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60-581: Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral ( consecrated 1764, Arabic : كاتدرائية القديس جاورجيوس للروم الارثوذكس ) is the seat of the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan bishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Beirut and its dependencies. It is the city's oldest extant church: it has been built over the disappeared Anastasi Romano-Byzantine Cathedral . The establishment of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Beirut

120-421: A massive earthquake destroyed the whole of Beirut including the "Anastasis cathedral". In the 12th century a cathedral was built in the same location. The structure was badly damaged by a 1759 earthquake and was pulled down to be built anew. Construction started in 1764 and the new, larger structure, with one nave and a vaulted ceiling, was completed in 1767. However, the ceiling collapsed killing 90 people, due to

180-579: A broad spectrum. The Mishnah lists concentric circles of holiness surrounding the Temple in Jerusalem : Holy of Holies , Temple Sanctuary, Temple Vestibule, Court of Priests, Court of Israelites, Court of Women, Temple Mount , the walled city of Jerusalem , all the walled cities of Israel, and the borders of the Land of Israel . Distinctions are made as to who and what are permitted in each area. Likewise,

240-635: A connotation of oneness and transparency like in the Jewish marriage example, where husband and wife are seen as one in keeping with Genesis 2:24. Kodesh is also commonly translated as 'holiness' and 'sacredness'. The Torah describes the Aaronite priests and the Levites as being selected by God to perform the Temple services; they, as well, are called "holy." Holiness is not a single state, but contains

300-529: A historical timeline of the church and its surroundings to be constructed. On 10 October 1995 Metropolitan Elias Audi announced plans to restore the war-torn cathedral. The first phase of restoration began in 1998, under the supervision of a committee headed by Ghassan Tueni . The cathedral reopened its doors on 15 December 2003. The cathedral was badly damaged in the Beirut explosions of 4 August 2020. In 1994, archaeological excavations undertaken within and in

360-491: A human jaw dated to 40,000 BP and a complete skull dated to 35,000 BP. The Paleolithic showcase displays the journey of man through the Stone Age, covering important events such as the discovery of fire , hunting and cave paintings . The Neolithic showcase covers the dawn of agriculture , animal domestication , the beginnings of pottery, villages and religion. The terracotta figurines collection shows their evolution from

420-645: A term, is mostly misinterpreted as the idea of sanctification in Islam and it is used to pray about saints , especially among Sufis, in whom it is common to say "that God sanctifies his secret" ("qaddasa Llahou Sirruhu"), and that the Saint is alive or dead. Images of the Buddha and bodhisattvas are ceremonially consecrated in a broad range of Buddhist rituals that vary depending on the Buddhist traditions. Buddhābhiseka

480-647: A wide variety of interpretations on sacredness. The Anglican , Catholic , Lutheran , and Methodist Churches, believe in Holy Sacraments that the clergy perform, such as Holy Communion and Holy Baptism , as well as strong belief in the Holy Catholic Church , Holy Scripture , Holy Trinity , and the Holy Covenant . They also believe that angels and saints are called to holiness . In Methodist Wesleyan theology holiness has acquired

540-642: Is BEY 012, Saint Georges Cathedral of the Greek Orthodox, where excavations were carried out in 2001. Eight layers showed occupation from the Hellenistic period onwards and the remains of five, possibly six, successive churches. Another site investigated was BEY 215, the An-Nahar building, revealing six levels of occupation dating from the Persian to Byzantine eras, showing continuous inhabitation since

600-588: Is a Pali and Sanskrit term referring to these consecration rituals. Mormonism is replete with consecration doctrine, primarily Christ's title of "The Anointed One" signifying his official, authorized and unique role as the savior of mankind from sin and death, and secondarily each individual's opportunity and ultimate responsibility to accept Jesus' will for their life and consecrate themselves to living thereby wholeheartedly. Book of Mormon examples include "sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God" (Heleman 3:35) and "come unto Christ, who

660-623: Is a phenomenon found in several religions, especially religions which have eco-friendly belief as core of their religion. For example, the Indian-origin religions ( Buddhism , Hinduism , Jainism , and Sikism ) revere and preserve the groves , trees , mountains and rivers as sacred. Among the most sacred rivers in Hinduism are the Ganges , Yamuna , Sarasvati rivers on which the rigvedic rivers flourished. The vedas and Gita ,

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720-408: Is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things , that is to say, things set apart and forbidden." In Durkheim's theory, the sacred represents the interests of the group, especially unity, which are embodied in sacred group symbols, or using team work to help get out of trouble. The profane, on the other hand, involve mundane individual concerns. The word sacred descends from

