BBS The Temple
Introduction
There is no magic or magic bullet in
the Temple. The Temple is simply the
place where Yahweh’s Glory, the Shəkinah chooses to dwell. As soon as the Glory departs, Israel
collapses into rubble, and all the “oneness” evaporates before our eyes.
If Yahweh’s Glory did not actually
live in the Oracle of the Temple, on the Mercy Seat, then everything about the
Jewish people is an elaborate folly. If,
on the other hand, Yahweh’s Glory did actually live in the Oracle of the
Temple, on the Mercy Seat, then we have some hard thinking before us. The point is that the evidence leaves no
middle ground. You chose what you wish
to believe, but the evidence does not stutter on this point, and it leaves no
middle ground. Take it or leave it.
Since Yahweh’s Glory has not dwelt
in the Oracle since 586, the Oracle is no longer important as a sacred space,
and it no longer exists as a physical building.
We may still glean lessons from the Temple’s typology; yet, even if we
rebuilt it in the correct location, there is no reason to believe that the Shəkinah
would ever return to it. The Shəkinah
has taken up residence elsewhere. Yahweh
has simply made other means of access to Himself. Since Yahweh has moved on, so must we….
The great lesson of Ain Dara rests
in its comparative typology, not in its comparative topology. Because Yahweh is so transcendent by nature,
so different from His creatures; He must go to great lengths in order to speak
with His creatures. The business of
Yahweh’s immanence, appears to be
quite difficult. Indeed, Yahweh
Himself describes it as difficult.[1] The whole point of the typology is to act and
speak in a manner that people will understand.
So, yes, God lisps to us in baby talk because that is all we are
intelligent enough to grasp. The Shəkinah
lives in the Temple, much like any other temple, so that we will “get it.”
“Oh, that’s a temple; now I know
what’s supposed to go on there!”
what’s supposed to go on there!”
The Shəkinah rides around
on the Ark, much like any Egyptian pharaoh, or other earthly potentate riding
around on his sedan chair. The combined
picture teaches us Who Yahweh is. There
are no footprints in Yahweh’s Temple for obvious reasons.
Moreover, Yahweh’s Temple is not a
display of physical intimidation; it is a display of Yahweh’s humbling himself
so that He can draw near to hear and serve us, simply because we are His
children. Yahweh is intimidating, He
just doesn’t need to flaunt it. So
stairs have no place in the Oracle or at the Altar. The floor plan is all that is necessary,
because the room is a simple rectangle attached to a cube.[2]
If we are looking for sacred space
today, we shall have to look elsewhere to find it. The Temple itself is all about nonverbal
communication.
Script[3]
The
Temple (time 1:16:15)
Shaye
J. D. Cohen:[4] The magic of Jerusalem is the magic of the temple. One temple for the One God. The result is that Jerusalem and the temple
emerge as powerful symbols, not just of the oneness of God, but also the oneness
of the Jewish people.[5]
N: The worship of the ancient Israelites
bears little resemblance to Judaism today.
Centered around the temple, built by David’s son Solomon, and seen as
Yahweh’s earthly dwelling.[6] To understand how the ancient Israelites
worshiped their God, scholars must discover what the temple looked like, and how
it functioned. But although
archaeologists know where its remains should be, it is impossible to dig there.[7] It lies under the third holiest site in
Islam, which includes the Dome of the Rock.[8] Not a stone of Solomon’s temple has ever been
excavated. But the Bible offers a
remarkably detailed description.[9]
R: “The house which King Solomon built for YHWH was 60
cubits long, 20 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high…. In the inner sanctuary he made two cherubim …
each 10 cubits high…. He overlaid the
cherubim with gold.” — 1 Kings 6:2, 23, and 28
N: The Bible’s description suggests a floor
plan for Solomon’s Temple, and it is strikingly similar to temples built by
neighboring peoples who worship many gods.
The closest in appearance is a temple hundreds of miles to the north of
Jerusalem at Ain Dara[10] in modern day Syria. They have similar dimensions and the same
basic floor plan. Guarding both temples
are sphinxes or cherubim, as the Bible calls them.[11] Unique to the temple at Ain Dara are the
enormous footprints of the god who lived here.
