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[[File:Temple of Siwa.jpg|250px|left]]
[[File:Urim and Thummim.png|200px|left]]
The '''[[Oracle of Amun]]''' was a solitary [[oracle]] temple located at the Siwa Oasis in Western Egypt near Libya devoted to the [[Egyptian religion|Egyptian god]] [[Amun-Ra]]. Although the oasis is known to have been settled since at least the 10th millennium BC, the earliest evidence of any connection with Ancient Egypt is the 26th Dynasty, when a necropolis was established and temple were built sometime between 663 - 535 BC.
The '''[[Urim and Thummim]]''' are elements of the hoshen, the breastplate worn by the High Priest attached to the ephod. They are connected with [[cleromancy]] ([[divination]] by casting lots). Most scholars suspect that the phrase refers to a set of two objects used by the high priest to answer a question or reveal the will of [[Yahweh|God]].


When Alexander the Great occupied Egypt in late 331 BC, he made visiting the oracle at Siwa a priority. After meeting with the priests, he was permitted access to the temple's Holy of Holies where Alexander spoke alone directly with the oracle. This situation was extremely rare. Typically, a petitioner gave their question to the oracle priest who took the request inside the Holy of Holies. However, due to Alexander's status and renown, the priests allowed him inside the most sacred part of the temple. Here, after speaking with the oracle through a divided partition in the stone temple wall, Alexander was pronounced son of Amun-Ra, confirming him as both a divine personage and the legitimate Pharaoh of Egypt.
The Urim and the Thummim first appear in the [[Bible|Biblical]] verse Exodus 28:30, where they are named for inclusion on the breastplate to be worn by Aaron in the holy place. Other books, especially 1 Samuel, describe their uses. The chronologically earliest passage in the [[Bible]] mentioning the Urim and Thummim, according to textual scholars, is in the Book of Hosea, where it is implied, by reference to the Ephod, that the Urim and Thummim were fundamental elements in [[Judaism]], in the mid 8th century BC.


'''([[Oracle of Amun|Full Article...]])'''
'''([[Urim and Thummim|Full Article...]])'''

Latest revision as of 17:46, 29 November 2025

Urim and Thummim.png

The Urim and Thummim are elements of the hoshen, the breastplate worn by the High Priest attached to the ephod. They are connected with cleromancy (divination by casting lots). Most scholars suspect that the phrase refers to a set of two objects used by the high priest to answer a question or reveal the will of God.

The Urim and the Thummim first appear in the Biblical verse Exodus 28:30, where they are named for inclusion on the breastplate to be worn by Aaron in the holy place. Other books, especially 1 Samuel, describe their uses. The chronologically earliest passage in the Bible mentioning the Urim and Thummim, according to textual scholars, is in the Book of Hosea, where it is implied, by reference to the Ephod, that the Urim and Thummim were fundamental elements in Judaism, in the mid 8th century BC.

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