REL 30.02 Sacred Cities: Jerusalem
According to G.A. Smith in his Historical Geography of the Holy Land, Jerusalem “stands aloof, waterless, [and] on the road to nowhere.” Yet, despite its geographic, agricultural, and economic limitations, Jerusalem has been transformed into a city of tremendous religious significance. This course will examine the cultural history of Jerusalem over three millennia, primarily as the symbolic focus of three faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The course content will focus on the transformation of sacred space as reflected by literary and archaeological evidence by examining the artifacts, architectural monuments, and iconography in relation to written sources. In addition, this course will examine the creation of mythic Jerusalem through event and experience.