The-Shiloh-Temple

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Colour coded details of our beloved TaNaKh:

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Please Note: Some alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’ of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been corrected like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.

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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!

“Ye shall NOT ADD TO THE WORD which I command you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT, that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim - Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).

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“בֵּית־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ - Beit HaMikdash”

The first Beit HaMikdash?.

With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

בֵּית־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ - Beit HaMikdash:

Most of us are aware of the two Holy Temples that stood atop Jerusalem’s Mount Moriah, also known as the ‘Temple Mount’. The first was built by King Shlomo - Solomon, but destroyed by the Babylonians after 410 years. Then, we the Hebrews were eventually permitted to return to Zion and rebuild the Temple. However, the structure was much later more or less rebuilt by King Herod who ruled over Israel, however it was then again destroyed by the Romans 420 years after its original erection.

Amazingly, what many do not realize is, that prior to the Temples located in Jerusalem, that previously a temple stood far away, in ‘Shiloh’ being an ancient town in Samaria. In fact it was there for some 369 years. That was a long, long time. While Shiloh’s fortunes varied during that time, it was the only place that served as a ‘National Religious Centrer’ for us the Hebraic People during this period.

Such was its importance, that it was taught, “There is nothing differentiating between (the importance” of Shiloh and Jerusalem but … that the Sanctity of Shiloh was lost once the temple was no longer there, but the sacredness of Jerusalem is, and will be everlasting”.

Another way to gauge the importance of Shiloh is to consider whether it was permissible to establish altars (to offer up sacrifices) in any other place, which was prohibited any time there was a national temple. Such was the case when the Tabernacle was operating in the desert and when the temples stood in Jerusalem. The only other time that sacrifices were exclusive to just one location was when there was the Mikdash at Shiloh!

A Place of Fate and Destiny:

When we Israelites settled the land during the days of Joshua, Shiloh was chosen as the site for the Tabernacle that traversed the desert with them for 40 years. There, the temporary boards that surrounded the structure were replaced with stone walls, giving the building a degree of permanence. The only other place that the House of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God) and the Holy Ark ever enjoyed this degree of stability was of course in Jerusalem.

It is evident from several narratives, that Shiloh served as a national location. Its centrality cannot be overstated. Here are some examples: When we met to apportion the land for the seven remaining tribes, they gathered at Shiloh. It was to Shiloh where the Levites came to demand their assigned cities. The tribes of Gad and Reuben departed from Shiloh to their own territories on the Eastern side of the Jordan. When we sent a delegation to confront the tribes of Gad and Reuben for establishing a grand altar by the Jordan, the group left from Shiloh. These (and similar) events occurred during the early years of the Israelite settlement in the land.

Shiloh’s Heyday:

Skipping forward several hundred years, ‘Eli’ the High Priest served with distinction in Shiloh as spiritual leader for us the Israelites.

People travelled significant distances to make their pilgrimage to Shiloh, which is how we famously encounter ‘Elkanah’ and ‘Chana’. Chana’s heartfelt prayer for offspring at the temple in Shiloh is one of the most famous ever uttered. The son she was finally blessed with, who grew up to become the great prophet ‘Samuel’, was brought to Shiloh as a child and raised there by ‘Eli’.

It was from the temple at Shiloh that the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ was carried into war against the Philistines, who then sadly captured it. When word of the Ark’s capture was brought back to ‘Eli’ in Shiloh, he fell back off his chair and died instantly. Some claim to have identified the exact spot where ‘Eli’ would sit and where he met his death.

The departure of the Ark from Shiloh was highly significant, as it did not return “home” for some seven months, when David had it brought back to Jerusalem.

Later Times:

Even generations after the temple at Shiloh no longer stood, the city continued to be associated with significant historic events. The prophet ‘Achiya of Shiloh’ warned that the Kingdom ruled by Solomon would be split into two. He was the key prophet when the Kingdom of Israel split from the Kingdom of Judah, and vociferously condemned the idol worship that was rampant at the time!

The book of Jeremiah tells of the murder of a delegation to the Jewish leader of Judea, ‘Gedaliah ben Achikam’, after the Babylonian conquest, some of whom were from Shiloh.

We also read how Jeremiah, a descendant of Eli, greatly lamented the destruction at Shiloh, an event clearly seared into the nation’s memory.

