Sanctuary/Temple and Cult

'The most famous of sanctuaries of Asclepius had their origin from Epidaurus’, Pausanias writes in his Hellados Periegesis (‘Description of Greece’). All across the Aegean and beyond, word of the salutary reputation of Epidaurian divinity had spread. And as tales of Epidaurus’ sanctuary of Asclepius travelled the lands and crossed the seas, so did the urge to ensure that the Epidaurian success formula was, as we say, coming soon to a place near you. So we know Epidaurus had managed to make a name for itself: all the way from the Argolid Peninsula to Asia Minor and the shores of Northern Africa. But what exactly had led to its rise in prominence? What about Epidaurus allowed for it to transcend its local cult-status? And how did its celebrated reputation and meaning change across places and time? What, in other words, is the story of what is often simply referred to as the sanctuary of Asclepius at Epidaurus?

Until 1993 there were conducted first excavations in what promised to be the site of one of the most important buildings of Petra, the stunning capital of the Nabataean kingdom. Its construction, whose initiation century BC, several changes, reconstructions and landslides along its more than five hundred years of operation. But despite this still unknown for certain functions for which it was designed and that, regardless of the construction elements, materials have been located just still less inscriptions that shed some light on a mystery that will try here exhibit various theories that enable closer to resolution.

Megalithic monuments are seen as memorials, which receive the souls of ancestors and in the same time they are commited to healing practices, mainly relating to conception, suggesting that they are seen as a facility associated with the reincarnation of souls. These archaic beliefs are associated not only with dolmens and menhirs, in most cases they are associated with natural rock formations, characterized by something unusual and impressive. Significantly, in many places
around the world similar rock monuments, apart of their relationship with the Beyond are associated with health related practices and practices related to fertility.

In the context of this issue, some extremely interesting sites from the island of Euboea, Greece, which are called «dragon houses», should be mentioned. These are Megalithic structures that
apparently overlap the earlier rock sites of open-air sanctuaries, and despite the controversy over their
exact dating, they undoubtedly had a cultic purpose and preceded the classical Greek Temple. They are
covered in the technique of corbeled vault by adding orthostats about 2 meters long. The expensive and
labor-intensive technique of construction, unattainable for the later population, provoked in folklore the legend that they were built by Dragons, from which comes the name «drakospita» from Greek - a dragon house, which corresponds to the legends from mountain Strandzha in Bulgaria where the folklore name of some Thracian dolmens is «Zmeiovi kashti» which mean the same - a Dragon house.
I can confirm that on the Balkans and especially in Bulgaria certain folklore reminiscences lead us to some very specific locations most often related with the pagan religion. The presence of architectural
elements at such places is quite rare, on the other hand they hold the signs and characteristics of open air sanctuaries.

Researchers: Kuzina N. V., Maslennikov A. A.
Terracotta from the excavation of an ancient settlement Polyanka
in the Crimean Azov Sea region (2008-2013)

The article deals with the collection of terracotta statuettes from the excavations of ancient settlements Polyanka (seasons of 2007–2013). The collection includes about 39 pieces of nonsimultaneous terracotta samples. Fragments of the earliest terracotta derived from ash-rubbish layer underlying Polyanka settlement constructions and can be attributed to the second half — the end of the 3 — the beginning of the 2 century BC. This group consists mainly of female cultic character statuettes that may have been associated with the religious views of some inhabitants of the early settlement located on the eastern plateau.
Another terracotta group, occurring from the cultural layer of the settlement and simultaneous sanctuary on the hill, includes fragments of common types statuettes of the Hellenistic period, reflecting the typical trends of religious life of Bosporus population in the 2–1 centuries BC. The last group is represented by inexpressive fragments of statues, possibly associated with syncretic cults of the Roman period. These terracotta found only in the sanctuary so we can suggest a long-term preservation of the memory about the sacred meaning of certain objects even after the termination of life on the settlement. In general, subjects of terracotta statuettes show the key role of female deities in the sacred worldview of the Crimean population in Azov region, their image in the collection is traditionally dominated.

