Temple and Paradise. Some Remarks on the Dynamics of Sacred Place

Abstract

Abstract In ancient eastern literature, the creation of the world could be connected to the building of the temple dedicated to the creator deity. Creation and temple-building represented for the ancient mentality an obvious continuity that legitimized the cult itself. A further connection could be drawn between the primeval world and the Temple Mount of Jerusalem. The present paper analyzes the intertwining elements of the temple on the holy mountain and the garden of paradise, the original place of pleasure in the presence of God, taking into account the primeval stories of Ezekiel and Genesis. Some elements of the biblical stories will be discussed as part of the history of traditions. For studying the concept of paradise, the "rst chapters of the Hebrew Bible are for now to be skipped, because, as it will be assumed, earlier accounts are found in the book of Ezekiel.