Many hundreds of years later, Shiloh hosted a house of study, a Yeshiva. Even centuries after there had been a Temple there was still a feeling of holiness. This is how we may understand the report which was cited by a well-known elder: “Once I went to Shiloh, where I smelled the aroma of incense from the Temple, which had stood a thousand years earlier, emanating from its walls”.

The Mystery of the End of Shiloh:

So, what happened to Shiloh, one of the most important places in our Hebraic history? The Tanakh does not tell us explicitly; meaning that we shall have to do some detective work to piece the story together. But why are we not told what occurred? After all, this was a place of immense Sacredness for the better part of four centuries. Indeed, the termination of Shiloh led to seven months in which the Holy Ark of the Covenant lacked a proper home and the Israelites lacked a true national place of worship. The loss of Shiloh was massive, yet we are left guessing what took place there. Shouldn’t we be informed about an event of such magnitude?

Perhaps even more difficult to understand is why there is no day of commemoration or mourning for the loss of the Temple at Shiloh. Each year on the Ninth of Av, we have a fast day to observe the destruction of the two Holy Temples in Jerusalem. The Ninth of Av is the saddest day on the Hebrew calendar, during which we sit on the ground and weep, mourning the fall of Jerusalem and the demolition of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s sanctuary. But what is the day that we mark the destruction of the Temple in Shiloh after standing there for a long 369 years? You guessed it, there is not one! Thus, how come it receives no recognition at all?

What End Did Shiloh Meet?

It would be nice if there was a simple answer to how and why this happened. Some take the view that if the Tanakh doesn’t state that the Temple in Shiloh was destroyed, that suggests it was not. Thus what happened to it? However, we know from the book of 1 Samuel that the Ark of the Covenant was taken into a decisive battle and captured by the Philistines.

If the Ark was removed, it is reasonable to say that the Temple was taken apart and re-established elsewhere. According to this view, the temple in Shiloh was never destroyed, but it was dismantled.

However, there is another view, which states that the temple was destroyed, but not through an act of violence by the Philistines. Rather, as the Ark was captured and the temple had been defiled, it lost its sanctity. It then became permissible for people to use the materials from the structure for their own mundane purposes. According to this view, most likely the city of Shiloh was attacked and destroyed, so the temple there was abandoned.

The most common rabbinic view is that the temple in Shiloh was indeed destroyed. These sources refer to the “destruction of Shiloh” in the same vein that they refer to the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem. Some go so far as to claim explicitly that the temple was burned to the ground as were the Temples in Jerusalem. But recently, archaeologists found evidence of a terrible fire in Shiloh around the time that the Temple stood, which fits the narrative that it was attacked.

From the words of the prophet Jeremiah, to Eli the High Priest, the religious leader who presided over the sanctuary in Shiloh for a good 40 years, it seems clear that something rather bad was involved in Shiloh’s demise. In warning about the looming fate of Jerusalem, he has these stern words of caution: “For go now to My place that is in Shiloh, where I caused My Name to rest at first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of My people Israel”.

Likewise, the book of Psalms hints at dark times when אֱלֹהִים - Elohim “abandoned his dwelling in Shiloh”. The Psalmist portrays an occasion replete with ‘swords’, ‘fire’, and ‘loss’. It certainly gives the impression that something terrible had transpired. Thus it is understood that there was a “great destruction of Shiloh”.

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This site was originally created, for those who desired to return to our blessed and wonderful faith. Thus be wise and work on your faith and pray at least two or three times a day (if possible) and always seek our beloved אֱלֹהִים - Elohim’s guidance, for His love is always with us, especially when we seek Him, blessed be He! However this site has become very much a teaching site with hundreds of studies!

Remember what אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, blessed be He, said the following via several of our prophets...

“Return unto Me, and I will return unto you, saith צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה- the LORD of hosts” Mal’a’chi - Malachi 3:7. (JPS).

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“The More Torah, the More Life”,

For Elohim is the One who gave us our ... “Life!”

May the שָׁלוֹם - Shalom = Peace of צְבָאוֹת- יְהוָה= the LORD of hosts, be with you, and please always uphold our blessed שַׁבָּת - Shabbat, as well as the מוֹעֲדִים - Mo’a’dim - Feasts, and continue saying your daily תְּפִלָּה - Tefeelah’s - Prayers and regular בְּרָכָה - Be’ra’chah’s - blessings before food and drinks, etc!

שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם - Shalom Aleichem - Peace be with you!

Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.

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