Bible Discussion Thread

@Ed,
Exodus 20:26, “Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon”. You say, “I believe this verse speaks about the building of pyramid shaped temples which were very common at the time, not only in Egypt. Usually the place of worship (altar/temple) was at the top of the structure”. An altar was considered a sacred place, on which an innocent life of an animal was offered to God, symbolizing the ultimate sacrifice of that of “the Lamb of God”, or Jesus, who would take away the sin of the world. The reason for a “step-less” altar is to avoid exposing the nakedness of the person bringing the sacrifice, not necessarily the priests only. However, the Levite Priests had to wear special attire. “And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach. And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die...”, Exodus 28:42, 43. A typical size altar made of stone would be 36”H X 48” X 48”. The portable altar for the tabernacle was approx. 54”H X 90” X 90”. “And thou shalt make an altar of shittim wood, five cubits long, and five cubits broad; the altar shall be foursquare: and the height thereof shall be three cubits”, Exodus 27:1. The pyramids on the other hand, were huge and built to serve as abode to the Pharaoh in the “afterlife”. So, I don’t quite understand what do pyramids have to do with the altars?