Cult and Cosmos

Tilting toward a Temple-Centered Theology

Edited by L.M. Morales

Book cover: Cult and Cosmos

Extent: 443 pages

Publisher: Peeters Publishers

Subjects: Ancient Near East, Biblical Studies

Series: Biblical Tools and Studies

Series volume number: 18

Language: English

Paperback (Published)

(May 2024)

ISBN: 9789042953475

Price: $98.00

In stock

PDF (Published)

(May 2024)

ISBN: 9789042953482

Price: $98.00

The association between creation and temple is a key element of the cultural context of the Hebrew Bible, and foundational for understanding its cultic theology. Situated within the common cultic ideology of the ancient Near East, Israel’s temple on the mountain of God was considered the central axis and navel of creation, its architecture, furnishings, and rituals pervaded by cosmogonic symbolism. Having emerged out of the twentieth century’s predisposed disdain for priestly material, the theological prominence of the temple within the Hebrew Bible is increasingly recognized by scholars. This volume, republishing pivotal scholarship on the interface of cult and cosmos, forms a primer on this significant area of study, tracing major voices in the conversation, from archaeological and ancient Near Eastern studies to biblical studies and the theological prospect of Israel’s cultus.


The association between creation and temple is a key element of the cultural context of the Hebrew Bible, and foundational for understanding its cultic theology. Situated within the common cultic ideology of the ancient Near East, Israel’s temple on the mountain of God was considered the central axis and navel of creation, its architecture, furnishings, and rituals pervaded by cosmogonic symbolism. Having emerged out of the twentieth century’s predisposed disdain for priestly material, the theological prominence of the temple within the Hebrew Bible is increasingly recognized by scholars. This volume, republishing pivotal scholarship on the interface of cult and cosmos, forms a primer on this significant area of study, tracing major voices in the conversation, from archaeological and ancient Near Eastern studies to biblical studies and the theological prospect of Israel’s cultus.

  • Edited by L.M. Morales