Holy of Holies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Holy of Holies is the most sacred place within a sacred building. In Judaism, it refers to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem which could be entered by the High Priest only on Yom Kippur. Holy of Holies are also found within Egyptian Architecture, as well as within temples and churches of other faiths and traditions, to include the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the Latter-day Saints, and Hinduism.
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[edit] Judaism
In Judaism, the Most Holy Place also known as the Holy of Holies, or Holiest of Holies, in Hebrew: Qodesh HaQodashim (Biblical: הַקֳּדָשִׁים קֹדֶשׁ Qṓḏeš HaqQŏḏāšîm), is a location within the inner Tabernacle in the time of Moses. In the Book of Exodus it is referred to as the most holy (Exodus 26:33), and the most holy place (Exodus 26:34), (and as the holiest of all in (Hebrews 9:3).)
The Most Holy Place is said to be the place where the presence of God dwelt. In the wilderness, on the day that the tabernacle was first raised up, the cloud of the Lord covered the tabernacle. There are other times that this was recorded, and instructions were given that the Lord would appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat, and at that time the priests should not enter into the tabernacle (Leviticus 16:2).
The Talmud, a written record of previously Oral law which traditional Judaism believes to be of Divine origin, gives detailed descriptions of Temple architecture and layout. According Babylonian Talmud Tractate Yoma, it was located in the center North-South but significantly to the West from an East-West perspective, with all the major courtyards and functional areas lying to its east.
[edit] Utilization
The Most Holy Place was a place where the high priest would go in, once a year, on the Yom Kippur, to sprinkle the blood of sacrifical animals (a bull offered as atonement for the Priest and his household, and a goat offered as atonement for the people) and offer incense upon the Ark of the Covenant and the mercy seat which sat on top of the ark in the First Temple (The Second Temple had no ark and the blood was sprinkled where the Ark would have been and the incense was left on the Foundation Stone). The animal was sacrificed on the Brazen Altar and the blood was carried into the most holy place. The golden censers were also found in the Most Holy Place. During the ritual, the High Priest would pronounce the Tetragrammaton, the only point according to traditional Judaism 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.
[edit] Sanctuary
Tabernacle's basic floorplan - facing east (right)
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[edit] Description
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:
- A wooden ark, gilded inside and outside, for the Tablets of the Covenant, with a cover similarly gilded as the "mercy seat" for the Divine Presence;
- A gilt table for the "Table of Showbread";
- A golden (menorah), lampstand of 7 oil lamps for a light never to be extinguished;
- The dwelling, including the curtains for the roof, the walls made of boards resting on silver feet and held together by wooden bolts, the purple curtain veiling the Holy of Holies, the table and candlestick, and the outer curtain;
- A sacrificial altar made of bronzed boards for its korban;
- The outer court formed by pillars resting on bronze pedestals and connected by hooks and crossbars of silver, with embroidered curtains;
- Recipe and preparation of the oil for the Lampstand.
The Talmud supplies additional details, and describes the ritual performed by the High Priest.
[edit] Modern location
At present it is conjectured that it is located near the Muslim Mosque of Omar under the Dome of the Rock which stands on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, though the exact location of the Most Holy Place is not known with any certainty. Most Orthodox Jews today completely avoid climbing up to Temple Mount, to prevent them from accidentally stepping on the Most Holy Place or any sanctified areas. A few Orthodox Jewish authorities, following 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 a mikvah, not coming during or following menstruation or immediately following a seminal emission, not showing their back towards its presumed location, and other strictures. Muslim authorities, who control the Temple Mount, prohibit Jewish visitors from praying or bringing ritual objects there.
[edit] Ethiopian Orthodox Church
A cognate term in Ge'ez is found in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church: Qidduse Qiddusan, referring to the innermost sanctuary of an Orthodox Christian church building, where only clergy may enter.
[edit] Hinduism
In Hinduism, Holy of Holies refers to the area inside a temple complex where the main deity is installed. This area would be a separate building by itself, inside the complex.
[edit] Latter-day Saints
The Salt Lake Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints contains a Holy of Holies wherein the church's President—acting as the Presiding High Priest—enters to fulfill the relationship between the High Priest of Israel and God in accordance with the LDS interpretation of the Book of Exodus (Exodus 25:22).
