(<■) The special sanctity of mouiila inn anA hig/i hilbi wui a widespread belief, not confined to the Semites, in the ancient world. The earliest sanctuary of whh-h wo have any historical, as distinguished fl-om legendary, record In OT is the mountain sanctuary of IIokeu-Sixai, 'the mountain of (iod' (KxS', cf. 1 K lllS), IIermos, as its name implies, was invested with similar sanctitv. Within tho limits of Canaan the names of C'akmel 1 1 K lsl9ir.), the opposing peaks of Khai. and Gekizim, Taiiok (llos .■>!), and tho Mr. or Olives (2 S l.')32) nt once suggest theiu- selves. These, after all, are insignificant In number conipan .1 with the innumerable 'high places' or .V/oi/.Wiwith which the land was studded (see Hi.oi Place, vol. il. ii. «sl, for ample retl.). Down to the Vth cent. n.c. the religious customs of the Hebrews reciuired that everv town and village should have its local sanctuarv, just as In Christian lands every j-arish has its church. Kroiii th'e interesting narrative 1 S !ll2tl'. in-', we learn that these sanctuaries were situated on tho nearest commanding eminence. Where no such eminence was available, the sanctuary, it has been supposed, was erected upon an artillclal mound (cf. .ler. 731, 2 K 179). The usual tvpo, however, of the artllicial sanctuary, that Is, a sanctuarv created bv human hands to mark the site ol a special Divine m'anifestation, was the sacred pillar or maszibah or the sacred stone-circle (y^,>) or cromlech (see, for details. Pillar, vol. 111., and cf. Altar, vol. I. p. 75).
Several of the above-mentioned sanctuaries had a more than local reputation. Those of greatest repute in the Northern Kingdom were Bethel, the chief 'royal sanctuary' (1^5 i^'lC"?, AV 'the king's chapel,' Am T'*), with its companion sanctuary Dan ; Gilgal (Am 4*, Hos 41^ etc.); and the far dis- tant Beersheba (Am ifi 8'*), A favourite sanctuary 1 was at (Jibeon, 'the great high place' (1 K :!<"), I where Solomon's inaugural .sacrifices were offered. In the period from the comiuesl to the building of th(! temple, the presence of the ark gave a special sanctity to the place of its location. Thus there can be no doubt that Sim.oH was the principal sanctuary in the time of the judges; a special temple (T~ ) was built for the greater safety of the ark, with the house of F.li as its miiiistrant priests. Hence the annual religious festival at Shiloh was one of exceptional importance (.Ig 21'^ 1 S I''-'). Whether the impculant sanctuary at Nob was contemporary with that at Shiloh is uncertaui ;
• We do not Include here the gmven of the Hebrew patrlarchn and heroes, since It Is still a moot point to what extent, If at all, these were places of worship for their descendants.
396
SANCTUAKY
SANCTUAEY
the first mention of it occurs after the destruction of the latter (1 S 2V''-), but this may be accidental. All the sacred places of the South, however, were soon eclipsed by the royal sanctuaiy at Jerusalem, raised on the spot consecrated by the theophany at the threshing - floor of Araunah (2 S 24'8- "i, 2Ch3').
Round these ancient shrines centred the religious life of the Hebrews in early times. Hither they flocked as the annual festivals came round, at the recurring new moons and sabbaths, to otter their tithes, their fir?t-fruits, and their sacrifices. Un- fortunately, we can only partially reconstruct either the equipment of these sanctuaries or the cere- monies which characterized the worship of an- tieiuitj', with its sacrificial meal and the joyous intercourse of the sacral community. ^\ ituout unnecessarily repeating the facts already given in the article High Place (§ iv. vol. ii. p. 382), we may note the indispensable altar with its almost universal adjuncts, the sacred i>i\\a.r [mazzibah) and the sacred pole ('asherah), the hall (ns^'^ 1 S 9*^) or halls in wliich the sacrificial feast was held, a temple or shrine (ni03 r"? 1 K 12^' and elsewhere) for the protection of the sacred images which formed part of the equipment of some sanctuaries at least, such as the mysterious Ephod and the almost equally mj'sterious Teraphim (see commen- taries on Hos 3^
5h»llc* Cutt.no im t»i Roc
20 Flet
nQt(r . ^•l6)N.Dt(»
til. 1. 1, 1. 1
--4ti«.0tt* IfiliiOtUk—
PLA.N OP UIQH PLACR, PETRA.
The recent discovery of what must have been the royal Banctuan- of Ecioin, close to the ruins of Petra, affords very material aid in the reconstruction above desiderated. Near tli'e summit of a mountain overlooking Petra • were found two rock-
* The following is bn-sed on an article by Professor Robinson of Chicago (who, though not the first to visit the site, was the flret to realize its importance, April 1900\ entitled "The High Place at Petra in Edoin,' in the Biblical World, Jan. isni ; and on an earlier article bv Professor Ives Curtifis (who visited the tife in July 1900) in PKt'St. Oct. 1900.
cut * obelisk -like columns,' about IS ft. in height, and soini 100 ft. apart, clearly the mazzebahg of OT. On the actuaj summit was a large court, 47 ft. by 20, hewn in the rock to the depth in parts of 18 in., and approached from below by a etair cut in the rock. Near the centre of the court sufficient rock haa been left to form a raised platform 5 It. by 2^, and 4 in. in height. It has been suggested that here the wor- shipper stood whose victim was being offered, the rest of the worshippers standing in the surrounding court. On the west of the latter, facing the raised platform, stands the altar, 9 ft. by 6, in height 3 ft., cut free on all sides from the surrounding rock, and furnished on the side towards the court with a short flight of four steps. On the topmost step, which is considerably the largest, stood the officiating priest. In the centre of the upper surface of the altar a rectangular depression has been hewn out to serve as the altar-hearth. Immediately to the south of the altar, and approached from it by steps, the rock presents a flat surface with two large ' circxilar and concentric ' cups hewn out with vertical sides, the larger 3 ft. 10 in., the smaller 1 ft. o in. in diameter. Here the sacrifices may have been prepared, as a conduit leading from the lower cup seems to have sensed to carry away the blood of the victims. For further details reference must be made to the articles cited, both of which ore illustrated by photographs and drawings.