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The Holy of Holies is a term in the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible

The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written mostly in Biblical Hebrew with some Biblical Aramaic....
 which referred to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle
Tabernacle

The Tabernacle is known in Hebrew language as the Mishkan . It was a portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan....
 and later the Temple in Jerusalem
Temple in Jerusalem

The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to a series of structures located on the Temple Mount in the old city of Jerusalem. Historically, two temples were built at this location, and a The Third Temple features in Jewish eschatology....
 which could be entered only by the High Priest
Kohen Gadol

Kohen Gadol or Kohen ha-Gadol is the title of wiktionary:High Priest of early Israelite religion and of Classical Age Judaism from the rise of the Israelite nation until the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem....
 on Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur , also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays. Its central themes are Atonement in Judaism and Repentance in Judaism....
.

Contemporary Judaism
Judaism

Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts....
 and certain branches of Christianity
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
, including the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian communion in the world with an estimated 225 million members worldwide. It is considered by its adherents to be the Four Marks of the Church established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles nearly 2000 years ago....
, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and the Latter-day Saints, continue to have a tradition of a Holy of Holies which they regard as a most sacred site.
Kodesh Hakodashim, Hebrew
Hebrew language

Hebrew is a Semitic languages of the Afro-Asiatic languages. Modern Hebrew is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Classical Hebrew is used for prayer or study in Jews communities around the world....
: (Biblical: ), "Holy of Holies", the most sacred site in traditional Judaism
Judaism

Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts....
, is the inner sanctuary within the Tabernacle
Tabernacle

The Tabernacle is known in Hebrew language as the Mishkan . It was a portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan....
 and Temple in Jerusalem
Temple in Jerusalem

The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to a series of structures located on the Temple Mount in the old city of Jerusalem. Historically, two temples were built at this location, and a The Third Temple features in Jewish eschatology....
 when Solomon's Temple and the Second Temple
Second Temple

The Second Temple was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BCE and 70 CE. During this time, it was the center of Judaism worship, which focused on the sacrifices known as the korbanot....
 were standing.






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The Holy of Holies is a term in the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible

The term Hebrew Bible is a generic reference to those books of the Bible originally written mostly in Biblical Hebrew with some Biblical Aramaic....
 which referred to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle
Tabernacle

The Tabernacle is known in Hebrew language as the Mishkan . It was a portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan....
 and later the Temple in Jerusalem
Temple in Jerusalem

The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to a series of structures located on the Temple Mount in the old city of Jerusalem. Historically, two temples were built at this location, and a The Third Temple features in Jewish eschatology....
 which could be entered only by the High Priest
Kohen Gadol

Kohen Gadol or Kohen ha-Gadol is the title of wiktionary:High Priest of early Israelite religion and of Classical Age Judaism from the rise of the Israelite nation until the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem....
 on Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur , also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays. Its central themes are Atonement in Judaism and Repentance in Judaism....
.

Contemporary Judaism
Judaism

Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts....
 and certain branches of Christianity
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
, including the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian communion in the world with an estimated 225 million members worldwide. It is considered by its adherents to be the Four Marks of the Church established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles nearly 2000 years ago....
, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and the Latter-day Saints, continue to have a tradition of a Holy of Holies which they regard as a most sacred site.

Judaism

The Kodesh Hakodashim, Hebrew
Hebrew language

Hebrew is a Semitic languages of the Afro-Asiatic languages. Modern Hebrew is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Classical Hebrew is used for prayer or study in Jews communities around the world....
: (Biblical: ), "Holy of Holies", the most sacred site in traditional Judaism
Judaism

Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts....
, is the inner sanctuary within the Tabernacle
Tabernacle

The Tabernacle is known in Hebrew language as the Mishkan . It was a portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan....
 and Temple in Jerusalem
Temple in Jerusalem

The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to a series of structures located on the Temple Mount in the old city of Jerusalem. Historically, two temples were built at this location, and a The Third Temple features in Jewish eschatology....
 when Solomon's Temple and the Second Temple
Second Temple

The Second Temple was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BCE and 70 CE. During this time, it was the center of Judaism worship, which focused on the sacrifices known as the korbanot....
 were standing. Traditional Judaism
Judaism

Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts....
 regards the location where the inner sanctuary was originally located, on the Temple Mount
Temple Mount

The Temple Mount , also known as Mount Moriah and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary , is a religious site in the Old City of Jerusalem of Jerusalem....
 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.