They mark his progress as he strode to his throne in the innermost
sanctuary.[12]
Lawrence Stager (Harvard):[13] If we take the details
that we find of Solomon’s Temple in the book of Kings and compare it with the Ain
Dara temple, we can piece together a fairly good picture I think, of what this
temple might have looked like in the age of Solomon.[14]
N: Now it is possible to reconstruct with
some confidence how Solomon’s Temple may have looked, and how the ancient
Israelites worshipped their God.[15]
Branham: Outside was an enormous altar. Beyond that was a porch area that led into
the inside of the temple. There was a
room, the holy place, and then beyond that the most sacred room, the holy of
holies [The Oracle] where tradition says the Ark of the Covenant held the
tablets of the Law. And this room was
considered to be the most sacred site on earth, because it is the room where
God’s Presence could be found.
Stairs
The model pictured by the video is
marked by massive stairs. Yet there is
no mention of such stairs in either the biblical description or visible in the
pictures of Ain Dara. In fact we learn
nothing about Solomon’s temple architecture from Ain Dara: thus the real lesson
that might be gleaned from Ain Dara is glossed over with mirrors and
smoke. Let is devote ourselves to the
subject of steps and stairs.
- In Exodus 20:26 we learn that there is a general theological prohibition to the use of steps in worship, particularly in relationship to the stone altar. Evidently the priests wore kilts in those days, kilts without underwear.
- In 1 Kings 10:18-20[16] we learn that Solomon’s ivory throne only had six steps. Since Solomon himself is an icon of God the Son, we have to believe that the steps also have significance and we doubt that God would distance Himself from His people by multiplying steps. The obvious function of Solomon’s six steps is to raise him to eyelevel with the people while he is seated. So rather than making him more remote, to look down on others, the steps express a desire to enhance closeness, communication and contact. The Living God is the One Who makes Himself approachable and touchable in the Son.
- In Ezekiel 40:22, 26, 31, 34 we discover seven steps on the east, and seven steps on the south, leading up to a six chambered gate; we discover eight more steps on the south, and eight more steps on the east, leading up to the inner court.[17]
- In 1 Kings 6:8 we find a winding stair, either zig-zag or circular leading to the second story and continuing on to the third story of rooms outside of the Temple surrounding it.
- In Nehemiah 9:4 we find several people standing on the stairs outside of the Temple praying.
In all of the Bible there is no
mention of a stair or step into the Holy of Holies, Most Holy Place, Holiest,
or Oracle. Neither is there any
reference to approaching, ascending, building, or mounting an altar by stairs
or steps.
The horned altar at Tel Be'er Sheva, Israel, is without steps, even though it
is made of cut stones, which is also forbidden.[18]
Even if we follow the pattern of Ain
Dara, there is no justification for more than three or four steps.
There is no warrant whatsoever for
the BBS display of a massive brazen altar reached by numerous steps; or for the
oracle being reached by a stone stair, which is at least a story in height
(time 1:16:44). Yahweh was approachable
at the level of His people. “God became
man so that man might become god.”[19]
Sacred
Space
Let us be careful with our
definition of sacred space, less we lapse into some false superstition. Sacred spaces are all around us: sacred space
means a space that is set apart for particular use. We have bathrooms, bedrooms, closets, dining
rooms, kitchens, and the like in our houses which are all set apart for
specific uses. Studying in a dining room
is not a good idea, because one’s study thoughts are incessantly distracted by
thoughts of eating.[20] The only thing that makes one space more
sacred than any other is the importance or priority of the activity or person
for which that space is devoted. The
Oracle in the Temple in Jerusalem, was[21] “the most sacred site on
earth.” This is no longer true. The physical Oracle of Yahweh on earth, no
longer exists in the shape of a physical Temple in Jerusalem, and has not
existed in such a shape since 586, when Yahweh abandoned it, and then
Nebuchadrezzar came and burned the buildings down, and broke down the walls.[22] We no longer seek God’s Presence in sacred
spaces made with human hands, with one exception.
Significance
We have looked in vain in several
locations for the extent of Israel’s cultural, and international
significance. This was not found in the
City of David. Nor was it located in six
chambered gates. We did find
considerable evidence of Israelite influence; still, the causes of that
influence were not found. Some seek
these things in David’s or Solomon’s prowess in waging war. The reality of world power is that David was
not strong outside of Israel; yet was not molested because neighboring nations
were not at the peak of their power and able to deal with minuscule
Israel. Even powerful Solomon is an
Egyptian vassal. We need to look
elsewhere.
