1/11 Lecture

In today's lecture, we continued to learn about Eliade's concept of "Sacred Space." Several important points made were:
-Three features of "Sacred Space" are:
  1. construction 
  2. consecration 
  3. center of the world - axis mundi
-Construction of Sacred Space, such as a temple, is carried about by specific plans given out by god for his place of worship. 
-Consecration of Sacred Space is achieved by attracting stories (historical or borrowed). Examples of stories include Gihon in Garden of Eden, the "Akedah," and also the tradition that Adam is buried under Dome of the Rock.
-In addition, Jerusalem even brought in Canaanite tradition (they believed that their god, Baal, lived in the mountains and Mt. Zaphon was the highest mountain) that existed before Israelites took over Jerusalem. In Psalm 48, comparison is made between Mt. Zion and Mt. Zaphon. Psalm 48 is essentially trying to blend 2 myths. 


Professor Cargill also talked about Eliade's second concept of "Sacred Time."
-The Sabbath was a prime example of Sacred Time, but what was interesting was to see the progression in Biblical texts about the reason for the Sabbath. For example, in Exodus, the reason for the Sabbath is the Creation, but in Deuteronomy, the reason for the Sabbath is for Exodus. 


Overall, this lecture provided me further insights into the concepts of Sacred Time and Space. But by far, the most interesting idea from the last two lectures that captivates me is the idea of Jerusalem being a magnet. The fact that after being established by as a Sacred Space, it attracted many stories and traditions boggles my mind but makes so much sense at the same time. Making sense of Gihon existing in Garden of Eden and the two contradicting creation stories (Genesis 1 vs Genesis 2) is a challenge I've never faced as a believer, yet I am fascinated by the new facts and perspectives thrown out by Professor Cargill.