As far back as history goes, humans have divided their world into two realms: the sacred and the profane. Sacred spaces have been identified in my different ways, and people have regarded different kinds of spaces as sacred. The three major monotheistic religions treated certain spaces as sacred by virtue of major events that took place on the site, or because of natural features of the location, particularly mountains and rock outcroppings. This lecture, given by David Penchansky, will survey the origins of sacred spaces in the three scriptures, the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and the Qur’an, and the traditions that proceed from them. The talk will draw parallels between these spaces and the spaces produced by the artists showing their work at The Phipps Center for the Arts in the Galleries.

David Penchansky is professor of theology at the University of St. Thomas, where he has taught since 1989. His specialty is Hebrew Bible/Old Testament, and he is developing a secondary competency in Qur’an. Penchansky’s most recent book was published by Eerdmans, called Understanding Hebrew Wisdom. He is currently working on a book of Qur’anic interpretation, and a commentary on the Book of Hosea for the new edition of the Jerome Biblical Commentary. Penchansky is active in Islamic/Christian dialogue on both the local and national level.