One facet of this course and the readings have been the overwhelming amount of people and characters we have met thus far. We have covered hundreds upon hundreds of year and the people we have encountered are all interesting in their own right, but keeping track of them has been difficult. Not having a strong religious background has made learning these people tough for me. It seems,though, that the most eccentric ones seem to stick in my memory the best. In chapter 15, a person is introduced who I had never even heard of before. He was a very interesting (although I'm not sure if it's good or bad interesting) person, and I was inclined to read a little more about him after finishing these sections. His name: David Reuveni.
In short, he was a mysterious Jew that not only aroused messianic hope for some Jews, but also, raised a red flag to those enjoying their new-found egalitarian positions in Jerusalem under Ottoman rule. His origins are not known; people speculate he could be from Khaibar, Afghanistan, or even southern India. Nevertheless, he arrived in Jerusalem in 1523 claiming to be the messiah. This scared many Jews because they had been enjoying their new positions in Jerusalem where they were free from most prejudices. He claimed to be the new King David and the son of King Solomon; pretty much, he thought he was a messiah for Jews. He had a small following, and because of the expulsion of Jews in Spain, many Jews were looking for leadership and cohesiveness, and he may have provided this for few. It was reported that he died in Spain, some texts say it was reported that "A jew who came from India to Portugal" was burned.
He did not gain a tremendous following, but his existence was very interesting. It's weird to see how people throughout history have claimed to be messiahs or comings of g-d. Things like this still happen. I would like to know more about him, and I don't have much time to write more about him. I just thought he was an interesting figure to discuss this week and perhaps I could get back to him later.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Chapters 11-13 Reading Response
Portions of chapter 11 in Karen Armstrong's book covers the early stages of the 3rd of the world's three largest religion's development: Islam. But one interesting notion that I want to dissect comes at the beginning of the chapter, at the end of the first paragraph. It reveals some interesting things that we should take into account today: "It was widely believed that Allah, the high g-d of the Arabian pantheon whose name simply means 'God,' was in fact the deity who was worshipped by the Jew and the Christians. Yet those Jews and Christians with whom they came in contact often taunted the Arabs because G-d had sent them no revelation or prophet of their own"(Armstrong 215).
I feel this quote is important to ruminate upon because it reveals something interesting about society and world conflicts today. Today, many of the conflicts of the world, especially Israel and Jerusalem, revolve around religious differences. Whether it be disagreements between Israelis and Palestinians or an American not seeing a Muslim with a keen eye, all of such incidences have their roots in religion. But the funny thing is that all of this is quite ironic because this quote shows us the belief (not saying whether I agree or disagree, because I don't have enough knowledge on this subject and it's something debated about amongst PHD's) that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all worship the same G-d, but through different means, i.e. prophets, religious texts, traditions, holy cites, etc.. This shows that these three groups, who often quarrel with one another over their differing beliefs, really aren't all that different.
They all stem from Abraham and this reveals that their roots aren't all hat different. I feel if more people within these groups that have harsh feelings towards the other would be able to somewhat reconcile their differences if more of them realized this. Once, again, i just feel it's really interesting to see how over time, things transform, but the ways in which people act don't. I think people need to focus on the close ties these religions have in hopes that doing so could bring them closer together.
I feel this quote is important to ruminate upon because it reveals something interesting about society and world conflicts today. Today, many of the conflicts of the world, especially Israel and Jerusalem, revolve around religious differences. Whether it be disagreements between Israelis and Palestinians or an American not seeing a Muslim with a keen eye, all of such incidences have their roots in religion. But the funny thing is that all of this is quite ironic because this quote shows us the belief (not saying whether I agree or disagree, because I don't have enough knowledge on this subject and it's something debated about amongst PHD's) that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all worship the same G-d, but through different means, i.e. prophets, religious texts, traditions, holy cites, etc.. This shows that these three groups, who often quarrel with one another over their differing beliefs, really aren't all that different.
