2/24/11 Thursday Lecture

Islamic Jerusalem


End of Byzantine Jerusalem

1. Sasanians take Palestine and Jerusalem 614-628
• Jews allowed to resettle, but this causes Christian riots against the Jews in Jerusalem
2. Byzantine Emperor Heraclius retakes Jerusalem and allows massacres of Jews in Jerusalem

Early Islamic Jerusalem (638-1099)

1. Caliph Umar takes over Jerusalem 638 CE
• At first doesn't allow Jewish settlement, but later he does
• Aelia = Temple
• Bait Maqdis --> al-Quds = Holy
• Haram al-Sharif = Temple Mount
• Qibla - direction of prayer
• Jerusalem --> Mecca
• Mihrab - niche pointing the direction of prayer
• Praying towards Jerusalem was an idea in 1 Kings & Daniel too
• Kaaba - stone box built by Abraham, known to be a meteorite from space (Eliade's theophany), used to be a pagan shrine pre-Islam
• Five Pillars of Islam: (1) Shahada - testimony/witness (2) Salat - prayer (3) Zakat - Almsgiving (4) Sawm - fasting (5) Hajj - prilgrimage w/ door decorations
2. Umayyad Dynasty 638-750 CE (Damascus)
• Caliph Umar build wooden Mosque
• Abd al-Malik built Dome of the Rock 691 CE and also restores Haram al-Sharif
• Many traditions moved to the Dome of the Rock
• Al-Aqsa Mosque built
• Great Umayyad Palaces
• Started in Caliph Walid's reign
• Fresh water + sewage systems --> technologically advanced
• Build over Byzantine buildings
• Geometric shapes
• New Ramla = Palestine capital
• All of these edifices were meant to divert pilgrimage from Mecca to Jerusalem
• Tolerance of Christians and Jews and their pilgrimages
• Sacred mosque = Mecca; farthest Mosque = Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem
• Dome of the Chain
3. Abbasids 750-969 (Bagdad)
• Try to wipe out memory of Umayyid accomplishments
• Ex: Abbasid Caliph Al-Ma-mun takes credit for Dome of the Rock but forgets to change the date of the construction
• Al-Ma-mun's polemic against Christianity - they incorporated and accepted Jews and Christians, and called them the people of the book.  They accepted the prophets, but not the theology.
• Unlike the Umayyads, more hostility toward Christians
• Muhammad al-Sanhaji, governor of Jerusalem, kills John, Patriarch of Jerusalem, 965 CE
4. Fatimids 969-1099 (Egypt)
• Not Sunnis
• Welfare of Christians and Jews change depending on the ruler
• Near the end of their rule, Fatamids appoint Jewish and Christian governors of Jerusalem
• 969-1029 "The War of Sixty Years": Byzantine army goes South, captures Muslim territory of Syria, with aim of recapturing Jerusalem
• 1009 Caliph al-Hakim orders destruction of all Jewish and Christian houses of prayer, including Holy Sepulcher
• 1033 - earthquake destroy's Jerusalem, wall, and Dome of the Rock (wall and Dome later restored)
• 1070-1098 - Seljuqs occupy Jeruslaem, looting and massacring inhabitants
• 1098 - Fatamid's 40 day siege lets them to retaike Jerusalem with a part of the wall destroyed.
• Similar to the previous situation where two parties quarrel amongst each other and weaken themselves, just enough so that other third parties (Byzantines) could take over.

The Islamic history is one I am not very familiar with, so it was confusing for me to follow along during this lecture, especially with the use of esoteric words like Haram al-Sharif instead of the Temple Mount.

