Guide
Explanations of the Temple Service
1st Century
Jewish writers offered a variety of explanations for the complex rituals performed at the Temple. Philo interprets the sacrifices and offerings symbolically, and Josephus stresses that they were offered in a spirit of sobriety and accompanied by prayer.
Related Primary Sources
Primary Source
Symbolism of the Different Sacrifices
The general sacrifices in the form of burnt-offerings performed on behalf of the nation or, to speak more correctly, on behalf of the human race, have now been described to the best of my ability. But…
Primary Source
Symbolism of the Daily Offerings
To pass to a different matter, you find the same division into equal parts in the permanent sacrifices, both in the oblation of fine flour…
Primary Source
The Proper Attitude for Sacrifice
We offer sacrifices not for the sake of our own self-serving drunkenness—for such excesses are not in accordance with the will of God—but in the spirit of sobriety. And at the time of these sacrifices…