Israelite Temples: Where Was Israelite Cult Not Practiced, and Why

Abstract

Most scholars in the late 20th and early 21st century believed that cultic activity in the kingdoms of Israel and Judah was practiced in various temples that were scattered throughout the kingdoms. Still, a detailed study of the archaeological evidence on Israelite cult reveals that Israelite cultic buildings were extremely rare, both in absolute terms and when compared to other ancient Near Eastern societies, suggesting that cultic activity in temples was the exception rather than the norm and that typical Israelite cult was practiced in the household and in other, non-temple settings. Hence, the evidence suggests that rather than viewing temples, like the one in Arad, as exemplifying typical cultic activity, they should be viewed as exceptions that require a special explanation. The first part of the article develops and updates the suggestion, first raised about ten years ago, that Israelite temples were indeed extremely rare. Given the ancient Near Eastern context, however, such practices seems to be exceptional, and the second part of the article will therefore explain why was such a unique pattern not identified in the past, and will suggest a possible explanation as to how was such an outstanding practice developed and adopted.

Archaeology and Religion in Late Bronze Age Canaan

“…During this period, cult centers in Canaan flourished and temples and altars were the primary bearer of religious traditions for the various city-states. In fact, Faust (2010, p. 26; and see also Faust 2019 in this issue) wrote that despite the limited archaeological exposure, over the years, more than 20 Late Bronze Age temples have been unearthed in the southern Levant, making it clear that during this period, temples were common and widespread. He argued that there was at least one temple in each settlement (including relatively small settlements), and in some cases, there was more than one such structure at a single site.…”

“…Furthermore, several temples have been unearthed outside settlements (e.g., the Fosse Temple at Lachish and the 'Amman airport temple [below]), providing additional evidence for the widespread distribution of temples in this era. Faust (2010, p. 27;Faust 2019 in this issue) further suggested that temples were prevalent in rural settings, and there was probably a temple or cultic building in every Canaanite village.…”

“…Furthermore, several temples have been unearthed outside settlements (e.g., the Fosse Temple at Lachish and the 'Amman airport temple [below]), providing additional evidence for the widespread distribution of temples in this era. Faust (2010, p. 27;Faust 2019 in this issue) further suggested that temples were prevalent in rural settings, and there was probably a temple or cultic building in every Canaanite village. Emphasis in the survey and brief discussion below is placed upon sites with representative or particularly significant architectural or artifactual assemblages (for a more thorough survey of the Emphasis in the survey and brief discussion below is placed upon sites with representative or particularly significant architectural or artifactual assemblages (for a more thorough survey of the Late Bronze Age temples, see Alpert-Nakhai 2001, pp.…”

The Zooarchaeology of Israelite Religion: Methods and Practice

“…Major temples are comparatively rare in the southern Levant during the Iron Age (cf. Faust 2010Faust , 2019, with the notable exceptions of Arad (Aharoni 1968;Aharoni 1993;Herzog et al 1984;Herzog 1997), Moz . a (Kisilevitz 2015) and Dan (Biran 1994; Davis 2013; Greer 2013, 2017).…”

Religion on the move: Mobility, migration and internal religious: Diversity in Biblical and Early Israel and Judah

“…William Dever (2002: 113-114) characterizes this drastic drop in the occurrence of cultic sites as indicative of a transition to a "simple, aniconic, noninstitutionalized cult." The differences in Israel are especially stark when seen in conjunction with the comparatively abundant number of cultic sites among Israel's contemporaries (Ben-Shlomo 2019;Faust 2010Faust , 2019Steiner 2019;Tyson 2019).…”