2/22/11 Tuesday Lecture

Byzantine Jerusalem (Christian city)

- Western expansion of Christianity: Jerusalem --> Babylon --> Turkey --> Greece --> Rome
- New center has been shifted to Rome from Jerusalem which leads to tensions

• Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple
• NT Apocalypses about Jerusalem in Mark 13:1-2 and Luke 21:20-24
• Spiritualization
• John 4:19-26
• Jerusalem is where Jesus was said to have been crucified, buried, and resurrected
• Temple = Jesus' body
• 
  
• Byzantine History

1. 285 CE - Emperor Diocletian splits Rome Empire into West and East
2. Augustus Diocletian & Caesar Maximian
3. WEST: Augustus Maximian & Caesar Constantius
4. EAST: Augustus Diocletian & Caesar Galerius
5. Constantine
• Changed the way Orthodox Christianity was practiced
• Rallied people to fight for Jesus, who was a pacifist
• Legalized Christianity
6. New churches and Pilgrimages
• Constantine's mother, Helena, went on the first Christian Pilgrimage
• Dedicated Church of Nativity (Bethlehem), Church of the Ascension (Mount of Olives), Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Chapel of Helena, the new Axis Mundi)
• Based on unsound evidence of Jesus' whereabouts (Mark Twain)
• Pilgrimages become important
7. Julian "The Apostate" rejected Christianity 361-363
8. Theodosius names Christianity as state religion 391
9. Empress Eudocia, wife of Theodosius II goes on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem 438 CE
10. Justinian expands Jerusalem 527-565 CE
11. Madaba Map mosaic on church floor accurately depicts Jerusalem during that time
• Damascus Gate, Hadrian's Gate, St. Stephen's Gate, Dung Gate, Zion Gate, Jeffa Gate, Golden Gate
• Temple Mt is not the center of Jerusalem in Christian minds anymore
• The Cardo which runs down the center
• Church of the Holy Sepulcher is in the center of map
• Edicule, Golgotha (rock where Jesus was crucified), Sepulcher (where Jesus was buried), and the Basilica.
• Myths migrated to this church
• Nea (new) Church (very similar to Solomon's Temple)

• Vision of the "New" Jerusalem

I always thought having a monotheistic religion was being upright.  You worshipped the one true God.  I am now seeing this concept under a different light.  I still believe there is only one true God, but the monotheistic aspect does leave room for religious persecution, such as the Zionism of Jews practicing violence on the Palestinians in Israel today.  

2/17/11 Thursday Lecture

Jerusalem in Revolt
Theme: Apocolyptism + Messianism + tired of being oppressed + Jewish nationalism + inept governors = revolt!


1. Pompey conquers Jerusalem 63 BCE

• After Herod, the kingdom was divided by this three sons: Archelaus the ethnarch of Judea, Herod Antipas the tetrarch of Perea and Galilee, and Herod Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis (on one that put graven images on the coins bc they were so far north of Jerusalem).  These three sons were eventually replaced by inept Roman procurators.  
• Pontius Pilate - only procurator in the Gospels that was ineffective and tried Jesus; Pontius Pilate Inscription

2. 1st Jewish Revolt 66-73 "Great Revolt"

• The Jewish War and Antiquities of the Jews by Flavius Josephus explains it as a result of many things including zealots.  Histories by Tacitus explains it as a result of messianism and bad administration.
• Jews began to mint their own money as a way to assert authority/declare independence, and to use for propaganda; coins go all the way to year four(?), until Jerusalem is defeated by the Romans
• Mucianus --> Vespasian --> Titus (destroys Temple & Jerusalem which remained in ruins until Hadrian built a Temple to Jupiter)
• Cognitive dissonance again --> everything is spiritualized
• Vespasian instituted fiscus iuldaicus - fiscal incentive to give up being a Jew
• Masada - fortress hide-out for the Jews, originally Herod's Palace
• Signs of Roman victory: Arch if Titus, Judea Capta Coin, Judea Devicta Coin

3. 2nd Jewish Revolt 132-135 CE "Bar Kokhba Revolt"