The secret of David’s strength lies
in his prayer. He defeated Goliath by
prayer, not because he was bigger, or stronger, or a better combatant. His constant incessant time spent in prayer
to Yahweh built in David the quiet confidence that Yahweh would accomplish what
David could not accomplish himself.
Moreover, somehow or other, Yahweh would frequently accomplish this with
the simple tools He had placed in David’s hands.
The secret of Solomon’s greatness
resides in his Yahweh given wisdom.
Consequently, the whole world comes to his feet just to get their
questions answered. Because Solomon’s wisdom
is really Yahweh’s wisdom, no one is able to stump him: a fact that Daniel will
later discover and build his life around.
This is true of Joseph before both of them, and many who will come
afterward.
The only real extent of Israel’s
cultural, and international significance is found here, in this Temple, where
the Shəkinah chooses to make His Presence known, in this Oracle,
from which Yahweh choses to speak. We
may or may not believe in this Yahweh, but the simple logic of the evidence
shows us that if we would come to Yahweh, we will do so exclusively on His
terms, not ours. Between 966 or so, and
586, Yahweh’s terms were Jerusalem, Temple, Oracle, Ark of the Covenant. This was the only reason that Israel had
cultural greatness and significance. This
was the only reason that the Temple was “the most sacred site on earth.”
Conclusion
There is no magic or magic bullet in
the Temple. The Temple is simply the
place where Yahweh’s Glory, the Shəkinah chooses to dwell. As soon as the Glory departs, Israel
collapses into rubble, and all the “oneness” evaporates before our eyes.
If Yahweh’s Glory did not actually
live in the Oracle of the Temple, on the Mercy Seat, then everything about the
Jewish people is an elaborate folly. If,
on the other hand, Yahweh’s Glory did actually live in the Oracle of the
Temple, on the Mercy Seat, then we have some hard thinking before us. The point is that the evidence leaves no
middle ground. You chose what you wish
to believe, but the evidence does not stutter on this point, and it leaves no
middle ground. Take it or leave it.
Since Yahweh’s Glory has not dwelt
in the Oracle since 586, the Oracle is no longer important as a sacred space,
and it no longer exists as a physical building.
We may still glean lessons from the Temple’s typology; yet, even if we
rebuilt it in the correct location, there is no reason to believe that the Shəkinah
would ever return to it. The Shəkinah
has taken up residence elsewhere. Yahweh
has simply made other means of access to Himself. Since Yahweh has moved on, so must we….[23]
The great lesson of Ain Dara rests
in its comparative typology, not in its comparative topology. Because Yahweh is so transcendent by nature,
so different from His creatures; He must go to great lengths in order to speak
with His creatures. The business of
Yahweh’s immanence, appears to be
quite difficult. Indeed, Yahweh
Himself describes it as difficult.[24] The whole point of the typology is to act and
speak in a manner that people will understand.
So, yes, God lisps to us in baby talk because that is all we are
intelligent enough to grasp. The Shəkinah
lives in the Temple, much like any other temple, so that we will “get it.”
“Oh, that’s a temple; now I know
what’s supposed to go on there!”[25]
what’s supposed to go on there!”[25]
The Shəkinah rides around
on the Ark, much like any Egyptian pharaoh, or other earthly potentate riding
around on his sedan chair. The combined
picture teaches us Who Yahweh is. There
are no footprints in Yahweh’s Temple for obvious reasons.
Moreover, Yahweh’s Temple is not a
display of physical intimidation; it is a display of Yahweh’s humbling himself
so that He can draw near to hear and serve us, simply because we are His
children. Yahweh is intimidating, He
just doesn’t need to flaunt it. So
stairs have no place in the Oracle or at the Altar. The floor plan is all that is necessary,
because the room is a simple rectangle attached to a cube.[26]
If we are looking for sacred space
today, we shall have to look elsewhere to find it. The Temple itself is all about nonverbal
communication.
[1]
Psalm 50:1; Isaiah 65: Jeremiah 7:13 for example
[2] 1
Kings 6
[3]
What is for the most part an exact copy of the script follows. There are a few places where individual speakers
could neither be heard nor understood: for this we apologize. Every effort was made to be precise: there
were just spots that defeated us. Since
this is a quote in its entirety it seemed unnecessary to mark it with quotation
marks. The notation for each speaker is
tedious enough: Narrator, Reader, etc.
