THEOSISPhilaret of Moscow (Drosdow)
The practice of reverently celebrating the restoration of the temple, along with recognizing its fulfillment, finds its roots in ancient and sacred traditions. The encounter of the Lord with Jacob in a dream, where he saw a ladder extending from earth to heaven, likely sparked the very first notion among men regarding God's local presence: "the Lord is in this place" (Gen. 28:16). Jacob, in turn, named this site "the house of God" (Gen. 28:17). In this moment, Jacob, a solitary traveler with merely a staff, bread, and oil, could not construct a grand temple. Nonetheless, in the spirit of divine communion, he was moved to place the stone upon which he rested as a makeshift altar, anointing it with the oil he possessed.
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This signifies the experience of a spiritual altar occurring unexpectedly amidst bloody sacrifices, and its revival through anointing, a ritual still reflected in the consecration of altars within Christian temples.
After God commanded Moses to set up the tabernacle, a portable temple for the wandering Israelites, Moses recorded in the book of Numbers the solemn dedication of this structure: "And it came to pass on the day when Moses died, that he set up the Tabernacle, and anointed it, and sanctified it, and all its vessels, and the altar, and all its vessels, and anointed it, and sanctified it, and brought the Princes of Israel to bring their gifts before the Lord" (Numbers 7:1-3). In this event, we witness not just the anointing with ordinary oil, as with Jacob, but with a special fragrant ointment, ordained by God specifically for the purpose of sanctification—both for the altar and the temple itself along with its furnishings. Similarly, during the consecration of a Christian temple, one observes not just the anointing of the altar but also that of the temple, carried out in a manner symbolizing the four corners of the earth.
Following the directive of God, Moses established the tabernacle of divine vision, which served as the mobile temple within the encampment of the Israelites during their journey. In the book of Numbers, he notes the significant renewal of this sacred structure: ‘And it came to pass on the day in which Moses ended, that he set up the Tabernacle, and anointed it, and sanctified it, and all its vessels, and the altar, and all its vessels, and anointed it, and sanctified it, and brought the Princes of Israel to bring their gifts before the Lord’ (Numbers 7:1-3). This passage illustrates the act of anointing, which differs from the simple oil used by Jacob; here, it is done with a specially prepared fragrant ointment, designated by God's command exclusively for sanctification purposes.
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This anointing encompasses not only the altar but also the entire temple and its furnishings. Similarly, in the consecration of the Christian temple, we observe the anointing of the altar and the entire temple in a manner that reflects the four corners of the world.