us work as hard and we will submit.” In response, Rehoboam, disregarding the advice given to him from his father’s advisors, tells the North he is going to be even tougher than his father was. The North rebels and as a result splits the kingdom in two, the North becomes Israel and the South becomes Judah. Along with the splitting of the kingdom we see the creation of alternate shrines in both the North (Tel Dan and Bethel) and the South (Beer Sheva and Arad Temple).

In the 8^th century BCE, we see the rise of the Assyrian Empire. Pharaoh Shoshenq invades Jerusalem in 925 BCE and carried off the treasures of the temple. Some scholars argue that the South actually paid Shoshenq to invade because of the unrest between the North and the South. (Side-note: It was also noted by the Professor that much of the Bible is written from the southern perspective and is biased towards the south.) The North and the South team up with Egypt and Assyrian as they prepare for battle against each other. In the end, Assyria ends up on top and begins a series of massive deportations. As a result, many fled to Jerusalem and we see a HUGE expansion of Jerusalem. With the 400% increase in population we begin to see people starting to learn how to read and write, trade specialization, and the growth of new royal administration. There is vast urbanization in Jerusalem. Hezekiah, ruler in Jerusalem, begins to prepare Jerusalem to rebel against Assyria by fortifying the city, increasing water supply and creating a seal.

Thursday: Hezekiah’s Jerusalem Continued

In lecture we talked briefly reviewed Hezekiah’s preparations to revolt. Hezekiah is building up industry. Seal impressions were found, similar to receipts that could point to some type of hording. We learned a lot about the rise of literature and how reading and writing are becoming more prevalent. Literature allows people to communicate and the three religions of Jerusalem are all religions based upon books. We see lots of leaders from many states becoming involved in literature as well. The major event and point of the lecture revolved around the survival of Jerusalem when Assyria attacks. Assyria surrounded the city and taunted Hezekiah and his men. In the end, the city is spared and Assyria retreats. The Assyria’s claim they chose to retreat because they had the city surrounded and it wasn’t going anyway. Jerusalem and Hezekiah believe it was an act of God and God struck down, wiping out the army and protected the city. Either way both stories agree that Jerusalem survived the attack. This survival was the “single greatest catalyst for the snowballing legend of an inviolable Jerusalem”, as Professor stated. It really started the tradition that God would not let Jerusalem be destroyed and that he was protecting the city because of his promise to David. This led into a discussion on Zion Theology and the growing belief that God resides and protects Jerusalem because of his promise.

            Towards the end we began discussing the religious reforms of Hezekiah. Hezekiah set out on a religious reform that was about centralization in Jerusalem. He wanted to create one place of worship and one way to worship so he knocked down all other shrines and the Nehushtan. It was also mentioned that this might be an indicator that he was getting ready to rebel and this was a tactic to unify people.

Week 3!

Sorry I am so behind, its been a long two weeks of midterms, bruised ribs, and colds. :(

Tuesday: David’s Jerusalem

We continued the discussion of David’s Jerusalem and the City of David. Many scholars question the existence of David because of the lack of archeological evidence. It isn’t until the discovery of the Tel Dan Inscription that scholars begin to believe that maybe David did exist. We also spent time looking at Warren’s shaft. Everything in Jerusalem revolves around water. It was originally thought that Warren’s shaft was built to bring water into the city, but over time scholars have come to believe it was a natural cave. It is still unclear how they got water into the city exactly but we know it all comes from the Gihon. This then led into the discussion of the Gihon Spring and its importance in the anointing of Solomon. In multiple passages of the Bible, the Gihon Spring plays a crucial role in the anointing of Kings and the Ancient Israel coronation ceremony and we spent time discussing the passage with Jesus using the Gihon to make an explicit claim of royalty. Another role of water in the city was the Siloam Pool. The Siloam Pool causes many political problems today because the pool sits beneath modern homes, which makes the pool hard to excavate.

