Difference between revisions of "Temple of Jerusalem" - New World Encyclopedia

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[[Image:TempleJerusalem.jpg|thumb|400px|A model of the Temple and its outer courtyard.]]
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The '''Temple in Jerusalem''' was originally built in ancient [[Jerusalem]] in c. tenth century B.C.E. Also known as '''Solomon's Temple''', it was the national center of Israelite religious life, especially for the offering of sacrifices, but also as a cultural and intellectual center. It was located on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Its architecture and rich furnishings are described in considerable detail in the [[Hebrew Bible]]. The most famous artifact in Solomon's Temple was the legendary [[Ark of the Covenant]]. According to the [[Bible]], Solomon's Temple replaced the [[Tabernacle]] of [[Moses]] and was to be the sole place of legitimate [[sacrificial offering]] to God in both [[Judah]] and [[Israel]].
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The original Temple was destroyed in 586 B.C.E. by the Babylonians and was rebuilt in stages after the Jews returned from exile. This, the ''Second Temple,'' served as the religious center of Jewish life in the post-exilic period. [[Herod the Great]] greatly expanded the Temple in the late first century B.C.E. The Second Temple was destroyed in 70 C.E. by the Romans. The site of the Temple is now believed to be occupied by the [[Al Aqsa Mosque]], one of the holiest shrines for the [[Muslim]] faith. The Temple remains an important focus of Jewish prayers, and the [[Western Wall]], the remnant of a retaining wall surrounding the temple, is a sacred place of [[pilgrimage]] to this day.
  
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The '''Temple in Jerusalem''' or the '''Holy Temple''' (Hebrew: בית המקדש, transliterated ''Bet HaMikdash'') was built in ancient [[Jerusalem]] in c. 10th century B.C.E. and subsequently rebuilt several times. It was the center of Israelite and Jewish worship, primarily for the offering of sacrifices. It was located on Jerusalem's Temple Mount and has remained as a focal point for Jewish services over the millennia. According to the [[Hebrew Bible]], the Temple was built by [[Solomon]]. It replaced the [[Tabernacle]] of [[Moses]].
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== First and Second Temples, and Other Temples ==
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Several distinct sacrificial sanctuaries stood in succession on the [[Temple Mount]] in Jerusalem:
  
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[[Image:Secondtempleplan.jpg|right|thumb|300px|A drawing of [[Herod's Temple]] in Jerusalem]]
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*'''King David's Altar''' was the first construction on the site of the temple mount. Second Samuel 24:18-24 describes a sacrificial altar on the future temple site, built on a former threshing floor,
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*'''Solomon's Temple''' was built in approximately the tenth century B.C.E. It was destroyed by the Babylonians under [[Nebuchadnezzar II]] of [[Babylon]] in 586 B.C.E.
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*'''The Second Temple''' was built after the return from the [[Babylonian Captivity]], around 536 B.C.E. The temple narrowly avoided being destroyed in 332 B.C.E. when the Jews refused to acknowledge the deification of [[Alexander the Great]] of Macedonia. In 175 B.C.E. [[Antiochus IV Epiphanes]] ascended to the throne and pursued a policy of Hellenization. Religious observances of Sabbath and circumcision were outlawed, and a statue of [[Zeus]] was erected in the temple and Jews were commanded to offer sacrifices to it. In 167 B.C.E. the Jews rose up against Seleucid authority, and in 165 B.C.E. Judah Maccabee re-dedicated the temple. The Jews celebrate this event to this day as the central theme of the festival of [[Hannukah]].
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[[Image:Western-Wall.jpg|thumb|300px|Contemporary Jews pray at the Western Wall, remnant of the retaining wall that surrounded the Temple]]
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*'''Herod's Temple''' was a massive renovation of the original Second Temple which took place around 20 C.E.; it included turning the entire Temple Mount into a giant square platform. [[Herod's Temple]] was destroyed by Roman troops under general [[Titus]] in 70 C.E.
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*During the [[Bar Kochba]] revolt against the Romans in 132–135 C.E., Simon bar Kokhba and Rabbi Akiva wanted to rebuild the Temple. However, the revolt failed and the Jews were banned from Jerusalem by the Roman Empire. There was also an aborted project by the Roman emperor [[Julian the Apostate]] (361-363 C.E.) to allow the Jews to build a '''"Third Temple"''' as part of Julian's program of restoring local religious cults.
  
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By custom, Herod's Temple is '''not''' called the "Third Temple" because the priesthood kept the [[animal sacrifice]]s and other ceremonials going without interruption during the entire reconstruction project. While Herod's Temple itself was subsequently destroyed, the mammoth Temple Mount platform complex still exists and currently supports the [[Dome of the Rock]] and [[Al-Aqsa mosque]]s. It is the remnant of the Western Wall of this complex, formerly called the "Wailing Wall," that is one of Judaism's most holy sites.
  
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==Construction and Description==
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While contemporary scholarship challenges the Bible's story of Solomon's Temple's construction as either anachronistic or exaggerated, the account is worth considering in some detail.
  
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== First and Second Temples ==
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Before his death, [[David|King David]] reportedly provided materials in great abundance for the building of the Temple on the summit of Mount Moriah (1 Chron. 22:14; 29:4; 2 Chron. 3:1), where he had established a sacrificial altar after purchasing a former threshing floor from Araunah the Jebusite (2 Sam. 24). Mount Moriah was the traditional location of [[Abraham]]'s preparation to sacrifice his son [[Isaac]] as a burnt offering to God (Gen. 2:22).
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[[Image:TempleJerusalem.jpg|thumb|275px|A model of the Temples.]]
 
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As many as five distinct temples stood in succession on the [[Temple Mount]] in Jerusalem:
 
  
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*'''[[King David]]'s Altar''' was the first construction on the site of the temple. [[Books of Samuel|Second Samuel]] 24:18-24 only describes a sacrificial [[altar]] on the temple site, but it is possible that some preliminary version of a [[temple]] was already functioning at the time of [[King David|David]]'s death, before [[Solomon's Temple|Solomon's construction]] began.
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King [[Solomon]] prepared additional materials for the building. From subterranean quarries at Jerusalem he obtained huge blocks of [[stone]] for the foundations and walls of the structure. He entered into a pact with Hiram I, king of Tyre, for additional materials for the work, particularly timber from the forests of [[Lebanon]] (1 Kings 5).  
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*'''[[Solomon's Temple]],''' was built in approximately the 10th century B.C.E. to replace the [[Tabernacle]].  It was destroyed by the [[Babylonia]]ns under [[Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon|Nebuchadnezzar]] in [[586 B.C.E.]].
 
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*'''[[Second Temple|The Second Temple]]''' was built after the return from the Babylonian Captivity, around [[536 B.C.E.]] (completed on [[March 12]], [[515 B.C.E.]]). This Temple was desecrated by the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] general [[Pompey]], when he entered it after taking Jerusalem in [[63 B.C.E.]]. According to [[Josephus]], [[Pompey]] did not remove anything from the temple or its treasury.
 
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*'''[[Herod's Temple]]''' was a massive rebuilding of the [[Second Temple]] including turning the entire [[Temple Mount]] into a giant square platform. [[Herod the Great]] began his expansion project around [[19 B.C.E.]], dismantling the Second Temple in order to build a larger, grander version. [[Herod's Temple]] was destroyed by [[Roman Empire|Roman]] troops under general [[Roman Emperor Titus|Titus]] in [[70]] CE.
 
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*During the [[Bar Kochba revolt]] in the c.[[135]] CE, and during the early part of the [[Sassanid]] Persian occupation of most of the Byzantine empire from [[610]] to [[620]] the Kohanim priesthood began anew the temple service, including animal sacrifice, and small buildings were erected. However, these two temples are hypothetical, and their existence is contested.
 
  
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By custom, [[Herod's Temple]] is '''''not''''' called the '''"[[Third Temple]]"''' because the Kohanim priesthood kept the animal sacrifices and other ceremonials ([[korbanot]]) going without interruption during the entire reconstruction project.  
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Solomon also provided for a sufficient water supply for the Temple by creating vast [[cistern]]s, into which water was conveyed by channels from the "pools" near [[Bethlehem]]. One of these cisterns was the "great sea," a massive cast bronze pool that stood impressively at the Temple's entrance.
  
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While Herod's temple itself was subsequently destroyed, the mammoth [[Temple Mount]] platform complex still exists and currently supports the [[Dome of the Rock]] and [[Al-Aqsa]] mosques.
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The huge building project began, under the direction of skilled [[Phoenicia|Phoenician]] workmen, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign. The Biblical account reports that this involved 100,000 talents (3000 tons) of [[gold]] and one million talents (30,000 tons) of [[silver]]. (Modern scholars suspect that these figures were exaggerated.)<ref>[http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/1chr/22.html#14 1 Chronicles 12:14] ''Skeptics Annotated Bible''. Retrieved January 16, 2020. </ref> Thousands of laborers and skilled artisans were reportedly employed in the work, many of them non-Israelite slaves who the Bible identifies as survivors of the wars of conquest in [[Canaan]]. The building is described as 60 cubits (27 meters) long, 20 cubits (9 meters) wide, and 25 or 30 cubits high (ancient manuscripts differ on this detail).
  
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'''Solomon's Temple''' ([[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: &#1489;&#1497;&#1514; &#1492;&#1502;&#1511;&#1491;&#1513;, [[transliteration|transliterated]] ''Beit HaMikdash''), also known as the '''First Temple''', was, according to the [[Bible]], the first [[Jew]]ish [[Temple in Jerusalem]]. It functioned as a religious focal point for worship and the sacrifices known as the ''[[korbanot]]'' in ancient [[Judaism]]. Completed in the [[10th century B.C.E.]], it was destroyed by the [[Babylonians]] in [[586 B.C.E.]].
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In the eleventh year of his reign, seven and a half years after it had been begun, Solomon's Temple was completed. The dedication of the Temple did not take place for several additional years, however. Then, the [[Ark of the Covenant]] was solemnly brought from the tent in which David had deposited it to the place prepared in the Holy of Holies (see below). It is said that [[Solomon]] ascended a platform and, lifting up his hands to heaven, poured out his heart to God in one of the Bible's most memorable prayers (1 Kings 8; 2 Chron. 6-7). The huge feast of dedication, which lasted seven days, marked a new era in the history of Israel.
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[[Image:Christian-van-adrichom JERVSALEM-et-suburbia-eius detail-solomon-temple 1-1497x1000.jpg|thumb|right|333px|Artist depiction of the Temple (Drawing by [[Christian van Adrichom]] ([[1584]]).)]]
 
  
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==Biblical account of the Temple's construction==
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*'''Note''': [[Archeology|Archaeologists]] have called into question existence of so grand a building project in tenth-century Jerusalem. Evidence suggests that Judah was too sparsely populated, and Jerusalem far too small a village in David and Solomon's day to have supported construction, wealth, and a labor pool on the scale described. A possible alternative explanation is that that the Temple was built or expanded later in Judah's history and then ascribed to Solomon's era, which was seen by the Biblical authors as a Golden Age of unrivaled wealth, power, and (initially at least) religious piety.''
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===Building materials===
 
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Before his death, King [[David]] had provided materials in great abundance for the building of the temple on the summit of Mount [[Moriah]] ([[Books of Chronicles|1 Chronicles]] 22:14; 29:4; [[Books of Chronicles|2 Chronicles]] 3:1), where he had purchased a threshing floor from Araunah the Jebusite (2 Sam. 24:21 et seq.), on which he offered sacrifice.
 
