Empat penjuru bumi

Beberapa sistem kosmologi atau mitologi menggambarkan empat penjuru bumi atau empat sudut bumi sesuai dengan empat titik kompas (atau dua kutub dan dua ekuinoks). Di bagian tengatnya terbentang sebuah gunung keramat, taman, pohon dunia, atau titik permulaan penciptaan lainnya. Biasanya, empat sungai mengalir ke empat penjuru dunia, dan mengairi atau mengirigasi empat sudut bumi.

Dalam Kristen dan Yahudi, Perjanjian Lama (Kejadian 2:8–14) menyatakan Taman Eden, dan empat sungai tersebut dengan sebutan Tigris, Efrat, Pison, dan Gihon. Tigris mengalir ke Asiria, Efrat ke Armenia, Pison ke Havilah atau Elam, dan Gihon ke Ethiopia.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Referensi

^ George & George (2014) The Mythology of Eden, Rowman & Littlefield
^ Nelson, Richard D. (2006). "Babes in the Wood". From Eden to Babel: An Adventure in Bible Study. St. Louis, Missouri: Chalice Press. hlm. 26. ISBN 9780827210776. Diakses tanggal 2016-05-20. The four rivers flowing out to the four corners of the world explain global geography as the ancients would have pictured it ([Genesis] 2:10-14).
^ Jordan, James B. (1999). "Sociology: A Biblico-Historical Approach". The Sociology of the Church: Essays in Reconstruction (edisi ke-reprint). Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers. hlm. 86. ISBN 9781579102487. Diakses tanggal 2016-05-20. In a generally ignored but all-important paragraph of Genesis 2, we are told how the world was organized when it was created [...]. In short, the world was organized in terms of a primordial duality between the central sanctuary of Eden, and the outlying world watered by four rivers extending to the four corners of the world.

[George-1] George & George (2014) The Mythology of Eden, Rowman & Littlefield

[2] Nelson, Richard D. (2006). "Babes in the Wood". From Eden to Babel: An Adventure in Bible Study. St. Louis, Missouri: Chalice Press. hlm. 26. ISBN 9780827210776. Diakses tanggal 2016-05-20. The four rivers flowing out to the four corners of the world explain global geography as the ancients would have pictured it ([Genesis] 2:10-14).

[3] Jordan, James B. (1999). "Sociology: A Biblico-Historical Approach". The Sociology of the Church: Essays in Reconstruction (edisi ke-reprint). Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers. hlm. 86. ISBN 9781579102487. Diakses tanggal 2016-05-20. In a generally ignored but all-important paragraph of Genesis 2, we are told how the world was organized when it was created [...]. In short, the world was organized in terms of a primordial duality between the central sanctuary of Eden, and the outlying world watered by four rivers extending to the four corners of the world.

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