The chapter summarizes Fernando Canale’s remarks on the philosophical conceptions concerning a heavenly sanctuary and outlines the theological and exegetical ideas of Christian thinkers on the sanctuary motif throughout Christian history to determine whether Canale’s observations correspond with the primary sources. These sections will be followed by a survey of studies of more recent Adventist scholars and conclude with some reflections on the potential universal and personal relevance of the sanctuary doctrine. In the end it will be possible to determine whether Canale’s call for the development of a theological system circled around the biblical sanctuary motif is valid and worthwhile.

Throughout history, the Druids have always been seen as sorcerers who had a strong bond with nature. Ancestral knowledge holders within Celtic society, directed all religious activity as the highest authority linked to the gods, practiced human sacrifices and festivals organized as Imbolc, Beltaine, Lugnasad or Samain, etc.. all aspects of which are discussed in this article.

Gods, deities, symbolism, deposition, cosmology and intentionality are all features of the study of early ritual and cult. Archaeology has great difficulties in providing satisfactory interpretation or recognition of these elusive but important parts of ancient society, and methodologies are often poorly equipped to explore the evidence. This collection of papers explores a wide range of prehistoric and early historic archaeological contexts from Britain, Europe and beyond, where monuments, architectural structures, megaliths, art, caves, ritual activity and symbolic remains offer exciting glimpses into ancient belief systems and cult behaviour. Different theoretical and practical approaches are demonstrated, offering both new directions and considered conclusions to the many problems of studying the archaeology of cult and ritual. Central to the volume is an exploration of early Malta and its intriguing Temple Culture, set in a broad perspective by the discussion and theoretical approaches presented in different geographical and chronological contexts.

Resumo: Os cinco livros do Pentateuco são fundamentais para toda a Escritura e são classificados como uma das seções mais importantes da Palavra de Deus. Um dos assuntos principais abordados nesses cinco livros é o santuário israelita. O presente artigo apresenta um estudo introdutório sobre a importância do santuário no contexto dos cinco primeiros livros da Bíblia. O autor enfatiza o santuário como um indicador da presença de Deus em Israel e destaca a essencialidade do santuário na demonstração do plano de salvação divino ao povo de Israel, através das figuras e rituais pertinentes ao tabernáculo.

Abstract: The five books of Pentateuch are foundational to all of Scripture and rank as one of the most important sections of God's Word. One of the principal issues treated in these five books is the Israelite sanctuary. This article presents an introductory study about the importance of the sanctuary in the first five books context of the Bible. The author emphases the sanctuary how an God's presence indicator in Israel and highlights the essentiality of sanctuary in demonstration of divine's salvation plan to Israel people, through figures and rituals belonging to the tabernacle.

Water played a primary role in Near Eastern religious beliefs and cults. The Phoenicians, one of the foremost populations living in the Levant at the beginning of the first millennium BC, erected their cult buildings close to natural spring waters, and the water was collected inside huge sanctuaries, such as Bostan esh-Sheikh in Lebanon, Amrit in Syria, and many other sacred compounds. Moreover, the presence of fresh water has been one of the necessary conditions for the rising of a city since early urbanization.
This chapter aims to present and discuss the case study of the Phoenician site of Motya, where a sacred compound, named “Temple of the Kothon” was erected close to a freshwater spring by the first settlers coming from the homeland. This highlights how the creation of this sacred area molded the later urban plan of the city. The Temple is strictly linked to an artificial basin, the so-called “Kothon,” which collects the water of the under-hearth spring. This arrangement has close similarities to some of the most important sacred compounds of the Phoenician homeland, both from an architectural and a cult point of view. After a brief introduction about the Phoenician origins of the city of Motya, the main architectural phases of the Temple of the Kothon and the principal finds will be described, and the cult installations found inside the Temple, and the role the water held in the cult, will be interpreted in light of the results of recent excavations

The mining archaeological excavations in Veshnaveh were among the first systematic of their kind in Iran. This is surprising, since the site itself had been known and described since the 1970s, but could not be investigated thoroughly until the early 2000s. The joint Iranian-German research in Veshnaveh was carried out as a part of the “Early Min- ing and Metallurgy in West-Central Iran” project, which had been continued until 2005. In this context, the mining area of Veshnaveh was comprehensively researched and, for the first time, underground excavations and surveys were carried out in the vicinity of the mining area.
During our research of the mining evidence, it was the more surprising to discover ritual re-use of a Bronze Age copper mine. The excavations from 2001 onwards made it immediately clear that these deposits were not part of mining debris as one would have expected for mining activities. The findings suggested a different con- text and it was clear that this was a special rural sanc- tuary of pre- and early Zoroastrian cults.

