The Temple And The Holy Sepulchre How They Were Made Sacred Using Eliade’s’ Terms.

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The Temple and the Holy Sepulchre how they were made sacred using Eliade’s’ terms.


“ Those ancient sages who sought to secure the presence of divine beings by the erection of shrines and statues showed insight into the nature of all; they perceived that, though the soul is everywhere traceable, its presence will be secured all the more readily when an appropriate receptacle is elaborated… serving like a mirror to catch an image of it”
- Plotinus (205-270ce)
The followers of the Abrahamic traditions embraced Plotinus’ concept by erecting buildings in locations of great spiritual significance. The Temple and Holy Sepulchre are two of the most significant shrines in Judaism and Christianity respectively. According to Eliade who wrote, The Sacred and Profane, both these places are real, holy and eternal and therefore are sacred, even though they are of two different traditions. Looking through Eliade‘s eyes at these two buildings one can trace the aspects and moments that led to them to being made sacred. From their location to the acts that occurred within their walls, there are numerous examples to illustrate Eliade’s concepts. By looking closely at a couple of examples for the Temple and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre it will show how these two buildings would be made sacred. By comparing both buildings we will see how by using Eliade’s concepts of sacred we can define the Jewish Temple and the Christians Holy Sepulchre as sacred.
It is in the pages of the Old Testament that we learn a lot of the Temple’s history. Though modern archaeologists have never proven it to exist; for the Jewish people it not only existed but holds great importance as well. The Temple is an axis mundi, a sacred place “which at once connects and supports heaven and earth and whose base are fixed in the world below”. This connection “ensures communication with the world of [God].” It was built by Solomon on the top of Mt...