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101-632: The chapel acquired the Sancta Sanctorum sometime in the ninth century. The spelling is Sancta , the neuter plural form of the Latin adjective "holy": this is a reference to the multiple relics preserved there (i.e. "the holy things") and to the Holy of Holies in Jerusalem, traditionally called in Latin both sanctum sanctorum (the singular form) or sancta sanctorum . The founder of the chapel

202-411: A lily " and turned outward "about an hand breadth"; or about four inches. It was placed on the backs of twelve oxen , standing with their faces outward. The Book of Kings states that it contains 2000 baths (90 cubic meters), while Chronicles (2 Chr. 4:5–6) states it can hold up to 3000 baths (136 cubic meters) and states that its purpose was to afford opportunity for the purification by immersion of

303-400: A mikvah ("collection of water"; a ritual of purification), not coming during or following menstruation or immediately following a seminal emission , not showing their back towards its presumed location, etc. To avoid religious conflict, Jewish visitors caught praying or bringing ritual objects are usually expelled from the area by police. According to the ancient apocryphal Lives of

404-528: A veil , and no one was allowed to enter except the High Priest , and even he would only enter once a year on Yom Kippur , to offer the blood of sacrifice and incense . The Bible reports that in the wilderness, on the day that the tabernacle was first raised up, the cloud of the Lord covered the tabernacle ( Exodus 40:33–40:34 ). There are other times that this was recorded, and instructions were given that

505-666: A Jebusite shrine that Solomon chose in an attempt to unify the Jebusites and Israelites. According to 1 Kings , the foundation of the Temple is laid in Ziv , the second month of the fourth year of Solomon's reign and construction is completed in Bul , the eighth month of Solomon's eleventh year, thus taking about seven years. The Hebrew Bible records that the Tyrians played a leading role in

606-465: A larger scale. No direct evidence for the existence of Solomon's Temple has been found. Due to the extreme religious and political sensitivity of the site, no recent archaeological excavations have been conducted on the Temple Mount. Nineteenth and early-twentieth century excavations around the Temple Mount did not identify "even a trace" of the complex. The House of Yahweh ostracon , dated to

707-405: A place for you to dwell in forever." The allusion is to Leviticus 16:2 : The Lord said to Moses : Tell your brother Aaron not to come just at any time into the sanctuary inside the curtain before the mercy seat that is upon the ark, or he will die; for I appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat. The Pulpit Commentary notes that "Solomon had thus every warrant for connecting a theophany with

808-578: A place of assembly for the Israelites . The First Temple's destruction and the subsequent Babylonian captivity were both events that were seen as a fulfillment of biblical prophecies and thus affected Judaic religious beliefs , precipitating the Israelites' transition from either polytheism or monolatrism (as seen in Yahwism ) to firm Jewish monotheism . Previously, many scholars accepted

909-415: A portion of the wall, and carried away the treasures of the Temple and the palace ( 2 Kings 14:13–14 ). Later, when Ahaz of Judah was threatened by defeat at the hands of Rezin of Aram-Damascus and Pekah of Israel, he turned to king Tiglath-Pileser IV for help. To persuade him, he "took the silver and gold that was found in the house of Yahweh, and in the treasures of the king's house, and sent it for

1010-463: A present to the King of Assyria" ( 2 Kings 16:8 ). At another critical juncture, Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors and doorsteps of the temple he himself had overlaid, and gave it to king Sennacherib ( 2 Kings 18:15–16 ). 2 Kings 12:1–17 and 2 Chronicles 24:1–14 recount that King Joash and the priests of the temple organised a restoration programme funded from popular donations. The temple

1111-403: A single building. The dedication was concluded with musical celebration and sacrifices said to have included "twenty-two thousand bulls and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep". These sacrifices were offered outside the temple, in "the middle of the court that was in front of the house of the Lord", because the altar inside the temple, despite its extensive dimensions, was not big enough for

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1212-478: A temple had existed on the Temple Mount by the time of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem (587 BCE), but the identity of its builder and its construction date are strongly debated. Because of the religious and political sensitivities involved, no archaeological excavations and only limited surface surveys of the Temple Mount have been conducted since Charles Warren 's expedition of 1867–70. As of today, there

1313-946: A term in the Hebrew Bible that refers to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle , where the Shekhinah ( God's presence ) appeared. According to Hebrew tradition, the area was defined by four pillars that held up the veil of the covering, under which the Ark of the Covenant was held above the floor. According to the Hebrew Bible, the Ark contained the Ten Commandments , which were given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai . The first Temple in Jerusalem , called Solomon's Temple ,

1414-406: A tripartite building, consisting of three units; the ulam (porch), the heikal (sanctuary), and the debir (the Holy of Holies ). It is also categorized as being a straight-axis temple, meaning that there is a straight line from the entrance to the innermost shrine. The ulam , or porch, featured two bronze pillars Jachin and Boaz . It is unclear from the biblical descriptions whether the porch