780-415: Is accessible through a breach in the cathedral's foundation wall and a stairwell built in front of the church's northern side. Towards the end of the circuit, the crypt opens up to a glass partition giving views to the cathedral's altar. The display includes a number of finds such as oil lamps, smoking pipes, pottery, statuettes and Christian vessels and ornaments. Other vestiges kept in-situ include parts of

840-577: Is also displayed along with an explanation of the development of the linear alphabet . The Classical period collection includes funerary reliefs from Palmyra , Egypt and the Levant , a Byzantine mosaic and collection of funerary sarcophagi displayed on the staircase leading to the mezzanine. The Islamic period displays materials from the Umayyad Period in 656 AD to the Ottoman Empire in

900-671: Is attributed according to the Greek Orthodox tradition to the Apostle Quartus of Berytus , one of the Seventy disciples , who served as Beirut's first bishop. Byzantine emperor Theodosius II issued a decree c.  449  – c.  450 AD elevating the bishop of Beirut Efstathius to the rank of Metropolitan bishop . The city was until then a diocese of the Metropolis of Tyre. The Anastasis cathedral

960-444: Is based on the Jewish concept of God, whose holiness is pure goodness and is transmissible by sanctifying people and things. In Islam , sanctification is termed as tazkiah , other similarly used words to the term are Islah -i qalb (reform of the heart), Ihsan (beautification), taharat (purification), Ikhlas (purity), qalb -is- salim (pure/safe/undamaged heart). Tasawuf (Sufism), basically an ideology rather than

1020-499: Is better understood as 'sacred' or 'sanctuary' in the context of places considered sacred in Islam. For example: The Hebrew word kodesh ( קֹדֶשׁ ) is used in the Torah to mean 'set-apartness' and 'distinct' like is found in the Jewish marriage ceremony where it is stated by the husband to his prospective wife, "You are made holy to me according to the law of Moses and Israel." ( את מקדשת לי כדת משה וישראל ). In Hebrew, holiness has

1080-538: Is communicated to things, places, times, and persons engaged in His Service. Thus, Thomas Aquinas defines holiness as that virtue by which a man's mind applies itself and all its acts to God; he ranks it among the infused moral virtues , and identifies it with the virtue of religion. However, whereas religion is the virtue whereby one offers God due service in the things which pertain to the Divine service, holiness

1140-419: Is considered among the gravest of sins. The various sacrifices are holy. Those that may be eaten have very specific rules concerning who may eat which of their parts, and time limits on when the consumption must be completed. Most sacrifices contain a part to be consumed by the priests—a portion of the holy to be consumed by God's holy devotees. The encounter with the holy is seen as eminently desirable, and at

1200-457: Is generally held when a new Jain temple is erected or new idols are installed in temples. The consecration must be supervised by a religious authority, an Acharya or a Bhattaraka or a scholar authorized by them. Hierology ( Greek : ιερος, hieros , 'sacred or 'holy', + -logy ) is the study of sacred literature or lore . The concept and the term were developed in 2002 by Russian art-historian and byzantinist Alexei Lidov . Analysing

1260-651: Is generally used in relation to people and relationships, whereas sacredness is used in relation to objects, places, or happenings. For example, a saint may be considered as holy but not necessarily sacred. Nonetheless, some things can be both holy and sacred, such as the Holy Bible . Although sacred and holy denote something or someone set apart to the worship of God and therefore, worthy of respect and sometimes veneration, holy (the stronger word) implies an inherent or essential character. Holiness originates in God and

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1320-515: Is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption, ... and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved" (Omni 1:26). In most South Indian Hindu temples around the world, Kumbhabhishekam , or the temple's consecration ceremony, is done once every 12 years. It

1380-531: Is the third oldest museum in the Near East after Cairo and Constantinople . The Archaeological Museum of the American University of Beirut (AUB Archaeological Museum) was formed in 1868, after Luigi Palma di Cesnola gifted a collection of Cypriot pottery to the newly formed American University of Beirut . Georges Post was the first curator of this collection and Morris Jesup donated

1440-544: Is the virtue by which one makes all one's acts subservient to God. Thus, holiness or sanctity is the outcome of sanctification , that Divine act by which God freely justifies a person and by which He has claimed them for His own. The English word holy dates back to the Proto-Germanic word hailagaz from around 500 BCE , an adjective derived from hailaz ('whole'), which was used to mean 'uninjured, sound, healthy, entire, complete'. In non-specialist contexts,

