Concrete holiness and place attachment: Christian Zionist agricultural volunteers in Samaria

Christian Zionism is a Protestant theology rooted in nineteenth-century Britain, advocating the return of Jews to the land of Israel as the fulfilment of God’s will and plan for the salvation of humanity. This article deals with the unique theology of the Christian Zionist group Hayovel, an organization dedicated to bringing Christian volunteers for agricultural work in the Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Based on fieldwork conducted among Hayovel volunteers, this article offers an analysis of Hayovel’s theology of rootedness and faith in the religious significance of the land. In contrast to mainstream Evangelical Christianity, Hayovel emphasizes the importance of sacred space and attempts to construct an experience of concrete holiness through agricultural work and touring the region’s Biblical sites. Hayovel’s activity is described here as the construction and cultivation of the Israel as a spatial and spiritual core and as a place of potential refuge and as a reaction to the increasing detachment from space in the global era.

The Architecture of Eco-Theology: Towards a New Typology for Christian Sacred Space

This paper will begin by exploring the underlying scriptural and theological foundations for a Christian response to the ecological crisis with particular focus on the writings of cultural historian, Father Thomas Berry, CP. It will then describe the first worship space in Canada that attempts to embody the emergent “Eco-theology” to invoke both the transcendental and imminent presence of the divine by reconsidering every design decision from first principles. As articulated in its architecture, the traditional elements of Roman Catholic sacred space have been re-imagined and given unique expression to emphasize that when we gather for Christian worship, we do so within the greater context of creation. St. Gabriel’s Passionist Parish church therefore represents a distinctly new typology for Christian Worship that contributes towards an understanding of early scriptural teachings which emphasized the sacredness of all creation and not just the sacredness of humankind. The new building as sacred space presents a “Gestalt whole”, and like the medieval cathedrals of Europe, becomes itself a form of Catechetical pedagogy, engaging the senses, demanding reflection, and inviting transformation.

‘He Saw Heaven Opened’: Heavenly Temple and Universal Mission in Luke-Acts

Numerous scholars have argued that in Luke-Acts the location of sacred space or divine presence passes from the Jerusalem temple to Jesus, Christian believers, or both; in Acts, this transfer is understood as integral to the universal mission. The present article argues that such studies overlook the important motif of heaven as temple, which plays a role in Jesus’ trial and crucifixion and the Stephen and Cornelius episodes. Using Edward Soja's spatial theory, previous studies’ binary categorisation of temple space is critiqued. The heavenly temple disrupts and reconstitutes understandings of sacred space, and thus undergirds the universal spread of the Way.

Guardian of Eden, Guardian of the City: The Lost Mosaic of the Archangel Michael in Hagia Sophia of Constantinople

This contribution aims to shed light on the lost mosaic of the Archangel Michael with a drawn sword once set, according to Niketas Choniates, in a πρόναος of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. After an overview of previous hypotheses, I will argue for a position just outside of the south-west vestibule of the church in the 10th century. Such a location and dating would be in line with the connotation of the Archangel as defender of a sacred space, perceived as a sort of Eden in Byzantine textual and visual sources. The spread of similar representations confirms the role of a reference point that the mosaic soon acquired by virtue of its position at the ceremonial entrance of the most important church of the Empire, not to mention its political importance. The ideological character of the Archangel went a step further during the last centuries of the Empire. A unique use of the First Arab Siege of Constantinople as a stage for St. Michael’s role as sword-wielding guardian in a 14th century Serbian painting is more broadly reflective of a theme throughout Byzantine artistic tradition in varied media. This representation reflected the duty of the Archangel not just as guardian of Hagia Sophia, but also of the emperor, Constantinople and the Empire in a broader sense.

PECULIARITIES OF LIGHT FUNCTIONING IN MODERN GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCHES OF UKRAINE

In each historical period, light played an important mystical role in the creation of the sacred space of the temple, and was and is an integral part of religious ritual. Light is an architectural phenomenon, the formative and communicative element of the spatial structure of the temple, the most important factor in the perception of space and layout of the temple. The subject of the analysis contained in the article is the light environment in the space of modern churches of Ukraine. An analysis of the functions of light in churches is made on the example of recently built iconic Greek Catholic temples. The peculiarities of the distribution of natural and artificial light in the space of modern churches, the similarities and differences in the organization of the light environment, as compared to the historical temples, have been revealed. The influence of the light on the architectonics of temples and the visual perception of their object environment, on the formation of the corresponding mystical mood and sacred atmosphere is defined. The values and functions of electric lighting in the structure of the light environment of the temple, the directions of development of electric lighting systems due to the expansion of their utilitarian and decorative functions are determined.

The Politics, Poetics and Performance of Sacred Space: The Sacred Space of Cook Islands Christian Churches

<p>The current literature about sacred space suggests that it is produced through either substantive definitions of space (the poetics of space) or situational definitions of space (the politics of space). I conducted ethnographic research in the Cook Islands to consider how these two constructions of space interact to produce the sacred space of the Cook Islands Christian Church. I have shown that the production of sacred space can be described through three modes of spatial production: the politics of space, the poetics of space and the performance of space. They are enacted through social practices in an inter-related process. Based on these findings I propose a spatial triad model. I suggest that by moving beyond traditional dichotomous constructions of space such a spatial triad model can contribute to new understandings of how sacred and profane space is produced and reproduced.</p>

The Politics, Poetics and Performance of Sacred Space: The Sacred Space of Cook Islands Christian Churches

<p>The current literature about sacred space suggests that it is produced through either substantive definitions of space (the poetics of space) or situational definitions of space (the politics of space). I conducted ethnographic research in the Cook Islands to consider how these two constructions of space interact to produce the sacred space of the Cook Islands Christian Church. I have shown that the production of sacred space can be described through three modes of spatial production: the politics of space, the poetics of space and the performance of space. They are enacted through social practices in an inter-related process. Based on these findings I propose a spatial triad model. I suggest that by moving beyond traditional dichotomous constructions of space such a spatial triad model can contribute to new understandings of how sacred and profane space is produced and reproduced.</p>