1515-562: Is a translation of the Hebrew, which is intended to express a superlative . Examples of similar constructions are "servant of servants" (Gen 9:25), "Sabbath of sabbaths" (Ex 31:15), "God of gods" (Deut 10:17), " Vanity of vanities " (Eccl 1:2), " Song of songs " (Song of Songs 1:1), "king of kings" (Ezra 7:12), etc. In the Authorized King James Version , "Holy of Holies" is always translated as "Most Holy Place". This

1616-866: Is also used more broadly in Catholic tradition with reference to sanctuaries other than the Temple in Jerusalem . A notable example is for the Chiesa di San Lorenzo in Palatio ad Sancta Sanctorum , a chapel in the complex of St John Lateran in Rome. The Greek phrase refers to the Tabernacle or Temple. The name in Greek for the sanctuary of a church is Ἱερόν Βῆμα ( Hieron Vema , see Bema#Christianity ), in Russian it

1717-605: Is called Святой Алтарь ( Svyatoy Altar – literally: "Holy Altar"), and in Romanian it is called Sfântul Altar . A cognate term in Ge'ez is found in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church : Qidduse Qiddusan (or Bete Mekdes ), referring to the innermost sanctuary of an Orthodox Christian church, where the tabot is kept and only clergy may enter. Every Ethiopian Orthodox church has one, and it

1818-903: Is connected to the location of the Jewish Temple. The location of the Temple, however, had become uncertain already less than 150 years after the Second Temple's destruction, as detailed in the Talmud . Chapter 54 of the Tractate Berakhot states that the Holy of Holies was directly aligned with the Golden Gate , which would have placed the Holy of Holies slightly to the north of the Dome of the Rock, as Kaufman postulated. Chapter 54 of

1919-463: Is covered with a curtain. There are often three entry points, symbolising the Holy Trinity. In the middle, there is always an altar where the church's tabot is kept. There can be as many altars as the number of tabots. The Saint Thomas Christians (also known as Nasrani or Syrian Christians) from Kerala , South India still follow much Jewish Christian tradition. In Nasrani tradition

2020-543: Is in accordance with how Phoenician temples looked; others have described the structure as temple in antis . In 2011, three small portable shrines were discovered in Khirbet Qeiyafa , an archaeological site 30 km (20 mi) from Jerusalem dated to 1025–975 BCE, a range that includes the biblical date for the reigns of David and Solomon. The smaller shrines are boxes shaped with different decorations showing impressive architectonic and decorative styles. One of

2121-519: Is in keeping with the intention of the Hebrew idiom to express the utmost degree of holiness. Thus, the name "Most Holy Place" was used to refer to the "Holy of Holies" in many English documents. A related term is debir , transliterated in the Septuagint ( Koinē Greek : δαβιρ , romanized:  dabir ), which either means the back (i.e. western) part of the Sanctuary, or derives from

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2222-456: Is mentioned as presiding here over the ceremony of the washing of the feet. It later became part of the Palace and Holy Steps complex commissioned by Sixtus V in 1586. The chapel is relatively small and rectangular, with a nave seven meters long and an apse nearly 6 meters wide. rectangular apse measuring 2.73 by 5.85 metres. The main altar contains a cypress wood reliquary box, placed under

2323-473: Is no solid archaeological evidence for the existence of Solomon's Temple, and the building is not mentioned in surviving extra-biblical accounts, save for perhaps a single fragmented ostracon that mentions a " house of Yahweh " without any further specification. Artifacts previously believed to prove the existence of Solomon's Temple—an ivory pomegranate and a ninth century BCE stone tablet —are now highly contested as to their authenticity. Moreover, starting in

2424-540: Is that the Ark was originally conceived as Yahweh's footstool, above which he was invisibly enthroned. Biblical scholar Francesca Stavrakopoulou states that Yahweh was physically enthroned above the Ark as a cult statue and it was only following the Exile that Yahweh was conceived as unseen and the prohibition on carved images was added to the Ten Commandments. On the other hand, some biblical scholars believe

2525-595: Is unknown. It was originally dedicated to Saint Lawrence , and served as the pope's private oratory until the Renaissance. It is located at the top of the Scala Sancta , ("Holy Stairs"). The first mention of the chapel is found in the Liber Pontificalis , during the tenure of Pope Stephen III (Pope from 768 to 772). The antiquarian Marangoni along with Onofrio Panvinio quote documents that cite

2626-515: The Altar of burnt-offering (2 Chr. 15:8), the Brazen Sea laver (4:2–5, 10) and ten other lavers (1 Kings 7:38, 39). A brazen altar stood before the Temple (2 Kings 16:14), its dimensions 20 cubits square and 10 cubits high (2 Chr. 4:1). The Great Court surrounded the whole Temple (2 Chr. 4:9). It was here that people assembled to worship. (Jeremiah 19:14; 26:2). According to the Hebrew Bible ,