They all stem from Abraham and this reveals that their roots aren't all hat different. I feel if more people within these groups that have harsh feelings towards the other would be able to somewhat reconcile their differences if more of them realized this. Once, again, i just feel it's really interesting to see how over time, things transform, but the ways in which people act don't. I think people need to focus on the close ties these religions have in hopes that doing so could bring them closer together.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Weblog #3
For this weblog, we are suppose to discuss the image selected for the class blog. I don't think we have officially selected one (correct me if I'm wrong), so I did this assignment in regards to Lindsey's September 1st post where she showed some possible options. I think the 3rd image she posted is the best. It shows two hands reaching for one another but not quite reaching each other. This could represent the two sides attempts at resolving their conflict without ever actually settling. The rocks in the middle could represent how "rocky" the relationship is and what they must overcome to find peace. I feel it could work, but would also like to see more ideas!
Chapters 8-10 Reading Response
These three chapters revealed (even more so than previous chapters) a big theme in religion that prevails to this day: the role that politics play in the religious world. There are many underlying political undertones that frame the disputes surrounding different groups of people that can be linked back to religion. Interesting to read how much of a role religion played in politics in times much different than our own.
For me, the most interesting part of this reading was in the beginning of chapter 8, where the actions of Pharisee Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai are discussed. When Jerusalem was taken over by the Romans, he was smuggled out of the city in a coffin. He was one of the few jewish leaders to keep his credibility after the city was sieged. He built a "new" Judaism on the coast, where he and fellow Rabbis started the academy of Yavneh.
Yes, they lost their temple in 586, but by establishing this academy, they were able to modernize Judaism and allowed for the study of the Torah in a different manner, away from the temple. This was important, because it separated the people from the temple, and got rid of that physical attachment to religion that people of the time craved. Now instead of craving to be present and in physical contact with god via a temple, people were studying the Torah together, and by doing so, God's presence on earth would sit among them. They started shifting from animal sacrifice and focused more on compassion and charity as ways of giving back and showing good to their god. These events are important because they represent an important, more modern shift that is more recognizable to religion today. It established the Mishnah, and Jews could experience God where ever they were. It made religion more mobile and accessible. No longer did one have to be in Temple. You could passionately engaged in a dialogue over the Torah, far away from the holy land, while praying and recovering a "divine heart" away from the Temple.
For me, the most interesting part of this reading was in the beginning of chapter 8, where the actions of Pharisee Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai are discussed. When Jerusalem was taken over by the Romans, he was smuggled out of the city in a coffin. He was one of the few jewish leaders to keep his credibility after the city was sieged. He built a "new" Judaism on the coast, where he and fellow Rabbis started the academy of Yavneh.
Yes, they lost their temple in 586, but by establishing this academy, they were able to modernize Judaism and allowed for the study of the Torah in a different manner, away from the temple. This was important, because it separated the people from the temple, and got rid of that physical attachment to religion that people of the time craved. Now instead of craving to be present and in physical contact with god via a temple, people were studying the Torah together, and by doing so, God's presence on earth would sit among them. They started shifting from animal sacrifice and focused more on compassion and charity as ways of giving back and showing good to their god. These events are important because they represent an important, more modern shift that is more recognizable to religion today. It established the Mishnah, and Jews could experience God where ever they were. It made religion more mobile and accessible. No longer did one have to be in Temple. You could passionately engaged in a dialogue over the Torah, far away from the holy land, while praying and recovering a "divine heart" away from the Temple.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Weblog #2
Here are a few items around my house that shed a little light on "who I am"....
The first image is of the Irish flag which is normally my computer's background. My dad's family is from Ireland, and being Irish is a HUGE part of who I am ( I have an Irish first and last name, take part in Irish celebrations, and eat Irish, etc). The second is of a Chai necklace that I received from my mom; she comes from a German-Jewish family, but they weren't brought up religious so there is a disconnection with their families' past, it's something I want to learn more about.
This is a poster I have in my room, it's a copy of a Japanese woodblock printed titled "The Sea of Satta". I love Japanese art.
My three favorite sports teams: The Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bulls, and the Celtic F.C..
Tea is one of my favorite things in the world. The bagged loose leaf tea is white Chinese tea I got in Singapore.
