After learning about the geography of Jerusalem and the importance of it to the three main faiths, we looked at how Jerusalem begins to attract different stories, helping it to become more "sacred". For example, in Genesis 14, King Melchizedek of Salem was both a priest and a king, something that wasn't allowed in Jewish tradition. King Melchizedek was from Salem, which people began to associate with Jerusalem because of the similarities of the name. Jerusalem started to attract these stories from the Hebrew Bible because of its importance in religion. This helps Jerusalem to seem more sacred and holy because of these historical events and people assimilated into the name of Jerusalem. Also in Genesis 22, Abraham is told to go to Mt. Moriah, which is supposed to be in the middle of no where, to sacrifice his son Isaac. This story, which is theologically vital to all three religions, becomes associated with Jerusalem in 1 Chronicles, where it says that Jerusalem IS Mt. Moriah. Once again, we see Jerusalem pulling these stories into it that may or may not be associated with it. Nonetheless, this makes Jerusalem even more of a focal point in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.
We also learned that time can also be sacred too. In the Hebrew Bible, God tells His people to honor the Sabbath, which is holy. A direct order from the supernatural is given to honor this "time", which makes it holy and sacred. Not only is Jerusalem sacred, but its often referred to as axis mundi, the center of the world. Throughout scripture, such as in Exodus 24:1-13 and 1 Chronicles 21:18-28, Jerusalem is seen as a cosmic pillar connecting the three cosmic spheres, heavens, natural, and underworld.
This lecture was very interesting because I never realized that Jerusalem pulls stories and historical icons to its city, making Jerusalem even more important. Also, hearing about how the western valley could be an image of "hell" said in the bible was very interesting. I also thought it was pretty hilarious that they named a gate the "Dung Gate" because they use to throw garbage into the valley and was basically a dump.
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