  
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The Bible states that in the beginning of his reign, King [[Solomon]] of the united [[Kingdom of Israel]], set about giving effect to the ideas of his father, and prepared additional materials for the building. From subterranean quarries at [[Jerusalem]] he obtained huge blocks of stone for the foundations and walls of the temple. These stones were prepared for their places in the building under the eye of Tyrian master-builders.  
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===Description===
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Descriptions of Solomon's Temple vary according both to interpretation and the differing accounts of the Temple in several Biblical books. The following enumeration is largely based on ''Easton's Bible Dictionary''<ref>[https://www.ccel.org/ccel/easton/ebd2.html?term=Temple,%20Solomon%E2%80%99s Temple, Solomon’s] ''Easton's Bible Dictionary''. Retrieved January 16, 2020. </ref> and the ''Jewish Encyclopedia'' <ref> [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14310-temple-of-solomon Temple of Solomon] ''Jewish Encyclopedia''. Retrieved January 16, 2020.</ref>
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[[image:Solomon'sTemple.PNG|thumb|right|350px|A sketch of Solomon's Temple based on biblical descriptions.]]
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[[File:Tissot The Ark of the Covenant.jpg|thumb|right|400px|The Ark of the Covenant.]]
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*The ''Debir'': the [[Most Holy Place]] (1 Kings 6:19; 8:6), called also the "inner house" (6:27), and the "Holy of Holies" (Heb. 9:3). In it was housed the sacred [[Ark of the Covenant]]. It was windowless and cubicle in shape: 20 cubits in length, breadth, and height. (A cubit was the measure of length from a man's wrist to his elbow.) It was floored and wainscotted with cedar (1 Kings 6:16), and its walls and floor were overlaid with gold (6:20, 21, 30). It contained two large gold-plated statues of [[cherubim]] carved from olivewood, each 10 cubits high (1 Kings 6:16, 20-21, 23-28) and each having outspread wings 10 cubits from tip to tip. Standing side by side, the wings of these impressive statues touched the wall on either side and met in the center of the room. The room was adorned with an ornate embroidered linen veil of blue, purple and crimson (2 Chron. 3:14; compare Exodus 26:33). It was considered the dwelling-place of God, in which his holy presence was enthroned above the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant. In some accounts, only the High Priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies. According to 1 Kings 7:48, there stood before the Holy of Holies a golden altar used for incense offerings and a table for showbread. This table too was made of [[gold]], as were the five candlesticks on each side of it. The implements for the care of the candles—tongs, basins, snuffers, and fire-pans—were also made of gold as so were the hinges of the doors.
  
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According to this account, Solomon also entered into a pact with [[Hiram I]], king of [[Tyre]], for the supply of whatever else was needed for the work, particularly timber from the forests of [[Lebanon]], which was brought in great rafts by the sea to [[Jaffa, Israel|Joppa]], whence it was dragged to Jerusalem ([[Books of Kings|1 Kings]] 5).  
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*The ''Hekhal'': the Holy Place, 1 Kings 8:8-10, also called the "greater house" (2 Chron. 3:5); the word itself means "palace." It was of the same width and height as the Holy of Holies, but longer, being 40 cubits in length. Its walls were lined with cedar, on which were carved figures of [[cherubim]], palm-trees, and open flowers, all overlaid with gold. Chains of gold marked it off from the Holy of Holies. The floor of the Holy Place was of fir-wood overlaid with gold. The doors were of [[olive|olivewood]]. On both sets of doors were carved [[cherubim]], palm-trees, and flowers, again overlaid with gold (1 Kings 6:15).
  
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According to tradition, Solomon also provided for a sufficient water supply for the temple by hewing in the rocky hill vast cisterns, into which water was conveyed by channels from the "pools" near [[Bethlehem]]. One of these cisterns, the "great sea," was capable of containing three million gallons. The overflow was led off by a conduit to the [[Kidron]].
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*The ''Ulam'': the porch or entrance before the Temple on the east (1 Kings 6:3; 2 Chron. 3:4; 9:7). This was 20 cubits long (corresponding to the width of the Temple) and 10 cubits deep (1 Kings 6:3). 2 Chron. 3:4 adds the curious statement (usually discounted) that this porch was 120 cubits high. In the porch stood the two great [[bronze]] pillars "Jachin" and "Boaz" (1 Kings 7:21; 2 Kings 11:14; 23:3), which were 18 cubits in height and surmounted by capitals of carved lilies five cubits high decorated with chains to which were attached hundreds of [[pomegranate]]s. (2 Chron.)
  
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These accounts in the Bible are also the basis for much of the legend and lore of [[Freemasonry]], which uses the construction of the Temple as a backdrop and metaphor for moral instruction.
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*The chambers, which were built about the Temple on the southern, western, and northern sides (1 Kings 6:5-10). These formed a part of the building and were used for storage as well for the daily needs of priestly officials. ([[Book of Jeremiah|Jeremiah]] 19:14; 26:2).
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[[Image:brazen-sea.jpg|thumb|right|350px|The bronze "sea," 10 cubits in diameter, rested on the back of 12 cast [[bronze]] oxen.]]
  
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Archaelogists, however, have called into existence of so grand a Temple in Jerusalem as is described by the Bible. Judah was too sparsely populated, and Jerusalem far too small a village in David and Solomon's day to have supported a building project on the scale described.
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*Surrounding the building were the ''court of the priests'' (2 Chron. 4:9), called the "inner court" (1 Kings 6:36) and the ''great court,'' which surrounded the whole Temple (2 Chron. 4:9). Here the common people assembled to worship God.
  
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===Construction===
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The court of the priests was the sacrificial center of the Temple complex. It contained the main altar for burnt offerings (2 Chron. 15:8), the brazen ''sea'' (4:2-5, 10), and ten ornate lavers (1 Kings 7:38, 39). From 2 Kings 16:14 the [[altar]] is described as being made of bronze, standing before the Temple; 2 Chron. 4:1 gives its dimensions as 20 cubits square and 10 cubits high. The lavers, each of which held "forty baths" (1 Kings 7:38), rested on portable holders made of bronze, provided with wheels, and ornamented with figures of [[lion]]s, [[cherubim]], and [[palm]]-trees.
  
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[[image:Solomon'sTemple.PNG|thumb|right|333px|A sketch of Solomon's Temple based on descriptions in the [[Tanakh]].]]
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==The Religion of the Temple==
  
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According to tradition, in all these preparatory undertakings a space of about three years was occupied; and now the process of the erection of the great building began, under the direction of skilled [[Phoenicia]]n builders and workmen, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign. The building followed the Phoenician model, which makes the Bible's description an important source for historians  regarding the layout of Phoenician temples, and vice versa. [[David]] provided Solomon with a large amount of [[gold]] and [[silver]] with which to build the temple. The Biblical account reports that this amounted to 100,000 talents (3,000 tons) of gold (an amount exceeding the current annual global production {{ref|gold}}) and 1,000,000 talents (30,000 tons) of silver{{ref|silver}}.  
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===Intellectual and cultural significance===
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The Temple was an important [[symbol]] of national unity. Its size, architectural glory, rich treasures, and the power of its God represented the Israelite and Jewish nation to the world. It was also a key center of literacy and learning.  
  
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According to biblical tradition, many thousands of labourers and skilled artisans were employed in the work. Some of them were non-Israelite [[Slavery in antiquity|slaves]]—survivors of the wars of conquest in [[Canaan]]:
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Here, priests not only copied [[scripture|holy scriptures]], but wrote psalms, histories, and wisdom literature. The Temple was the locus of important political movements and spawned at least one coup against rulers who did not pay heed to priestly and prophetic advice (2 Kings 11). In its courts, prophets such as Jeremiah denounced religious complacency, warning that social justice is even more important to God than sacrifices (Jeremiah 7). In its chambers royal infants were sheltered from palace intrigues which targeted them for murder (2 Kings 11:3), and sacred scrolls were uncovered that launched dramatic religious reforms (2 Kings 22-23).
  
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:''This was the purpose of the forced labor that King Solomon imposed: It was to build the House of the Lord ... All the people that were left of the [[Amorites]], [[Hittites]], [[Perizzites]], [[Hivites]], and [[Jebusites]] who were not of the Israelite stock—those of their descendants who remained in the land and whom the Israelites were not able to annihilate—of these Solomon made a slave force, as is still the case. But he did not reduce any Israelites to slavery ...'' –[[I_Kings|I Kings]] 9:15-22a (1985 Jewish Publication Society Tanakh translation)
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Scholars debate how much all of this affected the masses of people. Jerusalem was only one of several important cities during the First Temple period, and the majority of people lived in the countryside in any case. Even in those times when Yahwistic kings ruled and attempted to unify the religious tradition, there are indications (both Biblical and archaeological) that for most people, religion was not exclusively [[Yahweh|Yahwistic]]. In the Second Temple period, however, the [[monotheism|monotheistic]] tradition prevailed not only in Jerusalem, but among the Jews throughout the land of Judea and the [[Jewish Diaspora|Diaspora]].
  
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Stones prepared in the quarries underneath the city (1 Kings 5:17, 18) of huge dimension were gradually placed
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===Devoted to The Lord===
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on the massive walls, and closely fitted together without any mortar between, till the whole structure was completed. The building was most likely 60 cubits (27 m) long, 20 cubits (9 m) wide, and 25 (in the Greek text) or 30 (in the Hebrew) cubits (14 m) high. According to another account, however, the temple was about 120 cubits high. This would have placed the structure at about 20 stories.
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The Jerusalem Temple is portrayed in the biblical account as belonging exclusively to the Israelite God Yahweh ("The Lord"). Other altars, even if devoted to Israelite deity, were specifically prohibited:
  
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===Completion===
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*…To the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name—there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the Lord…. Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please. Offer them only at the place the Lord will choose in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command you. (Deut. 12:11-14)
  
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At length, in the Autumn of the eleventh year of his reign, seven and a half years after it had been begun, the temple was completed. For thirteen years there it stood, on the summit of Moriah, silent and unused. The reasons for this strange delay in its consecration are unknown. At the close of these thirteen years preparations for the dedication of the temple were made. The Temple remained empty for only eleven months, until the month of Tishri in the year following its completion. Thus the Temple was dedicated at the autumnal new-year festival.{{ref|empty}}
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According to Biblical tradition, when the people of Judah and Israel united centering on the Temple and resisted the temptation of worshiping [[Canaan|Canaanite]] deities, God blessed them; however, when they sacrificed elsewhere or followed after foreign gods, they were punished. From the biblical viewpoint, the reason for the demise of both Israel and Judah was their lack of faith God, centered in Jerusalem and its holy Temple, which was said to be God's only authorized sanctuary.
  