The second half of the lecture consisted of discussion of the Ark of the Covenant. The Temple was built to create a house for God and a permanent house for the Ark of the Covenant. During this time it was still believed that the Temple was the actual dwelling place of God. Later it was re-interpreted to believe that the temple was in God’s name, not his actually earthly home. With the discussion of the Ark of the Covenant and its new home in Jerusalem, we transitioned into Solomon and the building of the Temple.

I find it fascinating that a man's whose mere existence is questioned can play such a crucial role in the stories of the Bible and the religions that are based off of the Bible. I partially feel that if so many people put so much faith into the stories of David and God's promise to David, that the man must have existed. But the science nerd other half of me also can't help but question the whole idea of religion to begin with. How can people live their life by a book that has large portions that cannot be scientifically proven?...

Thursday: Solomon’s Jerusalem

As with David, there was much question of the existence of his son Solomon as well. But with the Tel Dan Inscription, which supported evidence to David and his line, Solomon existence was also in turn supported as well. There are no palace remains of Solomon’s Jerusalem and no significant archeological evidence because later when Herod the Great came along he destroyed all the remains and rebuilt everything from the ground up. From the stories, we are told that Solomon is given the task of building the Temple, because David, his father, has too much bloodshed on his hands according to God. Solomon was known as the wise king and the Professor told the story of the 2 mothers fighting over the baby and how Solomon was able to figure out who the true mother was. Again water is tied back into the discussion and its role in the anointing of Solomon.

The rest of lecture consisted of looking over pictures and comparisons of Solomon’s Temple to that of Boaz and Jachin and also the parallels of Solomon’s temple to Tel Ta’yinat and the ‘Ain Dara Temple. The end of lecture today marked the end of the “Golden Age” and the beginning of the divided Kingdom.

Week 2!

Woo three day weekend! Hope everyone is enjoying a little break from school! :)

This week in lecture we continued discussion on what makes a space sacred and furthermore, what evidence do we have in regards to Jerusalem being a sacred space. We also spent time discussing the historical background up until the time of David’s Jerusalem. 

Tuesday:

Jerusalem is known as an axis mundi meaning “Center of the World”. As an axis mundi Jerusalem attracts legends and stories from all around that could or could not be true. Professor gave examples of three major stories that are now associated and were drawn towards Jerusalem. This first story is that Adam, from the Garden of Eden, is now buried under the Dome of the Rock. Of course this legend can never really be verified because that would involve excavating the Dome of the Rock, which I highly doubt will be possible in the near future. The second legend is the story of Akedah, the Binding of Isaac. In the story of Akedah, God tells Abraham to take his son, Isaac, to Mt. Moriah, to build an alter, and to sacrifice his son. Abraham does as God has instructed him too, but just before Abraham is to kill Isaac, God stops him and gives him a ram to sacrifice instead. He says that asking Abraham to sacrifice his only son was to test his fear of God, and since Abraham did as he was told, Isaac was saved. It is now said that Jerusalem was built on Mt. Moriah. The third story mentioned was from Genesis 14, “Melchizedek.”

Professor also discussed how time could be considered sacred. He talked about the Sabbath and how it is regarded differently depending on which religion you study.

Lastly, Professor discussed the significance of the construction of temples in all three religions that regard Jerusalem as holy. The temple is a place where people go to worship God; it is considered a sacred space, a break from the profane, where people can come into contact with the Heavens. In Judaism this place is the Temple Mount and the Western Wall. In Christianity it is the Holy Sepulcher. And is Islam it is the Dome of the Rock and the al Aqsa Mosque.

Thursday:

There is much historical evidence, other than just the Hebrew Bible that indicates the significance and presence of Jerusalem as a sacred space. Professor Cargill lectured about the Execration Texts and the Amarna Letters, both of which I found very interesting. The execration texts were described as being similar to voodoo dolls. People would write curses and names on these stone dolls to represent their enemies and then they would destroy them, signifying the destruction of their enemies. On one of the execration texts found the name “Rusalimum”, meaning Jerusalem, was inscribed. The Amarna Letters were letters written to the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaton, asking for money to help protect against enemies. During this time period, kings of different lands would write to the Pharaoh, the strongest, wealthiest ruler, asking for money to help defeat other kings in surrounding areas. In return the kings would promise to honor the Pharaoh and do everything in his name. Professor used the example of the two bullies and the lunch money. In one of the letters written to Akhenaton, the king uses the phrase “Consider Jerusalem!” indicating the presence of Jerusalem during these historical times. During lecture we also looked at some of the archeological evidence pertaining to Jerusalem, such as the fortifications that were found that probably were built to protect the Gihon Spring and also the libation table.