The Kadosh Hakadashim was located in the westernmost end of the Temple building, being a perfect cube: 10 cubit
Cubit

File:Cubit rule Egyptian NK from Liverpool museum.jpgA cubit is the first recorded unit of length and was one of many different standards of measurement used through history....
s by 10 cubits, by 10 cubits. The inside was in total darkness and contained the Ark of the Covenant
Ark of the Covenant

The Ark of the Covenant is described in the Bible as a sacred container, where in rested the Tablets of stone containing the Ten Commandments as well as Aaron's rod and manna....
, gilded inside and out, in which were placed the Tablets of the Covenant
Tablets of stone

The Tablets of Stone, Stone Tablets, Tablets of Law, or Tablets of Testimony in the Bible, were the two pieces of special stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments when Moses ascended Mount Sinai as recorded in the Book of Exodus....
, the Rod of Aaron and a pot of manna
Manna

Manna , sometimes or archaically spelt mana, is the name of a food which, according to the Bible, was eaten by the Israelites during their travels in the desert....
. The Ark was covered with a gilded lid known as the "mercy seat
Mercy seat

According to the Bible, the mercy seat was an object which rested upon the Ark of the Covenant, and was connected with the rituals of Yom Kippur; the term also appears in the Pauline Epistles, and has a significance in Christian theology....
" for the Divine Presence
Shekhinah

File:SpiritUponDavid.jpgShekhinah is the English spelling of a grammatically feminine Hebrew language word that means the dwelling or settling, and is used to denote the dwelling or settling presence of God, especially in the Temple in Jerusalem....
. When the Temple was rebuilt after the Babylonian captivity
Babylonian captivity

The Babylonian captivity, or Babylonian exile, is the name typically given to the deportation and exile of the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon in 586 BCE....
, the Ark was no longer present in the Holy of Holies; instead, a portion of the floor was raised slightly to indicate the place where it had stood. Josephus
Josephus

Josephus , also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu and, after he became a Roman citizenship, as Titus Flavius Josephus, was a first-century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and royal ancestry who survived and recorded the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70....
 records that Pompey
Pompey

Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, commonly known as Pompey /'p?mpi/, Pompey the Great or Pompey the Triumvir , was a distinguished military and political leader of the late Roman Republic....
 profaned the Temple by entering the Holy of Holies.

The Holy of Holies was hidden by a veil
Veil

A veil is an article of clothing, worn almost exclusively by women, that is intended to cover some part of the head or face. As a religious item, it is intended to show honor to an object or space....
, and no one was permitted to enter except the High Priest
Kohen Gadol

Kohen Gadol or Kohen ha-Gadol is the title of wiktionary:High Priest of early Israelite religion and of Classical Age Judaism from the rise of the Israelite nation until the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem....
, and even he could only enter once a year on Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur , also known in English as the Day of Atonement, is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holidays. Its central themes are Atonement in Judaism and Repentance in Judaism....
, to offer the blood of sacrifice and incense
Incense

Incense is composed of aromatic Biotic material materials. It releases fragrant smoke when burned. The term incense refers to the substance itself, rather than to the odor that it produces....
 before the mercy seat.

