Astronomical symbolism of the Jewish Temple

[Gman]

When we look at the stars (the heavens) we cannot help but to admire the works of God. God is completely interwoven into the universe and the planets so we shouldn't be surprised that he mimicked this pattern into His divine temple. God's temple (tabernacle) was a physical replica of the heavens and we have scripture to confirm this Hebrews 8:5;Hebrews 9:23-25;Exodus 25:40.

But what about the physical identity of the temple? How was it perceived back then? We have scripture that gives us the outline of the temple and it's furnishings (Exodus 25) but a lot of it is not very clear. Fortunately for us we have a few historians that can give us some better insight into this. One of them was the first-century Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus.

According to Josephus, the Jewish temple represented the universal visibility of heaven in "War of the Jews", Book V, chapter 5:4. Also in his book “Antiquities of the Jews” chapter VI:7, he writes about the candlestick (menorah) representing, interestingly enough, the seven (visible) planets.

"Over against this table, near the southern wall, was set a candlestick of cast gold, hollow within, being of the weight of one hundred pounds, which the Hebrews call Chinchares; if it be turned into the Greek language, it denotes a talent. It was made with its knops, and lilies, and pomegranates, and bowls (which ornaments amounted to seventy in all); by which means the shaft elevated itself on high from a single base, and spread itself into as many branches as there are planets, including the sun among them. It terminated in seven heads, in one row, all standing parallel to one another; and these branches carried seven lamps, one by one, in imitation of the number of planets. These lamps looked to the east and to the south, the candlestick being situated obliquely.”

Next in Chapter VII:7, Josephus makes the claim that the table of shewbread and it's twelve loaves of bread represented the twelve months of the year.

Still not convinced? Well we have no farther to look than our next Jewish historian named Philo Judaeus. Philo seems to be giving another dramatic picture of the temple and it's heavenly symbolism. He also writes of the menorah.

"XLV. (221) But the long discussion which some people start with respect to each of these, must be postponed to a subsequent opportunity. This much alone we must remind our readers of at this moment, that the sacred candlestick and the seven lights upon it are an imitation of the wandering of the seven planets through the heaven. How so? some one will say. (222) Because, we will reply, in the same manner as the lights, so also does every one of the planets shed its rays. They therefore, being more brilliant, do transmit more brilliant beams to the earth, and brilliant beyond them all is he who is the centre one of the seven, the sun. (224) But men, being unable completely to comprehend the arrangement of the planets (and in fact what other of the heavenly bodies can they understand with certainty and clearness?) speak according to their conjectures. And these persons appear to me to form the best conjectures on such subjects, who, having assigned the central position to the sun, say that there is an equal number of planets, namely, those above him and below him. Those above him being Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars; then comes the Sun himself, and next to him Mercury, Venus, and the Moon, which last is close to the air. (225) The Creator therefore, wishing that there should be a model upon earth among us of the seven-lighted sphere as it exists in heaven, explained this exquisite work to be made, namely, this candlestick."

Here we have Philo saying that the menorah in the temple represents the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

And we have other sources outside the Bible that confirms this. In the Midrash in Deut. 1:9, it states..

"R. Simeon b. Yochai says, In the future the faces of the righteous will resemble seven joyous things: the sun, the moon, the sky, the stars, the lightning, lilies, and the menorah of the Temple."



The menorah (candlestick) represented an almond tree (Exodus 25:33) and other symbols, however on the tops of the tree were oil lamps that were lit continually. It is these lights that represented the visible planets, the moon and the sun. The sun being the center light (called the Servant lamp) in which the planets revolved around just like our solar system. Interestingly enough, at the age of Gentile Christianity, two more branches were added to the menorah at the festival of Hanukkah thus giving us a nine branch menorah. Who would know that during the Christian era that two more planets would be found in our solar system? We use to think that there were nine planets in our solar system, but since Pluto fizzled as a planet, we now have a total of eight. Exactly like the current day menorah!