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===Ark of the Covenant===
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Modern scholars, however, tend to believe that this Jerusalem-centered "Yahweh-only" principle did not come to the fore until the seventh century B.C.E., contemporary with the writing of [[Deuteronomy]]. Early Israelite religion may have affirmed [[Yahweh]] (also call "El" in the Bible) as the chief deity, while also recognizing the existence of lesser deities such as [[Asherah]] (El's consort) and even [[Baal]]. Parts of the Bible clearly acknowledge the real existence of the non-Israelite deities, forbidding their worship to Israelites but not to gentiles. Accordingly, only gradually did the idea of "one God alone" emerge and prevail.
  
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According to biblical tradition, the [[Ark of the Covenant]] was solemnly brought from the tent in which David had deposited it to the place prepared for it in the temple. Then Solomon ascended a platform which had been erected for him, in the sight of all the people, and lifting up his hands to heaven poured out his heart to God in prayer (1 Kings 8; 2 Chr. 6, 7). The feast of dedication, which lasted seven days, followed by the feast of tabernacles, marked a new era in the history of Israel. On the eighth day of the feast of tabernacles, Solomon dismissed the vast assemblage of the people..
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The biblical history indicates that Solomon himself honored the gods of his foreign wives as well as the Israelite God, but he did not worship these gods in the Temple itself. The Bible reports that temples to other deities existed in Jerusalem at various period. Some kings allowed Solomon's Temple to fall into disrepair and introduced the worship of other deities in its confines. From 700-600 <small>B.C.E.</small>, for example:
  
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==Description==
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*King [[Ahaz]], as well as earlier rulers, removed gold, silver, and bronze sacred treasures and furnishings from the Temple to pay tribute demanded by Syrian and Assyrian kings. The Temple also suffered from lack of use and poor maintenance. "They… shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel." (2 Chron. 29:7)
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[[Image:Solomon'sTempleEast.png|right|]]
 
  
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Due to the extensive rebuilding of the [[Second Temple]] in later centuries, no remains of the First Temple are extant (however, certain remains from the First Temple have recently been discovered in the refuse from an extensive construction project performed on the Temple Mount by the Islamic Wakf in November of 1999); the detailed descriptions provided in the [[Tanakh]] and educated guesses based on the remains of other temples in the region are the sources for reconstructions of its appearance. Technical details are lacking, since the scribes who wrote down the books were not architects or engineers{{ref|scribes}}. Reconstructions differ; the following enumeration is largely based on ''[[Easton's Bible Dictionary]]'' and the [[Jewish Encyclopedia]]:
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*King [[Hezekiah]], the son of [[Ahaz]], also removed sacred treasures to pay tribute to Assyria. Later, under the influence of the prophet Isaiah, he effected repairs and re-consecrated the Temple. He also carried out an aggressive campaign against non-Yahwistic religious practices, even destroying the ''bronze serpent'' created by [[Moses]] during the exodus, originally an authorized object of faith, but now seen as idolatrous. (2 Kings 18)
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#The Debir: the oracle or [[Most Holy Place]] (1 Kings 6:19; 8:6), called also the "inner house" (6:27), and the "Holy of Holies" (Heb. 9:3). It was 20 cubits in length, breadth, and height. The usual explanation for the discrepancy between its height and the 30-cubit height of the temple is that its floor was elevated, like the ''[[cella]]'' of other ancient temples{{ref|other_temples}}. It was floored and wainscotted with [[cedar]] (1 Kings 6:16), and its walls and floor were overlaid with [[gold]] (6:20, 21, 30). It contained two cherubim of olive-wood, each 10 cubits high (1 Kings 6:16, 20, 21, 23-28) and each having outspread wings 10 cubits from tip to tip, so that, since they stood side by side, the wings touched the wall on either side and met in the center of the room. There was a two-leaved door between it and the holy place overlaid with gold (2 Chr. 4:22); also a veil of blue [[purple]] and [[crimson]] and fine [[linen]] (2 Chr. 3:14; compare [[Exodus]] 26:33). It had no windows (1 Kings 8:12). It was considered the dwelling-place of God.
 
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#The Hekal: the holy place, 1 Kings 8:8-10, called also the "greater house" (2 Chr. 3:5) and the "temple" (1 Kings 6:17); the word also means "palace"{{ref|hekal}}. It was of the same width and height as the Holy of Holies, but 40 cubits in length. Its walls were lined with cedar, on which were carved figures of cherubim, palm-trees, and open flowers, which were overlaid with gold. Chains of gold further marked it off from the Holy of Holies. The floor of the Temple was of fir-wood overlaid with gold. The door-posts, of olive-wood, supported folding-doors of fir. The doors of the Holy of Holies were of olive-wood. On both sets of doors were carved cherubim, palm-trees, and flowers, all being overlaid with gold (1 Kings 6:15 et seq.)
 
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#The Ulam: the porch or entrance before the temple on the east (1 Kings 6:3; 2 Chr. 3:4; 9:7). This was 20 cubits long (corresponding to the width of the Temple) and 10 cubits deep (1 Kings 6:3). 2 Chr. 3:4 adds the curious statement (probably corrupted from the statement of the depth of the porch) that this porch was 120 cubits high, which would make it a regular tower. The description does not specify whether a wall separated it from the next chamber. In the porch stood the two pillars [[Jachin and Boaz]] (1 Kings 7:21; 2 Kings 11:14; 23:3), which were 18 cubits in height and surmounted by capitals of carved lilies, 5 cubits high.
 
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#The chambers, which were built about the temple on the southern, western, and northern sides (1 Kings 6:5-10). These formed a part of the building and were used for storage. They were probably one story high at first; two more may have been added later{{ref|chambers}}.
 
  
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According to biblical tradition, round about the building were:
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*King Manasseh (Hezekiah's son) erected an "Ashera pole" and several altars in the Temple devoted to non-Israelite deities. During his 55-year reign, as well as the 22-year reign of his son Amon, the Yahweh-only principle of Hezekiah's day was abandoned, and the Temple became a cosmopolitan religious center honoring the various deities of Judah's population.
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#The court of the priests (2 Chr. 4:9), called the "inner court" (1 Kings 6:36), which was separated from the space beyond by a wall of three courses of hewn stone, surmounted by cedar beams (1 Kings 4:36).
 
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#The great court, which surrounded the whole temple (2 Chr. 4:9). Here the people assembled to worship God ([[Book of Jeremiah|Jeremiah]] 19:14; 26:2).
 
  
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===Furnishings and treasures===
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*By the time of King Josiah (late seventh century <small>B.C.E.</small>) the Bible reports that in addition to the above-mentioned pagan shrines, the Temple housed sacred male prostitutes, women who wove clothing for the goddess Asherah, and "articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the starry hosts." (2 Kings 23)
−
The inner court of the priests contained the altar of burnt-offering (2 Chr. 15:8), the brazen sea (4:2-5, 10), and ten lavers (1 Kings 7:38, 39).
 
  
−
From 2 Kings 16:14 it is learned that a brazen altar stood before the Temple; 2 Chr. 4:1 gives its dimensions as 20 cubits square and 10 cubits high.  
+
Josiah instituted a radical campaign to rid the Temple of Canaanite religious practices, unify the priesthood in Jerusalem, and repress unauthorized religion throughout his kingdom. This campaign went beyond previous attempts at reform in both scope and zeal, aiming at Yahwist "high places" outside of Jerusalem as well as shrines devoted to Baal and Ashera worship. It extended even to the former territory of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, where Josiah supervised the destruction of the Israelite shrine at Bethel, whose original altar had reportedly been established by [[Abraham]] himself (2 Kings 22-23).
  
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The brazen sea, 10 cubits wide and 5 deep, rested on the backs of twelve oxen (1 Kings 7:23-26). The Book of Kings gives its capacity as "two thousand baths"; the Chronicler inflates this to three thousand (2 Chr. 4:5-6) and states that its purpose was to afford opportunity for the ablutions of the priests.
+
===The Centrality of Jerusalem===
 +
The Bible stipulates that before Solomon's time, Israelite worship and sacrifice took place at various "high places," supervised by both priests and prophets. After the Temple's establishment, however, it became the national shrine. A movement aimed at centralization centering on Jerusalem ebbed and waned over the next four centuries.
  
−
The lavers, each of which held "forty baths" (1 Kings 7:38), rested on portable holders made of bronze, provided with wheels, and ornamented with figures of [[lion]]s, cherubim, and palm-trees. These vessels especially excited the admiration of the Jews. The author of the books of the Kings describes their minute details with great interest (1 Kings 7:27-37).
+
After Israel split from Judah during the reign of Solomon's son Rehoboam, the Northern king Jeroboam built two rival national shines: one at the ancient high place of Bethel a few miles north of Jerusalem, the other near the border of today's [[Lebanon]] in the territory of Dan. The Biblical authors, who emphasized the centrality of Jerusalem and also criticized the erection of golden bull-calf statues at these sanctuaries, denounced these shrines. (Critics point out that in so doing they turned a blind eye to the large statues of bronze bulls and golden cherubim in the Jerusalem Temple.)
  
−
[[Josephus]] reported that the vessels in the temple were composed of [[Orichalcum]] in the ''Antiquities of the Jews''.
+
Occasionally, local high places operated during this period without disapproval from the Biblical writers. Prophetic bands attended various high places: [[Bethel]], [[Jericho]], Gibeah etc. The prophet [[Elijah]] offered sacrifice to God at the high place on [[Mount Carmel]]. Of particular interest historically is the high place at Gerizim (above the town of Shechem), a Yahwistic shrine seen by the [[Samaritan]]-Israelites as the one true authorized place of [[sacrifice]], as opposed to Jerusalem. This shrine receives little attention in the [[Hebrew Bible]], but is mentioned in the [[New Testament]] as the holy place of the [[Samaritans]] (John 4:20), and remains the center of the modern Samaritan sect today.
  
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According to 1 Kings 7:48 there stood before the Holy of Holies a golden altar of [[incense]] and a table for showbread. This table was of gold, as were also the five candlesticks on each side of it. The implements for the care of the candles—tongs, basins, snuffers, and fire-pans—were of gold; and so were the hinges of the doors.
+
As part of Hezekiah's and Josiah's centralization campaigns, only Levite priests were considered legitimate, and any such priests operating at the high places were required to report to the Jerusalem Temple. Archaeologists have confirmed that some local shrines indeed ceased operation during these periods. After the Jews returned from exile and rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem, it became the unrivaled Temple of the Jews.
  
−
==The site==
+
===Ceremony and sacrifice===
 +
Sacrifices of various types were central to the Temple's function. Priests offered animal, vegetable, and wine sacrifices on behalf of both king and people. Specifications are given in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. However, it should be noted that the mature tradition of sacrifice probably emerged rather late in the period of Kings and did not reach its final form until after the return from [[Babylonian Captivity|exile in Babylon]].
  
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The Temple was probably situated upon the more easterly of the two hills which form the site of the present-day [[Noble Sanctuary]], in the center of which area is the [[Dome of the Rock]]. Under the [[Jebusites]] the site was used as a threshing floor. 2 Sam. 24 describes its consecration during David's reign.  
+
From the Psalms and other liturgical works can be derived a rich tradition of procession, song, dance, religious festival, priestly devotions, and royal enthronement rituals centering on the Temple. The following examples of psalmistry take on added meaning when considered in light of their original Temple-based context.
  