This thesis deals with the sanctuaries and the cult of god Zeus in Caria of Asia Minor during the antiquity. The presence of god Zeus in this geographical space is important and dates from the archaic age and this is apparent both in literary sources and the archaeological evidence from that period. From all the sanctuaries of Zeus in Caria, we could say that the most organized and dominant of them, were the sanctuaries, dedicated in the local cults of the god. The study unfolds in 4 major chapters. The first chapter, titled “Sanctuaries and cult of Zeus in the carian towns” includes a detailed presentation of all the sanctuaries of Zeus located in Caria. There are excavated sanctuaries and sanctuaries known from inscriptions or ancient authors as well. The second chapter, titled “The presence of Zeus and his symbols at Hecatomnid coinage”, examines the coins of Hecatomnids, in which Zeus and his major symbol in Caria, the double axe (labrys), appear. All the cult names of Zeus, which are known from the area of Caria are presented at the third chapter, titled “Names of Zeus in Caria”. In the last chapter of the main part of the study are assembled the conclusions of the research, based on what was discussed above.

For know the controversial history of the Druids in the Celtic world, will investigate the sources of its origin, through stories of classic texts and medieval legends of Gaul, Britain and Ireland. His role in Celtic society surpassed the religious sphere, covering war, politics, medicine and the law. Almost unknown is the participation of women in this institution.

Clădirea templului sau a sanctuarului o vedem ca un loc dinamic, în care se desfăşoară pregătirea
evenimentelor prin activităţile premergătoare deja descrise şi unde au loc ceremoniile, sub îndrumarea
preotesei/oficiantului de cult. În interior sunt păstrate elementele care ţin de recuzita şi desfăşurarea ritualurilor. În momentul în care nu mai pot fi folosite, se recurge fie la distrugerea obiectelor, fie la scoaterea
din uz în mod ritualic (precum întoarcerea râşniţelor cu faţa în jos), fie distrugerea în întregime şi îngroparea clădirii, ca o „înmormântare“ simbolică a acesteia.
De cele mai multe ori sfera religioasă este definită ca fiind separată de lumea profană, însă în realitate cele două elemente compun o imagine unitară, o singură lume mentală, având în vedere obiectele din
viaţa casnică (vase, râşniţe, războaie de ţesut) amplasate în sanctuare sau elemente de cult fixate în cadrul
unor locuinţe (coloane, bucranii, stele). Hierofania este termenul care desemnează manifestarea sacrului.
Până la urmă, în perioada preistorică, orice ar fi putut fi o hierofanie pe parcursul timpului, într-un oarecare spaţiu: animalele, uneltele, gesturile, jocurile copiilor, dansurile, instrumentele muzicale, etc. Aceasta
presupune o concepţie holistică a religiei. Sanctuarele şi templele sunt spaţii direct influenţate de fiinţele sacre care locuiesc şi îşi au imaginea
în interior. Spiritele sunt percepute ca fiinţe care nu se manifestă decât dacă au asigurat un spaţiu special
de desfăşurare. Persoanele care se apropie de spaţiul sacru trebuie să îndeplinească anumite condiţii, precum iniţierea, purificarea, un anumit cod comportamental. Plastica de mari dimensiuni, din mai multe situri dovedeşte existenţa unor divinităţi separate cu
atribute bine stabilite. Multiplele piese monumentale, dintre care noi am analizat cu predilecţie idolii
de mari dimensiuni, constituie elemente ale unei vieţi religioase organizate, fiind legate de o arhitectură specifică, cu activităţi diverse, toate centrate pe imaginea divinităţii.
Încă din zorii istoriei umanităţii au existat comportamente de tip ritualic sau cel puţin simbolic.
Fiecare expresie artistică reprezintă de fapt un produs dar şi o oglindă a civilizaţiei respective, indiferent
de cea la care ne raportăm. Arta nu poate fi separată de sfera religioasă, iar în reprezentările artistice poate fi ilustrată o anumită ideologie sau o cosmologie.
Sanctuarele în general nu sunt construite exclusiv cu scopul adăpostirii elementelor de cult sau a
recuzitei ritualurilor, ci şi pentru o dedicare şi evidenţiere a spaţiului spiritual în cadrul comunităţii. Din
această perspectivă construirea unei clădiri de cult dedicate este o cale de reprezentare a unei identităţi
distincte a tribului. În definitiv, sanctuarele şi templele nu sunt ecourile pasive ale unui mesaj care s-a
pierdut în negura timpului, ci dovezi ale unei vieţi spirituale bogate care s-a format pe parcurs, cu un registru coerent de imagini, cu mesaje bazate pe semne şi simboluri, cu seturi de reguli, cu norme de desfăşurare, toate izvorâte dintr-o mitologie comună care caracterizează spaţiul sud-est european în perioada neolitică.

