Oracle: The Holy Place
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In biblical terminology, the term "oracle" often refers to a divine communication or revelation. However, in the context of the Holy Place, "oracle" is specifically associated with the innermost sanctuary of the Temple, also known as the Most Holy Place or the Holy of Holies. This sacred space was the dwelling place of God's presence among His people, Israel.

Biblical References and Description

The concept of the oracle as the Holy Place is primarily found in the descriptions of Solomon's Temple. In 1 Kings 6:19-22 , the oracle is described as the inner sanctuary where the Ark of the Covenant was placed:

"He prepared the inner sanctuary inside the temple to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD there. The inner sanctuary was twenty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and twenty cubits high. He overlaid it with pure gold and also overlaid the cedar altar. So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold. So he overlaid the whole interior with gold. He also overlaid with gold the altar that belonged to the inner sanctuary."

The oracle, or the Holy of Holies, was a perfect cube, symbolizing divine perfection and completeness. It was separated from the Holy Place by a veil, signifying the holiness and inaccessibility of God's presence to the people, except for the High Priest, who could enter only once a year on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:2).

Significance in Worship and Theology

The oracle as the Holy Place held profound significance in Israelite worship and theology. It was the focal point of the Temple, representing God's throne on earth and His covenant relationship with Israel. The presence of the Ark of the Covenant within the oracle underscored the centrality of God's law and His promises to His people.

The High Priest's annual entrance into the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement was a critical aspect of Israel's sacrificial system. It symbolized the mediation between God and His people, as the High Priest offered blood sacrifices for the atonement of sins (Hebrews 9:7).

Typology and Fulfillment in Christ

In Christian theology, the oracle as the Holy Place is seen as a typological foreshadowing of Jesus Christ's redemptive work. The veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple was torn at the moment of Christ's death, signifying the removal of the barrier between God and humanity (Matthew 27:51). This event symbolized the new access to God made possible through Christ's atoning sacrifice, as described in Hebrews 10:19-20 :

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain of His body."

Thus, the oracle as the Holy Place not only served as the center of Old Testament worship but also pointed forward to the ultimate fulfillment of God's presence with His people through Jesus Christ.
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1 Kings 6:5
And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about:
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Psalm 28:2
Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry to you, when I lift up my hands toward your holy oracle.
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Library

Work Written by Julian Entitled "Aversion to Beards. " Daphne in ...
... the martyrs determined him to purge the place of the ... occasioned solely by the presence
of the holy martyr ... the demon; for when eventually the oracle itself spoke ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of sozomenus/chapter xix work written by julian.htm

The Mystic Meaning of the Tabernacle and Its Furniture.
... Nay more, the oracle [3034] exhibits the prophecy which by the Word cries and preaches ...
robe, which he had put on when he entered into the holy place; and shall ...
/.../clement/the stromata or miscellanies/chapter vi the mystic meaning of.htm

Letter ii. In My Last Letter I Said that in the Bible There is ...
... and the same, whether the sphere which it fills be larger or smaller;"the area
traversed by a comet, or the oracle of the house, the holy place beneath the ...
/.../coleridge/confessions of an inquiring spirit etc/letter ii in my last.htm

The Temple and Its Dedication
... with great ceremony, "the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord
unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place." Verse 7 ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 2 the temple and.htm

Here Some one Will Say, what Has this to do with Holy virginity...
... we must plead not in a common-place manner, or ... For they discourage rather than exhort
holy virgins, who ... most true authority of the divine oracle, they will ...
/.../augustine/of holy virginity /section 21 here some one.htm

the life of constantine
... Chapter LIV.--What Vengeance overtook those who on Account of the Oracle raised
the ... he ordered the Erection of a Church at Jerusalem, in the Holy Place of our ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pamphilius/the life of constantine/

Place of Jesus in the History of the World.
... toward which all people should turn, as an oracle whence the ... dreams of a perfect
society, took a place in the ... The idea that Israel was a holy people, a tribe ...
//christianbookshelf.org/renan/the life of jesus/chapter i place of jesus.htm

Of the Building of this Temple
... were contained in that part of the holy house, which ... before the veil of that most
secret place wherein the ... priest, with the long robes, and the oracle, and the ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 3 of the building.htm

The Wicked Man's Life, Funeral, and Epitaph
... worship the Lord of Hosts, and listen to the voice of his sacred oracle. ... for "we
have seen the wicked come and go from the place of the holy." Gathered in ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 4 1858/the wicked mans life funeral.htm

On Feast Days and Fast Days.
... For on their very feast-day they apprehended the Lord, that oracle might be ... one they
sawed asunder, [3112] another they slew in the holy place, "between the ...
/.../various/constitutions of the holy apostles/sec iii on feast days and.htm

Resources
Summary of the Book of Malachi - Bible Survey | GotQuestions.org

How can we learn to trust God like the prophet Habakkuk (Habakkuk 3:17-19)? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Obadiah in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Oracle: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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Oracle

Oracle: The Holy Place

Oracle: The Scriptures are Called "Oracles"

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Oracle of the LORD
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