−
Two slightly different sites for the Temple have been proposed: one places the bronze altar on the rock which is now beneath the gilded dome, with the rest of the temple to the west; the [[Well of Souls]] was, in this theory, a pit for the remnants of the ''korbanot''. The slope of the terrain in this area would require massive supporting structures for the Temple, what ''[[Easton's Bible Dictionary]]'' describes as "a huge wall of solid masonry of great height, in some places more than 200 ft (60 m) high. . .raised across the south of the hill, and a similar wall on the eastern side, and in the spaces between. . .many arches and pillars. . . ." The other places the Holy of Holies atop this rock, thus explaining its elevation. The traditions of this rock were sacred; probably the site was the same as that of the temple which [[Hadrian]] erected to [[Jupiter (god)|Jupiter]], which in turn was on the site of Herod's temple, which would naturally be on that of Solomon's&mdash;an example of the persistency of sacred sites in the East.
+
*''One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his Temple…'' (Psalm 27:4)
 +
 
 +
*''Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God…. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.'' (Psalm 100)
  
 
==Comparison with other temples==
 
==Comparison with other temples==
 +
The Temple has recognizable similarities to other temples of its time and region. The Biblical text makes it clear that Solomon received aid from Hiram of Tyre in the construction of his buildings. This aid involved not only material (cedar-wood, etc.), but also architectural direction and skilled craftsmen. Amongst them was a master coppersmith, also called Hiram. The Temple's tripartite division is similar to that found in thirteenth century <small>B.C.E.</small> temples at Alalakh in [[Syria]] and Hazor in the upper Galilee; a ninth century <small>B.C.E.</small> temple at Tell Tayinat also follows this plan. Phoenician temples varied somewhat in form, but were similarly surrounded by courts.
  
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The Temple has recognizable similarities to other temples of its time and region. Syro-Phoenician, Egyptian, and Mesopotamian influences are visible. A plaza or courtyard surrounding the sacred residence of the god, marked with stones, is a feature common throughout ancient [[Semitic#Religion|Semitic religions]]. Earlier evidence of this practice among the Hebrews survives in the twelve stones that [[Joshua]] placed at [[Gilgal]] ([[Book of Joshua|Joshua]] 4:20) and the marking of [[Mount Sinai]] by Moses (Ex. 19:12), and in the forbidden zone surrounding the tent which was the predecessor of the Temple. Even today the Muslims designate certain areas, especially that surrounding [[Mecca]], as inviolate ''[[haram]]'' {{ref|haram}}.
+
Among the details that were probably copied from Tyre were the two large bronze pillars Jachin and Boaz. [[Herodotus]] (ii. 44) says that the temple at Tyre contained two such, one of emerald and the other of fine gold. The bronze altar, too, may have been a Phoenician innovation. The Orthodox Israelite altar was of earth or unhewn stone. In the same way the ubiquitous ornamentation of palm trees and [[cherubim]] were probably derived from Tyre, as may have been the cast and carved images of bulls, pomegranates, flowers, etc. These details pose a paradox, for the Ten Commandments of Ex. 20 prohibited the making of graven images, while that of Ex. 34 prohibited the making of molten gods; and the Deuteronomic version prohibited the making of an image of "anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below." All these writings, according the Bible critics, are later than Solomon's time; but there is no reason to believe that prior to the Temple's construction the Hebrews had either the skill or the wealth necessary to produce ornamentation of this kind.
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−
===Phoenician and Canaanite===
 
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The Biblical text makes it clear that Solomon received aid from Hiram, the King of Tyre, in the construction of his buildings. This aid involved not only material (cedar-wood, etc.), but architectural direction and skilled craftsmen. Amongst them was the [[coppersmith]] Hiram (the son of a Tyrian father and Israelite mother, not to be confused with the king). Its tripartite division is similar to that found in [[13th century B.C.E.|13th century B.C.E.]] temples at [[Alalakh]] in [[Syria]] and [[Hazor (archeological site)|Hazor]] in the upper [[Galilee]]; a [[9th century B.C.E.|9th century B.C.E.]] temple at [[Tell Tayinat]] also follows this plan{{ref|plan}}. Phoenician temples varied somewhat in form, but were similarly surrounded by courts.
 
−
 
 
−
Among the details which were probably copied from Tyre were the two pillars Jachin and Boaz. [[Herodotus]] (ii. 44) says that the temple at Tyre contained two such, one of [[emerald]] and the other of fine gold. In the same way the ornamentation of [[palm tree]]s and [[cherubim]] were probably derived from Tyre, for Ezekiel (28:13, 14) represents the King of Tyre, who was high priest also, as being in the "garden of God." Probably both at Tyre and at Jerusalem the cherubim and palm-tree ornaments were survivals of an earlier conception&mdash;that the abode of God was a "garden of Eden." The Tyrians, therefore, in their temple imitated to some extent the primitive garden, and Solomon borrowed these features.  
 
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−
Similarly, the bronze altar was a Phoenician innovation; and probably the same is true of the bronze implements which were ornamented with palm-trees and cherubim. The Orthodox Israelitish altar was of earth or unhewn stone. The [[Decalogue]] of Ex. 20 prohibited the making of graven images, while that of Ex. 34 prohibited the making of molten gods; and the [[Deuteronomist|Deuteronomic]] expansions prohibited the making of any likeness whatever. All these are, to be sure, later than Solomon's time; but there is no reason to believe that before that time the Hebrews had either the skill or the wealth necessary to produce ornamentation of this kind.
 
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−
===Other Near Eastern temples===
 
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Several temples in [[Mesopotamia]], many in [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]], and some of the Phoenicians are now known. In Babylonia the characteristic feature was a [[ziggurat]], or terraced tower, evidently intended to imitate the mountains on which the gods resided. The chamber for the divine dwelling was at its top. The early Egyptian temples consisted of buildings containing two or three rooms, the innermost of which was the abode of the deity. A good example is the granite temple near the sphinx at [[Giza]]. The [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]] ([[Twelfth dynasty of Egypt|12th dynasty]]) added [[obelisk]]s and pylons, and the [[New Kingdom]] ([[Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt|18th dynasty]]) [[hypostyle]] halls. Solomon's Temple was not a copy of any of these, nor of the Phoenician buildings, but embodied features derived from all of them. It was on the summit of a hill, like the altar of [[Ba'al]] on [[Mount Carmel, Israel|Mount Carmel]] and the sanctuaries of [[Mount Hermon]], and like the Babylonian idea of the divine abode. It was surrounded by courts, like the Phoenician temples and the splendid temple of Der al-Bakri at [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]]. Its general form reminds one of Egyptian sanctuaries and closely matches that of other temples in the region, as described above.
 
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−
The two pillars Jachin and Boaz had their parallel not only at Tyre but at [[Byblos]], [[Paphos]], and Telloh<!--commented out as it's currently not useful (see, however, De Sarzec, "Découvertes en Chaldée," pp. 62-64)—>. In Egypt the obelisks expressed the same idea. The [[Jewish Encyclopedia]] stated that "All these were phallic emblems, being survivals of the primitive Hamito-Semitic 'ma&#7827;&#7827;ebah'"{{ref|Smith}}, Jachin and Boaz were really isolated columns, as Schick has shown{{ref|Schick}}, and not, as some have supposed, a part of the ornamentation of the building. Their tops were crowned with ornamentation as if they were lamps; and W. R. Smith supposed (l.c. p. 488) that they may have been used as fire-altars. This assumes that they contained [[cresset]]s for burning the fat.
 
−
 
 
−
===A miniature world===
 
−
 
 
−
The chambers which surrounded the Holy Place in Solomon's Temple are said in 1 Chr. 28:12 to have been storehouses for the sacred treasure. These are paralleled in Babylonian and Egyptian temples by similar chambers, which surrounded the ''naos'', or hypostyle hall, and were used for similar purposes. The "molten sea" finds its parallel in Babylonian temples in a great basin called the "[[apsu]]" ('deep'). As the ziggurat typified a mountain, so the apsu typified the sea. The Temple thus became a miniature world. This apsu was used as early as the time of [[Gudea]] and continued in use till the end of Babylonian history; it was made of stone and was elaborately decorated<!-- commented out as it's currently not useful (comp. Jastrow, "Rel. of Bab. and Assyria," p. 653)—>. In Solomon's Temple there was nothing to correspond to the hypostyle hall of an Egyptian temple; but this feature was introduced into Solomon's palace. The "house of the forest of Lebanon" and the "porch of pillars" remind one strongly of the outer and the inner hypostyle hall of an Egyptian temple.
 
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−
==Raids and destruction==
 
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−
According to the Bible, the temple was pillaged many times during the course of its history:
 
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#by king [[Shoshenq I|Shishak]] of [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]] (1 Kings 14:25, 26);
 
−
#by king [[Jehoash of Israel|Jehoash]] of [[kingdom of Israel|Israel]] ([[Books of Kings|2 Kings]] 14:14);
 
−
#by king [[Ahaz]] of [[kingdom of Judah|Judah]] (2 Kings 16:8, 17, 18);
 
−
#by king [[Hezekiah]] of Judah to pay king [[Sennacherib]] of [[Assyria]] (2 Kings 18:15, 16).
 
−
#by king [[Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon]] who pillaged and destroyed it (2 Kings 24:13; 2 Chr. 36:7). He burned the temple, and carried all its treasures with him to [[Babylon]] (2 Kings 25:9-17; 2 Chr. 36:19; [[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]] 64:11).
 
  
−
These sacred vessels were, at the end of the [[Babylonian captivity of Judah|Babylonian Captivity]], restored to the Jews by [[Cyrus the Great|Cyrus]] ([[Book of Ezra|Ezra]] 1:7-11).
+
Solomon's Temple embodied features derived from many surrounding cultures. It was on the summit of a hill, like the altar of [[Ba'al]] on [[Mount Carmel, Israel|Mount Carmel]], the sanctuaries of Mount Hermon, and the Babylonian idea of the divine abode on high. It was surrounded by courts, like the [[Phoenicia|Phoenician]] temples and the splendid temple of Der al-Bakri at [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]]. Its general form also reminds students of ancient architecture of several Egyptian sanctuaries.  
  
 +
The chambers which surrounded the Holy Place in Solomon's Temple are said in 1 Chron. 28:12 to have been storehouses for the sacred treasure. These are paralleled in Babylonian and Egyptian temples by similar chambers. The "molten sea" finds its parallel in Babylonian temples in a great basin called the ''[[apsu]]'' (“deep”). As the [[ziggurat]] typified a mountain, so the ''apsu'' typified the sea. The Temple, with the "sea" standing before it, thus became a miniature world.
  
