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56-638: The Tabernacle (משכן), or Tent of the Convocation ( Heb. אוהל מועד) according to the Book of Exodus, was a movable tent and worship facility used by the Israelites. Tabernacle may also refer to: Tabernacle The main source describing the tabernacle is the biblical Book of Exodus , specifically Exodus 25–31 and 35–40. Those passages describe an inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies , created by

112-400: 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

168-528: 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

224-490: A candelabrum, lighted during services, near a spot similar to the position of the original Menorah. At the center of the synagogue is a large elevated area, known as the bimah , where the Torah is read. This is equivalent to the tabernacle's altars upon which incense and animal sacrifices were offered. On the main holidays the priests gather at the front of the synagogue to bless the congregation as did their priestly ancestors in

280-569: A rectangular, perimeter fence of fabric, poles and staked cords. This rectangle was always erected when the Israelite tribes would camp, oriented to the east as the east side had no frames. In the center of this enclosure was a rectangular sanctuary draped with goat-hair curtains, with the roof coverings made from rams' skins. Beyond this curtain was the cube-shaped inner room, the Kodesh Hakedashim ( Holy of Holies ). This area housed

336-464: A woman healed of prolonged menstruation would present her offering (two turtledoves or two young pigeons) to the priest "at the door of the tabernacle of meeting". It was at the door of the tabernacle that the community wept in sorrow when all the chiefs of the people were impaled and the men who had joined in worship to the Baal of Peor were killed on God's orders. During the conquest of Canaan ,

392-554: Is a cultic hut and place of worship for followers of Mandaeism . A Mashkhanna must be built beside a river in order to perform maṣbuta ( baptism ) and other ceremonies because Living Water is an essential element in the Mandaean faith. Holy of Holies The Holy of Holies ( Hebrew : קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים , romanized :  Qōḏeš haqQŏḏāšīm or Kodesh HaKodashim ; also הַדְּבִיר hadDəḇīr , 'the Sanctuary')

448-1006: Is 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 ,

504-562: 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

560-866: 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

616-605: 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

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672-956: 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

728-463: 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

784-462: 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

840-411: The Ark of the Covenant , inside which were the two stone tablets brought down from Mount Sinai by Moses on which were written the Ten Commandments , a golden urn holding the manna , and Aaron 's rod which had budded and borne ripe almonds ( Exodus 16:33–34 , Numbers 17:1–11 , Deuteronomy 10:1–5 ; Hebrews 9:2–5 ). Tachash is referred to fifteen times in the Hebrew Bible ; 13 of these refer to

896-675: 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,

952-638: 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"

1008-475: The Septuagint , the Hebrew is translated σκηνή ( skēnē ), itself a Semitic loanword meaning "tent". A detailed description of a tabernacle, located in Exodus chapters 25–27 and Exodus chapters 35–40 , refers to an inner shrine, the Holy of Holies , housing the ark, and an outer chamber with the six-branch seven-lamp Temple menorah , table for showbread , and an altar of incense . An enclosure containing

1064-484: 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

1120-618: 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

1176-646: 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

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1232-500: The Ark, even after the latter was returned. Under King Saul , the tabernacle was eventually moved to Nob , near Saul's his home town of Gibeah , but after he massacred the priests there ( 1 Samuel 21–22 ), it was moved to Gibeon , a hill-shrine ( 1 Chronicles 16:39 ; 21:29 ; 2 Chronicles 1:2–6 , 13). Just prior to David 's moving the ark to Jerusalem, the ark was located in Kiriath-Jearim ( 1 Chronicles 13:5–6 ). The Ark

1288-611: The Book of Exodus: Some interpreters assert the Tent of the Presence was a special meeting place outside the camp, unlike the Tabernacle which was placed in the center of the camp. According to Exodus 33:7–11 , this tent was for communion with Yahweh , to receive oracles and to understand the divine will. The people's elders were the subject of a remarkable prophetic event at the site of this tent in Numbers 11:24–30 . In Exodus 31,

1344-592: 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

1400-484: 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

1456-540: 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 ,

1512-649: 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

1568-475: The Levites will take it down and set it up again. Anyone else who goes too near the tabernacle will be executed. Twice a day, a priest would stand in front of the golden prayer altar and burn fragrant incense. Other procedures were also carried out in the tabernacle: An Israelite healed of tzaraath would be presented by the priest who had confirmed his healing "at the door of the tabernacle of meeting", and

1624-537: 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

1680-751: 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

1736-612: 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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1792-463: 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

1848-527: The Temple ( 1 Kings 8:4 ). There is no mention of the tabernacle in the Tanakh after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians in c. 587 BCE. Some rabbis have commented on the proximity of the narrative of the tabernacle with that of the episode known as the sin of the golden calf recounted in Exodus 32:1–6 . Maimonides asserts that the tabernacle and its accoutrements, such as

