The Sanctuary of Silence

The focus of the book is the discussion of the concept of divinity and worship that is reflected in the priestly philosophy and law, and changes found in this concept. It signs off by displaying the changes that occurred in the world of priesthood as an attempt to cope with the socio-religious crisis which led to the disconnect between morality and worship. The book examines the relationship between activity of the priests to the vision of the classical prophets, led by Isaiah Ben-amotz.

 In this book Knohl proposes that the Priestly Source (P) dates from a much earlier period than it is usually dated to, and consequently that the Holiness Code (H) represents an addition to the law code of P, rather than the standard interpretation which is the reverse. Knohl suggests that H might have been inserted into P in order for the Temple priesthood to respond to the growing Prophetic movements.