The Great Symbiosis

We refer to this as the Great Symbiosis because it represents the symbiotic relationship that framed the life, religious thinking, rituals, and theology of the ancient world. The gods had needs, and they wanted to be pampered in every way by the people who worshiped them. The main focus of this symbiotic relationship was the temple, the palace of a particular god, in which the god resided and from which he or she ruled, represented by his or her image, which occupied the sacred center, mediating worship, presence, and revelation. Such temples were considered the control center of the cosmos, and from there the god maintained order, sustained by the rituals of the people.—Walton and Walton, The Lost World of the Torah, 67