Worship, Art, Churches

Sacred Space in Jerusalem

• Herod 37-4BCE• Massive rebuilding of

temple

In place of the king/god/deity is the ark of the covenant; but the tabernacle is conceived as the “dwelling place” of God; “…make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.” (Exodus 25:8)

TensionsIn Hebrew Bible, God is present in particular places (the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle and Temple) - BUT: there is another strand in Hebrew thinking that claims that God will not/does not dwell in temples:• God's real presence and his equally real freedom to be absent from his temple• Solomon declares, 'I have surely built thee a house of habitation, a place for thee

to dwell in forever' (1 Kgs 8.13), but-in almost the same breath-questions that same program: 'But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded!' (v. 27).

• Prophetic literature - a critique of particular holy places. Such a critique undermines their very status as holy places.

Utopian/Locative Space• Utopian – literally, ‘nowhere’; outward; erases borders• Locative – local, towards a center, inward; maintains borders• Sacredness of space going out of fashion in early Christianity

– replaced with universalized, utopian conceptions

– 1 Cor 3:16 “We are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them (2Cor. 6:16)

– “Ye are fellow-citizens with the saints… growing into a holy temple in the Lord” (Eph 2:19-21)

– Use of term holy or sacred to describe places – decreases- only a few places do we read of the holy city (Mt. 4:5, 27:53, Rev. 11:2) or the holy place (Mt 24:15; Acts 6:13), or the holy mount (2 Pet. 1:18)

House Church/Worship• ‘house church’ – Pillars of Jerusalem• Significance of 70 C.E.• Eucharist: Luke 22:26 While they were eating, Jesus took

bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.” 30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

• Baptism

Baptismal Font, Algeria ~ 400Catacomb Fresco, Rome, ~400

Dura-Europos House ChurchSyria, ~ 235

After Constantine• More formal, public buildings, modeled on civic architecture;

more highly stylized, intricate, formalized liturgical system• Church building explodes in 4th century – massive investment

Panormo Basilica, Crete, 5th c.

Basilica San Giovanni Lateran

Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem

• Anastasis, Latin for Resurrection• Constantine

Pilgrimage• Pilgrim of Bordeaux (333)• Egeria (380CE)