the agora was in the antiquity the hub of the public life of each city. It was the meeting point, the
administrative and political centre, a place of debate and discussion, but also a place where gods were
worshipped.
the paper investigates why some gods are preferred in the cult system of a city. It examines
whether specific facts related to a city’s historical or mythological past were taken into consideration
or whether the selection was based on other criteria.
It focuses on the region of the central and southern Peloponnese, and the temples that were built
in the agoras of the ancient cities there. an attempt is made to interpret the reasons why specific gods
were preferred for worship in the most central and lively place of each city, the agora.

Thèse universitaire soutenue le 28 septembre 2016 à l'Université de Franche-Comté (Besançon, Doubs).

Sujet : Les lampes en terre cuite du Centre-Est de la Gaule (Ier s. av. J.-C. - IVe s. apr. J.-C.). Production, diffusion et consommation.

Membres du jury :
Martine Joly (Professeur, Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès, présidente du jury et rapporteur),
Marie-France Meylan Krause (Docteur ès Lettres, Directrice des Site et Musée romains d'Avenches, examinatrice),
Stéphane Mauné (Directeur de recherche au CNRS, UMR 5140, Lattes, rapporteur), Phillipe Barral (Professeur, Université de Franche-Comté, directeur de la thèse),
Pierre Nouvel (Maître de conférences, Université de Franche-Comté, examinateur).

Mention très honorable avec félicitations du jury.

Résumé de cette thèse à la fin de ce document. See abstract of these thesis at the end of this document.

A lo largo de su historia el Imperio romano tuvo que hacer frente a numerosas revueltas, debido al enorme territorio que controlaba. De entre los pueblos que las protagonizaron, los hebreos se contaban entre los que con mayor insistencia lucharon por recuperar su independencia. En cuanto a los diversos conflictos que enfrentaron a judíos y romanos, la que, a la postre, seria recordada como la Primera Guerra Judeo-romana (66-73 d.C.) pasó a la historia como el más importante de todos. Ello se debe tanto a que requirió de la participación de dos futuros emperadores al mando de las tropas romanas que debían restablecer la paz en la provincia de Judea, Vespasiano y su hijo Tito, como al hecho de que la ciudad de Jerusalén y el Gran Templo que albergaba acabaron completamente destruidos.

En el año 66 d.C. numerosos factores se unieron al odio que sectores radicales hebreos sentían hacia sus conquistadores romanos, provocando la caída del procurador de Judea, Gesio Floro, y la derrota del Legado de Siria, Cestio Galo, en Beth Horón, quien acudió con sus tropas a pacificar la región sin conseguirlo. El movimiento fue cobrando fuerza tras estos éxitos, y Jerusalén se convirtió en el epicentro del independentismo judío. Roma no podía permanecer pasiva ante estos acontecimientos y Nerón envió allí a Vespasiano, un general experimentado, para acabar de una vez por todas con el problema. La resistencia implacable que demostraron los rebeldes y los problemas políticos que, durante ese tiempo, se produjeron en Roma, provocaron que la conquista final quedara en manos de su capaz hijo Tito quien, a la postre, consiguió conquistar Jerusalén y acabar con la revuelta. El gran triunfo que se celebró en Roma para conmemorar la victoria era lo que la nueva dinastía Flavia necesitaba para afianzar su poder. Sin embargo, la campaña no finalizó hasta el año 73 d.C., tras la toma de la fortaleza de Masada, donde los últimos insurrectos prefirieron suicidarse antes de ser derrotados. El enfrentamiento se saldaría con una enorme pérdida de vidas, tanto entre los soldados romanos como entre los insurrectos judíos y la población civil. Gracias a la obra de Flavio Josefo, podemos reconstruir lo sucedido para poder así conocer con detalle uno de los grandes episodios de la Historia Antigua.