 +
==The Temple and Christianity==
 +
The dominant view within [[Protestant]] [[Christianity]] is that animal sacrifices within the Temple were a foreshadowing of the sacrifice [[Jesus]] made for the sins of the world, through his death (see especially the New Testament letter to the Hebrews). As such, they believe there is no longer a need for the physical Temple and its rituals. [[Image:To the trumpeting place.jpg|right|thumb|400px|A stone (2.43×1 m) with Hebrew inscription "To the Trumpeting Place" excavated by Benjamin Mazar at the southern foot of the Temple Mount is believed to be a part of the Second Temple.]] However, in recent years there has been a tendency in some Christian circles to acknowledge the fact that for years after Jesus' death, his closest disciples&mdash;including even [[Saint Paul]] in Acts 22&mdash;participated in Temple rituals and continued to live as practicing Jews. Some Protestants do believe in the importance of a future rebuilt Temple (i.e. some [[dispensationalists]] and “[[Messianic Jews]]”). Some believe that there will be a full restoration of the sacrificial system as described in Ezekiel's vision of the Temple (Ezek. 43-44).
  
−
==Jewish views==
+
The Catholic and Orthodox churches believe that the [[Eucharist]] is a far superior offering when compared with the merely preparatory Temple sacrifices, as explained in the [[Epistle to the Hebrews]]. They also believe that the Christian church buildings where the Eucharist is celebrated are the legitimate successors of the Temple. Therefore they do not generally attach any significance to a possible future rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple.
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[[Image:Francesco Hayez 017.jpg|thumb|250px|Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, by Francesco Hayez]]
 
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Ever since its destruction in 70 C.E., Jews have prayed that God will allow for the rebuilding of the Temple. This prayer is a formal part of the thrice daily Jewish prayer services.  
 
  
−
Not all [[rabbi]]s agree on what would happen in a rebuilt Temple. It has traditionally been assumed that some sort of animal sacrifices would be reinstituted, in accord with the rules in [[Leviticus]] and the [[Talmud]]. However there is another opinion, beginning with [[Maimonides]], that [[God]] deliberately has moved Jews away from sacrifices towards prayer, as prayer is a higher form of worship. Thus, many rabbis — especially in the Reform tradition — hold that sacrifices would not take place in a rebuilt Temple, assuming an such Temple is constructed.
+
The Temple has particular significance in the tradition of the [[Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints|Latter Day Saints]]. [[Joseph Smith]] taught that not only would the Temple in Jerusalem be rebuilt, but that its counterpart would be built in the United States. The land where this temple was prophesied to be built is in [[Independence, Missouri]].
  
−
A few, very small, Jewish groups support constructing a [[Third Temple]] today, but most Jews oppose this, for a variety of reasons. Most religious Jews feel that the Temple should only be rebuilt in the messianic era, and that it would be presumptuous of people to force God's hand, as it were. Additionally, many Jews are against rebuilding the Temple due to the enormously hostile reaction from Muslims that would likely result.
+
In addition, [[Freemasonry]]'s origin stories harken back to secret knowledge reportedly passed down through the ages by an ancient the fraternity of the builders [[Temple of Jerusalem|Solomon’s Temple]].
  
−
==Rebuilding the Third Temple==
+
==Rebuilding the Temple?==
−
The question surrounding the status of '''[[The Third Temple]]''' is compounded by much mystery, uncertainty, controversy, and debate, but it does have roots in [[Hebrew Bible|Hebrew Biblical]] texts and in both Judaic scholarship and the traditional [[Jewish prayer]]s.
+
[[Image:Francesco Hayez 017.jpg|thumb|350px|Destruction of Solomon's Temple, by Francesco Hayez]]
 +
Ever since its destruction in 70 <small>C.E.</small>, Jews have prayed that God will allow for the rebuilding of the Temple. This prayer is a formal part of the thrice-daily orthodox Jewish prayer services. Not all [[rabbi]]s agree, however, on what would happen in a rebuilt Temple, or even if a Temple should be rebuilt at all. It has traditionally been assumed that some sort of animal sacrifices would be re-instituted, in accord with the rules in Leviticus and the [[Talmud]]. However there is another opinion, beginning with [[Maimonides]], that [[God]] deliberately has moved Jews away from sacrifices and toward prayer, as prayer is a higher form of worship. Today the main branches of Judaism line up on the question as follows:
  
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===Orthodox Judaism===
+
*[[Orthodox Judaism]] believes and prays that the Temple will be rebuilt and that the sacrificial services, known as the ''korbanot'' will once again be practiced with the rebuilding of a Third Temple. Most religious Jews feel that the Temple should only be rebuilt in the messianic era, and that it would be presumptuous of people to force God's hand by rebuilding it themselves.  
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[[Orthodox Judaism]] believes and expects that the Temple will be rebuilt and that the sacrificial services, known as the ''korbanot'' will once again be practiced with the rebuilding of a Third Temple. The article on ''[[korbanot]]'' outlines many of the references. See the section about  [[Jerusalem#Jerusalem.2C Jews and Judaism|prayers calling for the restoration of the Temple]].
 
  
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===Conservative Judaism===
+
*[[Conservative Judaism]] has modified these prayers; its [[prayer]] books call for the restoration of Temple, but do not ask for resumption of animal sacrifices. Most of the passages relating to sacrifices are replaced with the Talmudic teaching that deeds of loving-kindness now [[atonement|atone]] for sin.
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[[Conservative Judaism]] has modified the prayers; their prayerbooks call for the restoration of Temple, but do not ask for resumption of animal sacrifices. Most of the passages relating to sacrifices are replaced with the Talmudic teaching that deeds of loving-kindness now atone for sin. In the central prayer, the [[Amidah]], the Hebrew phrase ''na'ase ve'nakriv'' (we will present and sacrifice) is modified to read to ''asu ve'hikrivu'' (they presented and sacrificed), implying that animal sacrifices are a thing of the past. The petition to accept the ''"fire offerings of Israel"'' is removed.
 
  
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===Reform Judaism===
+
*[[Reform Judaism]] calls neither for the resumption of sacrifices nor the rebuilding of the Temple, although some new Reform prayer books are moving towards calling for the latter as an option.
−
[[Reform Judaism]] call neither for the resumption of sacrifices nor the rebuilding of the Temple, although some new Reform prayerbooks are moving towards calling for the latter as an option.
 
  
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== Julian's Roman "Third Temple" ==
+
A few Christian fringe groups advocate constructing a Third Temple today, believing it to be a necessary precursor to the [[Second Advent|Second Coming]] of Christ. Almost all Jews—including the majority of the Orthodox—oppose this. Additionally, of course, the [[Israel|Israeli government]] is dead set against rebuilding the Temple due to the enormously hostile reaction from Muslims that would likely result. The [[Dome of the Rock]] and [[Al-Aqsa Mosque]] were built on the site of the destroyed Jewish Temples several centuries after the destruction of the Jewish Temple. The Temple Mount is believed by Muslims to be the place where the prophet [[Muhammad]] ascended to heaven. Israel has pledged to honor the integrity of the Mosque and the rights of Muslims to worship there.
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There was an aborted project by the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] emperor [[Julian the Apostate|Julian]] ([[361]]-[[363]]) to allow the Jews to build a "Third Temple", part of Julian's empire-wide program of restoring/strengthening local religious cults. There is reason to believe that Julian wanted the rebuilt "Third Temple" to be for the purpose of his own [[apotheosis]], rather than the worship of the Jewish God. Rabbi Hilkiyah, one of the leading [[rabbi]]s of the time, spurned Julian's money, arguing that [[gentile]]s should play no part in the rebuilding of the temple. [http://www.gibsoncondo.com/~david/convert/history.html].
 
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==Christian views==
 
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According to the Gospels, Jesus came with his followers to Jerusalem during the [[Passover]] festival, and created a disturbance in the Temple by overturning the tables of the moneychangers and driving them out.
 
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−
===Protestant view===
 
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The dominant view within [[Protestant]] Christianity is that animal sacrifices within the Temple were a foreshadowing of the sacrifice [[Jesus]] made for the sins of the world, through his death. As such they believe there is no longer a need for the physical temple and its rituals.
 
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−
Those Protestants who do believe in the importance of a future rebuilt temple (viz.,some [[Dispensationalism|dispensationalists]]) hold that the importance of the sacrificial system shifts to a Memorial of the Cross, given the text of Ezekiel Chapters 39 and following (in addition to Millennial references to the Temple in other OT passages); since Ezekiel explains at length the construction and nature of the Millennial temple, in which Jews will once again hold the priesthood;  some others perhaps hold that it was not completely eliminated with Jesus' sacrifice for sin, but is a ceremonial object lesson for confession and forgiveness (somewhat like water baptism and Communion are today); and that such animal sacrifices would still be appropriate for ritual cleansing and for acts of celebration and thanksgiving toward God. Some dispensationalists believe this will be the case with the [[Second Coming of Christ]] when [[Jesus]] reigns over earth from the city of Jerusalem.
 
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−
It should be noted, however, that the book of Daniel states that the end of the world will occur shortly after sacrifices are ended in the newly rebuilt temple. (Daniel 12:11)
 
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−
However, in contrast to both the dominant Protestant view and the view of many dispensationalists just mentioned, many evangelicals (especially those who call themselves Messianic) believe that there will be a full restoration of the sacrificial system in Ezekiel's temple and that it will be more than just a memorial of the cross. These sacrifices, according to this Messianic view, will be just as expiatory as those under the Mosaic Law.  According to that view, while the so-called Antichrist will put an end to the sacrificial system during the Tribulation (Dan. 9:27, 11:31, 12:11), the arrival of the true Messiah will inaugurate the building of Ezekiel's Temple (see Ezekiel 40-44). This view holds that the Prince of Israel (the human descendant of David who will rule in the Kingdom) will provide the regular sacrifices (Ezek. 45:17), including sin offerings for himself and the people (Ezek. 45:22). In this view the Prince of Israel is parallel in many ways to the hoped-for messiah of traditional Judaism. Also, this view (like Orthodox Judaism) looks for and encourages both the rebuilding of the Third Temple and the resumption of animal sacrifices.  It sees no conflict between claiming Christ as the final sacrifice for sin and at the same time participating in animal sacrifices for sin in the temple of the Messianic Kingdom, since the sacrifice of Christ brings spiritual cleansing, while animal sacrifices have dealt and will deal only with the cleansing of the flesh.  While this view shares much in common with dispensationalism, it is at its core not dispensationalist.
 
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===Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox view===
 
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The [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] and [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] churches believe that the [[Eucharist]], which they believe to be one in substance with the one self-sacrifice of [[Christ]] on the [[Cross]], is a far superior offering when compared with the merely preparatory temple sacrifices, as explained in the [[Epistle to the Hebrews]]. They also believe that the Christian church buildings where the Eucharist is celebrated are the legitimate successors of the temple; going so far as to call their church buildings "temples". Therefore they do not attach any significance to a possible future rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple.
 
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===LDS Restorationist view===
 
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{{NPOV-section}}
 
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[[Joseph Smith, Jr.]] taught that not only would the Temple in Jerusalem be rebuilt, but that its counter-part, another temple, would be built in the United States. This belief is held by more than 12 million members of the various churches of the [[Latter-day Saint movement]], the largest of which is the [[Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints]] ("LDS Church"). The land where the temple was prophesied to be built is in [[Independence, Missouri]], where it is cared for by the [[Church of Christ (Temple Lot)]].  Thus, the land on which the LDS Church would presumably build this Temple is not currently owned by the LDS Church. Originally the Temple in Independence was planned to be constructed in the 1830s.  The building of that Temple by the LDS Church was postponed for a more suitable time. A later attempt to build this temple by one of the LDS offshoots in the late 1920s did not come to completion, as the [[Great Depression]] began then. This [[Temple Lot|temple]] is known also as the temple of [[New Jerusalem]], or [[Zion]] around which a magnificent city is to be developed.
 
