ABSTRACT
The author have spoken hitherto of the physical characters of the sanctuary, as the haunt of divine beings that prove, in the last resort, to be themselves parts of the mundane universe, and so have natural connections with sacred localities. This chapter looks at the places of the gods in another aspect, to wit in their relation to men, and the conduct which men are called upon to observe at and towards them. The distinction between what is holy and what is common is one of the most important things in ancient religion. The gods are holy, and their ministers of whatever kind or grade are holy also, but holy seasons, holy places and holy things, that is, seasons places and things that stand in a special relation to the godhead and are withdrawn by divine sanction from some or all ordinary uses, are equally to be considered in determining what holiness means.
