留学生作业代写：Presentation of Solomon’s Temple and Its Symbolism

下面为大家整理一篇优秀的essay代写范文- Presentation of Solomon’s Temple and Its Symbolism，供大家参考学习，这篇论文讨论了所罗门圣殿的表现及其象征意义。所罗门圣殿是《圣经》记载的建筑物，位于耶路撒冷，欧、亚、非三大洲的连接处。所罗门圣殿是为犹太教主神耶和华建造的殿宇，因而具有神圣性。当时的统治者通过这座华丽的圣殿向人们传达了他的王权和当时的文化、宗教的历史，以巩固他的统治地位。

Solomon’s Temple usually attracts archaeologists’ attention to its constituent elements and minutiae, which provided ancient Near Eastern parallels for architectural features, furnishings, and decorative motifs, and grabs biblical scholars’ attention to its general religious significance of the structure. However, generally regarded as a symbolic representation of the heavenly abode and of creation, the symbolism of its aggregate structure and its uniquely Israelite aspects are paid little attention. In this presentation, the symbolic meaning of the Temple is going to be explained and the Temple will be reconstructed, based on both archaeological and biblical evidence.

The Temple is roughly divided into two parts, which are the outer courtyard and the Temple interior.

First of all, according to the account in 1 Kings, the outer courtyard at the Temple entrance contained an immense tank called “the molten sea”, ten “lavers”, five of which positioned to the right of the entrance and five to the left, and two towering pillars. All of them were cast in bronze and all of them have correspond entarchaeological parallels.

The immense “molten sea”, which rested on the backs of twelve cast-bronze oxen, once functioned in priestly ablutions by the time of the Chronicler, but the fact that no practical application is offered for the “sea” during the time of Solomon indicates that the tank served a symbolic purpose. Another supposition is that it symbolized the conflict between Sea and the other gods and early Mesopotamian tradition mentioned that an early second-millennium BCE king of Mari, Yahdum-Lim claimed victories at the sacred sea and in the sacred forest.

The lavers, which were wheeled carts decorated with reliefs of lions, oxen, cherubim and palm trees, based upon a Chronicles text, are supposed to support basins used for rinsing parts of the burnt offering. The basin, in the practices of Eli’s sons at the shrine in Shiloh, was used to boil sacrificial meat. It is presumed that the ten carts represented ten constituent groups or tribes.

The two freestanding pillars flanking the Temple porch entrance are generally agreed to attest to Yahweh’s presence and power, for they have been considered as gateposts or mythological “trees of life”, and they have been also regarded as other functions, such as stylish ornaments, fire altars, imitation Egyptian obelisks and symbols for Yahweh. Such temple pillars or posts, which resemble flowering trees or branches, may symbolize the divine attributes of longevity and fruitfulness, or virility and fertility, which could be bestowed on supplicants or animals in the stalls.

Secondly, the Temple also incorporated symbolism associated with the divine king, like the courtyard. The doors were adorned with gild carved-wood reliefs of cherubim, ornamental palms and calyxes. Inside the Temple, the walls had the same gilded carvings as the doors and the lotus chain and guilloche border of wall painting showed the design decorative borders of the Temple carvings.

Composite creatures such as cherubim with winged felines and human faces or griffins with winged felines and bird faces filled with the Temple and it is said that they were to serve the deities. In addition, in carved stone wall reliefs, painted murals and cylinder sealings, these composite creatures flank palms or stylized trees, either feeding from the tree or guarding it, while later, an actual deity replaces the tree. This scene of a “sacred tree” with flaking creatures was usually incorporated into a larger scene that included deities with priests, kings or servants. It is preserved that the mural was painted on a thin layer of mud plaster to the right of the entrance into the throne room, and it is thought to be a scene where a royal ritual or ceremony was taking place, perhaps the annual induction of the statue of Ishtar into the palace.

Furthermore, cherubim in association with trees, as common elements in royal and cultic contexts in ancient Near Eastern art, have special meaning. Cherubim were stationed by Yahweh to guard the way to the tree of life in the garden of Eden and a deity then replaced the tree, which indicates that the tree symbolized divinity or divinity powers. Solomon may adopt this motif of tree with flanking cherubim and the Temple itself thus represented the garden of Eden, Yahweh’s residence and audience hall on earth, and although there was an absence of deity and the king from the Solomonic depictions, it is thought that the cherubim transported Yahweh down into the garden, formed his throne and protected him.

There were also “divine” footprints, about one meter long, stand in the portico entrance, and then tread on the thresholds, first left and then right, leading into the cella, indicating that the deity inhabiting the Temple was of superhuman size. 

At last, it is miraculous that without explicit royal imagery from the Temple the divine Solomon’s kingship was perceived through the symbols in the Temple courtyard as well as the interior of the Temple. As the whole Temple symbolized the garden of Eden, it is reasonable that the outer courtyard symbols together with the Temple were established to convey Yahweh’s successful enthronement of the monarchy. With offerings, Yahweh entered the Temple, bestowed blessings on the king and the people. Solomon adopted this kind of architectural structure to reinforce his ideological position. He conveyed to people the history of his kingship and the culture, religion of that time through a splendidly constructed temple.

It is undeniable that symbols, images and architectures are lively with their rich meanings. Like Solomon, he needed a tool to instruct worshipers in the implicit and explicit meanings of the cult symbols to consolidate the monarch rule. Solomon’s Temple, though hundreds of years far from us, was able to convey abundant information through its symbols on the pillars, tank, lavers, wall mural, and so on. As Rainer Albertz summarized, the literary record of Solomon’s Temple produces a revised image of the temple and its symbolic function in the Israelite cult, and I think that it is a precious material for studies of Israelite history.

51due留学教育原创版权郑重声明：原创essay代写范文源自编辑创作，未经官方许可，网站谢绝转载。对于侵权行为，未经同意的情况下，51Due有权追究法律责任。主要业务有essay代写、assignment代写、paper代写服务。

51due为留学生提供最好的essay代写服务，亲们可以进入主页了解和获取更多essay代写范文 提供美国作业代写服务，详情可以咨询我们的客服QQ：800020041。-ZR