Chapters 5-7

The description and sheer scale of the Temple of Herod is what stood out to me the most from the reading.  It was hard, even though she has the blueprints of the temple, to visualize what this place must have looked like when it was new.  Both this temple and the Temple Mount are two places that I have heard of before, but never really knew too much about.

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=temple+of+herod&hl=en&biw=1047&bih=713&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=Lm_eme8Wp5-5fM:&imgrefurl=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/howaboutthat/4837528/A-model-of-biblical-proportions-man-spends-30-years-creating-a-model-of-Herods-Temple.html&docid=INsWTng3zd2CfM&w=620&h=400&ei=y-FvTqmPG4bpqgHa3JDuCw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=383&page=1&tbnh=130&tbnw=201&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=65&ty=95

The above link is to a drawing of the Temple of Herod, and the one below is of the Temple Mount,

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/images/jerusalem/temple-mount/resized/Temple_mount-wp.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-temple-mount&h=234&w=350&sz=113&tbnid=z_CcL9yjxSJLXM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=135&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dtemple%2Bmount%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=temple+mount&docid=BEXVow_nXc6CzM&sa=X&ei=duJvToCbBcW6qAHx-8HeCw&ved=0CEsQ9QEwBQ&dur=343

 King Herod was a very aware king.  He knew what actions to take in order to please both those who had control over him and those he was in control over.  The book comments on how he had no issues with people practicing other religions, and would even build religious buildings for gentiles.  He also knew how to assert his authority, even under the guise of religious practice.  The garments that were worn by the high priests were kept under lock and key due in part of the incredible holiness surrounding the garments, but also because this way the King would be in control of who wore them.  I feel like King Herod can be attributed for really putting Jerusalem on the map as a destination. especially through the building projects he inverted in.  

The incredible size and amount of money that King Herod spent on the temple was astounding.  He went to great lengths to make sure that he did not cross over into any forbidden areas of the temple, as well as, training priests so that the temple would be constructed by holy people.  The materials used were expensive, including gold and marble stone.  In addition, the way that the whole building was laid out and positioned on the Temple Mount 'thus traced the path to God' p133.  The splendor of the building itself and the way it was made created a sacred space in Jerusalem unlike the ones previously mentioned in the book.  While there were important sacred spaces prior to the Temple of Herod, this space, drew pilgrimages from all over the area.  People would plan to attend major festivals and purify themselves before arriving in Jerusalem in order to visit the temple.  

The way in which the creation of this temple has political aspects is in what this temple did for the city of Jerusalem.  Pilgrims were required to bring with them a pilgrimage tithe, which means that all the pilgrims to Jerusalem were not only visiting the temple, but also participating in Jerusalem's economy.  There is a lot of money and opportunities for investment around pilgrimages.  The festivals, pilgrimage tithes, along with the fortifications and buildings he built I feel changed the nature of the city.  Before this time, the idea of pilgrimage did not seem very stressed.  There was/ is the notion of being in exile, or a people without a land.  However, before this portion of the book we have not read much about pilgrims.  The idea that one could make a journey to the holy place instead of living there per say.

On a final note, and somewhat different topic.  I am interested in learning more about the rituals and symbolism surrounding the decoration of the temple as well as the places certain people can or can not go.  I am familiar with the general aspects of Judaism, but I think it would be very worth while to look into the symbolism as well as important rituals that are critical to a temple's sanctity.  For example, there were incidences in which a temple can be made impure if an unclean person is in a pure space of the temple.