What, though, about that mysterious temple mentioned at the outset? A structure at Tel Arad that has given rise to much conjecture is a temple complex, complete with an altar, from the Judean period. Though much smaller than Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem, it bears many resemblances to that sacred structure. Why and when was the Arad temple constructed? How was it used? Archaeologists and historians can only speculate.

Jehovah plainly decreed that the temple in Jerusalem was the only center acceptable to him for celebrating annual festivals and offering sacrifices. (Deuteronomy 12:5; 2 Chronicles 7:12) So the Arad temple was constructed and used in defiance of God’s Law, perhaps during an era when alternative altars and rites were distracting many from pure worship. (Ezekiel 6:13) In such a case, this center of counterfeit worship was probably abolished during the thorough reforms by Hezekiah or Josiah in the eighth and seventh centuries B.C.E.​—2 Chronicles 31:1; 34:3-5, 33.

[Picture on page 25]

A section of the temple complex at Tel Arad