2727-675: The Babylonian Talmud Tractate Yoma , the Kodesh Hakodashim (Holy of Holies) is located in the center of the esplanade from a North–South perspective, but significantly to the West from an East–West perspective, with all the major courtyards and functional areas lying to its east. The Talmud supplies additional details, and describes the ritual performed by the High Priest. During the annual ritual,

2828-559: The Dome of the Rock is situated. According to the Bible, Solomon's Temple was built on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, where an angel of God had appeared to David ( 2 Chronicles 3:1 ). The site was originally a threshing floor David had purchased from Araunah the Jebusite ( 2 Samuel 24:18–25 ; 2 Chronicles 3:1 ). Schmid and Rupprecht are of the view that the site of the temple used to be

2929-588: The Foundation Stone , which sits under the Dome of the Rock shrine. Other Jewish scholars argue that contemporary reports would place the Temple to the north or to the east of the Dome of the Rock. The Christian Crusaders associated the Holy of Holies with the Well of Souls , a small cave that lies underneath the Foundation Stone in the Dome of the Rock. The construction "Holy of Holies"

3030-467: The Holy of Holies , a windowless inner sanctum within the structure. Entry into the Holy of Holies was heavily restricted; the High Priest of Israel was the only authority permitted to enter the sanctuary, and only did so on Yom Kippur , carrying the blood of a sacrificial lamb and burning incense . In addition to serving as a religious building for worship, the First Temple also functioned as

3131-480: The Second Temple . Rabbinic sources state that the First Temple stood for 410 years and, based on the 2nd-century work Seder Olam Rabbah , place construction in 832 BCE and destruction in 422 BCE (3338 AM ), 165 years later than secular estimates . The Jewish historian Josephus says; "the temple was burnt four hundred and seventy years, six months, and ten days after it was built". Solomon's Temple

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3232-426: The Shekhinah ( Exodus 25:22 ). When the Temple was rebuilt after the Babylonian captivity , the Ark was no longer present in the Holy of Holies; instead, a portion of the floor was raised slightly to indicate the place where it had stood. In Jewish tradition, two curtains separated the Holy of Holies from the lesser Holy place during the period of the Second Temple. These curtains were woven with motifs directly from

3333-618: The Tractate Yoma and chapter 26 of the Tractate Sanhedrin , on the other hand, assert that the Holy of Holies stood directly on the Foundation Stone . The Crusaders associated the Holy of Holies with the Well of Souls , which is located under the Foundation Stone of the Dome of the Rock . Most Orthodox Jews today completely avoid climbing up to Temple Mount , to prevent them from accidentally stepping on any holy areas. A few Orthodox Jewish authorities, following

3434-441: The asherah in the Temple was a wooden pole, rather than a statue. Although originally a symbol of the goddess, the asherah is argued to have been adopted as a symbol of Yahweh. According to Richard Lowery, Yahweh and Asherah headed a pantheon of other Judean gods that were worshipped at the temple. The temple had chariots of the sun ( 2 Kings 23:11 ) and Ezekiel describes a vision of temple worshipers facing east and bowing to

3535-594: The liturgy , symbolizes the Holy of Holies. Some Christian churches, particularly the Catholic Church , consider the Church tabernacle , or its location (often at the rear of the sanctuary), as the symbolic equivalent of the Holy of Holies, due to the storage of consecrated hosts in that vessel. The Latin Vulgate Bible translates Qṓḏeš HaqQŏḏāšîm as Sanctum sanctorum (Ex 26:34). Reproducing in Latin

3636-408: The "Molten or Brazen Sea" ( ים מוצק "cast metal sea") was a large basin in the Temple for ablution of the priests. It is described in 1 Kings 7:23–26 and 2 Chronicles 4:2–5 . According to the Bible, it stood in the south-eastern corner of the inner court. It was five cubits high, ten cubits in diameter from brim to brim, and thirty cubits in circumference. The brim was "like the calyx of

3737-674: The 10th and 6th centuries BCE . Its description is largely based on narratives in the Hebrew Bible , in which it was commissioned by biblical king Solomon before being destroyed during the Siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II of the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 587 BCE. No remains of the destroyed temple have ever been found. Most modern scholars agree that the First Temple existed on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem by

3838-455: The 10th century BCE, although the biblical description is undoubtedly excessive. These views are shared by the archaeologist Amihai Mazar , who underlines how the description of the Temple in the Bible, albeit exaggerated, is substantially in line with the architectural descriptions already present in the Levant in the second millennium BCE. Yosef Garfinkel and Madeleine Mumcuoglu argue that