Palace and temple have always been subject to scholarly interest. The first represents the political power of any given land or country, while the latter serves as an entry point into the marvelous world of the religious organization of any given culture. Though studying these separate institutions on their own is of great importance, it is even more in teresting to study the area in which the interests of both institutions meet. Such studies can show how both parties have to deal with each other's interest and have to adapt their own to guarantee a fruitful cooperation. This thesis consists of such a study, researching the relationship between the Babylonian palace and temple in the context of the daily offerings while focusing on the specific role of the king and his priests. With this study I hope to fill in the blanks that are present in this field of study, since this relation has been examined, but not in the context with which this thesis is concerned.

The silken garments of the High Priest are an indication of just how specific G-d is regarding the necessary work of intercession. Intercession links the divine with the earthly and both interface in the process. Man is not able to rid himself of sin. He is a simpleton in the web of evil cleverly designed by its progenitor and mobilizer, a former covering cherub precociously referred to as “the adversary” Ha-Satan in Numbers 22:22, 1 Samuel 29:4, and Psalms 109:6. The methodology that God chose for its elimination may seem convoluted to the casual observer; but the nature of sin is such that G-d did not risk trivializing its eradication from among His own. While simplicity has its place, sin has no rival for its tortuous complexity when its fibrous roots and shoots intertwine with human affairs and existence.

The book takes you into the world of the biblical Tabernacle - the Tent of Meeting, the first Temple of Israel. You will learn how really looked and what was biblical Ark of the Covenant for. You will discover a world of theological ideas of the Pentateuch of the Old Testament.

Publication of a scientific nature. Author is a lecturer at the Pontifical University of John Paul II, a member of the Biblical Section of the Polish Society of Theology and of the Polish Biblical Association.


SUMMARY:
"The religion without ritual is inconceivable. The Tent of Meeting – Tabernacle of Glory – was the first temple of Israel, center of israelite ritual and worship. It was erected at the bottom of Mount Sinai after the convenant contracted with God. Moses was told to mirror the heavenly realm on the desert earth: You will make it all according to the design for the Dwelling and the design for its furnishings which I shall now show you (Ex 25:9).

The description of the Tabernacle (Ex 25-31; 35-40) belongs to so-called Priestly layer (P) of the Pentateuch. It occupys 13 long chapters of the Book of Exodus, as many as no other cultic object or event in the Bible. The description evidences striking similarities with the account of the building of the Solomonic temple (1 Kings 6f.), not only in the furniture but even in the measures. All the past time biblical scholars attributed the priority to the wilderness sanctuary. However, the unrealistic and formal style of P as compared with the realistic account of the temple building activities led J. Wellhausen (the Protestant, father of so-called “documentary hipotesis”) to conclude that the Tabernacle from Sinai, as described in P, was the copy – not the prototype – of the temple at Jerusalem. This opinion spreaded among the scholars. Further and more nowadays researches however, have shown that this conclusion is one-sided. In fact, the construction of the Tabernacle in the wilderness can no longer be regarded as a fiction of the late Priesty writers. Chapters 25-31 and 35-40 describe the system of worship with goes back to Moses and contain elements of great antiquity. With these are mixed others which reflect the development of worship in the course of the history of Israel. The composition and redaction of whole of the narrative is late.

Although it is not historical data which are the most important in elaborate account of the Tabernacle. One of it’s pivotal theological idea is the completion of God’s work of creation. We can notice conscious efforts of Priestly autor to join the account of the Tabernacle with the description of the creation of the world (Gen 1:1-2:4a), text also attribited to the Priestly tradition. Author of Exodus’ account achives it not only by using similar vocabulary and phrases, but also by using seven-fold pattern in dividing the Tabernacle’s description. The detailed exegetical investigation shows that the goal of this assimilation is as follows: the Tabernacle plays principal role in cosmos. Creation is not quite complete until the Tabernacle is built. The order of creation is not fully finished until Israelite society and the Tabernacle cult are constructed. In ancient Near Eastern cosmogonies (of which the priestly creation account in Gen 1 is a typical example) the apogee of creation is the construction of a sanctuary for the god-creator. In P this apogee is deferred to Exodus, especially to Ex 39-40. The extensive verbal and thematical parallels between Gen 1 and the Tabernacle account form an inclusio indicating that creation of the world and construction of the God’s Tent belong to a single narrative that culminates in the erection of the wilderness Yahweh’s sanctuary.