More to come…

[Gman]

Now the Bible seems to be speaking of three heavens which we can also see in the design of the temple. There are numerous texts that reveal an atmosphere (also called firmaments) on earth called the "first heaven" where the birds fly and the clouds form (Revelation 21:1). The "second heaven" was beyond the earth's first atmosphere where the visible planets and stars, including the sun and the moon lived. The "third heaven," that the apostle Paul referred to (in II Corinthians 12:1-4) which he called Paradise, was that of God's official residence which was separate from the other two heavens.

If we look at the temple, we now start getting a picture of this heavenly structure in it's three sections.



When a priest entered entered the temple from the east, he would first enter the court of the Israelites. This first section was an open area with no roof on it just outside the main Temple (above). This "first heaven" symbolized our atmosphere surrounding the earth. The symbolic "second heaven" in the temple began at the eastern curtain in front of the Holy Place where the menorah and table of showbread stood. This curtain, we are told by Josephus, had the principal stars of the heavens displayed on it in tapestry form. We get this interpretation from Josephus book “War of the Jews” Book 5, Chapter 5, verses 4-5. Strangely enough, this curtain was the one that got ripped when Christ died (Matthew 27:51).

"4. As to the holy house itself, which was placed in the midst [of the inmost court] that most sacred part of the temple, it was ascended to by twelve steps; and in front its height and its breadth were equal, and each a hundred cubits, though it was behind thirty cubits narrower; for on its front it had what may be styled shoulders on each side, that passed twenty cubits farther. Its first gate was seventy cubits high, and twenty-five cubits broad; but this gate had no doors; for it represented the universal visibility of heaven, and that it cannot be excluded from any place. Its front was covered with gold all over, and through it the first part of the house, that was more inward did all of it appear; which, as it was very large, so did all the parts' about the more inward gate appear to shine to those that saw them; but then, as the entire house was divided into two parts within, it was only the first part of it that was open to our view. Its height extended all along to ninety cubits in height, and its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth twenty; but that gate which was at this end of the first part of the house was, as we have already observed, all over covered with gold, as was its whole wall about it: it had also golden vines above it, from which clusters of grapes hung as tall as a man's height; but then this house, as it was divided into two parts, the inner part was lower than the appearance of the outer, and had golden doors of twenty-five cubits altitude, and sixteen in breath; but before these doors there was a veil of equal largeness with the doors. It was a Babylonian curtain, embroidered with blue and fine linen, and scarlet. and purple, and of a contexture that was truly wonderful. Nor was this mixture of colours without its mystical interpretation, but was a kind of image of the universe; for by the scarlet, there seemed to be enigmatically signified fire, by the fine flax the earth, by the blue the air, and by the purple the sea; two of them having their colours this foundation of this resemblance; but the fine flax and the purple have their own origin for that foundation, the earth producing the one, and the sea the other. This curtain had also embroidered upon it all that was mystical in the heavens, excepting that of the [twelve] signs, representing living creatures.

5. When any person entered into the temple, its floor received them. This part of the temple therefore was in height sixty cubits, and its length the same.; whereas its breadth was but twenty cubits: but still that sixty cubits in length was divided again, and the first part of it cut off at forty cubits, and had in it three things that were very wonderful and famous among all mankind; the candlestick, the table [of shewbread,] and the altar of incense. Now the seven lamps signified the seven planets; for so many there were springing out of the candlestick. Now, the twelve loaves that were upon the table signified the circle of the zodiac and the year; but the altar of incense, by its thirteen kinds of sweet-smelling spices with which the sea replenished it, signified that God is possessor of all things that are both in the uninhabitable and habitable parts of the earth, and that they are all to be dedicated to his use. But the inmost part of the temple of all was twenty cubits. This was also separated from the outer part by a veil. In this there was nothing at all It was inaccessible and inviolable, and not to be seen by any; and was called the Holy of Holies."