3939-473: The 1980s, biblical minimalists have doubted King Solomon's connection to the temple, sometimes describing him as little more than a hill country chieftain. On the other hand, William G. Dever argues that the biblical description of the Temple itself shows profound similarities with other temples of the time ( Phoenician , Assyrian and Philistine ), suggesting that this cult structure was actually built by Solomon (whom he sees as an actual king of Israel) in

4040-800: The 6th century BCE, may refer to the First Temple. Two 21st century findings from the Israelite period in present-day Israel have been found bearing resemblance to Solomon's Temple as it is described in the Hebrew Bible: a shrine model from the early half of the 10th century BCE in Khirbet Qeiyafa ; and the Tel Motza temple , dated to the 9th century BCE and located in the neighbourhood of Motza within West Jerusalem . The biblical description of Solomon's Temple has also been observed to share similarities with several Syro-Hittite temples of

4141-472: The 8th century and "was retroactively attributed to the great ruler of the 10th century." An ostracon (excavated prior to 1981), sometimes referred to as the House of Yahweh ostracon , was discovered at Tel Arad , dated to the 6th century BCE, which mentions a temple that could be the Temple in Jerusalem. This has been challenged by Fabio Porzia and Corinne Bonnet who wrote that the context and location of

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4242-592: The Diaspora spoke it; the Vulgate was a faithful translation for Christian Rome. Certain branches of Christianity , including the Eastern Orthodox Church , and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church continue to have a tradition of a Holy of Holies that they regard as a most sacred site . The ciborium , a permanent canopy over the altar in some churches, once surrounded by curtains at points in

4343-484: The Hebrew construction, the expression is used as a superlative of the neuter adjective sanctum , to mean "a thing most holy". It is used by Roman Catholics to refer to the Eucharist in the tabernacle which represents the presence of Christ. The Vulgate also refers to the Holy of Holies with the plural form Sancta sanctorum (2 Chr 5:7), possibly a synecdoche referring to the holy objects hosted there. This form

4444-540: The High Priest would pronounce the Tetragrammaton , the only point that it was pronounced out loud. According to Jewish tradition, the people prostrated themselves fully on the ground when it was said. According to the Talmud, the High Priest's face upon exit from the Holy of Holies was radiant. While under normal circumstances, access to the Holy of Holies was restricted to the High Priest and only on Yom Kippur ,

4545-479: The Holy Place overlaid with gold; also, a veil of tekhelet (blue), purple , and crimson and fine linen . It had no windows and was considered the dwelling-place of the "name" of God. The Holy of Holies was prepared to receive and house the Ark; and when the Temple was dedicated, the Ark, containing the original tablets of the Ten Commandments , was placed beneath the cherubim. Chambers were built around

4646-649: The Holy of Holies is kept veiled for much of the time. The red veil covers the inner altar or the main altar. It is unveiled only during the central part of the main Nasrani ritual. The main ritual of the Saint Thomas Christians is the Qurbana . The Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) contains a Holy of Holies wherein the church's president —acting as

4747-565: The Holy of Holies. The walls of the sanctuary were lined with cedar, on which were carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers that were overlaid with gold ( 1 Kings 6:29–30 ). Chains of gold further marked it off from the Holy of Holies. The floor of the Temple was of fir overlaid with gold. The doorposts, of olivewood, supported folding doors of fir. The doors of the Holy of Holies were of olivewood. On both sets of doors were carved cherubim, palm trees, and flowers, all being overlaid with gold ( 1 Kings 6:15 et seq.) This main building

4848-548: The Israelites. Christ will come and bless his people after cleaning the Holy of Holies in heaven (Heb 9:23). Solomon%27s Temple Solomon's Temple , also known as the First Temple ( Hebrew : בֵּית-הַמִּקְדָּשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן ‎ , romanized :  Bēṯ ham-Mīqdāš hā-Rīšōn , lit.   'First House of the Sanctum';), was a biblical Temple in Jerusalem believed to have existed between

4949-537: The Lord would appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat ( kapporet ), and at that time the priests should not enter into the tabernacle (Leviticus 16:2). According to the Hebrew Bible , the Holy of Holies contained the Ark of the Covenant with representation of Cherubim . Upon completion of the dedication of the Tabernacle, the Voice of God spoke to Moses "from between the Cherubim" ( Numbers 7:89 ). The Holy of Holies

5050-517: The Presiding High Priest—enters to fulfill the relationship between the High Priest of Israel and God in accordance with the LDS Church's interpretation of the Book of Exodus ( Exodus 25:22 ) and Latter-day Saint religious texts. Seventh-Day Adventism (SDA) believes that the Holy of Holies on Earth was a copy of the true tabernacle in heaven , and this view can also be seen in other Christian denominations . Because in Hebrews , God commands Moses to make sure that all things according to

5151-402: The Prophets , after the death of Zechariah ben Jehoiada , the priests of the Temple could no more, as before, see the apparitions of the angels of the Lord, nor could make divinations with the Ephod , nor give responses from the Debir . The Greek New Testament retains the pre-Christian Septuagint phrase "Holy of the Holies" hágion ( sg n ) tōn hagíōn ( ἅγιον τῶν ἁγίων ) without

