Sacred Antiquities

IV. Sacred Antiquities:

The earliest records of Israelitish ancestors refer to special places devoted to worship. While the Israelites were on the march through the wilderness, they were accompanied by a sacred tent. As soon as they had settled in the land of Canaan they adopted numerous sacred high places. There were also sacred trees, stones, fountains, etc. Altars, obelisks, and the Asherah were accompaniments of these places. At these shrines Israelites met to do homage to their Preserver and God. Solomon's Temple was a partial centralization of worship, which, however, did not become complete until the reign of Josiah. The captivity and the exile of the Israelites divorced them from such shrines. On the return, Zerubbabel's Temple once again made Jerusalem the actual center of worship. See Altar, Asherah, Bamah, Temple, etc.

Judaic, Archeology and Biblical

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