So according to Josephus, west of the main entryway curtain, one could witness the seven planets displayed on the south side in the form of the Menorah (the seven lamps) with the twelve signs of the zodiac (constellations) symbolizing the twelve months displayed on the north side by the twelve loaves of the table of showbread. This second court of the priests represented all the starry heavens above the earth's atmosphere. But beyond this "second heaven," there was yet a "third heaven." This "third heaven" was the Heaven of Heavens, the Holy of Holies where God would dwell.



To summarize, if you were to walk through the temple it would look something like this.

1. From the eastern side you would enter the court of the Israelites called the 1st heaven (our atmosphere).

2. Next you would come in front of the temple with a huge curtain that had twelve zodiacal depictions on it. When you went through this curtain it was if you were breaking through the earth's sky from the "first heaven" into the "second heaven" where the sun, moon and stars dwell (also called the Holy Place). This was symbolized by the candlestick (menorah) and the table of showbread which represented the twelve months of the year and the twelve tribes of Israel.

3. After passing through the universe where all the stars and planets dwell, you would enter through another curtain where God would dwell. This would be known as the "third heaven." It was in this chamber where God's symbol hovered over the ark of the covenant, just above the mercy seat.



We often talk here about the big bang and that it emanated from a single source. In order for this to happen one would have to exist OUTSIDE of space and time. According to the temple design, God lived outside of space and time.

[godslanguage]

Interesting...

[Gman]

Interesting...

I'm still waiting for zoegirl to give me a "neato."

[zoegirl]

WEll now....hmmm, am I getting too predictable?!?

Just for that....groovy!


(It is rather fascinating, as long as we don't delve into that mystical geometry stuff that was posted awhile back !!)

[Gman]

WEll now....hmmm, am I getting too predictable?!?

Just for that....groovy!


(It is rather fascinating, as long as we don't delve into that mystical geometry stuff that was posted awhile back !!)

Yes, this is only just a layout of the temple. Nothing to be worshiped here, it's just a symbol of the heavens.. I think some people take it too far when they take these alignments and then start making predictions and stuff (like astrology). Something we are told not to do.

It is fascinating stuff however. There are a number of Jews that can attest to this model..

[Gman]

Does anyone want to take a tour of the temple? Here is an excellent link of the Bible in 3D..

http://www3.telus.net/public/kstam/en/default.htm

[zoegirl]

that's cool, Gman, I like that sort of thing, 3-D models and such

[waynepii]

We use to think that there were nine planets in our solar system, but since Pluto fizzled as a planet, we now have a total of eight. Exactly like the current day menorah!

What happened to the moon?

[Gman]

What happened to the moon?

It's still there. Technically it's not a planet, however, just like the sun... We are only talking about visible lights here, so the ancients wouldn't have classified them as planets, just lights in the sky. Except for Uranus and Neptune which were added later. Two branches where added to the menorah just before the Christian era and it was during the Christian era that these two other planet's were discovered.

1. Uranus (added in Christian advent, year 1781)
2. Saturn
3. Moon
4. Venus
5. Sun (center servant lamp)
6. Mercury
7. Mars
8. Jupiter
9. Neptune (added in Christian advent, year 1846)

[cslewislover]

Does anyone want to take a tour of the temple? Here is an excellent link of the Bible in 3D..

http://www3.telus.net/public/kstam/en/default.htm

Just an update. I went there and they changed their url: http://www.3dbibleproject.com/en/default.htm

And yes, this is very interesting - I hadn't paid attention to this aspect of the temple before.

[Gman]

Thanks..

G -

[maory]

thanks, im a jew and i didnt know that...
very informative article, looking forward for the next one..

[Gman]

thanks, im a jew and i didnt know that...
very informative article, looking forward for the next one..

Shalom and thank you..

You also may like the article called Jerusalem, the center of the world. Jerusalem and Israel is geographically set to be king of all the nations.

http://discussions.godandscience.org/vi ... =6&t=34905