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5252-412: The Talmud suggests that repair crews were allowed inside as needed but were lowered from the upper portion of the room via enclosures so that they only saw the area they were to work on. Judaism regards the Torah ark , a place in a synagogue where the Torah scrolls are kept, as a miniature Holy of Holies. The exact location of the Holy of Holies is a contentious issue, as elements of questioning

5353-481: The Temple on the southern, western and northern sides ( 1 Kings 6:5–10 ). These formed a part of the building and were used for storage. They were probably one story high at first; two more may have been added later. According to the Bible, two courts surrounded the Temple. The Inner Court (1 Kings 6:36), or Court of the Priests (2 Chr. 4:9), was separated from the space beyond by a wall of three courses of hewn stone, surmounted by cedar beams (1 Kings 6:36). It contained

5454-417: The Temple. Stonemasons from Gebal ( Byblos ) cut stones for the Temple. After the Temple and palace (taking an additional 13 years) is completed, Solomon hands over twenty cities in the northwestern Galilee near Tyre as a repayment to Hiram. Hiram was not pleased with the gift, however, and asks "what are these towns that you have given me, my brother?". Hiram then calls them "the land of Cabul ", and

5555-429: The acquisition in 583 by Pope Gregory of relics from Constantinople, including an arm of St. Lawrence, that were housed in the church of St. Lawrence in Lateran palace. It formed part of the Lateran Palace , headquarters of the public offices of the papal court throughout the Middle Ages. Gregory IV (Pope from 827 to 844) had a private apartment built near the chapel to allow him to pray there. Later Pope Alexander III

5656-480: The altar by Pope Leo III (Pope from 795 to 816). It supposedly houses the bones of at least 13 saints (whereof the chapel derives the name "holy of holies"). The reliquary box itself is taken to represent the Ark of the Covenant in Solomon's Temple . Over the course of time, other relics were added, including the cloisonné enameled cross commissioned by Paschal I (Pope from 817 to 824). The opus sectile floor dates from 1278. This style of intarsiated pavement

5757-418: The biblical accounts which place the temple in the 10th century and the historical considerations which tend towards the 8th and 7th centuries." They suggest that Solomon's temple corresponds more with the 8th-7th century temple architectural models associated with Aram or Assyria than with anything associated with temple architecture from the 10th century. They suggest that the first temple most likely dates to

5858-419: The biblical narrative of the First Temple's construction by Solomon as authentic. During the 1980s, skeptical approaches to the biblical text as well as the archaeological record led some scholars to doubt whether there was any Temple in Jerusalem constructed as early as the 10th century BCE. Some scholars have suggested that the original structure built by Solomon was relatively modest, and was later rebuilt on

5959-409: The blood was sprinkled where the Ark would have been and the incense was put on the Brazen Altar of incense). The animal was sacrificed and the blood was carried into the most holy place. The gold was also found in the Most Holy Place. The Magdala stone is thought to be a representation of the Holy of Holies carved before the destruction of the Temple in the year 70. Traditional Judaism regards

6060-519: The bodies of the priests. The fact that it was a washbasin that was too large to enter from above lends to the idea that water would likely have flowed from it down into a subcontainer beneath. The water was originally supplied by the Gibeonites but was afterwards brought by a conduit from Solomon's Pools . The molten sea was made of brass or bronze that which Solomon had taken from the captured cities of Hadadezer ben Rehob , king of Zobah ( 1 Chronicles 18:8 ). Ahaz later removed this laver from

6161-404: The construction of the Temple. He tells Solomon that he will send the trees by sea: "I will make them into rafts to go by the sea to the place that you indicate. I will have them broken up there for you to take away." In return for the lumber, Solomon sends him wheat and oil. Solomon also brings over a skilled craftsman from Tyre, also called Hiram (or Huram-abi ), who oversees the construction of

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6262-433: The construction of the Temple. The Second Book of Samuel mentions how David and Hiram forged an alliance. This friendship continues after Solomon succeeds David, and the two refer to each other as brothers. A literary account of how Hiram helps Solomon build the Temple is given in 1 Kings (chapters 5–9) and 2 Chronicles (chapters 2–7). Hiram agrees to Solomon's request to supply him with cedar and cypress trees for

6363-445: The cult objects of the sun and Asherah were taken out of the temple and the practice of sacred prostitution, and the worship of Baal and the hosts of heaven were stopped. A korban was a kosher animal sacrifice, such as a bull , sheep , goat , or a dove that underwent shechita (Jewish ritual slaughter). Sacrifices could also consist of grain , meal , wine , or incense . Offerings were often cooked and most of it eaten by

