Page 20 - The Marriage Covenant

I Thessalonians 5:23
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and
soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord
Yahshua Christ.

It is to be noted that the Tabernacle of Moses, which was the original sanctuary of
Israel, and in some ways a better pattern of man (for it was mobile, rather than fixed in one
place), was covered in skins. This is a feature that was lacking in the Temple of Solomon.

Exodus 36:19
And he made a covering for the tent of rams' skins* dyed red, and a covering of
porpoise skins above.

* (some translations say “badger’s skins”)

The Tabernacle in the Wilderness was a structure of poles covered with skins in the
same way the human body is a structure of bones covered with skin. Inside and outside the
Tabernacle were various vessels and implements that find correspondence with the organs
of man. There was the Bronze Laver, or Bronze Sea, located outside for the purpose of
cleansing. There was the altar for sacrifices, also in the Outer Court. In the Holy Place was
the Table of Showbread and the Golden Candlestick, the latter of which was at times moved
into the Holy of Holies. In the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant, and there was
a curtain to divide between each of the sections. The curtain concealing the entrance to the
Holy of Holies was described in this way.

Exodus 26:31-33
"And you shall make a veil of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted
linen... and the veil shall serve for you as a partition between the holy place and the
holy of holies.”

It is particularly upon this point that I would like to focus, as much can be gleaned
concerning the marriage covenant, virginity, and sexual fidelity as the type of the veil of the
Tabernacle and the anti-type of the virgin hymen are observed together.
The anatomical description given to the female hymen from days of antiquity is “the
veil of the temple.” The Greeks related this description of the female hymen to the rites of
the goddess Aphrodite, whose temple contained a veil like curtain to mark the entrance to
the inner sanctum. Aphrodite was considered the goddess of love and sexual intimacy. The
veil in front of the inner sanctum of Aphrodite’s temple was called “the hymen.” The Greek
word hymen literally means “veil,” though it can be more scientifically rendered as
“membrane,” and often is.
The veil is an emblem well known to people throughout the world in association with
brides, particularly virgin brides, though many do not know the origin of the association.
To the Greeks, the word Hymen (veil) was closely linked to marriage and weddings. Aside
from the association found in the temple of Aphrodite, the Greeks also recognized Hymen
as the name of one of their gods.
Hymen, also rendered as Hymenaeus, or Hymenaios, was depicted as a youthful and
beautiful young man who carried a torch and a veil. Various tales were related to him, such