The
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
phrase ''sanctum sanctorum'' is a translation of the Hebrew term ''קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים'' (Qṓḏeš HaQŏḏāšîm), literally meaning Holy of Holies, in Latin texts, this generally refers to the
holiest place of the
Ancient Israelites, inside the
Tabernacle
According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle (), also known as the Tent of the Congregation (, also Tent of Meeting), was the portable earthly dwelling of God used by the Israelites from the Exodus until the conquest of Canaan. Moses was instru ...
and later inside the
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. Accord ...
. However, the term also has some derivative use in application to imitations of the Tabernacle in church architecture.
The plural form ''sancta sanctorum'' is also used, arguably as a
synecdoche, referring to the holy relics in the sanctuary. The
Vulgate
The Vulgate () is a late-4th-century Bible translations into Latin, Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Saint Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels used by the Diocese of ...
translation of the Bible uses ''sancta sanctorum'' for the
Holy of Holies
The Holy of Holies ( or ''Kodesh HaKodashim''; also ''hadDəḇīr'', 'the Sanctuary') is a term in the Hebrew Bible that refers to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle, where the Shekhinah (God in Judaism, God's presence) appeared. According ...
. Hence, the derivative usage denotes the
Sancta Sanctorum chapel in the complex of the
Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran, Rome.
In
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
, the innermost part of a temple, where the deity's ''
Murti'' is kept, forms the ''
Garbhagriha'', also known as a sanctum sanctorum.
Etymology
The Latin word ''
sanctum'' is the neuter form of the adjective "
holy," and ''sanctorum'' is its
genitive plural. Thus, the term ''
sanctum sanctorum'' literally means "the holy
lace/thingof the holy
laces/things"
replicating in Latin the Hebrew construction for the
superlative, with the intended meaning "the holiest
lace/thing"
Use of the term in modern languages
The Latin word ''sanctum'' may be used in
English, following Latin, for "a holy place" or a
sanctuary
A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...
, as in the novel ''
Jane Eyre'' (1848), which refers to "the sanctum of the schoolroom."
Romance languages
The Romance languages, also known as the Latin or Neo-Latin languages, are the languages that are Language family, directly descended from Vulgar Latin. They are the only extant subgroup of the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-E ...
tend to use ''sancta sanctorum'', treating it as masculine and singular. E.g., the Spanish dictionary of the
Real Academia Española admits ''sanctasanctórum'' (without the space and with an accent) as a derivative Spanish noun denoting both the Holy of Holies in the
Temple in Jerusalem
The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. Accord ...
, any secluded and mysterious place and something that a person holds in the highest esteem.
The term is still often used by Indian writers for the
garbhagriha or inner shrine chamber in
Hindu temple architecture, after being introduced by British writers in the 19th century.
German Catholic processions
Some regional branches of the Catholic Church, e.g., Germans, are wont to refer to the
Blessed Sacrament when adored in the tabernacle or exposition or procession (e.g., on
Corpus Christi) as the Holy of Holies. By custom, it is adorned with genuflection; with a double genuflection, that is a short moment of kneeling on both knees, if in exposition; in the procession, this ritual may be nonrigoristically alleviated, but at least a simple genuflection is appropriate when It is elevated by the priest for blessing or immediately after transubstantiation. Personnel in uniform — which in Germany includes student corporations — give the military salute when passing by or in the moment of elevation.
The "enclosed house" of Hindu temple architecture
The ''
garbhagriha'' in
Hindu
Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...
temple architecture (a
shrine inside a
temple complex where the main
deity
A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...
is installed in a separate building inside the complex) has also been compared to a "sanctum sanctorum" in texts on Hindu temple architecture. However, Sanskrit means "enclosed house" or "the deep interior of the house." However, some Indian English authors seem to have translated the Sanskrit term literally as "womb house."
[Mountains of the God — Page 49 Kuldip Singh Gulia The Architecture of Temples Most of the architectural elements are the same in all temples and each has a specific name. The sanctum sanctorum is called the garbha griha — the womb house. The garbha griha is a square cell that is.]
See also
*
References
Vulgate Latin words and phrases
Superlatives in religion
Sacral architecture
External links
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