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.