1500-502: Is usually done to purify the temple after a renovation or simply done to renew the purity of the temple. Hindus celebrate this event on the consecration date as the witnessing gives a good soul a thousand "punya", or good karma . Panch Kalyanaka Pratishtha Mahotsava is a traditional Jain ceremony that consecrates one or more Jain Tirthankara icons with celebration of Panch Kalyanaka (five auspicious events). The ceremony

1560-616: The Bronze Age to the Roman era. The prehistoric collection includes Paleolithic and Neolithic eras. The Ksar Akil collection was donated by the University of Boston team who excavated this archaeological site in 1948. The display shows a 23 metres (75 ft) stratigraphic sequence of thirty seven layers and flint tools belonging to several cultures. The sequence is radiocarbon dated between 50,000 and 18,000 BP, and contained

1620-587: The Jewish holidays and the Shabbat are considered to be holy in time; the Torah calls them "holy [days of] gathering." Work is not allowed on those days, and rabbinic tradition lists 39 categories of activity that are specifically prohibited. Beyond the intrinsically holy, objects can become sacred through consecration . Any personal possession may be dedicated to the Temple of God, after which its misappropriation

1680-456: The Latin sacer , referring to that which is ' consecrated , dedicated' or 'purified' to the gods or anything in their power, as well as to sacerdotes . Latin sacer is itself from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂k- "sacred, ceremony, ritual". Although the terms sacred and holy are similar in meaning, and they are sometimes used interchangeably, they carry subtle differences. Holiness

1740-706: The Latin Sanctus (to set apart for special use or purpose, make holy or sacred) and consecrat (dedicated, devoted, and sacred). The verb form 'to hallow' is archaic in English, and does not appear other than in the quoted text in the Lord's Prayer in the New Testament. The noun form hallow , as used in Hallowtide , is a synonym of the word saint . In the various branches of Christianity

1800-403: The dialectic of the sacred, Mircea Eliade outlines that religion should not be interpreted only as "belief in deities", but as "experience of the sacred." The sacred is presented in relation to the profane; the relation between the sacred and the profane is not of opposition, but of complementarity, as the profane is viewed as a hierophany . French sociologist Émile Durkheim considered

1860-400: The dichotomy between the sacred and the profane to be the central characteristic of religion : "religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things , that is to say, things set apart and forbidden." In Durkheim's theory, the sacred represented the interests of the group, especially unity, which were embodied in sacred group symbols, or totems . The profane, on

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1920-620: The 1950s and doubled its floor space with a refurbishment under curator Dimitri Baramki , which opened to the public in 1964. The museum remained open during the years of crisis in Lebanon between 1975 and 1990 and underwent another complete renovation in 2006 under past director, Leila Badre. A mezzanine level was added that increased the space by one fifth using funds secured from the Joukowsky Family Foundation. Under current Curator Nadine Panayot, since September 1, 2020,

1980-540: The 19th century where glazed tiles and plates are shown. The newly added mezzanine includes table cases displaying small objects such as a collection of coins, scarabs and seals, lamps, amulets, cosmetics, jewelry, tools and weapons. The museum has been involved in archaeological research and recovery projects. In 1956–1974, the museum was involved in excavations at Tell el-Ghassil in the Beqaa Valley , an agrarian site with levels dating from 1800 to 600 BC. Some of

2040-617: The 4th century BC. Tell Kazel in Syria has also been excavated and studied by Leila Badre since 1985. Likely the ancient Simyra , levels from the Mameluk Period to the Bronze Age were discovered. Finds included a temple and rooms with sea shell-paved floors. Visitors to the museum can view relics such as cylinder seals, necklaces, pottery and temple offerings organized according to their site location. The museum has also embarked on

2100-519: The British Isles during the mid-19th century. Commonly recognized outward expressions or "standards" of holiness among more fundamental adherents frequently include applications relative to dress, hair, and appearance: e.g., short hair on men, uncut hair on women, and prohibitions against shorts, pants on women, make-up and jewelry. Other common injunctions are against places of worldly amusement, mixed swimming, smoking, minced oaths , as well as

2160-460: The Bronze Age to the Roman era, and their importance in the development of religion. The metal figurines collection includes mostly males and gods, used as symbols of power. The Bronze Age displays show artefacts dated between 3000 BC and 1200 BC including evidence of early writing, trade and urbanization. The Iron Age displays shows evidence of the invasions of seafaring raiders and city states during

