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Who could enter the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Jerusalem?
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Solomon
The Judgment of Solomon, oil on canvas by Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1617; in the Statens Museum for Kunst (National Gallery of Denmark), Copenhagen.
In the ancient Temple of Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies was considered the sacred dwelling place of the Divine Presence, or Shekhina. Access to this innermost sanctuary was strictly limited: it could be entered only by the high priest and only on one day of the year, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.123
On this occasion, the high priest entered the enclosure to burn incense and sprinkle sacrificial animal blood to atone for his own sins and those of the people of Israel. While historical accounts note that the Roman general Pompey entered the Holy of Holies during his conquest of Jerusalem in 63 BCE, this act was considered a desecration of the sacred space.123