<P> This description is generally identified as part of the Priestly source ("P"), written in the sixth or fifth century BCE . However while the first Priestly source takes the form of instructions, the second is largely a repetition of the first in the past tense, i.e., it describes the execution of the instructions . Many scholars contend that it is of a far later date than the time of Moses, and that the description reflects the structure of Solomon's Temple, while some hold that the description derives from memories of a real pre-monarchic shrine, perhaps the sanctuary at Shiloh . Traditional scholars contend that it describes an actual tabernacle used in the time of Moses and thereafter . According to historical criticism, an earlier, pre-exilic source, the Elohist ("E"), describes the tabernacle as a simple tent - sanctuary . </P> <P> The English word "tabernacle" is derived from the Latin tabernāculum meaning "tent" or "hut", which in ancient Roman religion was a ritual structure . </P> <P> The word sanctuary is also used for the biblical tabernacle, as is the phrase "tent of meeting". The Hebrew word mishkan implies "dwell", "rest", or "to live in", that dwelt within this divinely ordained structure . </P> <P> Historical criticism has identified two accounts of the tabernacle in Exodus, a briefer Elohist account and a longer Priestly one . Traditional scholars believe the briefer account describes a different structure, perhaps Moses' personal tent . The Hebrew nouns in the two accounts differ, one is most commonly translated as "tent of meeting," while the other is usually translated as "tabernacle ." </P>

What is tent of meeting in the bible