heze-whatttt?

Short and sweet, and to the point! It's fourth week, and for us science majors that means the first round of midterms. Not to mention the midterm coming up for this class! So here's a few things I got from today's lecture on Hezekiah's (heh-za-ky-ahs) Jerusalem...

People remember a Golden Age once the ruler of that time period has died. This usually happens when the ruler had a great record of building of palaces and temples and doing things for his followers. Building a divine temple or structure includes having a divine eternal promise for it, creating a memorial or consecration for it, and making it appealing to the people. So basically this is how Solomon was, and this is what he did.

When Solomon died, Rehoboam, his son, took over Jerusalem. He basically said he's going to "lay the smack down" on the people of Jerusalem, and obviously they didn't like that. He proclaimed that his little finger was thicker than that of his father's loin, pretty much meaning he wasn't going to be nice. And he definitely wasn't.

So the south and the north split due to the rebellion of the people. The south was proclaimed Judah, while the North was to be Israel. Jerusalem was located in the south, so therefore there was not much of a worship center in the north. They didn't want to make pilgrimages to the south so historical places like the Tel Dan were used as a place of worship. Basically, there became alternatives to Jerusalem (which, by the way, was now the capital of Judah in the south).

Israel and Judah began to fight, so they made alliances with other people. For instance, Israel became a vassal of Assyria, making pacts and such. The fear of Assyria was great.

Assyrian Military Tactics:
-acted as deterrents to the people
-rebels killed outside of city walls
-crucifixion as a public display
-heads hung on trees

As a Response:
-urbanization
-industrialization
-use of receipts & seals
-farming and trade
-growth in olive industry
-change in language

Hezekiah's Fortification:
-preparation for Assyrians to attack
-building walls
-stocking up
-creating water sources

Andddd that's all for now!

km.

is the absence of evidence, evidence of absence?

While studying the periods of David and Solomon in the 9th and 10th centuries, we often have to doubt their existence. Though the bible gives several references to these kings, there is little to no archaeological evidence that confirms their actual existence. So in talking about their accomplishments and the things that stories tell us they have done, we must be completely willing to disregard everything we're being told. With that being said, here are just a few things about "Solomon's Jerusalem."

1 Kings 8:12-21:
Referred to as Solomon's prayer of dedication. Solomon built a temple as a house for god. It was often believed that these temples were the actual physical dwelling of a deity, so it was important to recognize and consecrate this space. If the temple was ever destroyed, it was a sign of god leaving the temple, its people, or just overall being neglectful.

"Wise" King:
Solomon expresses his wiseness through the story of the baby. A woman had stolen a baby from its rightful mother. In those days when there was any sort of controversy, the issue would be taken to the king. So the mother and the woman who had stolen her baby went to King Solomon. The mother pleaded that the baby was hers while the other woman did as well. King Solomon came up with a plan to cut the baby in half, and therefore they could share. Now this doesn't seem very wise at all, right? Well Solomon knew that the real mother would insist that he just let the baby live and would give the baby up. This is exactly what happened, so he was able to decipher the real mother from the imposter and return the baby to its rightful mother.

Writer of Proverbs:
Solomon was said to be the author of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs which are all found in the Bible. Though the first two are very insightful, the latter is very crude, almost like biblical porn. He is credited for this last writing because he was said to have over 700 wives and 300 concubines.

Physical Remains:
There are no actual remains that lead to the confirmation of Solomon's existence. For instance, where's the temple he built as a dwelling place for god? The Ophel excavations took place many years ago in which archaeologists explored the Megiddo, a hill consisting of layers of ruins. There is much controversy that remains due to the fact that not many artifacts were uncovered. In addition, Jewish rabbis and Muslims contested these excavations in fear of the area around it being destroyed and the possibility that controversial remains would be discovered. However, stepping stones were uncovered with feet imprinted in them, as well as various iron entry gates that were said to be from the time of Solomon.

The Temple:
Said to be a blend of worship of several gods. There are many parallels between Solomon's temple and that of other temples, like the Ain Dara and Tel Ta'yinat. Specifically in his temple, he had:
Pillars: Yahweh and Asherah were represented by the right pillar, Jachin, meaning "god has established," and the left pillar, Boaz, symbolizing "strength."
Bronze Sea: seen as a cosmic element, representing the purifying nature of water and how it cleanses and bathes people of their sins.

Though many signs may point towards the existence of Solomon, in reality, there is yet to be any hard evidence that he ever really lived. With that, we will have to continue to search for artifacts and just believe (or choose not to) in his existence.

km.

a whole bunch of controversy.

Last week we left off talking about the Tel Dan inscription which gave evidence to the existence of David, or at least to the House of David. Though there is only literature referring to him, there is still no hard evidence that he, as an individual, ever existed.

