The Tabernacle (3D CGI of the Old Testament Tabernacle)

Video Codec..........: XviD ISO MPEG-4 
Video Bitrate........: 1087kbps 
Duration.............: 27 minutes
Resolution...........: 600*452 
Framerate............: 29.970 
Audio Codec..........: 0x2000 (Dolby AC3) AC3 
Audio Bitrate........: 192 kbps CBR 
Audio Channels.......: 2 
Filesize.............: 263,122,636 
ENGLISH SUBTITLES

 
http://bayimg.com/naJbBAADp
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabernacle


An odd little film, it uses fairly decent CGI to depict the Old Testament Tabernacle in the Sinai Desert as described in the book of Exodus. At the very end, there is a brief non-sequiter attempt to link the whole thing to Christianity. All in all, it is a decent attempt, and worth a look at only 27 minutes.

I would say that the useful thing here is to get a visual feel for what the tabernacle would have looked like if built to the specifications described in Exodus 25-30. Thus it might be interesting to a viewer who was either religious, or just someone interested in antiquity. If anyone should care to comment, please spare me your pro or anti religious beleifs. I'm not promoting anything here, other than a mild interest in what this famous tent/building would have looked like. 

I'm also including some sketches and picture from the wikipedia article.

Rambam1776



The Tabernacle (Hebrew - mishkan, "residence" or "dwelling place"), according to the Hebrew Torah/Old Testament, was the portable dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Exodus from Egypt through the conquering of the land of Canaan. Built to specifications revealed by God (Yahweh) to Moses at Mount Sinai, it accompanied the Israelites on their wanderings in the wilderness and their conquest of the Promised Land, and was eventually placed in the First Temple in Jerusalem, which superseded it as the dwelling-place of God among the Israelites. There is no further mention of the Tabernacle after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians in c. 587 BCE.The fullest description of the Tabernacle describes an inner shrine named Holy of Holies) housing the Ark and an outer chamber (Holy Place), with a golden lampstand, table for showbread, and altar of incense. This description is generally identified as part of the Priestly source (P), written in the 6th or 5th century BCE. Many scholars contend that it is of a far later date than Moses, and that the description reflects the structure of the Temple of Solomon, while some hold that the description derives from memories of a real pre-monarchic shrine, perhaps the sanctuary at Shiloh. According to the 19th century "Higher Criticism" school of Julius Wellhausen, an earlier, pre-exilic source (E) describes the Tabernacle as a simple tent-sanctuary.

Meaning

The English word "tabernacle" is derived from the Latin tabernāculum meaning "tent" or "hut", which in ancient Roman religion was a ritual structure.The word sanctuary is also used for the Biblical tabernacle, as well as the phrase the "tent of meeting". The Hebrew word Mishkan implies "dwell", "rest", or "to live in", referring to the "[In-dwelling] Presence of God", the Shekhina (or Shechina, based on the same Hebrew root word as Mishkan), that dwelt within this divinely ordained structure.

Description

The commandments for its construction are taken from the words in the Book of Exodus when God says to Moses: "They shall make me a sanctuary, and I will dwell (ve-shakhan-ti) among them. You must make the tabernacle (mishkan) and all its furnishings following the plan that I am showing you." (Exodus 25:8-9) Thus the idea is that God wants this structure built so that it may be a "dwelling", so to speak, for his presence within the Children of Israel during their wandering in the desert.

Scholars of the "Higher Criticism" school believe there are two accounts of the tabernacle in Exodus, a briefer account and a longer one. Traditional scholars believe the briefer account describes a different structure, perhaps Moses's personal tent. The Hebrew nouns in the two accounts are different, one being most commonly translated as "tent of meeting," while the other is usually translated as "tabernacle".

Elohist account

Exodus 33:7-10 refers to a "tent of meeting", which was set up outside of camp, and the pillar of cloud, symbolizing the divine presence, was visible at its door. The people directed their worship toward this center. "Higher Criticism" scholars attribute this description to the Elohist source (E), which is believed to have been written about 850 BC.

Priestly account

The more detailed description of a "tabernacle" is in Exodus 25-31 and 35-40, which describes an inner shrine (Holy of Holies) housing the Ark and an outer chamber (Holy Place), with a seven-branched lampstand, table for showbread, and altar of incense. 

An enclosure containing the sacrificial altar surrounded these chambers. This description is identified by "Higher Criticism" scholars as part of the Priestly source (P), written in the 6th or 5th century BC. Some scholars believe the description is of a far later date than Moses, and that it reflects the structure of the Temple of Solomon; others hold that the passage describes a real pre-monarchic shrine, perhaps the sanctuary at Shiloh, while traditional scholars contend that it describes an actual tabernacle used in the time of Moses and thereafter.

The detailed outlines for the tabernacle and its leaders are enumerated in the Book of Exodus:

Chapter 25  : Materials needed, the Ark, the table for 12 showbread, the Menorah.
Chapter 26  : The tabernacle, the beams, partitions.
Chapter 27  : The copper altar, the enclosure, oil.
Chapter 28  : Vestments for the priests, ephod garment, ring settings, the breastplate, robe, head-plate, tunic, turban, sashes, pants.
Chapter 29  : Consecration of priests and altar.
Chapter 30  : Incense altar, washstand, anointing oil, incense.