ABSTRACT
As a typical Northwest Semitic religion, the Israelite worship was centered on the sacrificial cult. In the ancient Near East, as also elsewhere in many of the ancient religions (e.g. Hinduism and Zoroastrianism), the cult place and the attendant rituals were the primary expression of the national or ethnic religion. The cult was thus at the heart of Jewish worship in both the First and Second Temple periods. The question of temple and cultic worship are complex issues, and this chapter will look at a number of related themes. Relevant sources will be given as appropriate during the discussion rather than surveyed, though most sources have been dealt with individually in Chapter 2 above.
