The Cosmic Mountain: A Narrative Expedition Through the Bible - Hardcover

by J. Leavitt Pearl (Author), Joe D. Smith (Author)

Across the ancient world, priests and poets tell of a cosmic mountain--the place from which creation is born and where humans encounter the gods. In the Bible, Mount Zion is the abode of the god of Israel. But this mount also sits at the center of modern-day Jerusalem. People live and work across Mount Zion. You can pick up a nice scarf or some great falafel there. Such is the paradox of the cosmic mountain: it is at once sacred and mundane, terrestrial and divine. The cosmic mountain is the place where the heavens and earth overlap. The narrative journey of the Bible is blazed with cosmic mountains. From Mount Moriah to Mount Sinai, Mount Tabor to Mount Olivet, sacred mountains structure the biblical story. Like The Odyssey, Lord of the Rings, or Game of Thrones, the Bible is a grand narrative spread across centuries, with unexpected plot developments and complex literary allusions. It is also a deeply human story of sex and murder, passion and regret, love and betrayal. By highlighting these mountain narratives, The Cosmic Mountain offers readers a progressive and justice-centered introduction to this grand story. What unfolds is an epic tale of a god's quest to partner with humanity to restore creation.

Author Biography

J. Leavitt Pearl is Assistant Director of Leadership Development at Carnegie Mellon University.



Joe D. Smith is the Director of Spiritual Formation at First United Methodist Church of Pittsburgh and teaches theology and ethics at Duquesne University.