Lecture 7 01/25/11

In today's lecture, we learned about the splitting of the 12 tribes into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Israel went on to build new temples and places of worship since they no longer controlled Jerusalem and didn't want to always travel to Judah to worship. Although Judah condemned this, archaeological evidence suggests that they did the same and built other temples as well. We also talked about the Assyrians and how they were gaining tremendous amounts of power. In 722 BCE, they conquered the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and treated the inhabitants terribly. Because of this, many of them left Israel and went down to Judah to be closer to Jerusalem. Since Judah was prospering and wasn't conquered, they claimed to be protected by God. Because of this, Jerusalem grew exponentially and was expanded as a city. This created some problems such as religious diversity and conflict, but the city prospered overall. Although they weren't conquered by the Assyrians, records suggest that they were preparing for an attack. Hezekiah says that they built a large wall to protect them selves and also created Hezekiah's tunnel to bring in water. Some archaeologists also believe that they stored huge amounts of food in case the city was attacked so that they would not starve.

Lecture 6 01/20/11

Solomon's Jerusalem was the topic of lecture today, and we examined the text of 2 Samuel 7. As a Christian, I had already read this piece of the bible. But really dissecting it under professor Cargill's guidance was very interesting to me, and surprised me to hear some of his thoughts. For example, I had never understood that the reason God chose for David not to construct a Temple for Him was the fact that David was a man of battle and had shed too much blood. It was also fun to reevaluate the idea that God had again promised David that his descendants would one day be the Savior of the world (God's son) and would give his life as a ransom for all sinners. And learning the meaning behind the saying that Jesus is the "Son of David" was also quite interesting. We also discussed Solomon's life as the "wisest" man in the history of the world, and also learned about his many many MANY wives/girlfriends/ mistresses. Finally, we learned about how he built the first temple and was a very prominent figure for the founding of the Jewish religion.

Lecture 5 01/18/11

This lecture was all about the topic of David's Jerusalem. Much of the discussion regarded Jerusalem's water supply, the Gihon Spring. Although it used to be enough to satisfy the population of 2500, Jerusalem must now use other methods to have water available to those who live there. The main topic of discussion is how water sources in Jerusalem such as the Warren Shaft or Siloam pool got there. Some believe that they were naturally existing, and still others believe that they are man made. Either way, there is evidence to support either argument. Water in Jerusalem has been a huge significance (such as in anointing the king) and is therefore an important topic of debate.

In this lecture, I was surprised to learn for the first time about the Ark of the Covenant. Although I had definitely heard of it before, I had no idea what the real thing was. It interested me to think that these people believed that they reached God through an "Ark" and so they needed to protect it. Anyways, it was not what I had imagined it would be like, and therefore I was very surprised.

Lecture 2 01/06/11

Today we learned about the requirements for a space to be considered sacred, as defined by professor Cargill and also by Eliade in "The Sacred and the Profane." Initially, we learned that a place must be founded as a sacred space in order to receive the title as being sacred. For example, it is not simply sacred—it must be established as such by a human being who claims that God reigns in that place. Jerusalem accomplishes this by associating itself with stories from the bible in which God is very present and chooses to protect the city. It also claims to be an axis mundi—a connection between the heavens, the earth, and the underworld. Jerusalem is claimed to be the site of the Garden of Eden and also contain the burial sites of Adam, Eve, and several other prominent biblical figures.

On another note, I was quite interested to first entertain the idea of a city being an axis mundi. As a Christian, I find it strange to think that a city or a certain place is the connection between God, the earth, and Hell (as I see it). This intrigues me because I have always seen this concept as not a specific location, but more as a heavenly idea that is not confined to earth or humans. Interesting...

Lecture 4 01/13/11

Although many claims in the Hebrew bible are not necessarily backed up by factual evidence, several aspects of it are, indeed, proven historically. The first piece of evidence used by archaeologists to justify biblical validity is several different execration texts. Several artifacts such as letters that mention Egypt and Jerusalem have been found, as well as a wall and tower found near the Gihon. Finally, several Amarna letters have been found which link the Egyptian leaders with representatives from all of Canaan, pointing to the inclusion of Jerusalem in Egyptian affairs.

To argue against the validity of the bible, several scholars bring up the issue of the Israelites. Although we know that they were at one point in Jerusalem, how they got there remains a mystery. Some believe that they just suddenly appeared there, while others believe that they slowly immigrated over time. Finally, archaeological evidence suggests that they were always there, but is refuted by the book of Exodus which talks about their leaving of Egypt.

Lecture 3 01/11/11

Although located in a strategic military position between hills and valleys, Jerusalem otherwise is not necessarily set up to be a holy city. Primarily, it has no water source (other than the Gihon Spring), and water is normally a critical requirement for a city to be a prominent place. Additionally, there are no major trade routes which pass through the city, and also no rivers run through it. It has little access to the coast, and can therefor be reached only by travelling by land. The bible, however, establishes Jerusalem as a holy city and as the place of many biblical stories. The bible also says that God chose to protect the city of Jerusalem, and it is therefore a very holy place. It is because of these reasons that the city of Jerusalem has been so prominent for the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam