"Until the building of Solomon's temple the unity of worship according to it had, properly speaking, never had any existence; and, moreover, it is easy to read between the lines that even after that date it was more a pious wish than a practical demand"
- Julius Wellhausen
About this Quote
This quote by Julius Wellhausen recommends that prior to the building of Solomon's temple, there was no unified type of praise. This suggests that different groups of people had their own ways of worshipping, and there was no single, unified practice. Furthermore, Wellhausen suggests that even after the temple was developed, there was still no unified type of worship, and that it was more of a wish than a practical demand. This could be analyzed as a criticism of the lack of unity among the people of the time, and the problem of establishing a unified form of praise. It might likewise be seen as a tip of the value of having a unified type of praise, and the need to pursue it. Eventually, this quote works as a tip of the significance of unity and the need to pursue it, even if it is challenging to achieve.
"Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own; and from morning to night, as from the cradle to the grave, it is but a succession of changes so gentle and easy that we can scarcely mark their progress"