Today, many regard Jerusalem as one of the most sacred spaces on Earth. People from all over the world partake in the sacred pilgrimage to the city not only for spiritual gratification, but also for an enrichment of the mind and soul. The journey allows pilgrims to observe and experience the rich history embedded in the soil of Jerusalem, an experience that cannot be felt through literature and photographs. The sacred and holy nature of Jerusalem stems from the biblical texts of Genesis, 2 Samuels, 2 Chronicles, and Psalms in the New Oxford Annotated Bible, with Apocrypha. These texts intricately weave together several significant and influential hierophanies using powerful language to describe imageries of mountains, temples, and sacrifices
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Solomon, David’s son, builds an elaborate “house of the Lord” on Mount Moriah, the very place where Abraham almost sacrifices his son and the threshing floor of Araunah is located (2 Chronicles 3:1). Solomon purposefully designs the palace to replicate the cosmos and embrace the divinity of the gods. As Eliade states, “every construction or fabrication has the cosmogony as paradigmatic model” (45). The necessity of replicating the world of the gods creates a sacred environment. This, then, suggests that the temple exemplifies an imago mundi. A “habitation always undergoes a process of sanctification” (Eliade 52). Since the Ark resides in the temple, the temple can be seen as a habitation and thus, sacred. With the blueprint and supplies provided by his father, King David, Solomon successfully fulfills the prophecy in 2 Samuels 7. Because many believe that God does not speak directly to the people, prophecies can be interpreted as hierophanies. Therefore, the prophecy legitimizes the holiness and sacredness of the …show more content…
2 Chronicles 3 presents imageries of a temple and a mountain together. The intentional combination of the palace on top of the cosmic mountain of Mount Moriah holds sacred meaning for the people of Israel. The temple stands as a physical reminder of the previous hierophanies that have occurred in the exact place. Furthermore, the designs of the temple embody the sacredness of the hierophanies and express the importance of the mountain and its physical distance from the chaotic earth. With the temple placed on an elevated plane near the heavens above, it serves as the center of the world, the “universal pillar” of communication with the heavenly beings (Eliade 36). Moreover, the temple and the mountain share the sacred and holy space similar to how David and Araunah shared the threshing floor. The time it took for Solomon to initiate the construction of the temple is also notable. He did not start the process immediately and instead waited four years into his reign (2 Chronicles 3:2). The delay in building might suggest that God continued to be displeased with the centralized monarchy and inhibited Solomon from directly starting the project. Alternatively, God provided time for Solomon to demonstrate his capability and competency that of building such a sacred house for the Ark. The ideas presented in 2 Chronicles reinforce Jerusalem as consecrated and holy city during ancient
Solomon, David’s son, builds an elaborate “house of the Lord” on Mount Moriah, the very place where Abraham almost sacrifices his son and the threshing floor of Araunah is located (2 Chronicles 3:1). Solomon purposefully designs the palace to replicate the cosmos and embrace the divinity of the gods. As Eliade states, “every construction or fabrication has the cosmogony as paradigmatic model” (45). The necessity of replicating the world of the gods creates a sacred environment. This, then, suggests that the temple exemplifies an imago mundi. A “habitation always undergoes a process of sanctification” (Eliade 52). Since the Ark resides in the temple, the temple can be seen as a habitation and thus, sacred. With the blueprint and supplies provided by his father, King David, Solomon successfully fulfills the prophecy in 2 Samuels 7. Because many believe that God does not speak directly to the people, prophecies can be interpreted as hierophanies. Therefore, the prophecy legitimizes the holiness and sacredness of the …show more content…
2 Chronicles 3 presents imageries of a temple and a mountain together. The intentional combination of the palace on top of the cosmic mountain of Mount Moriah holds sacred meaning for the people of Israel. The temple stands as a physical reminder of the previous hierophanies that have occurred in the exact place. Furthermore, the designs of the temple embody the sacredness of the hierophanies and express the importance of the mountain and its physical distance from the chaotic earth. With the temple placed on an elevated plane near the heavens above, it serves as the center of the world, the “universal pillar” of communication with the heavenly beings (Eliade 36). Moreover, the temple and the mountain share the sacred and holy space similar to how David and Araunah shared the threshing floor. The time it took for Solomon to initiate the construction of the temple is also notable. He did not start the process immediately and instead waited four years into his reign (2 Chronicles 3:2). The delay in building might suggest that God continued to be displeased with the centralized monarchy and inhibited Solomon from directly starting the project. Alternatively, God provided time for Solomon to demonstrate his capability and competency that of building such a sacred house for the Ark. The ideas presented in 2 Chronicles reinforce Jerusalem as consecrated and holy city during ancient