Jerusalem as Sacred Space

Week 1 Lecture 2 (1/6/11)

In this lecture, the professor mainly focused on the topography of the sacred city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was built on a hill, a strategic location to prevent against invasions and attacks. Jerusalem is also encompassed by three valleys, the Kidron, Hunnom, and Tyropean, running to the east, west, and center of the city respectively. Furthermore, Jerusalem is divided into quarters, each quarter with its own religion. The top left quadrant is Christian, top left Muslim, bottom left Armenian, and bottom right Jewish. As one can see, Jerusalem is the center of many different religions. Water is an important mean of survival and purification in Jerusalem. The city has its own spring, the Gihon, from which the city and the people can survive and prosper.

My favorite part of lecture was definitely interpreting the bible readings. I have read these clips in the bible before, but never have I interpreted it like the professor did. For example, when analyzing the story of the Garden of Eden, the Gihon was mentioned. I would have overlooked this minor detail, but the professor went as far as using this detail to draw the hypothesis that Jerusalem could be the Garden of Eden. This was mind-blowing.