We moved on to the topic of water in Jerusalem and the controversy of Warren's shaft. There is much debate over the nature of the shaft and how it came to be. It has always been believed that the shaft was a man-made tunnel to transport water from the Gihon spring until recently. Now scholars believe that it was actually a pre-existing tunnel; however, controversy continues with the confusion of the shaft with words like "dagger," used in context in biblical scriptures. That being aside, the Gihon continues to gush for about 40 minutes at each interval, providing the city with water, but certainly not enough to support all of Jerusalem.

We continued on talking about passages that dealt with the Gihon Spring, particularly about Solomon. King Solomon was taken on a donkey to the Gihon spring to carry out his anointment. There is certain significance to riding upon a donkey, as Jesus did the same when he claimed royalty.

In continuing on, Professor Cargill expressed the significance of water. In John 9:1-11, Jesus grants a beggar the gift of sight. He does this by telling him to rub the mud from the pool of Siloam on his eyes, and in doing so, the beggar regains sight.

This lecture concluded with talk about the Ark of the Covenant and its debate over being an idle... more to come later!

km.

pre & post david.

Going to be short and sweet! Working on our first paper, and so far I've been pretty unsuccessful. So... here goes!

Jerusalem pre-David:

-A place of settlement: basically because of the water, agriculture, and the highway.
-Claims made in the Bible: many claims are backed up by scientific evidence. But at the same time, there's claims that prove the Bible wrong. Maybe the truth lies somewhere in between?
Examples:
-Hieroglyphics found on clay dolls: names were found inscribed on clay dolls, which seemed to be a sort of voo-doo type doll. The dolls would be broken in hopes of "erasing" the people or places whose names were written. Rusalimum, meaning Jerusalem, was found inscribed on one doll. This closely connects with the Hebrew tradition of not saying the personal name of god, and not being able to erase god's name once written.
-A gate found near the Gihon: shows evidence of gate protecting the spring. Usually ancient artifacts can be found near water since it is essential to life.
-The book of Luke: Luke mentions historical times and figures from Jerusalem, which not only makes him sound credible, but also gives leads to the ancient city. For example, he mentions the Tower of Siloam.
-Amarna letters: the rulers of Jerusalem were writing to the kings of egypt, pleading to be considered. Basically saying "help me!" because they felt so powerless.
-The book of Joshua: leads to say that the conquest of Jerusalem left everyone dead and the whole city wiped out. However, there are some textual conflicts that lead to different conclusions.

Jerusalem post-David:

-David was considered "a man after gods own heart." Even though he was sometimes ruthless, he was seen as benevolent.
-The city was located south of the Temple Mount.
-The existence of David is still controversial, many are in denial of him ever living.
-Essentially, there is no mention of David living except in the Bible.
-However, there have been findings that refer to the House of David, regardless of whether he existed or not.

km.

faith is mobile.

What we gathered from last lecture is that once a space is found, built upon, consecrated, and becomes a steady area of attraction, the space can be considered sacred. Now that's a little facetious, but nevertheless implies the general gist of things. 

So why is it that a temple or a physical site is usually the center of these ritual meetings? The concept of founding a space where god can be worshipped far predates the times of Jerusalem. It is a common, often repeating, story that these sites are products of a higher being... meaning that the plans for a temple or site are believed to be lowered down by gods from the heavens to earth. In Genesis 1-2 in the Hebrew Bible, it is explained that god created everything, and it is not the job of the humans to be building such places as temples. In Genesis 11, however, the humans try doing it themselves, to no avail. This indicates that the axis mundi is from divine origin, not from human origin. 

Usually when a place is found as sacred, it is consecrated. In regards to a masonry shop, the first laid cornerstone is seen as the "foundation" of it all. So what attributes to Jerusalem being made sacred? The attraction of stories, both historical and borrowed, creates a sense of "happening." Through bible stories and traditions, Jerusalem is able to succeed as a sacred place. For years Jerusalem has been "sucking in" these stories that ultimately make it so sacred. Many biblical passages and traditions give insight to this city and its origins:

Story about the Dome of the Rock:

The Dome of the Rock, located on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, acts as the cornerstone for the city. This Islamic place of worship is the believed to be the site of Adam's burial and is built around a central rock in the city. 

Story about the Hebrew God: 

The Hebrew tradition is to not name god by his personal name. Instead they use the tetragrammaton, which refers to the personal name of their god without actually using it. The proper name for god is Yahweh, which is formed from the letters Yodh, He, Waw, and He. When written it is usually seen as YHWH, or when substituted in texts it will be read as LORD. The most respectful way is to just refer to god as "HaShem," which means "the name." In more recent texts and scrolls, the name will appear as four dots, hence the reason for calling it a tetragrammaton. 