• Simon ben Kosiba (which means liar) changed his name to Bar-Kokhba (which means son of the star)
• Depicted himself as a prince (greatest non-royal and non-priestly title possible)
• Played on emotions
• Name acronym reminded Jews of the Shema prayer in Deut. 6:4 to trust in God
• Embraced Messianism
• Center of Judaism migrates to Yavneh (West), then to Tiberias (Sea of Galilee)
• Jerusalem rebuilt as Aelia Capitolina by Hadrian
• Jews forbidden to visit Jerusalem (except on 9th of Ab)
• Bar-Kokhba revolt coins
• Words are misspelled
• Letters written in multiple languages
• Overstrikes
• Rhetoric tones down from year to year until no coin in year 4 where Hadrian punished the Jews

4. Aelia Capitolina 135-312 CE

• Hadrian punished the Jews heavily
• Banned circumcision, rebuild Jerusalem as Roman Aelia Capitolina with a temple to Jupiter, banned Jews from the city
• How did the faith survive?
• Decentralization
• Regional/local places of worship
• Synagogue (Masada, Gush Halav, Capernaum, Beth-Alpha)
• Spiritualization

These couple lectures have widened my perspective on religion.  The forming of a religion, and the interrelatedness between religions was not what I had known it to be.  It's surprising to know how powerful rulers like Constantine and Hadrian were able to shape the actual religious faiths that so many people follow today.

2/15/11 Tuesday Lecture

Roman/Herodian/Jesus' Jerusalem


Roman rule in Palestine began in 63 BCE when Pompey annexed it for Rome.  He settled the dispute between brothers Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II

• Hyreanus installed as "ethnarch"
• Idumean Antipater installed as procurators; sons installed as local rulers (Herod in Galilee) 
• "The Abomination of Desolation" 63 BCE, Pompey enters "Holy of Holies" (??)
• After Antipater is murdered, Herod aids Rome in expelling the Parthians, and Rome in turn declares Herod as King.
• Theme: Rome chooses Client Kings (someone who's not fully a Jew and loyal to Rome) to rule Palestine

Herod the Great

• No graven images on coins --> he was sensitive to the Jews
• Was superficially Jewish bc Idumea was "Juadized" by the Hasmonians
• King of the Jews from 37 to 4 BCE
• Paranoid and impulsive; brutal dictator that terrorized people
• Effective for Rome, but hated by the Jews
• Best known for his massive building projects; good for the economy because it employed people
• Solomon's temple --> 2nd temple --> Herod's Temple --> Dome of the rock
• Holy architecture - concentric circles of holiness (Eliade)
• Steps to the temple mount - where Jesus truly was
• Triple gate - walled up underground tunnel entrance; double gate too
• Miqvah - Jewish ritual bath --> concept of Baptism
• Robinson's Arch - steps to side entrance, only a stone sticking out and walled up door left
• HUGE Temple Mount
• Retaining Western Wall
• Josephus, Jewish historian, writes of temple landmarks from a Roman POV
• Place of trumpeting, highest point on the Mt.
• Citadel of David - Herod's hiding place if people got mad at him
• Herodian Theatre
• Herodian Palace
• "Burnt House" 70 CE destruction showed that there was economic stability under Herod
• Antonia Fortress - place where Romans could watch over the temple
• Temple inscription warns non-Jews/gentiles from entering the Temple
• Jerusalem Hippodrome - place to race horses, named "Caesarea Hippondrome" in order to honor Rome.  Able to do this bc it was far enough away from Jerusalem.  Roman aqueducts and underwater port also at Caesarea
• Triclinium (eating positions), fortress in the middle of a mountain, and Miqveh at Herodion

Jesus

• No archaeological evidence
• Boat from Ginosar on Sea of Galilee is not sound evidence
• Fake Talpiot Tomb w ossuaries
• But evidence of the tradition of crucification
• Branching out of Christians from Jews --> Church of Holy Sepulcher

Interesting how Herod, an economically efficient tyrant, could be depicted as evil in the Bible under the light of God.  