2220-570: The Iron Age material recovered is displayed in the museum including a goblet with an incised decoration of birds and ducks discovered at Tell el Yehudiyeh and dating from 1730 to 1550 BC. The goblet was found next to a skeleton and is presumed to be a funerary gift for use in the afterlife. The museum has also carried out a number of excavations in Beirut Central District under the directorship of Leila Badre. These have included

2280-473: The ancient tell of Beirut, site BEY 003. The purpose of this excavation was to discover the "Biruta" of the Amarna Letters . Evidence was found of a fortification system that was constructed in the second millennium BC up to the Hellenistic period, along with the remains of a building dating back into the third millennium BC and a hoard of Egyptian objects. Another site the museum has been involved with

2340-480: The central axis of the cathedral's main altar. That same year Younes al-Jbeily offered the church its ornate gilded wooden iconostasis . The last modifications to the cathedral were made in 1910, with the addition of a vaulted portico to the south facade, the cathedral was further enlarged to the east and the bell tower was moved to the south-east corner. The interior of the cathedral was decorated with ornate frescoes offered by Ibrahim Youssef Saad. In 1975, following

2400-501: The designation of ariya-puggala ('noble person'). Buddha described the Four stages of awakening of a person depending on their level of purity. This purity is measured by which of the ten samyojana ('fetters') and klesha have been purified and integrated from the mindstream . These persons are called (in order of increasing sanctity) Sotāpanna , Sakadagami , Anāgāmi , and Arahant . The range of denominations provide

2460-639: The details differ. Sanctification in Christianity usually refers to a person becoming holy, while consecration in Christianity may include setting apart a person, building , or object, for God. Among some Christian denominations there is a complementary service of " deconsecration ", to remove something consecrated of its sacred character in preparation for either demolition or sale for secular use. In rabbinic Judaism sanctification means sanctifying God's name by works of mercy and martyrdom , while desecration of God's name means committing sin . This

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2520-714: The eschewing of television and radio. Among the names of God in the Quran is Al-Quddus ( القدوس ): found in Q59:23 and 62:1 , the closest English translation is 'holy' or 'sacred'. (It shares the same triliteral Semitic root , Q-D-Š , as the Hebrew kodesh .) Another use of the same root is found in the Arabic name for Jerusalem: al-Quds , 'the Holy'. The word ħarām ( حرام ), often translated as 'prohibited' or 'forbidden',

2580-499: The funds for construction of Post Hall (pictured) which opened in 1902. There was much archaeological plundering in Lebanon due to weak governmental control, and people arrived daily at the museum with suggested artefacts plundered from clandestine excavations. Between 1902 and 1938 the museum acquired collections from all around the Middle East . The museum remained closed during World War II and re-opened in 1948. It expanded in

2640-404: The lack of supporting pillars. In 1772 the church was rebuilt on a cruciform plan with three naves, a new portico was added to the north facade, the main western facade was enlarged and a new bell-tower was built on the north-western corner. In 1783 the cathedral underwent a series of modifications, including the addition of the narthex to the western facade and the enlargement of the apse to fit

2700-632: The most sacred of hindu texts were written on the banks of Sarasvati river which were codified during the Kuru kingdom in present-day Haryana . Among other secondary sacred rivers of Hinduism are Narmada and many more. Among the sacred mountains, the most sacred among those are Mount Kailash (in Tibet), Nanda Devi , Char Dham mountains and Amarnath mountain, Gangotri mountain. Yamunotri mountain, Sarasvotri mountain (origin of Sarasvati River ), Dhosi Hill , etc. In Theravada Buddhism one finds

2760-628: The museum is entering a new digital era and undertaking major restoration work following the August 4th blast of Beirut. The AUB Archaeological Museum is the third oldest museum in the Near East, after Cairo and Constantinople The collections are organized by chronology and themes, with displays along the sides of the gallery displaying the evolution of pottery. Other displays include the Cesnola Collection, showing pottery from Cyprus from

2820-561: The museum was funded by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Beirut with a donation from the Jacques and Naila Saadé foundation. The museum was inaugurated on 3 December 2011. The museum consists of a crypt running under a part of the cathedral where visitors walk through 12 stops showcasing the different archaeological and historical layers. The museum has a surface area of 250 square metres (2,700 sq ft), it

2880-441: The necropolis suggesting the use of wooden coffins in the funeral customs. Among the uncovered tombs was a one containing the skeleton of a man wearing a bronze tiara, with an iron arrowhead and three bronze amulets placed over his chest. Consecration#Eastern Churches French sociologist Émile Durkheim considered the dichotomy between the sacred and the profane to be the central characteristic of religion : "religion