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==Rebuilding the Temple today==
 
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The [[Dome of the Rock]] and [[Al-Aqsa Mosque]] were built on the site of the destroyed Jewish Temples several centuries after the destruction of the Jewish Temple. The Temple Mount is believed by Muslims to be the place where the prophet [[Mohammed]] ascended to heaven.
 
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Any attempt to demolish the Muslim shrines and replace them with a Jewish temple would be dangerous in today's political and religious climate. Nevertheless, the idea of rebuilding the Temple somewhere else is impossible according to accepted Jewish legal opinion, including the preeminent Jewish legal authority, the currently reconstituted [[Sanhedrin]].
 
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==Modern controversy over location of the Temple site==
 
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[[Image:To the trumpeting place.jpg|right|thumb|300px|A stone (2.43&times;1 [[meter|m]]) with [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] inscription ''"To the Trumpeting Place"'' excavated by [[Benjamin Mazar]] at the southern foot of the Temple Mount is believed to be a part of the Second Temple.]]
 
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In [[1999]] [[Dr. Ernest L. Martin]] published a controversial [http://www.askelm.com/temple/ book] called ''The Temples that Jerusalem Forgot'' based upon the idea of Ory Mazar, son of [[Professor Benjamin Mazar]] of [[Hebrew University]]. In [[1995]] Dr. Martin wrote a draft report to support this theory. He wrote: ''"I was then under the impression that Simon the Hasmonean (along with [[Herod the Great|Herod]] a century later) moved the Temple from the [[Ophel]] mound to the Dome of the Rock area."''
 
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However, after studying the words of [[Josephus]] concerning the Temple of Herod, which was reported to be in the same general area of the former Temples, he then read the account of Eleazar who led the final contingent of Jewish resistance to the Romans at Masada which stated that the Roman fortress was the only structure left by 73 C.E. ''"With this key in mind, I came to the conclusion in 1997 that all the Temples were indeed located on the Ophel mound over the area of the Gihon Spring"''. This theory implied that Judaism was fighting to preserve the wrong location, which in turn sparked reactions from Muslims.
 
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''The Temples that Jerusalem Forgot'' by Dr. Martin was made even more controversial due to the fact that he had previously spent five years engaged in excavations near the [[Western Wall]] in a joint project between [[Hebrew University]] and [[Ambassador College]], publisher of [[The Plain Truth]] magazine edited by [[Herbert W. Armstrong]].
 
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There are even more controversial theories that claim that the Temple was not in Jerusalem at all, but in [[Jericho]], somewhere in [[Saudi Arabia]], in [[Scotland]], in [[South America]], etc. However, none of these theories is taken seriously by the vast majority of archaeologists, historians or theologians.
 
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==Archaeological evidence==
 
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Archaeological excavations have found one hundred [[mikva]]ot (ritual immersion pools) surrounding the area known as the Temple Mount or Haram as-Sharif. This is strong evidence that this area was considered of the utmost holiness in ancient times and could not possibly have been a secular area. However, it does not establish where exactly within the area was the Temple located.
 
−
 
 
−
==Further reading==
 
−
Important Articles on the subject of the location of the Jerusalem Temple are found in the magazine ''Biblical Archaeology Review'', in the following issues: July/August 1983, November/December 1989, March/April 1992, July/August 1999, September/October 1999, March/April 2000, September/October 2005. Several of these articles support the theory of Professor [[Asher Kaufman]] that the Temple was located on the Temple Mount, but a bit to the north of the Dome of the Rock (which actually was "The Stone of Losses" in the days of the Second Temple).
 
−
 
 
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==Recent artifact controversy==
 
−
On [[December 27]], [[2004]], it was reported in the [[Toronto]]-based ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' that the [[Israel Museum]] in [[Jerusalem]] discovered that the ivory pomegranate that everyone believed had once adorned a scepter used by the high priest in Solomon's Temple was a fake. This artifact was the most important item of biblical antiquities in its collection. It had been part of a traveling exhibition at the [[Canadian Museum of Civilization]] in [[2003]]. Experts fear that this discovery is part of an international fraud in antiquities. The report described the thumb-sized pomegranate, which is a mere 44 mm in height, as being inscribed with ancient Hebrew letters said to spell out the words "Sacred donation for the priests in the House of YHVH." Some archaeologists contend that this artifact really belongs to the Late Bronze period. However, there is a school of thought that Solomon and his Temple belong in the Late Bronze period, which would make the controversy an unnecessary and spurious one.
 
  
 
== Notes ==
 
== Notes ==
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# {{note|gold}} [http://www.goldsheetlinks.com/production2.htm The Yearly Gold Production] at www.goldsheetlinks.com
+
<references/>
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# {{note|silver}} [http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/1chr/22.html#14 The Skeptic's Annotated Bible]
 
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# {{note|empty}} The notes in the [[Oxford_Annotated_Bible|New Oxford Annotated Bible]] - New Revised Standard Version
 
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# {{note|scribes}} De Vaux, 1961
 
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# {{note|other_temples}} De Vaux, 1961
 
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# {{note|hekal}} De Vaux, 1961
 
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# {{note|chambers}} De Vaux, 1961
 
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# {{note|haram}} De Vaux, 1961
 
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# {{note|plan}} De Vaux, 1961
 
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# {{note|Smith}} W. R. Smith, "Rel. of Sem." 2d ed., p. 208, and Schmidt, "Solomon's Temple," pp. 40 et seq.
 
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# {{note|Schick}} "Die Stiftshütte, der Tempel in Jerusalem," etc., pp. 82 et seq.
 
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# {{note|pomegranate}} [http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/30/international/middleeast/30mideast.html ''The New York Times'', December 30, 2004] (subscription required)
 
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==External links==
 
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<!--previous header lumped together external links and references; please move those that were used as references into the proper section—>
 
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* "''[http://phoenicia.org/temple.html Solomon's Temple]''". Phoenicia.org.
 
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* Badillo, Tony, "''[http://home.earthlink.net/~tonybadillo/ Solomon's Temple]''".
 
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* Telushkin, Joseph, "''[http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Judaism/The_Temple.html The Temple]''". Jewish Literacy (Jewish Virtual Library).
 
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* [http://www.aiwaz.net/judaica/ Magickal Temple of Solomon]
 
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* Larkin, George,  "''[http://www.johnbunyan.org/text/bun-solomon.htm Solomon's Temple Spiritualized]''". London, Two Swans without Bishopgate. 1688. 
 
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* Nat, Arnold vander, "''[http://orion.it.luc.edu/~avande1/jerusalem/accounts/index.htm The Temple of Jerusalem]''".
 
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*  Wells, Steve, "''[http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/ The Skeptic's Annotated Bible]''".
 
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* [http://koti.phnet.fi/petripaavola/The_temple_of_Solomon The model of temple of Solomon]
 
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* [http://jeru.huji.ac.il/ed26.htm Emperor Julian the Apostate (r. 361-363 C.E.) plan to rebuild the Temple]
 
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* [http://www.gibsoncondo.com/~david/convert/history.html Julian the Apostate and the Holy Temple]
 
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* [http://www.templemount.org/theories.html Location of Temples]
 
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* [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/650192.html Haaretz article describing contemporary Muslim views]
 
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* [http://www.geocities.com/martinkramerorg/Temples.htm The Temples of Jerusalem in Islam] Qur'anic and other references analyzed, by [[Martin Kramer]]
 
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* [http://www.paul-the-temple-and-new-covenant-sacrifices.info/index.html Paul,The Temple And New Covenant Sacrifices]
 
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* [http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=148149 Seek Out the Welfare of Jerusalem] Analytical studies by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi [[Menachem Mendel Schneerson|Menachem M. Schneerson]] on the [[Maimonides|Rambam's]] rulings concerning the construction and the design of the Beis HaMikdosh.
 
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
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* [[Jewish Encyclopedia]] [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=129&letter=T Temple of Solomon]
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* Conner, Kevin J. ''The Temple of Solomon''. City Christian Publishing, 1995. ISBN  978-0914936961
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* De Vaux, Roland (tr. John McHugh), ''Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions'' (NY, McGraw-Hill, 1961)
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* De Vaux, Roland. ''Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions,'' tr. John McHugh). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997. ISBN 978-0802842787
 +
*Finkelstein, Israel, and David Silberman. ''David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition.'' New York: Free Press/ Simon and Schuster, 2006. ISBN 0743243625
  
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{{eastons}}
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==External links==
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{{JewishEncyclopedia}}
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All links retrieved February 26, 2023.
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* [http://phoenicia.org/temple.html Solomon's Temple] ''Phoenicia.org''.
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==See also==
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* [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-first-temple-solomon-s-temple The Jewish Temples] ''Jewish Virtual Library''.
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*[[Western Wall]]
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* [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=129&letter=T Temple of Solomon] ''Jewish Encyclopedia''.
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*[[Al-Aqsa Mosque]]
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* [https://faithgiant.com/solomons-words/ Solomon’s Words For The Wise] ''Faith Giant''.
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*[[Dome of the Rock]]
 
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*[[Solomon's Temple]], or First Temple.
 
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*[[Second Temple]]
 
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*[[Summary of Christian eschatological differences]]
 
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*[[Temple Mount]]
 
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*[[Most Holy Place]]
 
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*"[[Solomonic column]]"
 
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[[Category:Christian eschatology]]
 
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[[Category:Jerusalem]]
 
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[[Category:Jewish history]]
 
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[[Category:Tabernacle and Jerusalem Temples]]
 
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[[Category:Ancient Israel and Judah]]
 
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[[Category:Philosophy and religion]][[category:Religion]]
 
  
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[[Category:Philosophy and religion]]
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[[Category:Religion]]
 
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{{Credit2|Temple_of_Jersusalem|44670009|Solomon's_Temple|43713333}}

Revision as of 05:38, 27 February 2023

A model of the Temple and its outer courtyard.

The Temple in Jerusalem was originally built in ancient Jerusalem in c. tenth century B.C.E. Also known as Solomon's Temple, it was the national center of Israelite religious life, especially for the offering of sacrifices, but also as a cultural and intellectual center. It was located on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. Its architecture and rich furnishings are described in considerable detail in the Hebrew Bible. The most famous artifact in Solomon's Temple was the legendary Ark of the Covenant. According to the Bible, Solomon's Temple replaced the Tabernacle of Moses and was to be the sole place of legitimate sacrificial offering to God in both Judah and Israel.

The original Temple was destroyed in 586 B.C.E. by the Babylonians and was rebuilt in stages after the Jews returned from exile. This, the Second Temple, served as the religious center of Jewish life in the post-exilic period. Herod the Great greatly expanded the Temple in the late first century B.C.E. The Second Temple was destroyed in 70 C.E. by the Romans. The site of the Temple is now believed to be occupied by the Al Aqsa Mosque, one of the holiest shrines for the Muslim faith. The Temple remains an important focus of Jewish prayers, and the Western Wall, the remnant of a retaining wall surrounding the temple, is a sacred place of pilgrimage to this day.