2/10/11 Thursday Lecture

Hellenistic Jerusalem
- Jerusalem was influenced by the Greeks, just as they were influenced by Persians from before.
- Sources: Apocrypha (Catholic book), Josephus (Roman Historian)
- Jerusalem re-named as Palestine

1. Alexander the Great
1. Conquered the world at that time, including Palestine; 336-323 BCE
2. The power of the high priest increased, while the power of the king decreased
3. After Alexander, Ptolemies, and then the Seleucids ruled Palestine
4. Theme: the Greeks had self-glorifying names

1. Seleucids
1. Aggressively advocated Hellenism
2. They believed Hellenistic culture was superior to others
3. Wanted to turn Jerusalem into a Polis (highest and most natural Civil institution, as said by Aristotle and Pausanias), center of Greek life
4. Every aspect of Jewish life was effected by Hellenism (ex: tomb architecture, burial inscriptions, Sephhoris Mosaic, Bet She'an, Beth Alpha Mosaic having zodiacs in the synagogue, Septuagint LXX Greek copy of the bible)! --> Clashes with religion
5. Pattern: if there is resistance, the Greeks would simply replace the high priest with someone of their interest.  Therefore, conservative Jews did not trust the high priest Jason
6. To suppress Jewish resistance, Antiochus IV sacrificed a pig on the Temple Altar, outlawed Jewish religious practices like circumcision, and converted the Temple into a Temple of Zeus
7. Reaction to Hellenization
1. Welcomed it - abandon circumcision (Epispasm), "must be part of God's plan for the Greeks to conquer us"
2. Resisted it
3. --> Jewish infighting and revolt!

Hasmonean Jerusalem

1. Maccabean Revolt
1. Leader: Judas Maccabeaus ("The Hammer")
2. Used Guerilla tactics
3. Was successful and regained control of Jerusalem and the Temple from Seleucids
4. Hasmonean coins during the Hasmonean Dynasty --> Jews had control of their own coins and government, did not have any human images
5. Hasmonean kings were supposed to be temporary, but they did not relinquish power --> fail
6. Hasmonean kings became Hellenized, secular, and corrupt --> they were as oppressive towards others they were oppressed
7. "Solomon's" Pools (=Hasmonean), tie new building to the past to legitimate the the rule
8. Priest becomes sort of a dictator

Who were the pharisees?  Ptolemies or Seleucids?


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Thoughts to consider from the Professor

Christians have to argue two things: (1) Jesus is of the Davidic line (2) Jesus is the Son of God.  It's not possible to be both.... therefore it is crucial for Christians that Jesus was born of the "virgin" Mary.  This way, Jesus could be both.  Is the root of religion to simply prove and defend one's beliefs?


I always wondered why people of other faiths did not believe Jesus to be the Messiah when the genealogy is listed from Abraham to Jesus in Matthew 1.  I mean....how much more clear could it be?  But little did I know that the genealogy listed in Matthew and Luke are different..


Christians view King Cyrus as a messiah that enabled the return of Jews back to Jerusalem.  It was God's will, and it was He who moved Cyrus' heart.  If you examine this from a scholarly view though... King Cyrus basically "kicked out" the Jews similarly to how America might kick out its immigrants.  The Hebrew Bible simply depicts this event in a favorable light.  --> The bible is written from a specific point of view, is biased, and is in essence a historical document.  Is it futile to believe all the scientifically-ludicrous stories like Noah's Ark that are in the bible?  Are Christians being foolish to center their whole lives and actions around a biased historical unproven piece of literature?  I'm surprised that this class is having such a big impact on my doubts, curiosities, and interest in religion.


