Jerusalem in Motion. Images of Jerusalem in the Bible and Beyond

Abstract

Abstract The biblical image of Jerusalem is constructed from a diversity of themes, which capture various dimensions of the holy city. The article presents the most recurrent and signi"cant literary themes used in the Bible for referring to Jerusalem, organized on three levels: the concrete, the humane and the divine. The image of Jerusalem accumulates references to its geographical dimension, as a territorial border and center of the world, to its political and social dimension, as a capital city and military defense, and to its spiritual dimension, as a reference point in the relation between humans and God. These biblical themes stood as reference points in later developments of Jerusalem’s image in the Christian tradition and in European representations of the holy city.