If you discover bothersome errors please reply to this Blog and point
them out. You may verify the script more
easily by starting to replay it where the “time” stamps indicate discussion
begins. The second of these links is
free from advertising and thus easier to use.
This blog is found at:
http://swantec-oti.blogspot.com/
[4] Shaye J. D. Cohen (1948 …), professor of
Hebrew Literature and Philosophy at Harvard with no other special
qualifications in archaeology.
[5] We
are not interested in the discussion of magic.
It is not that we don’t believe in magic, or that magic is not a form of
evidence: magic is a form of
evidence. Magic can be one of two
things: sleight of hand, or demonism.
What we believe about sleight of hand is that it has a
scientific explanation. Since, this
presents itself as a scientific discussion, we are not interested in sleight of
hand without the attendant scientific explanation, or without logical
connections to the topic at hand. Sleight
of hand is simply not relevant to the current topic of discussion. If the Temple is an elaborate sleight of
hand, it has no real interest for us as a subject of worship: it is merely
entertainment. If worship is equated to
entertainment, we don’t need it. Better
entertainment may be found elsewhere.
What we believe about demonism is that the Temple exists to
wage war against it. Pagans, for
example, have been known to sacrifice children.
Since demonism is the very thing the Temple claims to defeat,
presentation of it here, no matter how logical or well-intended, represents an
internal self-contradiction. This is
also irrelevant, and has no place here.
It is true that the Temple is a powerful symbol. Mr. Cohen seems confused about what the biblical record claims for itself in
that symbol. The Temple is the house of
the living God, the place where His Shəkinah dwells. The symbology shows that just as the king
dwells in the midst of his people, even so Yahweh, the Great King is pleased to
dwell in the midst of his people.
Symbols are worthless without the reality of what those symbols
represent.
There is no Oneness
of God or oneness of the Jewish people without the reality of Yahweh’s presence
in the Shəkinah. The
Shəkinah is either present or not present; yet, if not present, this
is sleight of hand: for in that case the Jews have claimed to worship that
which does not exist. On the other hand,
the record attests that millions upon millions of Israelites have witnessed
this Shəkinah over the course of more than eight centuries: that is
what the evidence says. Now, according
to Mr. Cohen, we are compelled to
believe that all of these many millions, over such eons of time, were all
self-deceived, simply because Mr. Cohen holds the opinion that it’s magic.
[6]
“Seen as” not actually being the dwelling of the Shəkinah. The Shəkinah either dwells there
or He does not dwell there. If the
former, the phrase, “seen as,” is fatuous.
If the latter, then all religious exercise is vacuous. Moreover, this discussion is farcical. One cannot deny half of the evidence and
reach rational NPOV conclusions.
[7]
The remains, if any, should be in a refuse site, where Nebuchadrezzar would
have dumped them. So we should be
excavating Gehenna, and other dump sites.
There is little hope of finding anything on the Temple mount: at most a
pebble or two. The rock has now been
swept three times, it is probably clean.
Any stones of value should be sought out in other buildings, as reused
materials: so the question is, what did Nebuchadrezzar build immediately after
the conquest of Israel. It is not
unreasonable that we should look in Babylon, particularly in Babylon’s
foundations.
[8]
Please note that the steps referenced by Josephus must be applied to Herod’s
Temple and not to Solomon’s Temple.
[9] This
is not just a “remarkably detailed description.” The Bible offers a complete description with
detailed instructions for Temple use: an annual calendar, sacrificial system,
orders for priests and Levites, furniture, clothing, washing requirements,
incense manufacture, and an extensive hymnology, to cite a few things found in
the specifications. The BBS assumption
here, is that the instructions are inadequate, and must be filled in from other
sources.
[10] The
following discussion of Ain Dara is also disappointing; in fact it is
defective. The floor plan presented is
for Solomon’s Temple, not for Ain Dara.
The floor plan also features a six chambered gate, for which there is no
evidence whatsoever: the six chambered gate is an exclusive feature of
Ezekiel’s Temple, which has not yet been built, which was revealed to Ezekiel
via a vision he had in 572 (Ezekiel 40), fourteen years after Solomon’s Temple
was destroyed.
This is a better presentation with the actual floor plan and
elevation pictures at Ain Dara. Note
that there are no six chambered gates, and only three steps lead to the throne
platform.
The following article is also somewhat imaginative.
