Sacred Space and Time in Jerusalem
The city of Jerusalem is historically significant largely due to the value it holds to different religions. Because of this, the idea of sacred space and sacred time is found all throughout the city, with significance attributed to all four quarters in the city (Armenian, Jewish, Muslim, and Christian).
The first example of a part of the city that represents both sacred space and sacred time is the Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall (because of the nature of the prayers said there). A Jewish holy place, the wall is known as a place for prayer, reflection, and devotion, and is a symbol of sacred space to the Jewish people. As for sacred time, the Western Wall is significant during certain traditions and holidays such as the Sabbath, and represents a place of value during worship and remembering certain events in Jewish history.
The second example of sacred space and time in Jerusalem is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The church is an extremely significant Christian holy place, as it is believed that this is where Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected. This means that the location is a sacred space to Christians all over the world and is often a place of pilgrimage and devotion. As well, the location is a significant location for Easter, which is the celebration of Jesus' resurrection. In this way, the Church is both a representation of sacred space and sacred time for the Christian faith.
Finally, the Dome of the Rock is a prominent Islamic shrine on the Temple Mount. The Dome is a sacred space for Muslims because it is believed to be the place where the prophet Muhammad ascended into heaven. Because of this, the Dome of the Rock is a place of religious significance and a destination for Muslims all around the world. As well, certain festivals such as Eid al-Fitr and Eid ad-Adha attract more worshippers to the Temple Mount, representing how the Dome of the Rock symbolizes sacred time to the Muslims.
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/sacred-space-sacred-people-sacred-time/
https://www.jtsa.edu/torah/sacred-space/
https://networks.h-net.org/group/announcements/20013647/call-chapters-representing-jerusalem-world-literature-and-art-sacred
The Western Wall
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre
The Dome of the Rock
Nice blog dealing with the concept of sacred space and sacred time and three locations in Jerusalem. I like how you include photos in your blog, but they all appear at the end; it may have been more effective to include them within the body of the blog itself (e.g. have the photo of the Western Wall immediately before or after the paragraph about the Western Wall). Also, you have the links of the sources you used, but it would have been better to have the complete bibliographic information and parenthetical citations within the body of the text to indicate which parts of your blog came from which sources.
ReplyDelete