Since I didn't have much food in my house I posted an image of one of my favorite foods in the world: Laksa. It's found in Singapore, Malaysia, and other Southeast Asian countries...I'm going to attempt to make it tonight :)
These are some of the books I have in my room, I have a huge interest in learning languages and other cultures, especially those in East-Asia and Latin America.
I have a large shoe and sneaker collection, I just took a picture of part of the giant shoe pile in my closet///
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Chapters 5-7 Reading Response
The last few chapters proved exceedingly interesting. It's interesting to see how Armstrong is pulling everything together in showing us how Jerusalem came to be. Much of Armstrong's sources are from the Bible and other religious texts. That being said, she speaks much of myths, and stories of the past to base her history upon. I discussed myths in my last post, so I wont do it again here, but it's important to remember that these stories and myth hold great value in shaping an image of our past.
Armstrong's discussion of Greek influences on Jews of this time period is something I previously knew nothing about. Looking into how they shared two seemingly different cultures with one another is entertaining and insightful. Some embraced Greek culture, others detested it. Jews adopted many facets of Greek life but what I found interesting was that no matter what, they still held their Jewish ideals and the temple continued to be the center of their lives.
The desire to be in personal physical contact with their God is something that I can hardly fathom today. Most people now are content with the occasional visit to church or synagogue, but these people, no matter how many times they were forced from their land, still held a deep passion to be in direct contact with their homeland and God. Some interesting Parallels can be drawn to the Maccabean Revolt, but that is a subject I must divulge into at a later time.
Armstrong's discussion of Greek influences on Jews of this time period is something I previously knew nothing about. Looking into how they shared two seemingly different cultures with one another is entertaining and insightful. Some embraced Greek culture, others detested it. Jews adopted many facets of Greek life but what I found interesting was that no matter what, they still held their Jewish ideals and the temple continued to be the center of their lives.
The desire to be in personal physical contact with their God is something that I can hardly fathom today. Most people now are content with the occasional visit to church or synagogue, but these people, no matter how many times they were forced from their land, still held a deep passion to be in direct contact with their homeland and God. Some interesting Parallels can be drawn to the Maccabean Revolt, but that is a subject I must divulge into at a later time.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Reading Response for September 12th
This weekend we had our first foray into Karen Armstrong's book "Jerusalem: Once City, Three Faiths." After reading the introduction, and chapters 1-4, all I have to say is wow; there is so much more to this situation than I could have ever imagined. She looked at Jerusalem from a Christian perspective, which was much different than the perspectives we had last week. As far as what is at stake for Armstrong, I believe, she has nothing at stake, but to reveal the cities culture and history without misconceptions and equal truths from all sides. She doesn't have to worry about agreeing with the Palestinian or Israeli side, instead, she had only herself to please. I feel that the Jerusalem Project members chose a good book for the project, it looks at all aspects of the conflict from all points of view.
I really enjoyed the introduction to the book. Usually books don't give much insight into a story or conflict, but this one proved ever so useful. She makes Jerusalem personal by describing as how she knew it before first visiting, which is, something completely unknown; this is how I view it. She discussed the word 'holy' and what exactly it means. It is discussed how often times, religions search for a holy ground in order to have a physical form to identify with; with no "physical" god, one must find attachment in the land where one's god could have existed to. Doing so establishes a strong bond and dependency to one's religious past that, if not in accordance with other's beliefs, could pose problems. People like having physical evidence of their beliefs, and Jerusalem just so happens to be religious evidence to three of the world's largest religions.
