Josephus on the Symbolism of the Temple
In front of these doors hung a curtain of equal length, a Babylonian tapestry worked in blue, linen-white, scarlet, and purple. This was a wonderful piece of artistry, but the combination of colours also had symbolic meaning as an image of the universe. Scarlet suggested fire, linen the earth, blue the air, and purple the sea—two of the colours in…
Please login or register for free access to Posen Library
Already have an account?
You may also like
The Universe as a Temple
On the Special Laws 1.66–67
The highest, and in the truest sense the holy, temple of God is, as we must believe, the whole universe, having for its sanctuary the most sacred part of all existence, even heaven, for its votive…
Philo on the Symbolism of the Tabernacle
On the Life of Moses 2.102–124 (selections)
The candlestick he placed at the south, figuring thereby the movements of the luminaries above; for the sun and the moon and the others run their courses in the south far away from the north…
Josephus on the Symbolism of the Tabernacle
Jewish Antiquities 3.179–187
Now some might wonder at the hatred people have for us, which they profess to show on account of our despising the deity whom they themselves profess to honor. For if anyone observes the construction…
The Altar as Source of Life
m. Middot 3:4
Both the stones of the altar ramp and the stones of the altar were from the valley of Beth Kerem. They dug from the virgin ground below and brought whole stones [to the Temple] over which no iron had…
The Temple Mount as the Navel of the World
Jubilees 8:19
He knew that the Garden of Eden is the holy of holies and is the residence of the Lord; [that] Mount Sinai is in the middle of the desert; and [that] Mount Zion is in the middle of the navel of the…
The Temple Mount as the Foundation of the World
b. Yoma 54b
[There was a stone in the holy of holies,] and it was called Foundation [shetiyah]. It was taught that the world was founded from it. This teaching is in accordance with the one who said that the…