The conference titled "Naming the Sacred" sought to bring historical depth and perspective to an earlier series of international discussion on Jerusalem, those carried out in UNESCO. Following is a conceptual summary of key points that emerged in the discussion. A fuller summary, with reference to specific lectures, along with the program, is available from Elijah. 

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Jerusalem and Sacral Politics

 

Contested religious sites are a function of changes in systems of belief (religious or non-religious) and of changing political power. Often, these two go hand in hand.

The change/contestation of religious sites can take the extreme form of destruction of previous religious cultures. Some recent examples include the destruction of the Buddha statues by the Taliban in Bamyan and ravages to historical memory in Iraq by ISIS.

Historically and universally, we witness sacred sites layered, so that their purpose and function shifts over the ages. We may refer to this as spatial supersessionism, where the newer strata of religious traditions triumph over the older strata, representing the past.

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Historical Perspectives of Renaming

The conference studied various instances of renaming of holy places, following political and religious conquests. We sought to identify patterns and precedents in light of which UNESCO decisions could be better contextualized and appreciated.

When the Roman empire became Christianized, in theory pagan places should have been destroyed. Historical reality did not conform to the expectation. Pagan temples were maintained, even by emperors. Financial and political powers played into preservation of religious identity and memory, and prevented total erasure.

Similarly, the Ottoman takeover of Byzantium, did not lead to erasure of memory. While renaming Aya Sofia, Christian relics were incorporated into the Sultan’s home, thereby assuring a kind of continuity of memory.

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Political Power, Sacred Space and Memory

The history of renaming makes us aware that beyond the question of sacred places and changing memories lies the question of political power. There are different motivations to the application of power. One kind is the removal of error of false religious beliefs (Constantine). This is analogous to the Soviet intention of delivering people from superstition.

The challenge to application of power is the balancing of top-down mechanisms of authority powers with the beliefs of people and of diverse religious communities. Time emerges as a crucial factor in bringing about top-down transformations into communities. Acts that are undertaken in a one-sided authoritarian way involve some violence to communities.

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Scholarly Retrieval of Memory – The Call for Responsibility

Given how closely memory and contested religious sites are related to issues of power and political control, one recognizes that there are forces that continue to shape memory to serve the needs of the present-day political power. Sacral politics requires engaging history on the one hand, and the memory or memories of multiple communities on the other. Only scholars can separate the admixture of myth and history, as these inform sacral politics.

Recent UNESCO decisions were characterized by lack of consultation with scholarly authorities on any of the relevant issues. This has led to a simplistic approach to complex issues, and herein is the original sin of these decisions.

It is up to scholars to help retrieve lost memories, in the framework of contested sacred spaces. Our conference offered several examples of this:

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The Call for Sensitivity

It is not superfluous to recall that in addition to scientific complexity, there is also an element of sensitivity and practical wisdom that one must apply in dealing with contested sites, especially Jerusalem.

International or ruling bodies, who are foreign to the complexity of local realities, may act without due appreciation of the sensitivities and feelings of local communities, thereby aggravating relations on the ground.

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In Conclusion

Any attempt to deal with Jerusalem, by international and diplomatic bodies, engages us in the complexity of memory, and in sacral politics. It is only when we are aware of the complexity of Jerusalem’s history and make room for all memories, that we can begin to open up to processes that will lead to the healing of Jerusalem and the memory of its many communities, and to Jerusalem fulfilling its higher calling as a city of peace.

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A Song of Ascents; of David.
I rejoiced when they said unto me: 'Let us go unto the house of the Lord.'
Our feet are standing within thy gates, O Jerusalem;
Jerusalem, that art builded as a city that is compact together;
Whither the tribes went up, even the tribes of the Lord, as a testimony unto Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord.
For there were set thrones for judgment, the thrones of the house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may they prosper that love thee.
Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.
For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say: 'Peace be within thee.'
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good.

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