The Combination of Cultures in Religious Figures

 From class on Wednesday, it was really interesting to learn about how Israel was split into the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. From this split, we were able to talk about what made the different kingdoms into sacred places / holy sites. From chapter 3 of Jerusalem: One City, Three  Faiths, a sacred place that was very important to Jerusalem was Solomon’s temple. We discussed how since the Arc of the Covenant, one of the most sacred objects for the Israelites, was held in the temple, it became a sacred place and by association Jerusalem as well. When I read through this section that explained this concept, one part of the reading caught my attention. It was how before “Solomon’s temple was built in Jerusalem, there was, as far as we know, little or no interest in Yahweh as a creator god” (Armstrong, 1997, 67), and then continues to explain how Jebusite ideas fused with the Israelite beliefs to create an idea of Yahweh that was a mixture of different cultures. This reminded me of a topic that we discussed in FYE Inventing Mexico. In Mexican Catholicism, the idea of “La Virgen de Guadalupe” is a mix of the Virgin Mary and indigenous traditions. Traditionally, La Virgen de Guadalupe is the virgin mary depicted with indigenous features and wearing a green cloak with stars on it.

The story behind her goes that she appeared in a vision to an indigenous man, and then provided him with roses as a sign that she wanted him to build a church for her on top of a hill. The stars on the cloak are related to indigenous traditions as a way to help make the Virgin Mary a figure that transcends just one culture and is accessible for many groups of people. The same way that La Virgen de Guadalupe combines indigenous ideals and Catholic saints, the idea of Yahweh from the reading combines old testament tradition with stories of other religions. It is really cool to see the same types of the mixings of religious ideals to portray a central figure both in ancient and more modern times.