Holy of Holies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Holy of Holies is a term in the Hebrew Bible which referred to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem which could be entered by the High Priest only on Yom Kippur. Contemporary Judaism and certain branches of Christianity, including the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and the the Latter-day Saints, continue to have a tradition of a Holy of Holies which they regard as a most sacred site.
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[edit] Judaism
The Kadosh Hakadashim, Hebrew: (Biblical: קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים Qṓḏeš HaqQŏḏāšîm), "Holy of Holies", the most sacred site in traditional Judaism, is the inner sanctuary within the Tabernacle and Temple in Jerusalem when Solomon's Temple and the Second Temple were standing. Traditional Judaism regards the location where the inner sanctuary was originally located, on the Temple Mount in Mount Moriah, as retaining some or all of its original sanctity for use in a future Third Temple. The exact location of the Kadosh Hakadashim is a subject of dispute.
[edit] Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church has received the Tradition of the Holy of Holies in the Temple area. The altar in an Orthodox Church is in a restricted area behind the ikon screen, or ikonostasion. This is usually punctuated by three doors if it is large enough, the middle one being the Holy Doors or Royal Doors. This will also have a veil, usually embroided with the symbol of the Cherubim or a cross. Only Orthodox males may enter the Sanctuary space, and only if there exist the other doors besides the Royal ones. This is for the laity. The priests and bishops are allowed to enter the Royal doors and thus stand in front of the altar, and touch anything thereon. All other Orthodox males may not touch it and must walk round behind it when serving. At the churching of Orthodox children when they are 40 days old, if the male child has been baptized he will be brought inside the Sanctuary by the priest; the female child is not admitted. Historically the only exception to the rule of non clerical males not being permitted to stand before the altar have been the Russian Czars on the day of their coronation. The name in Greek for the Sanctuary is the Ieron Vema.
[edit] Ethiopian Orthodox Church
A cognate term in Ge'ez is found in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church: Qidduse Qiddusan, referring to the innermost sanctuary of an Orthodox Christian church building, where only clergy may enter.
[edit] Latter-day Saints
The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints contains a Holy of Holies wherein the church's President—acting as the Presiding High Priest—enters to fulfill the relationship between the High Priest of Israel and God in accordance with the LDS interpretation of the Book of Exodus (Exodus 25:22) and modern revelation.