Hebrew idiom

The construction "Holy of Holies" is a literal translation of a Hebrew idiom which is intended to express a superlative. Similar constructions are found elsewhere:
  • servant of servants (Gen 9:25)
  • Holy of Holies (Ex 26:33)
  • Sabbath of sabbaths (Ex 31:15)
  • Heaven of heavens (Deut 10:14)
  • God of gods (Deut 10:17)
  • Lord of lords (Deut 10:17)
  • Vanity of vanities (Eccl 1:2)
  • Song of songs (Song of Solomon 1:1)
  • Prince of princes (Dan. 8:25)


Most Holy Place

In the King James Version of the Bible
King James Version of the Bible

The Authorized King James Version is an English language translation of the Christian Bible begun in 1604 and first published in 1611 by the Church of England....
, "Holy of Holies" is always translated as "Most Holy Place". This is in keeping with the intention of the Hebrew idiom to express the utmost degree of holiness.

The King James Version of the Bible has been in existence for nearly four hundred years. For most of that time, it was a primary reference in much of the English speaking world for information about Judaism. Thus, the name "Most Holy Place" is used to refer to the "Holy of Holies" in many English documents.

Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian communion in the world with an estimated 225 million members worldwide. It is considered by its adherents to be the Four Marks of the Church established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles nearly 2000 years ago....
 has received the Tradition
Sacred Tradition

Sacred Tradition or Holy Tradition is a technical theological term used in some Christian traditions, primarily in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox traditions, to refer to the fundamental basis of church authority....
 of the Holy of Holies in the Temple area. The Holy Table (altar) in an Orthodox temple is in a restricted area behind the iconostasis
Iconostasis

In Eastern Christianity an iconostasis , also called the templon, is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church ....
 (icon screen). The entire area behind the iconostasis is known as the "Altar
Altar

An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices and votive offerings are made for religion, or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place....
" or the "Holy Place", and corresponds directly to the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem Temple.

The iconostasis is usually punctuated by three doors, the middle one being the Holy Doors or Royal Doors (sometimes, in very small chapels, there will only be one side door). There will also be a veil
Veil

A veil is an article of clothing, worn almost exclusively by women, that is intended to cover some part of the head or face. As a religious item, it is intended to show honor to an object or space....
 behind the Holy Doors, usually embroided with the symbol of the Cherubim or a cross. Only Orthodox clergy or those who have permission to do so may enter the holy space behind the iconostasis. Persons below the rank of deacon
Deacon

Deacon is a role in the Christianity that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions....
 may enter only if there exist the other doors besides the Royal Doors. Bishops, priests and deacons are allowed to enter the Royal Doors, but only at specific times during the services; and they alone may stand in front of the Holy Table, or touch it. All others are forbidden to touch the Holy Table and must walk round behind it when serving. At the churching
Churching of women

In Christian tradition the Churching of Women is the ceremony wherein a blessing is given to mothers after recovery from childbirth. The ceremony includes thanksgiving for the woman's survival of childbirth, and is performed even when the child is stillborn, or has died unbaptized....
 of Orthodox children when they are 40 days old, if a male child has been baptized he will be brought inside the Sanctuary by the priest; the female child is instead placed in front of the icon
Icon

An 'icon' is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from Eastern Christianity. More broadly the term is used in a wide number of contexts for an image, picture, or representation; it is a sign or likeness that stands for an object by signifying or representing it either concretely or by analogy, as in semiotics; by extension, ...
 of the Theotokos
Theotokos

Theotokos is a title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches....
 on the iconostasis.