First and Second Temples, and Other Temples

Several distinct sacrificial sanctuaries stood in succession on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem:

  • King David's Altar was the first construction on the site of the temple mount. Second Samuel 24:18-24 describes a sacrificial altar on the future temple site, built on a former threshing floor,
  • Solomon's Temple was built in approximately the tenth century B.C.E. It was destroyed by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon in 586 B.C.E.
  • The Second Temple was built after the return from the Babylonian Captivity, around 536 B.C.E. The temple narrowly avoided being destroyed in 332 B.C.E. when the Jews refused to acknowledge the deification of Alexander the Great of Macedonia. In 175 B.C.E. Antiochus IV Epiphanes ascended to the throne and pursued a policy of Hellenization. Religious observances of Sabbath and circumcision were outlawed, and a statue of Zeus was erected in the temple and Jews were commanded to offer sacrifices to it. In 167 B.C.E. the Jews rose up against Seleucid authority, and in 165 B.C.E. Judah Maccabee re-dedicated the temple. The Jews celebrate this event to this day as the central theme of the festival of Hannukah.
Contemporary Jews pray at the Western Wall, remnant of the retaining wall that surrounded the Temple
  • Herod's Temple was a massive renovation of the original Second Temple which took place around 20 C.E.; it included turning the entire Temple Mount into a giant square platform. Herod's Temple was destroyed by Roman troops under general Titus in 70 C.E.
  • During the Bar Kochba revolt against the Romans in 132–135 C.E., Simon bar Kokhba and Rabbi Akiva wanted to rebuild the Temple. However, the revolt failed and the Jews were banned from Jerusalem by the Roman Empire. There was also an aborted project by the Roman emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363 C.E.) to allow the Jews to build a "Third Temple" as part of Julian's program of restoring local religious cults.

By custom, Herod's Temple is not called the "Third Temple" because the priesthood kept the animal sacrifices and other ceremonials going without interruption during the entire reconstruction project. While Herod's Temple itself was subsequently destroyed, the mammoth Temple Mount platform complex still exists and currently supports the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa mosques. It is the remnant of the Western Wall of this complex, formerly called the "Wailing Wall," that is one of Judaism's most holy sites.

Construction and Description

While contemporary scholarship challenges the Bible's story of Solomon's Temple's construction as either anachronistic or exaggerated, the account is worth considering in some detail.

Before his death, King David reportedly provided materials in great abundance for the building of the Temple on the summit of Mount Moriah (1 Chron. 22:14; 29:4; 2 Chron. 3:1), where he had established a sacrificial altar after purchasing a former threshing floor from Araunah the Jebusite (2 Sam. 24). Mount Moriah was the traditional location of Abraham's preparation to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering to God (Gen. 2:22).

King Solomon prepared additional materials for the building. From subterranean quarries at Jerusalem he obtained huge blocks of stone for the foundations and walls of the structure. He entered into a pact with Hiram I, king of Tyre, for additional materials for the work, particularly timber from the forests of Lebanon (1 Kings 5).

Solomon also provided for a sufficient water supply for the Temple by creating vast cisterns, into which water was conveyed by channels from the "pools" near Bethlehem. One of these cisterns was the "great sea," a massive cast bronze pool that stood impressively at the Temple's entrance.

The huge building project began, under the direction of skilled Phoenician workmen, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign. The Biblical account reports that this involved 100,000 talents (3000 tons) of gold and one million talents (30,000 tons) of silver. (Modern scholars suspect that these figures were exaggerated.)[1] Thousands of laborers and skilled artisans were reportedly employed in the work, many of them non-Israelite slaves who the Bible identifies as survivors of the wars of conquest in Canaan. The building is described as 60 cubits (27 meters) long, 20 cubits (9 meters) wide, and 25 or 30 cubits high (ancient manuscripts differ on this detail).

In the eleventh year of his reign, seven and a half years after it had been begun, Solomon's Temple was completed. The dedication of the Temple did not take place for several additional years, however. Then, the Ark of the Covenant was solemnly brought from the tent in which David had deposited it to the place prepared in the Holy of Holies (see below). It is said that Solomon ascended a platform and, lifting up his hands to heaven, poured out his heart to God in one of the Bible's most memorable prayers (1 Kings 8; 2 Chron. 6-7). The huge feast of dedication, which lasted seven days, marked a new era in the history of Israel.

  • Note: Archaeologists have called into question existence of so grand a building project in tenth-century Jerusalem. Evidence suggests that Judah was too sparsely populated, and Jerusalem far too small a village in David and Solomon's day to have supported construction, wealth, and a labor pool on the scale described. A possible alternative explanation is that that the Temple was built or expanded later in Judah's history and then ascribed to Solomon's era, which was seen by the Biblical authors as a Golden Age of unrivaled wealth, power, and (initially at least) religious piety.

Description

Descriptions of Solomon's Temple vary according both to interpretation and the differing accounts of the Temple in several Biblical books. The following enumeration is largely based on Easton's Bible Dictionary[2] and the Jewish Encyclopedia [3]

A sketch of Solomon's Temple based on biblical descriptions.
The Ark of the Covenant.
  • The Debir: the Most Holy Place (1 Kings 6:19; 8:6), called also the "inner house" (6:27), and the "Holy of Holies" (Heb. 9:3). In it was housed the sacred Ark of the Covenant. It was windowless and cubicle in shape: 20 cubits in length, breadth, and height. (A cubit was the measure of length from a man's wrist to his elbow.) It was floored and wainscotted with cedar (1 Kings 6:16), and its walls and floor were overlaid with gold (6:20, 21, 30). It contained two large gold-plated statues of cherubim carved from olivewood, each 10 cubits high (1 Kings 6:16, 20-21, 23-28) and each having outspread wings 10 cubits from tip to tip. Standing side by side, the wings of these impressive statues touched the wall on either side and met in the center of the room. The room was adorned with an ornate embroidered linen veil of blue, purple and crimson (2 Chron. 3:14; compare Exodus 26:33). It was considered the dwelling-place of God, in which his holy presence was enthroned above the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant. In some accounts, only the High Priest was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies. According to 1 Kings 7:48, there stood before the Holy of Holies a golden altar used for incense offerings and a table for showbread. This table too was made of gold, as were the five candlesticks on each side of it. The implements for the care of the candles—tongs, basins, snuffers, and fire-pans—were also made of gold as so were the hinges of the doors.
  • The Hekhal: the Holy Place, 1 Kings 8:8-10, also called the "greater house" (2 Chron. 3:5); the word itself means "palace." It was of the same width and height as the Holy of Holies, but longer, being 40 cubits in length. Its walls were lined with cedar, on which were carved figures of cherubim, palm-trees, and open flowers, all overlaid with gold. Chains of gold marked it off from the Holy of Holies. The floor of the Holy Place was of fir-wood overlaid with gold. The doors were of olivewood. On both sets of doors were carved cherubim, palm-trees, and flowers, again overlaid with gold (1 Kings 6:15).
  • The Ulam: the porch or entrance before the Temple on the east (1 Kings 6:3; 2 Chron. 3:4; 9:7). This was 20 cubits long (corresponding to the width of the Temple) and 10 cubits deep (1 Kings 6:3). 2 Chron. 3:4 adds the curious statement (usually discounted) that this porch was 120 cubits high. In the porch stood the two great bronze pillars "Jachin" and "Boaz" (1 Kings 7:21; 2 Kings 11:14; 23:3), which were 18 cubits in height and surmounted by capitals of carved lilies five cubits high decorated with chains to which were attached hundreds of pomegranates. (2 Chron.)
  • The chambers, which were built about the Temple on the southern, western, and northern sides (1 Kings 6:5-10). These formed a part of the building and were used for storage as well for the daily needs of priestly officials. (Jeremiah 19:14; 26:2).
The bronze "sea," 10 cubits in diameter, rested on the back of 12 cast bronze oxen.
  • Surrounding the building were the court of the priests (2 Chron. 4:9), called the "inner court" (1 Kings 6:36) and the great court, which surrounded the whole Temple (2 Chron. 4:9). Here the common people assembled to worship God.

The court of the priests was the sacrificial center of the Temple complex. It contained the main altar for burnt offerings (2 Chron. 15:8), the brazen sea (4:2-5, 10), and ten ornate lavers (1 Kings 7:38, 39). From 2 Kings 16:14 the altar is described as being made of bronze, standing before the Temple; 2 Chron. 4:1 gives its dimensions as 20 cubits square and 10 cubits high. The lavers, each of which held "forty baths" (1 Kings 7:38), rested on portable holders made of bronze, provided with wheels, and ornamented with figures of lions, cherubim, and palm-trees.

The Religion of the Temple

Intellectual and cultural significance

The Temple was an important symbol of national unity. Its size, architectural glory, rich treasures, and the power of its God represented the Israelite and Jewish nation to the world. It was also a key center of literacy and learning.

Here, priests not only copied holy scriptures, but wrote psalms, histories, and wisdom literature. The Temple was the locus of important political movements and spawned at least one coup against rulers who did not pay heed to priestly and prophetic advice (2 Kings 11). In its courts, prophets such as Jeremiah denounced religious complacency, warning that social justice is even more important to God than sacrifices (Jeremiah 7). In its chambers royal infants were sheltered from palace intrigues which targeted them for murder (2 Kings 11:3), and sacred scrolls were uncovered that launched dramatic religious reforms (2 Kings 22-23).

Scholars debate how much all of this affected the masses of people. Jerusalem was only one of several important cities during the First Temple period, and the majority of people lived in the countryside in any case. Even in those times when Yahwistic kings ruled and attempted to unify the religious tradition, there are indications (both Biblical and archaeological) that for most people, religion was not exclusively Yahwistic. In the Second Temple period, however, the monotheistic tradition prevailed not only in Jerusalem, but among the Jews throughout the land of Judea and the Diaspora.

Devoted to The Lord

The Jerusalem Temple is portrayed in the biblical account as belonging exclusively to the Israelite God Yahweh ("The Lord"). Other altars, even if devoted to Israelite deity, were specifically prohibited:

  • …To the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name—there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the Lord…. Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please. Offer them only at the place the Lord will choose in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command you. (Deut. 12:11-14)

According to Biblical tradition, when the people of Judah and Israel united centering on the Temple and resisted the temptation of worshiping Canaanite deities, God blessed them; however, when they sacrificed elsewhere or followed after foreign gods, they were punished. From the biblical viewpoint, the reason for the demise of both Israel and Judah was their lack of faith God, centered in Jerusalem and its holy Temple, which was said to be God's only authorized sanctuary.

Modern scholars, however, tend to believe that this Jerusalem-centered "Yahweh-only" principle did not come to the fore until the seventh century B.C.E., contemporary with the writing of Deuteronomy. Early Israelite religion may have affirmed Yahweh (also call "El" in the Bible) as the chief deity, while also recognizing the existence of lesser deities such as Asherah (El's consort) and even Baal. Parts of the Bible clearly acknowledge the real existence of the non-Israelite deities, forbidding their worship to Israelites but not to gentiles. Accordingly, only gradually did the idea of "one God alone" emerge and prevail.

