Guide
The Temple as the Center of the World
2nd Century BCE–6th Century CE
Both Jubilees and the Babylonian Talmud evince a concern with sacred geography. They express a theology in which the center and holiest part of the world is the holy of holies in the Temple.
Related Primary Sources
Primary Source
The Temple Mount as the Navel of the World
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…
Primary Source
The Temple Mount as the Foundation of the World
[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…