Tophet

In the Hebrew Bible Tophet or Topheth (Hebrew: תופת ha-tōpheth‎; Greek: Ταφεθ; Latin: Topheth) was a location in Jerusalem, in the Valley of Hinnom, where worshipers influenced by the Canaanite Pantheon sacrificed children to the gods Moloch and Baal by burning them alive. Tophet became a theological or poetic synonym for hell within Christendom.

The traditional explanation that a burning rubbish heap in the Valley of Hinnom south of Jerusalem gave rise to the idea of a fiery Gehenna of judgment is attributed to Rabbi David Kimhi's commentary on Psalm 27:13 (c. 1200). He maintained that in this loathsome valley fires were kept burning perpetually to consume the filth and cadavers thrown into it. However, Hermann Strack and Paul Billerbeck state that there is neither archaeological nor literary evidence in support of this claim, in either the earlier intertestamental or the later rabbinic sources.

Etymology

The Valley of Hinnom was used as a place for worshipers in Judah to burn their own children alive as sacrifices to the idols Moloch and Baal. One section of the Hinnom Valley was called Topheth (also spelled Tophet or Topeth), where the children were slaughtered (2 Kings 23:10). The name Topheth is derived from either, or both, the Hebrew word toph, meaning a drum, because the cries of children being sacrificed by the priests of Moloch were masked by the sound of the beating on drums or tambourines; or from taph or toph, meaning to burn.

Tophet (album)

Tophet is Frost Like Ashes' first full length album, released in 2005.

Recording history

Tophet was recorded at Nosral Studios and was produced and mixed by Frost Like Ashes. The album was originally supposed to be released by Psycho Acoustic Records which had signed the band. However, after the album was sent to be manufactured, the owner of the label died. Psycho Acoustix was closed, and the band members purchased the copies and sent them to distributors in 2005. In 2006 a distribution deal was signed with Open Grave Records which made the album available for a larger audience.

The cover art depicts a Norwegian stave church which is associated with the early 1990s church burnings related to the early black metal scene. In some interviews the band has said that the cover is a stance against these acts. The album title "Tophet" is Hebrew language and is a location near Jerusalem where according to the Bible, the Canaanites sacrificed children to the god Moloch by burning them alive. Tophet became a synonym for hell.