Similar to other temples in the region, Israelite temples had an inner room, access to which was strictly limited. This object functioned as the meeting place between God and the Israelites Exod ; Exod In the description of the Jerusalem temple built by Solomon, the inner room is said to have contained large statues of cherubim fashioned from olive wood overlaid with gold 1Kgs Some Aaronide writings state that God is fully present in the room, but not in any way limited to it.
William K. Gilders, "Holy of Holies", n. Gilders Associate Professor, Emory University. Gilders is an associate professor in the Department of Religion at Emory University. His research and teaching focus on cultural history, especially its religious dimensions, ranging from the ancient Mediterranean world to twenty-first century North America. He is the author of Blood Ritual in the Hebrew Bible: Meaning and Power Johns Hopkins University Press, and several articles on ancient Israelite religious practice interpreted from the perspective of anthropology and ritual theory.
The second temple in Jerusalem was the central place of worship for the Jewish people from ca. Priests and Levites had to follow purity regulations that could interfere with their behavior, as they had to consider the well-being of the temple and, through it, the entire population. Animal sacrifice was mainstream religion in the ancient world, where the ritual killing and cutting-up of animals and burning them in an altar fire strengthened the bond between God and humanity.
Jerusalem, the most prominent city in the Bible, is the source of historical debates and the object of religious devotion. Associated with a deity; exhibiting religious importance; set apart from ordinary i. A region notable for its early ancient civilizations, geographically encompassing the modern Middle East, Egypt, and modern Turkey.
Annual day of fasting, prayer and repentance. The last of the ten days of penitence that begin with the Jewish New Year. Hebrew is regarded as the spoken language of ancient Israel but is largely replaced by Aramaic in the Persian period.
The set of Biblical books shared by Jews and Christians. Anyone who saw God would die instantly. The high priest would then sprinkle the blood of a sacrificed bull and a sacrificed goat on the atonement cover of the ark, to make amends for his and the people's sins. The old covenant God made through Moses with the Israelites required regular animal sacrifices. God lived among his people in the Holy of Holies, first in the desert tabernacle, then in the stone temples in Jerusalem.
Everything changed with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. When Jesus died , the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom, signifying that the barrier between God and his people was taken away. On Jesus' death , the first Holy of Holies, or God's throne in heaven , became accessible to every believer.
Christians may approach God confidently, not on their own merit, but through the righteousness credited to them by the shed blood of Christ. Jesus atoned, once and for all, for humanity's sins, and at the same time became our high priest, acting on our behalf before his Father:.
No longer does God confine himself to the Holy of Holies, separated from his people. When Christ ascended into heaven , every Christian became a temple of the Holy Spirit , a living dwelling place of God. Jesus said:. Exodus ,34; Leviticus , 16, 17, 20, 23, 27, 33; I Kings , , ; I Chronicles ; 2 Chronicles , 10, , ; Psalm ; Ezekial , ; Hebrews , 8, 12, 25, , Most Holy Place, sanctuary, holy sanctuary, holy place, holiest of all. The Holy of Holies brought man and God together.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Judging from its name, we can see that it was a most sacred room, a place no ordinary person could enter.
The Holy of Holies was a perfect cube — its length, width and height were all equal to 15 feet. A thick curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place. There were figures of cherubim angels embroidered onto it. Cherubim, spirits who serve God, were in the presence of God to demonstrate His almighty power and majesty. They also guarded the throne of God. These cherubim were also on the innermost layer of covering of the tent.
If one looked upward, they would see the cherubim figures. What was this curtain hiding? Essentially, it was shielding a holy God from sinful man. Whoever entered into the Holy of Holies was entering the very presence of God.
In fact, anyone except the high priest who entered the Holy of Holies would die. The picture of the veil was that of a barrier between man and God, showing man that the holiness of God could not be trifled with. Even as the high priest entered the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, he had to make some meticulous preparations: He had to wash himself, put on special clothing, bring burning incense to let the smoke cover his eyes from a direct view of God, and bring blood with him to make atonement for sins.
So the presence of God remained shielded from man behind a thick curtain during the history of Israel. When He died, the curtain in the Jerusalem temple was torn in half, from the top to the bottom. Only God could have carried out such an incredible feat because the veil was too high for human hands to have reached it, and too thick to have torn it.
The Jerusalem temple, a replica of the wilderness tabernacle, had a curtain that was about 60 feet in height, 30 feet in width and four inches thick.
Furthermore, it was torn from top down, meaning this act must have come from above. As the veil was torn, the Holy of Holies was exposed. The age of animal offerings was over. The ultimate offering had been sacrificed. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. The Tabernacle. What is the Tabernacle of Moses?
Why Study the Tabernacle of Moses? Why the Jewish Old Testament Tabernacle? Sunday School Lessons on the Tabernacle. Tabernacle Model Assembly Guide. Purchase Tabernacle Resources.
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