Today was the second day of class and the first real lecture. Prof. Cargill discussed Jerusalem as sacred space and covered the geography of city. Jerusalem is thought to be the sacred place for three major religions including Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Before discussing any of these in depth we must first look at what makes a place “sacred”. This could be any number of things but basically something special has to happen there.
Jerusalem is very unique when it comes to major cities as it sits on top of a hill and no major routes run through it. There are three valleys that surround Jerusalem: The Kidron Valley (Eastern Valley), The Hinnom Valley (Western Valley), and the Tyropean or Central Valley. The city is also very unique because of the extreme lack of water. Water is a holy, purifying element in many religions so it is interesting to find out that it is a major problem in Jerusalem. Prof. Cargill said that the biggest issue and source of conflict throughout history in Jerusalem is not who settles where in the city, but water. One of the major springs, Gihon, is mentioned as one of the four branches of the river that flows through the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2. Prof. Cargill stressed that Jerusalem is a magnet as it consistently pulls things towards it.
Prof. Cargill also mentioned a possible exam question about the Western Wall. This is referring to the Western Wall of the Temple Mount, not the Temple. In Judaism this is the closest place you can get to the holy temple.
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