KADESH: HOLINESS AND INTERCULTURAL THEOLOGY

Abstract

Kadesh has a binary connotation referring to a male religious prostitute and a sanctuary in the wilderness. Hidden in the root of the word Kadesh is holy or sacred. Since God is the measure of holiness, Kadesh becomes an arena of conflict regarding holiness. Therefore, with its twofold meaning, Kadesh is a fertile ground to initiate and examine intercultural theological discourse, focusing on points of contact and divergence through a thematic, contextual, and universal prism.