Cult and Cosmos

The association between creation and temple is a key element of the
cultural context of the Hebrew Bible, and foundational for understanding
its cultic theology. Situated within the common cultic ideology of the
ancient Near East, Israel's temple on the mountain of God was considered
the central axis and navel of creation, its architecture, furnishings,
and rituals pervaded by cosmogonic symbolism. Having emerged out of the
twentieth century's predisposed disdain for priestly material, the
theological prominence of the temple within the Hebrew Bible is
increasingly recognized by scholars. This volume, republishing pivotal
scholarship on the interface of cult and cosmos, forms a primer on this
significant area of study, tracing major voices in the conversation,
from archaeological and ancient Near Eastern studies to biblical studies
and the theological prospect of Israel's cultus.