Genesis 22:

This passage stresses the importance of sacrifice for the LORD. Abraham was told by the LORD to sacrifice his son, Isaac. He followed the LORD's commands and set up to kill his son. The LORD, however, stopped him from doing so, and now the place in which Isaac was to be sacrificed (Mt. Moriah) is a sacred space. 

Story about the Place of the Underworld:

Where there is a connection from the heavens to the earth, there is also a connection to the underworld. Since Jerusalem has a special connection to the heavens, it also has a not-so-special connection to the underworld. The Hinnom Valley, translated as Gai-Hinnom, used to be the largest dumping area in Jerusalem. For this reason, these dumping grounds were considered to be a path to the underworld, or hell, which was translated as Gehenna due to its close relations and similarities with Gai-Hinnom. So visiting the Hinnom Valley nowadays means taking a trip to hell and back!

Exodus 3:

The story of the burning bush (in which the LORD appeared to Moses out of a burning bush) signifies the importance of holy ground. The fire that the LORD appears from shows a connection between the heavens and earth, therefore this is a sacred site. It is through this passage that the LORD reveals his personal name. Furthermore, the significance of taking off your shoes on holy ground is demonstrated. 

Exodus 24: 

The mountain upon which the LORD lives and gives the ten commandments is also of importance.

Story of the Holy Sepulcher:

The Holy Sepulcher is said to have been built around the tomb of Jesus, as well as the tomb of Adam and Eve, hence making it the very center of the earth. For this reason, it is a popular place of worship for many different Christians. 

Though space is often the only aspect of religion given credit for sacrality, the aspect of time is just as important. What happens when a space is destroyed or ceases to exist? There would be nothing left. And this is why faith must be mobile. The commandments (which were repeated three times is the Hebrew bible: Genesis 2, Exodus 20, and Deuteronomy 5) create a day of rest, or Sabbath. On this resting day everyone should be able to find a place within themselves to redefine what it means to be holy... and not just be defined by the holy places. 

km.

what makes a place sacred?

Dr. Cargill brought up a very valid point today... what makes a place sacred? Sacred can be defined as something that is regarded with reverence or entitled to veneration or religious respect. But how does this come to be? In discussing this topic, the class decided that there are two reasons why a place can be considered sacred. 1) Something significant happened there or 2) someone important was born there. But of course this just doesn't happen on its own. So how do people know this is a sacred place? Well, it all begins with a witness. It could be one or it could be hundreds, but once this place is "marked" and word spreads, this sacred site begins to gain recognition and is eventually a place of commemoration. So now the real question is... what makes Jerusalem sacred?

Jerusalem has been of importance for about 3000 years now. It is considered one of the holiest cities by those of the Christian, Jewish, and Islamic faiths. The city has numerous geographical and physical attributes that originally gave it the title of a "holy city." Although there are no trade routes that go directly through Jerusalem, the region is rich with trade along the Via Maris (Egypt to Mesopotamia) and the King's Highway (Red Sea to Mesopotamia). Speaking of rich, Jerusalem is also located within the fertile crescent, an area surrounding the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that is lush and green! The city is strategically built on top of a hill for protection. With the Kindron Valley to the east, the Hinnom Valley to the west, and the Tyropean Valley (or Central Valley) in the center of the two, Jerusalem is pretty safe to say the least! Because these valleys run along the southeastern and southwestern ends, the Damascus gate acts as protection on the north end of the city. Also, because of its location on top of a hill, the people have always felt they are closer to god. Bible readings as well as other ancient literature suggest this. However, this city still doesn't have all the markers of a great city. With water being scarce (main sources from the Gihon Spring and the Siloam Pool) and trade routes not running directly through the city, what is it that makes it so special? The religious aspects of the city clearly overpower any physical burdens the city may have. Here are a few:

Northwest quarter of Jerusalem:
Christian
The Holy Sepulcher: site of the resurrection of Jesus, a place of pilgrimage

Northeast quarter of Jerusalem:
Islam
The Dome of the Rock: located on the Temple Mount, houses the Foundation Stone, a major landmark
Al Aqsa Mosque: tradition holds that Muhammad led prayers towards this site

Southeast quarter of Jerusalem:
Judaism
The Temple Mount: holiest site in Judaism, where God chose the divine presence to rest (5th quarter)
The Western Wall: the closest Jewish people can get to the Temple Mount without actually being on it

And in the Southwest quarter of Jerusalem:
Armenians

Overall, Jerusalem is considered the Axis Mundi, or center of the world, due to its centrality of religious monuments and symbolism...  and that is why it is sacred.

km.