Finding Hope in Exile: Resilience in Ancient Jerusalem

 In chapter five of “Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths”, Karen Armstrong discusses the horrors of the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple by the Babylonian troops. The people of Judah were devastated and lost, and were exiled to Babylon. Not only was their home destroyed but in the ancient world, “Without a temple, there was no possibility of making contact with the sacred” (Armstrong, 79). The only hope that was still instilled in the Judeans was their belief in their god and religion, so without proper material for prayer, they found it seemingly impossible to sustain their envisioned way of life.
In “The Sacred and Profane”, Eliade explains the idea of an axis mundi and how it is a place for connection between humans and their god. An axis mundi also acts as a “center of the world” which provides a crucial point of orientation for humans. Consequently, the people of Judah were not only suffering from a lack of sacred space but also a lack of direction. In her book, Armstrong describes these feelings of losing a sense of home, articulating a sentiment that resonates deeply: “Once the fixed point of “home” has gone, there is a fundamental lack of orientation that makes everything seem relative and aimless.” (Armstrong, 82). Between trekking through alien lands and losing their homeland, the Judeans struggled with the idea of not worshiping their god in the way he deserved to be worshiped and ultimately believed the world had come to an end. The ancient philosophy of worship contrasts the modern approach of praying and communicating with gods. 
        It wasn’t until the priest Ezekiel caught a glimpse of  Yahweh which showed that although his earthly throne was back in Jerusalem, his glory migrated to his people. Later, the Judeans needed to make “themselves into a sacred zone” (Armstrong, 86). Thus, the concept of mobilizing sacred spaces for gods was put into action. The obstacles and setbacks that the people of Judah faced were finally being overcome, and even Yahweh assisted in the movement as he was not as attracted to splendid temples but “more attracted these days by a ‘humbled and contrite spirit’” (Armstrong, 95). The Judeans were so set in the ancient philosophy of worship that their lives had seemingly come to an end, but they eventually were able to adapt and worship their God even while they were exiled from their home.

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