The following plan is very possibly the most accurate, simply
because it has the least embellishment.
[11]
The equation of sphinx with cherubim is troublesome. Sphinx appear as giant winged cats; while
cherubim are only represented, being invisible “destroyers”, sometimes visualized
as tetra-morphs with human like bodies: feet, legs, etc. Moreover, Solomon’s porch is guarded by
pillars, rather than cherubim. Neither
is there any real comparison with Assyro-Babylonian
shedu.
[12]
The differences at Ain Dara are more striking than the similarities. A mere tally of similar points does not begin
to tell the whole story; it is, in fact, misleading. Forget the numerical tally and examine the
two floorplans for yourself.
[13]
Lawrence Stager (1943 …), American archaeology professor at Harvard. Works: Gezer, Tell el-Hesi, Ashkelon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Stager
[14]
Comical…. Ain Dara is not necessary for
the construction of a complete model.
The actual BBS portrayal is an abominable distortion of the biblical
evidence.
[15]
Stairs are forbidden in Israelite altars and temples. Nor is there any warrant for such stairs from
the ruins of the Ain Dara pagan temple.
The Bible provides only a floor plan and a height because the Temple
floor was most likely flat. There is no
real point in excavating beneath the Dome of the Rock, because the preceding temple
was Herod’s temple, which was levelled by the Romans. Herod’s temple was in turn preceded by other
temples: we are not sure how many. Such
temples were preceded by the second temple which dates just after 516. We fail to see the benefit if a second temple
excavation. Only after eliminating all
such intervening obstacles can we arrive at artifacts of Solomon’s Temple which
was thoroughly razed by the Babylonians in 586.
There is no reason to believe that the Babylonians did a sloppy job of this. So we expect that such an excavation would
yield little or nothing fruitful. We
already know that the foundation stones which level the temple platform, the
top surface of the hill, are still in place and we know exactly where they are located.
[16]
Confirmed in 2 Chronicles 9:17-19
[17]
We make no claim to having these in the proper order and direction: the dream
sequence is less than perfectly clear and requires further study by experts. The inner court indicates that we are still
outside of the Temple.
[18] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tel_Be%27er_Sheva#Horned_altar
[19] Athanasius (296/98-373)
[20]
This is the science of objectics, which here merely highlights the necessity
for sacred space. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonverbal_communication
[21]
Was! Not, “was considered.” It is either what it claims to be, or it is a
fraud and a hoax. All of the provenance
associated with this Oracle clearly claims that Yahweh meets with His people
there in a special way. Moreover,
Solomon, states for this Oracle that any person anywhere in the world, pagan,
Israelite, or Jew may pray to this Oracle and the God Whose Glory (Shəkinah)
lives in it, and their prayers will be answered (1 Kings 8:15-54). We have no reason to believe that Solomon
received a negative response from Yahweh.
In 586 this sacred space, the Oracle, ceased to be sacred: for
as Ezekiel 10 declares, Yahweh abandoned it.
Today, this sacred space is found elsewhere. The physical earthly Oracle always was an
icon, a typology of the real immaterial heavenly Oracle. Today, this iconography, this typology is
relocated.
[22] 2
Kings, Chapters 24 and 25. The text
specifically says that he burned the temple (25:9), and razed the city walls
(25:10). We find it difficult to mean
that he left the Temple walls standing.
See also 2 Chronicles 36:19; Ezra 5:12, 14, 16 (note that the foundation
had to be rebuilt); Jeremiah, Chapters 27, 28, and 29.
[23]
We count both Daniel and Ezekiel as canonized Scripture: yet, on what
basis? Both are written after Yahweh has
abandoned Israel, as are several other books.
Daniel and Ezekiel are sufficient evidence that the Shəkinah
now speaks to people without the physical earthly Oracle. The old physical earthly Oracle is gone, and
the second Temple did not bring it back.
[24]
Psalm 50:1; Isaiah 65: Jeremiah 7:13 for example
[25]
The pertinent difference is that what is supposed to be going on in pagan
temples, is actually going on in the Temple: Yahweh, acts, listens, and
speaks. Sometimes pagan temples falsify
these things with trapdoors and speaking tubes.
[26] 1
Kings 6
[27] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations,
please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish. No rights are reserved. They are designed and intended for your free
participation. They were freely
received, and are freely given. No other
permission is required for their use.
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