6464-414: The definite article as "Holies of Holies" hágia ( pl n ) hagíōn ( ἅγια ἁγίων ) in Hebrews 9:3. In the Vulgate of Saint Jerome , these are rendered as sanctum sanctorum and sancta sanctorum , respectively. The Greek language was the common language upon Hellenization of much of the Middle East after the death of Alexander the Great , and the division of his empire among four generals. The Jews of

6565-446: The discovery of a 9th century BCE temple at Motza , a secondary administrative site in the Kingdom of Judah , implies that there must have been a central temple in the kingdom’s capital. Fabio Porzia and Corinne Bonnet , reflecting on the archaeological parallels between the way Solomon's temple is described and comparable examples of similar temples from around the ancient Near East, demur and conclude that "a gap [...] exists between

6666-399: The exact placement of the Temple are often associated with Temple denial . There are three main theories as to where exactly the Temple stood on the Mount: where the Dome of the Rock is now located; to the north of the Dome of the Rock (Professor Asher Kaufman); or to the east of the Dome of the Rock (Professor Joseph Patrich of the Hebrew University ). The location of the Holy of Holies

6767-402: The excavators, Israeli archaeologist Yosef Garfinkel , suggested that the style and the decoration of these cultic objects are very similar to the biblical description of some features of Solomon's Temple. Archeologists categorize the biblical description of Solomon's Temple as a langbau building. That is, a rectangular building that is longer than it is wide. It is furthermore classified as

6868-426: The five candlesticks on each side of the altar. The candle–tongs, basins, snuffers, firepans, and even the hinges of the doors were also gold. The Holy of Holies , also called the "Inner House", was 20 cubits in length, breadth, and height. The usual explanation for the discrepancy between its height and the 30-cubit height of the temple is that its floor was elevated, like the cella of other ancient temples. It

6969-401: The image of Christ’s face that miraculously imprinted itself on the sudarium of Veronica. 41°53′15″N 12°30′25″E  /  41.8876°N 12.5070°E  / 41.8876; 12.5070 Holy of Holies The Holy of Holies ( Hebrew : קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים , romanized :  Qōḏeš haqQŏḏāšīm or Kodesh HaKodashim ; also הַדְּבִיר hadDəḇīr , 'the Sanctuary') is

7070-441: The location where the inner sanctuary was originally located, on the Temple Mount ( Mount Moriah ), as retaining some or all of its original sanctity for use in a future Third Temple . The exact location of the Holy of Holies is a subject of dispute. Traditional Judaism regards the Holy of Holies as the place where the presence of God dwells. The Talmud gives detailed descriptions of Temple architecture and layout. According to

7171-415: The loom, rather than embroidered, and each curtain had the thickness of a handbreadth (ca. 9 cm.; 3½"). Josephus records that Pompey profaned the Temple by insisting on entering the Holy of Holies in 63 BCE. When Titus captured the city during the First Jewish–Roman War , Roman soldiers took down the curtain and used it to wrap therein golden vessels retrieved from the Temple. The Holy of Holies

7272-472: The offerings being made that day. The celebration lasted eight days and was attended by "very great assembly [gathered] from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt ". The subsequent feast of Tabernacles extended the whole celebration to 14 days, before the people were "sent away to their homes". After the dedication, Solomon hears in a dream that God has heard his prayer, and God will continue to hear

7373-506: The offeror, with parts given to the Kohen priests and small parts burned on the altar of the Temple in Jerusalem . Only in special cases was all of the offering given only to God, such as in the case of the scapegoat . Under Josiah, sacrifices were centralized at Solomon's temple and other places of sacrifice were abolished. The temple became a major slaughtering center and a major part of Jerusalem's economy. Most scholars today agree that

7474-476: The opinion of the medieval scholar Maimonides , permit Jews to visit parts of the Temple Mount known not to be anywhere near any of the sanctified areas. Orthodox Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount, who come especially from those groups associated with the Temple Institute and its efforts to rebuild a Temple , seek to conform to the minimal requirements for coming near the Temple, such as immersing in

7575-533: The oxen and placed it on a stone pavement ( 2 Kings 16:17 ). It was destroyed by the Neo-Babylonian Empire ( 2 Kings 25:13 ). Also outside the temple were 10 lavers, each of which held "forty baths" (1 Kings 7:38), resting on portable holders made of bronze, provided with wheels, and ornamented with figures of lions, cherubim , and palm-trees. The author of the books of the Kings describes their minute details with great interest (1 Kings 7:27–37). Josephus reported that

7676-495: The pattern shewed to thee in the Mount Sinai (Heb 8:2, 5). After the " Great Disappointment ", preacher O. R. L. Crosier , Hiram Edson , and F. B. Hahn published new insights into Christ's sanctuary ministry that Jesus began to minister in the heavenly sanctuary after His ascension (Heb 9:24). Seventh-Day Adventism (SDA) believes that just as the high priest completed the special ministry on Yom Kippur and blessed