Priestly literature repetedly highlights the centrality of the Taberna-cle. It was located in the very centre of the Israelite camp, as P’s elaborate map in Numbers 2 makes clear. The inaugural ceremony for the Tabernacle (Ex 40 and Lev 8-10) – during which the Tabernacle was erected, the divine presence entered it in the sign of Glory, and its priesthood was installed – also attest to its pivotal position in Priestly theology. Tabernacle – like Sinai before – is the place of revelation of God’s law (Lev 1:1). It is a sacred center, dwelling of God.

A philosophy of language that incorporates the manifestation of divinity shed liberally upon the psyche of humanity without violence or chaos as in that which is common to the powers and sovereignties of human beings is critical to the understanding of Holy Writ. The discourse presented here is primarily intended to foster a better general understanding of the divine directive given to Mosheh by Yahweh to build the wilderness sanctuary in order to objectify his majestic presence among them and draw their attention periodically to his Shekinah glory. It is the author’s deep desire to encourage ministers of religion, students and teachers of theology, linguistics, philology, and grammar, to develop an approach to biblical studies that take into account the biblical languages that were the sheaths for the sword of the word. A cursory reading of this script should generate active interest in these languages.

The following is a summary and provisional account of these presentations. Much of the material and data is presented here for the first time. Architecture and geometric pottery retain pride of place in this publication. New evidence from the Mycenaean era throws light on the first open air sanctuary. Information and analysis regarding the provenance of the building material and quarries are here collected for the first time. Of particular importance concerning the history of religion is the reexamination of the testimonia shedding light on the early cults of Hyakinthos and Apollo. Various methodological approaches, possibilities and limitations of the readability were discussed in detail, as well as jointly discoursed questions of possible relationships and interactions with other sanctuaries.

Abstract
This contribution is part of a research concerning the spatial dimension of religious manifestations, specifically the phenomenon of sanctuaries. In particular I aim to pro- vide a first recognition of the appellations regarding worship places in the Actus Sil- vestri, focusing mostly on the places implicitly founded on the legend: this is the case of St. Sylvester’s sanctuary in Priscilla’s cemetery on the via Salaria, and St. Sylvester monastery on Mount Soratte. The latter cannot be properly defined as a sanctuary: how- ever, considering its interesting and complicated vicissitude, it would be worthy of fur- ther and in-dept research.
Résumé
Cette contribution s’insère dans le cadre d’une recherche sur la dimension spatiale des manifestations religieuses, en particulier sur la question des sanctuaires. Ce travail offre une première étude des dénominations des lieux de culte cités dans les Actus Sylvestri. Notre attention s’est surtout concentrée sur les sites de fondation légendaire comme le sanctuaire de Saint Sylvestre, dans le cimetière de Priscilla sur la via Salaria, et l’ermitage du même saint sur le mont Soratte. En réalité, ce dernier n’est pas identi- fiable comme un sanctuaire, mais la question, complexe et intéressante, mériterait des recherches ultérieures plus approfondies.

Both Revelation's apocalyptic opening of heaven, and its portrayal of heavenly space in cultic terms, have been extensively studied by scholars. The intersection of these two features, however, has not received significant attention. This article examines references to the opening of the heavenly sanctuary in Revelation, arguing that they relate primarily, though not only, to judgment. It then turns to Revelation 21, where there is a striking change in cultic language, in particular the statement of the sanctuary's absence (Rev 21:22). It argues that this shift is a coherent development from open sanctuary language earlier in Revelation, but one that lays the emphasis on salvation. Finally, comparison to heavenly openings in other biblical and apocalyptic texts uncovers parallel motifs whilst suggesting that Revelation stands apart in the extent of its emphasis upon first judgment and then salvation.