The most interesting paragraph of the reading for Monday comes from the introduction, on pages xvii-xviii, in which the "question of myth" is discussed. She discussed how myth shapes our religious history and beliefs, and how people use it to speak about the sacred. Today, people usually dismiss things that are solely based on "myth". But much of religious texts are based on myth, which is defined as "a traditional story" (unlike it is widely known as today as an untrue story). She discusses the notion of how the three major religions of the area have, throughout history, discounted each other's histories (myths) in favor of their own. But we must question why they have been dismissed, because it is the root of these dismissals that are the roots of the current conflicts. This conflict has included disregarding the other's stories and beliefs. All the stories and histories of Jerusalem are important, each side has contributed to what it is today. And, therefore, Armstrong reaches her point about these alleged myths about Jerusalem, that they were "never designed to describe historically verifiable events that actually happened. It was an attempt to express their inner significance or to draw attention to realities that were too elusive to be discussed in a logical or coherent way." We cannot disregard any of the stories about Jerusalem even if they are from a group we despise, because they all hold value, truth, and exist for a reason; if they didn't, they would not have survived thousands of years to today
I really enjoyed the introduction to the book. Usually books don't give much insight into a story or conflict, but this one proved ever so useful. She makes Jerusalem personal by describing as how she knew it before first visiting, which is, something completely unknown; this is how I view it. She discussed the word 'holy' and what exactly it means. It is discussed how often times, religions search for a holy ground in order to have a physical form to identify with; with no "physical" god, one must find attachment in the land where one's god could have existed to. Doing so establishes a strong bond and dependency to one's religious past that, if not in accordance with other's beliefs, could pose problems. People like having physical evidence of their beliefs, and Jerusalem just so happens to be religious evidence to three of the world's largest religions.
The most interesting paragraph of the reading for Monday comes from the introduction, on pages xvii-xviii, in which the "question of myth" is discussed. She discussed how myth shapes our religious history and beliefs, and how people use it to speak about the sacred. Today, people usually dismiss things that are solely based on "myth". But much of religious texts are based on myth, which is defined as "a traditional story" (unlike it is widely known as today as an untrue story). She discusses the notion of how the three major religions of the area have, throughout history, discounted each other's histories (myths) in favor of their own. But we must question why they have been dismissed, because it is the root of these dismissals that are the roots of the current conflicts. This conflict has included disregarding the other's stories and beliefs. All the stories and histories of Jerusalem are important, each side has contributed to what it is today. And, therefore, Armstrong reaches her point about these alleged myths about Jerusalem, that they were "never designed to describe historically verifiable events that actually happened. It was an attempt to express their inner significance or to draw attention to realities that were too elusive to be discussed in a logical or coherent way." We cannot disregard any of the stories about Jerusalem even if they are from a group we despise, because they all hold value, truth, and exist for a reason; if they didn't, they would not have survived thousands of years to today
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Week 2 Reading Response
In Mick Dumper's "Jerusalem: Then and Now", he discusses the deep social and political history of Jerusalem, but does so in a way that makes it easily comprehensible tot hose with minimal prior knowledge. Of all the things he discusses, I took note of his discussion on how "geographically and economically, the growth of Jerusalem doesn't make sense."I found this interesting because for what it's worth (religion aside), there aren't many reasons for people to be fighting for this land. Access to it is limited by mountains, and it has limited supplies of water and other natural resources. It is Jerusalem's religious affiliations that make it so sought after, and it's interesting to ruminate on what it would be like if it weren't for religion.
Similar to the beginning of Mick Dumper's piece, Rashid Khalidi's "The History of Jerusalem: An Arab Perspective", looks at Jerusalem it's attachment to the three Abrahamic faiths. He states " When discussing Jerusalem's history, it should be clear that what is really at issue is one narrative of that history, and not the thick accretion of religious beliefs and embellishments of the historical record over which the modem political agendas of Palestine and Israel compete." In other words, in order to understand the many problems at hand, we cannot rely purely on one viewpoint or solely on religious perspectives. If we do, what is really happening will be misconstrued and filtered through biases that may not give us the full story. This is what this class is about: learning about Jerusalem from every perspective possible. Having an Arab perspective is highly important. He looked at Jerusalem from a religious perspective and why Jews, Muslims, and Christians see Jerusalem as a holy city. Seeing why each one cherishes this land helps broaden my understanding of why so many take this problem so personally.Discussing the different pilgrimages (i.e. visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, or the Dome of the Rock, etc.) shows what Jerusalem means to people today. What i got from this week's reading is that in order to discuss the conflict in Jerusalem, one must look at the cities' history from three different perspectives, without preconceptions or biases.
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