7777-436: The pillars supported a roof over the porch. The porch led to the heikal , main chamber, or sanctuary. It measured 40 cubits in length, 20 cubits in width, and 30 cubits in height and contained a candelabrum, a table and a gold-covered altar used for offerings. In the sanctuary, loaves of Showbread were left as an offering to God. At the far end of the sanctuary there was a wooden door, guarded by two cherubim, leading to

7878-425: The prayers of the people of Israel if they adopt the four ways in which they could move God to action: humility, prayer, seeking his face, and turning from wicked ways. Conversely, if they turn aside and forsake God's commandments and worship other gods, then God will abandon the temple: "this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight". According to the biblical narrative, Solomon's Temple

7979-492: The priests emerged from the holy of holies after placing the Ark there, the Temple was filled with an overpowering cloud that interrupted the dedication ceremony, "for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord [such that] the priests could not stand to minister" (1 Kings 8:10–11; 2 Chronicles 5:13, 14). Solomon interpreted the cloud as "[proof] that his pious work was accepted": "The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. I have built you an exalted house,

8080-485: The same period discovered in modern-day Syria and Turkey , such as those in Ain Dara and Tell Tayinat . Following Jewish return from exile, Solomon's Temple was replaced with the Second Temple . Archeologist Israel Finkelstein writes that the exact location of the Temple is unknown. It is believed to have been situated upon the hill that forms the site of the Second Temple and present-day Temple Mount , where

8181-604: The story of the Ark was written independently and then incorporated into the main biblical narrative just before the exile into Babylon . Biblical scholar Thomas Römer speculates that the Ark may have contained statues of Yahweh and Asherah, and that it could have remained in Kiriath Jearim for much longer, possibly until shortly before the Babylonian conquest. During the Deuteronomic reform of King Josiah ,

8282-524: The sun ( Ezekiel 8:16 ). Some Bible scholars, such as Margaret Barker , say that these solar elements indicate a solar cult . They may reflect an earlier Jebusite worship of Zedek or possibly a solarized Yahwism. According to the Tanakh, the Temple housed the Ark of the Covenant . It says the Ark contained the Ten Commandments and was moved from Kiriath Jearim to Jerusalem by David before being moved into Solomon's temple. A common view among scholars

8383-400: The temple was a house for the temple prostitutes ( 2 Kings 23:7 ) who performed sacred prostitution at the temple. It is unclear whether the prostitutes included both male and female or just male prostitutes. According to the majority of biblical scholars, Asherah was Yahweh's consort, and she was worshipped alongside Yahweh. This is disputed by a significant minority, who maintain that

8484-457: The thick dark cloud". Solomon then led the whole assembly of Israel in prayer , noting that the construction on the temple represented a fulfilment of God's promise to David , dedicating the temple as a place of prayer and reconciliation for the people of Israel and for foreigners living in Israel, and highlighting the paradox that God who lives in the heavens cannot really be contained within

8585-527: The time of the Babylonian siege, and there is significant debate among scholars over the date of its construction and the identity of its builder. The Hebrew Bible, specifically within the Book of Kings , includes a detailed narrative about the construction's ordering by Solomon, the penultimate ruler of the United Kingdom of Israel . It further credits Solomon as the placer of the Ark of the Covenant in

8686-459: The verb stem ד־ב־ר "to speak", justifying the translation in the Vulgate as oraculum , which the traditional English translation "oracle" (KJV, 1611) derives from. According to the Hebrew Bible , in order that God may dwell among the Israelites, God gave Moses instructions for erecting a sanctuary . The directions provide for: According to the Bible, the Holy of Holies was covered by

8787-709: The vessels in the Temple were composed of orichalcum covered in gold in Antiquities of the Jews . During the United Monarchy the Temple was dedicated to Yahweh , the God of Israel. From the reign of King Manasseh of Judah until King Josiah , Baal and " the host of heaven " were also worshipped there. Until the reforms of Josiah, there was also a statue for the goddess Asherah ( 2 Kings 23:6 ) and priestesses wove ritual textiles for her ( 2 Kings 23:7 ). Next to

8888-511: The wheat and oil, sent wine to Hiram. 1 Kings 8:1–9 and 2 Chronicles 5:2–10 record that in the seventh month of the year, at the feast of Tabernacles , the priests and the Levites brought the Ark of the Covenant from the City of David and placed it inside the Holy of Holies of the Temple. 1 Kings 8:10–66 and 2 Chronicles 6:1–42 recount the events of the temple's dedication. When

8989-478: The writer of 1 Kings 9 says they were called by this name "to this day". Hiram however remains on friendly terms with Solomon. The Second Book of Chronicles fills in some details of the construction not given in narrative brought in 1 Kings. It states that the trees sent as rafts were sent to the city of Joppa on the Mediterranean coast, and in return for the lumber supplied, Solomon, in addition to

