Stager: Summary

In his article, Stager compares biblical texts depicting sacred places, such as the Garden of Eden and Solomon’s Temple to the archeological evidence left by ancient cities of the past. Stager argues that, “in Solomonic Jerusalem, topography, hydrology, architecture, iconography, parks and gardens were all part of the sacred center patterned after celestial archetypes” (Stager 13). Meaning, all aspects of natural and manmade creations were centered toward the divine, serving the divine, and being near the divine. Temples were created to house deities and emulate features of the natural earth, such as mountains, which “linked heaven and earth (as axis-mundi)” (Stager, 1). The axis-mundi would connect the mortal world and it’s inhabitants to Yahweh, the Israelites divinity. An example of a possible axis-mundi would be Mount Zion, the mountain for which the Temple of Solomon was built. …show more content…
According to Stager, water was sacred because, “water in a dry land could mean the difference between feast and famine, life and death” (Stager, 5) and because the Lord is all knowing and all powerful, he alone controls the access to water and all it provides. The Gihon Spring near Jerusalem, provided water for life, such as the gardens surrounding the Temple of Solomon. Citing biblical texts, Stager affirms that, “live palm trees, cedars of Lebanon, cypress, olive and plane trees flourished in the courtyards of the Jerusalem Temple, making it a veritable sanctuary” (Stager, 10). Here the Temple of Solomon represents similar depictions to that of the Garden of Eden, both in it provisions for sustaining life and connections to the