2940-426: The older churches' altars and apse, mosaics, stone engravings, tombstones and columns, some of which belong to the old city's Cardo maximus . The excavated area also includes a necropolis where 25 burials were opened. The tombs were oriented on an east–west axis, with the head facing west. These graves consisted of a single sandstone course overlaid by large stone slabs. A large quantity of iron nails were uncovered in

3000-440: The other hand, involved mundane individual concerns. Durkheim explicitly stated that the dichotomy sacred/profane was not equivalent to good/evil . The sacred could be good or evil , and the profane could be either as well. In ancient Roman religion , the concept of sacrosanctity ( Latin : sacrosanctitas ) was extremely important in attempting to protect the tribunes of the plebs from personal harm. The tribunician power

3060-487: The outbreak of the Lebanese civil war , the cathedral was shelled and vandalized and its elaborate frescoes were left to decay. Most of the icons and part of the iconostasis were stolen; parts of the 18th century iconsostasis were also set on fire. The excavations undertaken under the cathedral during 17 months in 1994–1995 covered 316 square metres (3,400 sq ft) and revealed many archaeological layers that allowed

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3120-508: The period between 1200 BC and 400 BC. The Phoenician showcases display the extraction of purple dye from murex shells , pottery and Phoenician glass. Phoenician religion is represented by a large stelae of a priest, a throne of Astarte , libation spoons and a glass amulet. Another notable feature of this section is the Ford Mandible dating from the 5th century BC showing the earliest known example of dentistry. The Bodashtar inscription

3180-416: The removal of corpses to graveyards and similarly profane work, the city gates were left exempted from the rite. Indian-origin religion , namely Hinduism and its offshoots Buddhism , Jainism and Sikhism , have concept of revering and conserving ecology and environment by treating various objects as sacred, such as rivers, trees, forests or groves, mountains, etc. Sacred rivers and their reverence

3240-436: The same time fearful and awesome. For the strongest penalties are applied to one who transgresses in this area—one could in theory receive either the death penalty or the heavenly punishment of kareth , spiritual excision, for mis-stepping in his close approach to God's domain. Archaeological Museum of the American University of Beirut The Archaeology Museum of the American University of Beirut in Beirut , Lebanon

3300-652: The secondary meaning of the reshaping of a person through entire sanctification . The Holiness movement began within the United States Methodist church among those who thought the church had lost the zeal and emphasis on personal holiness of Wesley's day. Around the middle of the 20th century, the Conservative Holiness Movement , a conservative offshoot of the Holiness movement, was born. The Higher Life movement appeared in

3360-623: The sequence of continuous religious use of the site. A committee was formed under the patronage of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Beirut to oversee the excavations and the creation of the Saint George archaeological crypt museum. The founding committee was headed by archaeologist Leila Bader who served as the director of the American University of Beirut Archaeological Museum and included Nabil Azar, Yasmine Macaron Bou Assaf, Katia Neeman Salha and Rita Kalindjian. The creation of

3420-572: The term holy refers to someone or something that is associated with a divine power , such as water used for baptism . The concept of things being made or associated with the sacred is widespread among religions , making people, places, and objects revered, set apart for special use or purpose, or transferred to the sacred sphere. Words for this include hallow , sanctify , and consecrate , which can be contrasted with desecration and deconsecration . These terms are used in various ways by different groups. Sanctification and consecration come from

3480-492: The vicinity of the Saint George cathedral before the initiation of restoration works unveiled a number of artifacts and vestiges spanning the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Medieval and Ottoman eras. The aim of the excavation was to locate the Byzantine Anastasis cathedral in relation to the standing cathedral and ultimately triangulate the location of the ancient Law School of Beirut . The excavations also revealed

3540-463: Was later arrogated to the emperors in large part to provide them with the role's sacred protections. In addition to sanctifying temples and similar sanctuaries, the Romans also undertook the ritual of the sulcus primigenius when founding a new city—particularly formal colonies —in order to make the entire circuit of the town's wall ritually sacred as a further means of protection. In order to allow

3600-425: Was the first church to be built on the site of the Saint George cathedral. It was built by Efstathuis in the fifth century AD and bordered the auditoria of Beirut's Roman law school . The church influenced the teachings of the school as law scholars worked to reconcile the texts of Roman law and the teachings of Christianity as attested by Severus of Antioch , who visited the city in the fifth century AD. In 551 AD

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