9090-520: Was a closed room, a roofed entranceway, or an open courtyard. Thus, it is not known whether the pillars were freestanding or structural elements built into the porch. If they were built into the porch, it could indicate that the design was influenced by similar temples in Syria or even Turkey, home to the ancient Hittite Empire . While most reconstructions of the Temple have the pillars freestanding, Yosef Garfinkel and Madeleine Mumcuoglu finds it likely that

9191-411: Was between the outer altar, where most sacrifices were performed, and inside at the far end was the entry to the Holy of Holies, originally containing the Ark of the Covenant. The main hekhal contained a number of sacred ritual objects including the seven-branched candlestick , a golden Altar of Incense , and the table of the showbread . According to 1 Kings 7:48 these tables were of gold, as were also

9292-608: Was created in the 12th century by the Cosmati family of stonecutters and widely copied throughout Rome in the 13th century. The chapel also houses the Uronica or Acheiropoieta Lateranese icon of Christ Pantocrator , known as the Veronica , that was supposedly begun by Saint Luke and finished as an acheiropoieta (which translates to "images not made by human hands") since finished by an angel . Other acheiropoieta include

9393-476: Was entered once a year by the High Priest on Yom Kippur , to sprinkle the blood of sacrificial animals (a bull offered as atonement for the Priest and his household, and a goat offered as atonement for the people (this is where the term scapegoat originates from)) and offer incense upon the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat that sat on top of the ark in the First Temple (the Second Temple had no ark and

9494-429: Was floored and wainscotted with cedar of Lebanon , and its walls and floor were overlaid with gold amounting to 600 talents or roughly 20 metric tons. It contained two cherubim of olivewood, each 10 cubits high and each having outspread wings of 10 cubits span, so that, since they stood side by side, the wings touched the wall on either side and met in the center of the room. There was a two-leaved door between it and

9595-455: Was in darkness and contained the Ark of the Covenant, gilded inside and out, in which was placed the Tablets of Stone . According to both Jewish and Christian traditions, Aaron's rod and a pot of manna were also in the ark. The Ark was covered with a lid made of pure gold, known as the " mercy seat " ( Exodus 37:6 ), which was covered by the beaten gold cherubim wings, creating the space for

9696-456: Was plundered several times. In the fifth year of Rehoboam 's reign (commonly dated to 926 BCE), Egyptian pharaoh Shishak (positively identified with Shoshenq I ) took away treasures of the Temple and the king's house, as well as shields of gold that Solomon had made; Rehoboam replaced them with brass ones ( 1 Kings 14:25 ; 2 Chronicles 12:1–12 ). A century later, Jehoash, king of the northern Kingdom of Israel , advanced on Jerusalem, broke down

9797-641: Was restored to its original condition and further reinforced. According to the Bible, the Temple was plundered by King Nebuchadnezzar II of the Neo-Babylonian Empire when the Babylonians attacked Jerusalem during the brief reign of Jehoiachin c. 598 BCE ( 2 Kings 24:13 ). A decade later, Nebuchadnezzar again besieged Jerusalem and after 30 months finally breached the city walls in 587/6 BCE. The city finally fell to his army in July 586/5 BCE. A month later, Nebuzaradan , commander of Nebuchadnezzar's guard,

9898-473: Was said to have been built by King Solomon to keep the Ark. Ancient Jewish traditions viewed the Holy of Holies as the spiritual junction of Heaven and Earth, the " axis mundi ". As a part of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies was situated somewhere on Temple Mount ; its precise location in the Mount being a matter of dispute, with some classical Jewish sources identifying its location with

9999-409: Was sent to burn and demolish the city. According to the Bible, "he set fire to the Temple of Yahweh , the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem" ( 2 Kings 25:9 ). Everything worth plundering was then removed and taken to Babylon ( 2 Kings 25:13–17 ). Jewish tradition holds that the Temple was destroyed on Tisha B'Av , the 9th day of Av (Hebrew calendar), the same date of the destruction of

10100-641: Was subsequently replaced with the Second Temple in 515 BCE, following Jewish return from exile . The description of Solomon's Temple given in I Kings and II Chronicles is remarkably detailed, but attempts to reconstruct it have met many difficulties. The description includes various technical terms that have lost their original meaning to time. Archaeological studies have provided ancient Near Eastern counterparts for architectural features, furnishings and decorative motifs. Contemporary Israeli archaeologist Finkelstein considered Solomon's Temple to be built according to Phoenician design, and its description

10201-442: Was the inner sanctuary within the Tabernacle and Temple in Jerusalem when Solomon's Temple and the Second Temple were standing. The parochet , a brocade curtain with cherubim motifs woven directly into the fabric from the loom, divided the Holy of Holies from the lesser Holy place. The Holy of Holies was located at the westernmost end of the Temple building and was a cube: 20 cubits by 20 cubits by 20 cubits. The inside

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