Where do you draw the line between believing and unbelieving when faith could range from cognitive dissonance to complete life-centered belief?  Most Christians these days are educated enough to practice cognitive dissonance.  We've all heard Darwin's Theory of Evolution.  But Sunday school doesn't teach you the discrepancies in the bible that I am learning in this class.  I believe that religion is summed up as thus: a scale ranging from abandoning beliefs, to cognitive dissonance or carrying two separate beliefs, and fully believing to the point of shunning all other explanations.  Every person is on a place on this scale, at varying levels and grades.  My question is, how is it possible in this day and age for someone to be on the extreme right of this scale?


How the Bible was written: Old myths and legends were told for a VERY long time, and every time it was told, it was told differently.  Assyrians had a story that was similar to Noah's Ark but with different characters and different reasons why the ark had to be built.  This story came to be Noah's Ark with the Jews.  Then when the Jews were exiled, they realized it was important to write down these stories as part of their culture.  Once it was written down.... it became important.  It became sacred.  And today...... a collection of books that were simply voted to be in the bible is cherished as...the source of life...the living word...the daily bread.


Supposedly there's another version of Noah's Ark elsewhere in the bible, with different numbers of animals and such.  Only one version, obviously the one we know with two of each animal, is the one that is emphasized.  These metaphors in the bible, such as Noah's Ark or The Creation, are hard to interpret.  I am perfectly comfortable believing that these things actually happened.  But that would be practicing cognitive dissonance, because there is no evidence that the Earth was ever flooded.  The history of Earth has been recorded to be 4.5 billion years old.  I always believed that was reconciled through the fact that God's perception of time is different from human perceptions.  But that in itself is rationalization!  


For now... I will hold onto two different perspectives, not mixing the two...

2/8/11 Tuesday Lecture

Persian Jerusalem
539-333 BCE (during the 2nd Temple Period)

Ezekiel's Vision

• Cognitive dissonance: Ezekiel had a vision of God as a mobile entity again, as with the Ark (God is still alive and He is mobile!)
• Many verses in Ezekiel refer to a utopian dream of new Jerusalem
• Ezekiel 1 has references to images of divine protectors that were in the temple
• Some did not want to build a temple bc the capacity to envision a mobile God was already established (post-exilic vs. 2nd temple literature in Haggai 1-2, Isaiah 66:1-2, Ezekiel 40-48).  Or did the temple even have to be in Jerusalem (other temples)?

Persian Influence on Jerusalem

1. Cyrus, a Persian King

• Compare Persian chronicles (Cyrus Cylinder) with the biblical text
• Cyrus grants the Jews to return to Jerusalem
• Cyrus' generosity?  Or God's will?
• Seen as the Messiah simply because he destroyed the Babylonian empire
• Only problem: Cyrus is not of the Davidic line 

2. Juadism ~ Zoroastrianism

• Two faiths had many similarities
• Perhaps the ideas of heaven and hell, Satan, etc came from Persian influence
• Parts of the bible were written down from oral traditions by scribes after the exile who had Persian influence

The First Return

• Joshua, the High Priest, becomes stronger with the temple, while the power of the Davidic governor decreases
• "Yehud" coins prove that Judah was part of Persia?
• Mt. Gerizim on Neapolis Coin
• Jesus references a Samaritan woman at the well
• Samaritans lived on Mt. Gerizim
• Point?
• Elaphintine Letter 30 - asks for permission to build the temple
• Dead Sea Scrolls were found that gave permission to build the temple
• Jerusalem goes into poverty
• Conflicts with the Samaritans (rich, Persian-influenced returning exiles vs. those who've stayed in Jerusalem and don't want the temple rebuilt) - Nehemiah 4:16-23 describes the struggles in building the temple

King Cyrus was the most interesting part of this lecture.  

Why did King Cyrus let the Jews return?  What did the Persians gain from this?

Why was there so much conflict about simply building a temple?

Could God moving Cyrus' heart be sort of a stretch?

If the Jews believed that God was moving Cyrus' heart, then why did they label Cyrus as the Messiah?  Did they accept by now that the Messiah was not going to be of the Davidic line?