Anyone lower in rank than a deacon must receive a blessing from the priest before he enters the Holy Place. Historically the only exception to the rule of non clerical males being forbidden to stand before the Holy Table have been the Russian Tsar
Tsar

Tsar or czar , occasionally spelled csar or tzar in English language, is a slavs term designating certain monarchs.Originally, the title Czar meant Emperor in the European medieval sense of the term, that is, a ruler who has the same rank as a Ancient Rome or Byzantine emperor due to recognition by another emperor or...
s on the day of their coronation
Coronation

A coronation is a ceremony marking the investiture of a monarch with regal power, specifically involving the placement of a coronation crown upon his or her head, and the presentation of other items of regalia....
. After his anointing
Anointing

To anoint is to pour or smear with perfumed oil, milk, water, melted butter or other substances, a process employed ritually by many religions and races....
, the new Tsar would be escorted through the Holy Doors to a small table set near the Holy Table (Altar), and there he would be given Holy Communion by the Metropolitan of Moscow in the same manner as priests. For the most part, women are forbidden to enter the sanctuary, with the exception of elderly nun
Nun

A Nun is a woman who has taken special vows committing her to a religious life. She may be an monasticism who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent....
s who may be blessed to assist the priest during services, and an abbess
Abbess

An abbess is the female religious superior, or Mother Superior, of an abbey of nuns.In Roman Catholic and Anglican abbeys, the mode of election, position, rights, and authority of an abbess correspond generally with those of an abbot....
 in her own monastery
Monastery

Monastery , a term derived from the Greek language word ???ast?????, neut. of ???ast????? - monasterios denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of Monk, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in Cenobium or alone ....
, who is free to enter at any time. No one, male or female, typically is allowed to enter the sanctuary without good reason.

The name in Greek for the Sanctuary is the Ieron Vema (see Bemah), in Russian
Russian language

Russian is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages, and the largest native language in Europe....
 it is called Svatiy Oltar.

Ethiopian Orthodox Church

A cognate
Cognate

Cognates in linguistics are words that have a common etymology origin.An example of cognates within the same language would be English shirt vs....
 term in Ge'ez
Ge'ez language

Ge'ez is an ancient South Semitic language that developed in the current region of Eritrea and northern Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa. It later became the official language of the Kingdom of Aksum and Ethiopian imperial court....
 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.

Latter-day Saints

Saltlaketemple
The Salt Lake Temple
Salt Lake Temple

The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church overall, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon pioneers from Nauvoo, Illinois....
 of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) contains a Holy of Holies wherein the Church's President
President of the Church (Mormonism)

In the Latter Day Saint movement, the President of the Church is generally considered to be the highest office of the church. It is the office held by Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the movement, and the office assumed by many of Smith's claimed successors, such as Brigham Young, Joseph Smith III, Sidney Rigdon, and James Strang....
—acting as the Presiding High Priest—enters to fulfill the relationship between the High Priest of Israel and God
God the Father

In many religions, the supreme deity is given the title and attributions of Father. In many forms of polytheism, the highest god has been conceived as a "father of gods and of men"....
 in accordance with the LDS interpretation of the Book of Exodus and modern revelation.

Non Religious Use of the term


The expression 'Holy of Holies' has also been used in non-religious descriptions of any place that is regarded with a special veneration. This can include exclusive clubs or places where only those with the right credentials will be allowed in - though it can also be used humorously as well of just about anywhere.




See also

  • Foundation Stone
  • Honden
    Honden

    File:Ube Shrine honden.jpegThe , also called is the Most Holy Place at a Shinto Shinto shrine, intended purely for the use of the enshrined kami, usually symbolized by a mirror or sometimes by a statue....
  • Most Holy Place
    Most Holy Place

    Many religious traditions have a most sacred site, a physical location which is considered especially holy. These sites include among others a location within the inner Tabernacle of Moses, the Kaaba, the city of Varanasi, India, the Shrine of Bah?'u'll?h, and Harimandir Sahib....
  • Solomon's Temple
  • Sanctum Sanctorum
    Sanctum sanctorum

    The Latin phrase sanctum sanctorum means literally "Holy of Holies." It was originally applied in a religious context to the most sacred place within a sacred building, such as a temple....
  • Pompey
    Pompey

    Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, commonly known as Pompey /'p?mpi/, Pompey the Great or Pompey the Triumvir , was a distinguished military and political leader of the late Roman Republic....