The biblical history indicates that Solomon himself honored the gods of his foreign wives as well as the Israelite God, but he did not worship these gods in the Temple itself. The Bible reports that temples to other deities existed in Jerusalem at various period. Some kings allowed Solomon's Temple to fall into disrepair and introduced the worship of other deities in its confines. From 700-600 B.C.E., for example:

  • King Ahaz, as well as earlier rulers, removed gold, silver, and bronze sacred treasures and furnishings from the Temple to pay tribute demanded by Syrian and Assyrian kings. The Temple also suffered from lack of use and poor maintenance. "They… shut the doors of the portico and put out the lamps. They did not burn incense or present any burnt offerings at the sanctuary to the God of Israel." (2 Chron. 29:7)
  • King Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, also removed sacred treasures to pay tribute to Assyria. Later, under the influence of the prophet Isaiah, he effected repairs and re-consecrated the Temple. He also carried out an aggressive campaign against non-Yahwistic religious practices, even destroying the bronze serpent created by Moses during the exodus, originally an authorized object of faith, but now seen as idolatrous. (2 Kings 18)
  • King Manasseh (Hezekiah's son) erected an "Ashera pole" and several altars in the Temple devoted to non-Israelite deities. During his 55-year reign, as well as the 22-year reign of his son Amon, the Yahweh-only principle of Hezekiah's day was abandoned, and the Temple became a cosmopolitan religious center honoring the various deities of Judah's population.
  • By the time of King Josiah (late seventh century B.C.E.) the Bible reports that in addition to the above-mentioned pagan shrines, the Temple housed sacred male prostitutes, women who wove clothing for the goddess Asherah, and "articles made for Baal and Asherah and all the starry hosts." (2 Kings 23)

Josiah instituted a radical campaign to rid the Temple of Canaanite religious practices, unify the priesthood in Jerusalem, and repress unauthorized religion throughout his kingdom. This campaign went beyond previous attempts at reform in both scope and zeal, aiming at Yahwist "high places" outside of Jerusalem as well as shrines devoted to Baal and Ashera worship. It extended even to the former territory of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, where Josiah supervised the destruction of the Israelite shrine at Bethel, whose original altar had reportedly been established by Abraham himself (2 Kings 22-23).

The Centrality of Jerusalem

The Bible stipulates that before Solomon's time, Israelite worship and sacrifice took place at various "high places," supervised by both priests and prophets. After the Temple's establishment, however, it became the national shrine. A movement aimed at centralization centering on Jerusalem ebbed and waned over the next four centuries.

After Israel split from Judah during the reign of Solomon's son Rehoboam, the Northern king Jeroboam built two rival national shines: one at the ancient high place of Bethel a few miles north of Jerusalem, the other near the border of today's Lebanon in the territory of Dan. The Biblical authors, who emphasized the centrality of Jerusalem and also criticized the erection of golden bull-calf statues at these sanctuaries, denounced these shrines. (Critics point out that in so doing they turned a blind eye to the large statues of bronze bulls and golden cherubim in the Jerusalem Temple.)

Occasionally, local high places operated during this period without disapproval from the Biblical writers. Prophetic bands attended various high places: Bethel, Jericho, Gibeah etc. The prophet Elijah offered sacrifice to God at the high place on Mount Carmel. Of particular interest historically is the high place at Gerizim (above the town of Shechem), a Yahwistic shrine seen by the Samaritan-Israelites as the one true authorized place of sacrifice, as opposed to Jerusalem. This shrine receives little attention in the Hebrew Bible, but is mentioned in the New Testament as the holy place of the Samaritans (John 4:20), and remains the center of the modern Samaritan sect today.

As part of Hezekiah's and Josiah's centralization campaigns, only Levite priests were considered legitimate, and any such priests operating at the high places were required to report to the Jerusalem Temple. Archaeologists have confirmed that some local shrines indeed ceased operation during these periods. After the Jews returned from exile and rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem, it became the unrivaled Temple of the Jews.

Ceremony and sacrifice

Sacrifices of various types were central to the Temple's function. Priests offered animal, vegetable, and wine sacrifices on behalf of both king and people. Specifications are given in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. However, it should be noted that the mature tradition of sacrifice probably emerged rather late in the period of Kings and did not reach its final form until after the return from exile in Babylon.

From the Psalms and other liturgical works can be derived a rich tradition of procession, song, dance, religious festival, priestly devotions, and royal enthronement rituals centering on the Temple. The following examples of psalmistry take on added meaning when considered in light of their original Temple-based context.

  • One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. To gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his Temple… (Psalm 27:4)
  • Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God…. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. (Psalm 100)

Comparison with other temples

The Temple has recognizable similarities to other temples of its time and region. The Biblical text makes it clear that Solomon received aid from Hiram of Tyre in the construction of his buildings. This aid involved not only material (cedar-wood, etc.), but also architectural direction and skilled craftsmen. Amongst them was a master coppersmith, also called Hiram. The Temple's tripartite division is similar to that found in thirteenth century B.C.E. temples at Alalakh in Syria and Hazor in the upper Galilee; a ninth century B.C.E. temple at Tell Tayinat also follows this plan. Phoenician temples varied somewhat in form, but were similarly surrounded by courts.

Among the details that were probably copied from Tyre were the two large bronze pillars Jachin and Boaz. Herodotus (ii. 44) says that the temple at Tyre contained two such, one of emerald and the other of fine gold. The bronze altar, too, may have been a Phoenician innovation. The Orthodox Israelite altar was of earth or unhewn stone. In the same way the ubiquitous ornamentation of palm trees and cherubim were probably derived from Tyre, as may have been the cast and carved images of bulls, pomegranates, flowers, etc. These details pose a paradox, for the Ten Commandments of Ex. 20 prohibited the making of graven images, while that of Ex. 34 prohibited the making of molten gods; and the Deuteronomic version prohibited the making of an image of "anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below." All these writings, according the Bible critics, are later than Solomon's time; but there is no reason to believe that prior to the Temple's construction the Hebrews had either the skill or the wealth necessary to produce ornamentation of this kind.

Solomon's Temple embodied features derived from many surrounding cultures. It was on the summit of a hill, like the altar of Ba'al on Mount Carmel, the sanctuaries of Mount Hermon, and the Babylonian idea of the divine abode on high. It was surrounded by courts, like the Phoenician temples and the splendid temple of Der al-Bakri at Thebes. Its general form also reminds students of ancient architecture of several Egyptian sanctuaries.

The chambers which surrounded the Holy Place in Solomon's Temple are said in 1 Chron. 28:12 to have been storehouses for the sacred treasure. These are paralleled in Babylonian and Egyptian temples by similar chambers. The "molten sea" finds its parallel in Babylonian temples in a great basin called the apsu (“deep”). As the ziggurat typified a mountain, so the apsu typified the sea. The Temple, with the "sea" standing before it, thus became a miniature world.

The Temple and Christianity

The dominant view within Protestant Christianity is that animal sacrifices within the Temple were a foreshadowing of the sacrifice Jesus made for the sins of the world, through his death (see especially the New Testament letter to the Hebrews). As such, they believe there is no longer a need for the physical Temple and its rituals.

A stone (2.43×1 m) with Hebrew inscription "To the Trumpeting Place" excavated by Benjamin Mazar at the southern foot of the Temple Mount is believed to be a part of the Second Temple.

However, in recent years there has been a tendency in some Christian circles to acknowledge the fact that for years after Jesus' death, his closest disciples—including even Saint Paul in Acts 22—participated in Temple rituals and continued to live as practicing Jews. Some Protestants do believe in the importance of a future rebuilt Temple (i.e. some dispensationalists and “Messianic Jews”). Some believe that there will be a full restoration of the sacrificial system as described in Ezekiel's vision of the Temple (Ezek. 43-44).

The Catholic and Orthodox churches believe that the Eucharist is a far superior offering when compared with the merely preparatory Temple sacrifices, as explained in the Epistle to the Hebrews. They also believe that the Christian church buildings where the Eucharist is celebrated are the legitimate successors of the Temple. Therefore they do not generally attach any significance to a possible future rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple.

The Temple has particular significance in the tradition of the Latter Day Saints. Joseph Smith taught that not only would the Temple in Jerusalem be rebuilt, but that its counterpart would be built in the United States. The land where this temple was prophesied to be built is in Independence, Missouri.

In addition, Freemasonry's origin stories harken back to secret knowledge reportedly passed down through the ages by an ancient the fraternity of the builders Solomon’s Temple.

Rebuilding the Temple?

Destruction of Solomon's Temple, by Francesco Hayez

Ever since its destruction in 70 C.E., Jews have prayed that God will allow for the rebuilding of the Temple. This prayer is a formal part of the thrice-daily orthodox Jewish prayer services. Not all rabbis agree, however, on what would happen in a rebuilt Temple, or even if a Temple should be rebuilt at all. It has traditionally been assumed that some sort of animal sacrifices would be re-instituted, in accord with the rules in Leviticus and the Talmud. However there is another opinion, beginning with Maimonides, that God deliberately has moved Jews away from sacrifices and toward prayer, as prayer is a higher form of worship. Today the main branches of Judaism line up on the question as follows:

  • Orthodox Judaism believes and prays that the Temple will be rebuilt and that the sacrificial services, known as the korbanot will once again be practiced with the rebuilding of a Third Temple. Most religious Jews feel that the Temple should only be rebuilt in the messianic era, and that it would be presumptuous of people to force God's hand by rebuilding it themselves.
  • Conservative Judaism has modified these prayers; its prayer books call for the restoration of Temple, but do not ask for resumption of animal sacrifices. Most of the passages relating to sacrifices are replaced with the Talmudic teaching that deeds of loving-kindness now atone for sin.
  • Reform Judaism calls neither for the resumption of sacrifices nor the rebuilding of the Temple, although some new Reform prayer books are moving towards calling for the latter as an option.

A few Christian fringe groups advocate constructing a Third Temple today, believing it to be a necessary precursor to the Second Coming of Christ. Almost all Jews—including the majority of the Orthodox—oppose this. Additionally, of course, the Israeli government is dead set against rebuilding the Temple due to the enormously hostile reaction from Muslims that would likely result. The Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque were built on the site of the destroyed Jewish Temples several centuries after the destruction of the Jewish Temple. The Temple Mount is believed by Muslims to be the place where the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. Israel has pledged to honor the integrity of the Mosque and the rights of Muslims to worship there.

Notes

  1. ↑ 1 Chronicles 12:14 Skeptics Annotated Bible. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  2. ↑ Temple, Solomon’s Easton's Bible Dictionary. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  3. ↑ Temple of Solomon Jewish Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 16, 2020.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Conner, Kevin J. The Temple of Solomon. City Christian Publishing, 1995. ISBN 978-0914936961
  • De Vaux, Roland. Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions, tr. John McHugh). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1997. ISBN 978-0802842787
  • Finkelstein, Israel, and David Silberman. David and Solomon: In Search of the Bible's Sacred Kings and the Roots of the Western Tradition. New York: Free Press/ Simon and Schuster, 2006. ISBN 0743243625

External links

All links retrieved February 26, 2023.

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