Also... it was fascinating to see the comparison between Judaism and Zoroastrianism, as I know a friend who is Zoroastrian!  I always thought Zoroastrianism was closer to Muhammad and such... Their concept of time and requirement to be born into the religion seem far from the teachings of God.

2/1/11 Tuesday Lecture

More Evidence of Literacy

1. Mezad Hashavyahu Ostracon (writing on broken pottery)

- If a worker comes to work for the day, he will leave his coat as collateral, and the Hebrew Bible criticizes against people who keep the coats and abuse the poor (Exodus 22:25-26, Amos 2:8)

--> Yaveh Yam Letter references this story and was important because it showed that common letters were beginning to reflect Biblical literature (rise of the text)

2. Torah Amulets at Ketef Hinnom

- Number 6:24-26 and Deuteronomy 7:9 was quoted on two silver amulets

--> Literature is even worn as jewelry now

==> Was the text written before references on ostracons and jewelry were made (Bible is real)?  Or were they established oral traditions that weren't written down until much later?

==> When things are written down, it can be analyzed in different ways; if everyone says it's true, the bible becomes more credible; Texts transcend rulers as they can connect time and space; fate of Jerusalem will closely follow the interpretation of texts

King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon takes Jerusalem

1. exiles (2nd one at 586 BCE is the destruction of the temple)

2.Josiah's death: (1) 2 Kings gives no explanation, tone is factual and positive (2) Chronicles says Josiah was killed because he seemed to be aiding [the evil] Babylonians, tone is critical and of rationalizing

 --> example of people trying to wrestle with God's broken promise

3. Evidence: 4/290 tablets found near the Ishtar Gate mention Judean royal family which was a "receipt" of their allowances

4. Broken promises: (1) Davidic Dynasty (2) Place for God's people (3) "Chosen" people (4) Temple

Cognitive Dissonance - uncomfortable feeling caused by holding two contradicting ideas at the same time

What can you do?

--> Abandon the text

--> Change the text/rationalize
- Sing the blues: Lamentation 1, Psalm 79, Psalm 137 are reflections on the tragedy which say that God was punishing them for their sins

- God put his "name" on the throne, things are reinterpreted to be conditional (depends how good you act)

This lecture was very thought-provoking for me.

1. It's crazy how the promise to David, which was said by one prophet (Nathan), became such a huge deal in religion, and applies to so many people.

2. I most definitely experience cognitive dissonance on a daily basis

- Things I want to do vs. have to do (ex: movie vs. lecture)

- Christianity vs. science (ex: theory of evolution)

- American vs. Korean culture

- Church Sunday school vs. Holy Jerusalem class

- For example... with the creation story of God creating the world in 7 days, I have personally rationalized it by reinterpreting "days."  The concept of time for God and humans are vastly different, and 1 day for God could be millions of years on Earth.  I actually do firmly believe this, but was surprised to know that scholars considered this as "rationalizing."  The religious would view this as having strong faith.  The human mind that wants to rationalize and stay firmly rooted is very interesting.  I have very mixed feelings about this, and in essence, am practicing cognitive dissonance here!

3. Why were the Israelites the chosen people?  The Christian God is one of love and benevolence.  Christians currently go on missions around the world to evangelize, implicitly believing that all humankind is to be saved.  Why did God only protect the Israelites?  What about the Egyptians, Phonecians, and Assyrians?  Did he not care if they went to hell?  On a bigger scale, it's the relationship between God and mankind.  It seems very uncharacteristic of God to select only the Israelites.  I guess this is going into the controversial topic of predestination...

4. Why did God break his promise and let the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem?  The Christian God is all-knowing and controls all events on this Earth.  He knew that destroying Jerusalem would lead some to dissent and abandon the text, hence creating unbelievers.  This directly goes against God's desires.  I guess someone could rationalize my statement by telling me that God is very complex and we cannot pin down exactly who He is...

5. Some things like the Name Theology seem to be a bit of a stretch