Temples And Ritual Summary

Temples and Rituals opens chapter five. This chapter sever to inform Walton reader of the action and purpose of the temple. Temples primary design was for the residence of the deities, and not for places of worship. The temples represent a “shadow of a heavenly residence, therefore it served as a link or gateway to the heavens or cosmos.” The temples were distinct with an image of the deity. Many rituals were performed to guarantee that each deity approved of the symbol being placed on the temple walls. This was a way that one could bring the spiritual world into the physical world. The most momentous ritual was called mouth-washing. This was done so the image could eat, drink and smell incense as well as receive worship. It purified the image …show more content…
The temple was built in such a way that it limited anything profane to enter to include limited sight lines. All temples had three main characteristics – several chambers, a garden and a ziggurat ( a elevated resting place for the deity). The ziggurat was a sacred space and was not used and could not be inhibited by anything profane. Although the temple adjoined the ziggurat, this was solely a sacred spot for the deity to portal through and rest. The temple was considered “the center of power, control and order from which deity brings order to the human world.” The functions of the temple in Israel were introduced by God. These included judging, delivering, ending negative environmental concerns, responding and bring victory or deliverance in warfare. Zechariah offered some addition functions to include deliverance from enemies, protection of the people even without city walls, calling oath breakers to account and base of divine operations throughout the world. These temples were not a place for the people’s needs to be cared for, but for the order that needed to be maintained within the