"The rabbis had not given up hope that one day their Temple would be rebuilt: the last time the temple had been destroyed, there had been a restoration against all odds. But they believed that it was wiser and safer to leave this rebuilding to G-d" (157). - This quote really stuck out to me because of the fact that the Jewish people put all their faith and confidence in G-d. A temple is one of the holiest places and the fact that they would wait until G-d would help restore it illustrates their commitment and trust in him. I also thought it was interesting that after the destruction of the Temple many Jews sought religious security in their homes, which is where a lot of traditions such as Passover started.
Chapter 9: The New Jerusalem
A part of this chapter also related to the change in the importance of the temple as being the only holy place. "The fate of the temple was clear proof that G-d no longer wanted that showy type of sacrificial ritual. He wanted them to follow the spiritual religion preached by Jesus, which did not depend on temples or holy places" (175). This is a clear shift in the ideology that you have to come somewhere sacred or holy to connect with G-d because now you can anywhere in the world.
Chapter 10: Christian Holy City
After reading this chapter I realized how little I knew about the connection between christianity and Jerusalem/Israel.
I have a couple of questions that I hope we can discuss either in class or
1) Do christians still refer to bethlehem as bethlehem?
2) Where did the Messiah come back to according to Christianity? The Jews believe that the Messiah still has not come. When I was in Israel I saw the ally that the Messiah was supposed to come to:
Elissa-
ReplyDeleteI also found the quote about the fate of the temple serving as proof that G-d no longer wanted a showy type of sacrificial ritual interesting. I realize that this is a clear shift in ideology, however do you think that it is the Jews who shifted their ideology or the emperor of this time (Constantine)? I read it as Constantine, but I'm interested to know what you think.
A part of this chapter also related to the change in the importance of the temple as being the only holy place. "The fate of the temple was clear proof that G-d no longer wanted that showy type of sacrificial ritual. He wanted them to follow the spiritual religion preached by Jesus, which did not depend on temples or holy places" (175). This is a clear shift in the ideology that you have to come somewhere sacred or holy to connect with G-d because now you can anywhere in the world.
Hi Elissa. :)
ReplyDeleteTo answer your questions:
1) As far as I know, pretty much all Christian denominations refer to Bethlehem as Bethlehem. I don't know much about the Greek Orthodox tradition though, so I'm not sure about them.
2)There are several Post-Resurrection appearances in the New Testament, but I don't think any of them are very specific on location. A few do occur in Jerusalem but I don't recall mention of the alley that you're referring to. I'm sure several other people in the class know more than me though, so this might be a good question to ask in class.
And also, I'm glad you bring up some tough stuff in class and I think it's really cool that you stand up for your opinions.
See you Tuesday!