Click here (biblewalks.com) and follow the links to view some of the sites in Israel that are associated with the Biblical prophet Elijah...
Notice the various religious monuments that have been built over the centuries. What are your thoughts/observations about how such Scriptural traditions have been memorialized?
8 comments:
Anonymous
said...
I enjoyed this site. The game is fun as well. The way that the people have built statues and monuments to memorialize the prophet is very interesting and I would like to go and see these places in person someday.
I like the way this site is setup. There is a lot of information here. This is very nice for someone who wants to study the bible. I would like to visit these places sometimes.
I find it interesting on how many of these monuments are probably close to the actual biblical locations, but what makes them 'the' place is based almost entirely on tradition. And what is traditional is not always exact, and I think people should keep that in mind, especially if they want to take a pilgrimage to places like these (I think that the exact places of certain miracles Jesus performed have traditional locations -- and there are many traditions -- instead of actual locations too), because they are simply the best bet for the site at which these events actually occurred.
I agree with Sydney. It is important to keep in mind that these monuments and location are memorials - a way of keeping tradition alive in a very tangible way. Another point to keep in mind is that these monuments are not only memorials of events and traditions, but also a projection of the tradition which built them. It can be fascinating, and also thorny, to tease apart the origins and details of any specific memorial.
I think the religious appreciation that some people have for these monument/memorials is even more astonishing than the monuments themselves in some cases. As someone who is not religious, I am constantly fascinated by places that are considered to have such important meaning based off Biblical significants. I am especially interested in Elijah because he is held in such a high regard by many faiths (Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Druze, as the website lists).
I agree with what was said above. These statues were built in honor of the prophets and it would help preserve their name and what they stood for as well as the path that each individual prophet took to get where they are today.
The site was really easy to use. Smooth and each link got you where you wanted to go.
Glad to hear that folks are finding this particular website useful and informative. I enjoyed your comments regarding the historiographic tension between the miraculous event itself (whatever that actually was) and the memorializing/concretizing of the event in a particular physical space. I wonder how much the latter influences our conceptions of the former?
It is amazing how there are monasteries and statues where Elijah did these great things. It would be interesting to see how Elijah would feel about these places almost making an idol out of him. That was the very thing he was fighting against.
8 comments:
I enjoyed this site. The game is fun as well. The way that the people have built statues and monuments to memorialize the prophet is very interesting and I would like to go and see these places in person someday.
Bob
I like the way this site is setup. There is a lot of information here. This is very nice for someone who wants to study the bible. I would like to visit these places sometimes.
Lisa
I find it interesting on how many of these monuments are probably close to the actual biblical locations, but what makes them 'the' place is based almost entirely on tradition. And what is traditional is not always exact, and I think people should keep that in mind, especially if they want to take a pilgrimage to places like these (I think that the exact places of certain miracles Jesus performed have traditional locations -- and there are many traditions -- instead of actual locations too), because they are simply the best bet for the site at which these events actually occurred.
-- Sydney
I agree with Sydney. It is important to keep in mind that these monuments and location are memorials - a way of keeping tradition alive in a very tangible way. Another point to keep in mind is that these monuments are not only memorials of events and traditions, but also a projection of the tradition which built them. It can be fascinating, and also thorny, to tease apart the origins and details of any specific memorial.
Sophie
I think the religious appreciation that some people have for these monument/memorials is even more astonishing than the monuments themselves in some cases. As someone who is not religious, I am constantly fascinated by places that are considered to have such important meaning based off Biblical significants. I am especially interested in Elijah because he is held in such a high regard by many faiths (Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Druze, as the website lists).
Lauren Cavanagh
I agree with what was said above. These statues were built in honor of the prophets and it would help preserve their name and what they stood for as well as the path that each individual prophet took to get where they are today.
The site was really easy to use. Smooth and each link got you where you wanted to go.
Saryn
Glad to hear that folks are finding this particular website useful and informative. I enjoyed your comments regarding the historiographic tension between the miraculous event itself (whatever that actually was) and the memorializing/concretizing of the event in a particular physical space. I wonder how much the latter influences our conceptions of the former?
pdk
It is amazing how there are monasteries and statues where Elijah did these great things. It would be interesting to see how Elijah would feel about these places almost making an idol out of him. That was the very thing he was fighting against.
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