Next we discussed the Biblical references to Jerusalem and the problems with the “conquest” of Jerusalem. In Joshua 10, 21, and 24, the story of Jerusalem being taken by the Israelites is told. The Israelites are said to have wiped out all their enemies, leaving no one, and that they had done this in the name of God and God had handed their enemies to them. But in Joshua 15 and Judges 1, the Bible says that the Israelites did not take Jerusalem completely and that some Canaanites and Jebusites were still there. These passages signify the historical presence of Jerusalem but bring into question which story is true. Why does one story say the Israelites came in and wiped out the city completely, yet the other story claims that this was not the case? This contradiction between the two books and within the book of Joshua then led into the discussion of how did the Israelites get there and is it possible that the Bible was written by multiple authors or not in chronological order?

Professor discussed three possible theories for the appearance of the Israelites. The first theory is the one stated in the Bible, of the Israelites conquest/non-conquest. The second theory is the Israelites slowly migrated to Jerusalem over time and once they were established began to make up stories pertaining to their origin. Third, is the theory that the Israelites were always there and they are of mixed ethnic background. Essentially, the Canaanites slowly changed their eating habits and their ways of life, etc until they had gradually become what we now consider Israelites. There is some archeological evidence to back up this theory but not nearly enough for this to be the only story.

Week 1!

Today in lecture, Professor discussed what makes a place sacred. For the most part, sacred spaces can be traced back to either a supernatural event, or a birth, something witnessed by either a single person or a group of people. That person then tells others who then pilgrimage to experience this new found place themselves. As believes begin to accumulate, people begin to build small shrines. Soon, as more word spreads and more people visit, actual shrines are built, attracting even more visitors. Overtime hotels, shrines, parking lots, etc are built and the once undiscovered place has become a holy city.  Professor also discussed the importance of water and trade in the creations of great cities.

Water is seen as ritually purifying in each of the three religions that have ties back to Jerusalem. In Christianity, water is used in baptisms as holy water. In Islam, people use water to cleanse their bodies before entering mosque. Lastly, in Judaism, during the Herodian period, people would bath in a large pool before entering Temple. Water is also crucial for trade. Great cities need to either be built by the water or have access to trade otherwise.

Professor then began talking about Jerusalem, the holiest city in Judaism, one of the top two holiest cities in Christianity, and the third holiest city (behind Mecca and Medina) in Islam. But what was interesting to me was the fact that there was very little fresh water in the city, the Gihon was the only source of water and it had to be brought to the city through a tunnel and shaft, and later into the Siloam Pool. But Jerusalem did have access to trade since it was built on the Fertile Crescent along a trade route. Although trade did not go straight through Jerusalem, it had very much exposure and access to trade along the Via Maris (Great Trunk Road) and the King’s Highway. Professor also emphasized the fact that Jerusalem was also built strategically between three valleys, which provided the city with much protection, as it is hard for an enemy to attack uphill. The fact that the city was built on a hill also tied to the belief that the higher they were, the closer to the heavens they became.

What I found the most interesting about lecture was the fact that the location of Jerusalem does not immediately flash holy city in my mind. What set Jerusalem apart from other cities around the world that would have even more favorable conditions, such as more access to water, or trade? We read passages from the Bible and the Quran that can be and are often thought of as pointing towards Jerusalem as the Holy City, but it sounded as if those passages were used as support for why Jerusalem became the Holy City after the fact, not reason to create it in the first place? I may be mistaken, as I have little background in any religion at all, but lecture definitely left me wondering what sets Jerusalem apart from the rest of the world...