New Jerusalem

Revelation, the closing book of the Bible, presents a vision of a new heaven and a new earth.  Traditionally ascribed to Saint John the Divine c. 95 A.D., the closing chapters of Revelation depict a foursquare city descending from heaven, resplendent with gold and precious stones.

Known as the City of New Jerusalem, it is regarded as the the end point of Christian philosophy—the "kingdom come" on earth. 

It is a little known fact that the city John sees is a cube measuring 12,000 x 12,000 x 12,000 Greek stadia (where one stadion is equal to 400 cubits). What is surprising is that the numbers seem designed to recall Babylon: 120 x 120 Greek stadia according to Herodotus, 12,000 x 12,000 Greek stadia according to John (=120 x 100).

Given the many contrasts with the Whore of Babylon, it only seems appropriate to compare them.  Where Babel once aspired to "rise to heaven", now New Jerusalem "descends to earth"—one hundred times greater than its evil opposite.

The New Jerusalem wall (144 Greek cubits) is a case in point.  In the case of Babylon, 14,400 is the square of the most common number in Babylonian symbolism: 120 x 120.  In the case of New Jerusalem, 144 is the square of the most important number in Judeo-Christian tradition: 12 x 12.  Twelve is important to both Jews and Christians: it is the number of Jewish tribes and the number of apostles. 

Second, as regards Jewish tradition, the Jewish shrine was a cube 20 x 20 x 20 Hebrew cubits.  Unlike Ezekiel’s vision, John's brings the shrine to the fore.  Indeed, John's city is all shrine. The simple reason is that in Christianity, the people are the temple. 

Whereas other faiths and religions have a divine individual, in Judaism the instrument of god’s will is the Jewish people itself, i.e. those living in the city.  There is no other way to relate to the Jewish deity than through the community.  The body of his "Chosen People" is the one holy thing on earth. 

But Christians believe that when Jesus died the veil separating the Holy of Holies was torn open and the way inside was made available to all.  Consequently, what need is there for a separate city and sanctuary?  What need is there for separate enclosures, one for god and one for the people of god?  The answer is, None.

John's vision nicely expresses this by expanding the temple into the city—specifically, the most sacred part of the temple, the cube Holy of Holies. In John's vision, the "old" cube (the Holy of Holies) expands into the "new" cube (the City of New Jerusalem).  This is why the shape of the city is now the same as the shrine.  The people and Christ are one, and the city and the shrine are one: cube.

Ultimately, the cube City of New Jerusalem is the conclusion to this tradition. With the City of New Jerusalem, John mints a new Christian vision.  That the cube represents the union of the earthly with the heavenly (the city and the temple) is one of its most elegant, powerful, and profound appearances in religious thought the world over.