Religion & Beliefs

Tomb Raider: Herod Redux

By Laurel Snyder / May 10, 2007

Okay… I don't mean to go on too long about Herod, but after my post the other day I got a weird email from my friend John, who also happens to be a religion writer and the editor of SoMA Review.  It seems that he was in Israel 3 weeks ago, doing some research for a book, and just happened to "stumble" onto the  royal tomb in question. 

So he wrote this little piece for Beliefnet about the experience, and I thought I'd follow up our Herod conversation by linking the story, which goes a little something like this:

That’s when we noticed, off to the right, the Israeli Antiquity Authorities’ tape marking a new excavation. Brian said that it must have been a very recent dig, because it hadn't been there the last time he visited. We ducked under the tape and climbed the hill till we reached the dig.

Now, John… I love you dearly, and think you're the bee's knees.  But I'm going to question your definition of "stumble" now.  In the name of Faithhacking and curiousity.

Because it makes me feel better to do so.  Since I myself, late one night, "stumbled" into Petra in a similar manner, and had one of the coolest experiences of my life.

And revisiting that night, as I read your story, makes me wonder how many other religiously-curious travelers have broken into sacred sites (not that I'm a Nabataean or anything– but Petra is pretty clearly a sacred space!) with an eye for a personal experience.  Something off the beaten path.

And I wonder too if this has something to do with the way we experience religious places when we travel.  If, after plodding through a sacred site with an enormous tour group full of snot-nosed kids begging their parents for ice cream, one doesn't feel the desire for a more personal experience in a sacred site?  One doesn't feel some need to sit in a silent ancient space and touch something real… reach back in time, or into the silence, and explore faith. 

Is it possible there are all kinds of people who've broken into sacred space?

Which leads me to this… I want to know if any of our other Jewcy readers have done things like this.  If so,  I want  to know what their experiences were like… 

I'm not advocating anyone go breaking into the Temple Mount  in the name of "practical spirituality".   Of course I'm not. 

But for those of you who have, can you tell us about it?  Jewcy minds want to know!

POST A COMMENT

  • By Anonymous 5/11/07 at 8:49 a.m. UTC

    I have had some of my powerful spritual experiences at places where there were once large concentrations of Jews (e.g., Dachau, locations of Jewish ghettos in europe, etc). I always feel like spray painting Am Yisrael Chai on the closest wall.

  • Laurel Snyder
    By Laurel Snyder 5/10/07 at 8:39 p.m. UTC

    I know… not often I keep my mouth shut…  but that story is one I'm keeping for later.

     

  • Casey Reynolds
    By Casey 5/10/07 at 4:42 p.m. UTC

    …but in Corinth there is a fortified hill called Akrokorinth and it basically served as the citadel for the city of Corinth in times of danger throughout history.

     On the side of the hill, there is a cave called St. Paul's cave, and the local story goes that St. Paul hid there for several days. It's completely unmarked; not a true tourist destination at all. I climbed there with a friend one day, and almost died on the way back down. Frankly, it wasn't much of a religious experience at all (although I was happy to be alive), although there was some really awesome graffiti from the 1700s up there.

    However, many a time I have stood at the very top of Akrokorinth where I could see the entire isthmus, the Saronic Gulf, and the Corinthian Gulf all at once. Breathing in the warm air, standing on a Byzantine or Frankish wall, and looking down on a land where so much history has taken place and so many have lived and died… THAT is my religious experience.

    I often climbed Akrokorinth with my group of friends. And always always always there was at least ten minutes of complete silence when we reached the top. Without even trying or agreeing upon it beforehand. It was amazing.

     Laurel, aren't you going to share more about your Petra experience?

  • By John Spalding 5/10/07 at 4:25 p.m. UTC

    Hey Laurel,

    I love your idea for a book of people's accounts of trespassing onto sacred spaces either to get some thrills or experience a little mysterium tremendum. Let's write it together!
    That said, Herod the Horrible's pleasure palace/monument-to-his-Grand-Ol'-Self–a "sacred" space? Hmmm. Well, it ain't exactly the Holy of Holies, but you have a point. So, to all you kids out there: Don't go messing around at archaeological digs in Israel, ya hear? Remember, we were professionals.
  • By Anonymous 5/10/07 at 2:22 p.m. UTC

    “I’m not advocating anyone go breaking into the Temple Mount in the name of “practical spirituality”. Of course I’m not.”

    Great idea. Someone should orchestrate a flash mob of Jews gathering to pray at the Temple Mount

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