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 PrintableVersion Holy land, holy citySacred geographyHOLY LAND, HOLY CITY Can geography be sacred? What is the connection between the geography of Palestine and a robust biblical faith? We are familiar with the important correlation between faith and history, but, in this delightful little book, Robert Gordon introduces us to the world of geography and how the Scriptures themselves also portray physical space as sacred space. The divine revelation occurred in space as well as time. In nine short chapters Robert takes us on a journey from the Garden of Eden in Genesis, through the Psalms, on to Jerusalem and the Gospels to the Book of Revelation and Christian depictions of the Holy Land from pilgrimage guides to hymnody. The book is subtitled, ‘Sacred Geography and the Interpretation of the Bible’. Robert defines ‘Sacred Geography’ as coming ‘into play when the literal, geographical facts of a case are disregarded by a biblical text in order to express some further, or higher, truth’ (pp.1-2). The first half of the book deals with Genesis and human beginnings, an emerging theology of land, and place of Jerusalem as the ‘City of God’. The second half deals with the ‘Geography of Golgotha’ and the way in which the New Testament redefines the role of Land, City and Temple in Christian spirituality and mission. He shows, for example, how ‘…Golgotha enjoys a Zion-like centrality in Christian theology that leaves literal, physical considerations far behind… “Sacred theology” thus becomes a mechanism whereby the doctrines associated with Golgotha-Calvary are given their due prominence’ (p.60). An added bonus is found in the appendix where Robert reproduces the somewhat eccentric notes of General Charles Gordon, entitled ‘Eden and Golgotha’ written for the Palestine Exploration Fund Journal in 1885, identifying what he believed to be the authentic location of Calvary and the Garden Tomb. Robert also tackles several controversial issues such as the ultra-literalist and determinist theologies arising in the 19th century that equate Zionism with Scripture and predict an apocalyptic future. He shows, for example, how ‘bad theology costs lives’ not least in the continuing violence of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Given the limits of this book, I hope Robert will develop this important issue in a future book. I hope that Holy Land, Holy City receives the wide readership it deserves. Stephen Sizer, Robert Gordon is Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Cambridge. © Evangelicals Now - January 2006 |
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