The Defilement and Desecration of the Temple in Ezekiel 379 When it comes to the Temple’s desecration, however, Ezekiel recognizes a broader definition than that which is used in the Priestly Sources. Desecration constitutes the absence of sanctity, rather than a particular status that is assigned under specifically prescribed conditions. As such, the phenomenon of desecration is far more flexible than defilement. Since it is merely the absence of holiness, any instrument by which holiness is divested from the Temple can be said to desecrate the Temple. Thus, even factors that the Pentateuch does not associate with desecration may constitute agents of desecration at a later period, if they have the effect of divesting the holy precinct of its sanctity. The flexibility of the concept of “desecration” enabled Ezekiel to introduce factors more relevant to his own period, even though they are not mentioned as “desecrating” factors in the Priestly Sources or elsewhere in the Pentateuch. Thus, whereas in the Pentateuch the desecration of the temenos results from the disruption of the sacred cult, in Ezekiel it usually ensues from the entry of gentiles into the Temple, or of Israelites who have just sacrificed their children to idols. This conclusion sheds further light on the question of what sources were available to Ezekiel when he wrote his book. Ezekiel was obviously familiar with the Priestly Sources’ concepts of defilement and desecration of the sacred precinct, and he simply utilized and adjusted these concepts in accordance with his prophetic needs. There is also evidence for Ezekiel’s familiarity with Deuteronomic terminology, as exemplified by his use of the terms μyxwqyç and twb[wt; that, however, remains a topic for independent consideration. Bar-Ilan University Tova GANZEL Israel SUMMARY An examination of the passages in Ezekiel related to the “defilement” and “desecration” of the Temple through the spectrum of the Priestly Sources clearly shows a distinction between the two concepts and reveals Ezekiel’s precise and deliberate usage of these terms. Although they both relate to idolatrous practices, defilement of the Temple in Ezekiel follows the categories of the Priestly Sources, and thus results primarily from corpse impurity and idol worship. With regard to the Temple’s desecration, Ezekiel introduces the aspect of the intense involvement of foreigners, which he viewed as the desecrating agents of his day.