1904-534: 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

1960-635: 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

2016-518: 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

2072-499: The golden Ark of the Covenant and the golden Menorah were meant as "alternates" to the human weakness and needs for physical idols as seen in the golden calf episode. Other scholars, such as Nachmanides , disagree and maintain that the tabernacle's meaning is not tied in with the golden calf, but instead symbolizes higher mystical lessons that symbolize God's constant closeness to the Children of Israel. Synagogue construction over

2128-404: The last two thousand years has followed the outlines of the original tabernacle. Every synagogue has at its front an ark, aron kodesh , containing the Torah scrolls, comparable to the Ark of the Covenant which contained the tablets with Ten Commandments. This is the holiest spot in a synagogue, equivalent to the Holy of Holies. There is also usually a constantly lighted lamp, Ner tamid , or

2184-501: 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

2240-479: 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

2296-429: The main Israelite camp was at Gilgal ( Joshua 4:19 ; 5:8–10 ) and the tabernacle was probably erected within the camp: Joshua 10:43ESV "…and returned into the camp" ( see Numbers 1:52–2:34 "…they shall camp facing the tent of meeting on every side"). After the conquest and division of the land among the tribes, the tabernacle was moved to Shiloh in Ephraimite territory (Joshua's tribe) to avoid disputes among

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2352-487: The main builder and maker of the priestly vestments is specified as Bezalel , son of Uri son of Hur of the tribe of Judah , who was assisted by Oholiab and a number of skilled artisans. During the Exodus , the wandering in the desert and the conquest of Canaan , the Tabernacle was in part a portable tent, and in part a wooden enclosure draped with ten curtains, of blue ( tekhelet תְּכֵלֶת), purple ( ’argāmān אַרְגָּמָן), and scarlet ( šānî שָׁנִי) fabric. It had

2408-410: 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

2464-413: The other tribes ( Joshua 18:1 ; 19:51 ; 22:9 ; Psalm 78:60 ). It remained there during most of the rule of the Judges . According to a possible translation of Judges 20:26–28 , the Ark, and thus the tabernacle, was at Bethel while Phinehas, grandson of Aaron, was alive. After the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines , the subsequent history of the tabernacle is separate from that of

2520-435: 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

2576-402: The roof coverings. There is a strict set of rules to be followed for transporting the tabernacle laid out in the Hebrew Bible . For example: You must put the Levites in charge of the tabernacle of the Covenant, along with its furnishings and equipment. They must carry the tabernacle and its equipment as you travel, and they must care for it and camp around it. Whenever the Tabernacle is moved,

2632-446: The sacrificial altar and bronze laver for the priests to wash surrounded these chambers. Traditional scholars contend that it describes an actual tabernacle used in the time of Moses and thereafter. This view is based on the existence of significant parallels between the biblical Tabernacle and similar structures from ancient Egypt during the Late Bronze Age. The detailed outlines for the tabernacle and its priests are enumerated in

2688-485: The tabernacle from Aaron onwards ( Numbers 6:22–27 ). Some Christian churches are built like a tent, to symbolize the tent of God with men, including St. Matthew Cathedral, São Mateus , Brazil, Zu den heiligen Engeln (To the Holy Angels), Hanover , Germany and the Cardboard Cathedral , Christchurch, New Zealand. A mashkhanna ࡌࡀࡔࡊࡍࡀ maškna (hebrew cognate מִשְׁכַּן mishkān ), Beth Manda ࡁࡉࡕ ࡌࡀࡍࡃࡀ , Beit Manda , or Mandi ('house of knowledge'),

2744-429: The veil suspended by four pillars. This sanctuary contained the Ark of the Covenant , with its cherubim -covered mercy seat . An outer sanctuary (the "Holy Place") contained a gold lamp-stand or candlestick. On the north side stood a table, on which lay the showbread . On the south side was the Menorah , holding seven oil lamps to give light. On the west side, just before the veil, was the golden altar of incense . It

2800-405: 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

2856-490: Was constructed of 4 woven layers of curtains and 48 15-foot tall standing wood boards overlaid in gold and held in place by its bars and silver sockets and was richly furnished with valuable materials taken from Egypt at God's command. The English word tabernacle derives from the Latin tabernāculum (meaning "tent" or "hut"), which in ancient Roman religion was a ritual structure. The Hebrew word mishkan implies "dwell", "rest", or "to live in". In Greek , including

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2912-423: 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

2968-402: Was eventually brought to Jerusalem, where it was placed "inside the tent David had pitched for it" ( 2 Samuel 6:17 ; 1 Chronicles 15:1 ), not in the tabernacle, which remained at Gibeon. The altar of the tabernacle at Gibeon was used for sacrificial worship ( 1 Chronicles 16:39 ; 21:29 ; 1 Kings 3:2–4 ), until Solomon brought the structure and its furnishings to Jerusalem to furnish and dedicate

3024-401: 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

3080-421: 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

3136-442: 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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