Solomon's Temple: Difference between revisions
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[[File:The ancient city of Jerusalem with Solomon's Temple (LOC pga.02305).jpg|thumb|alt=A picture of ancient Jerusalem with Solomon’s temple|In the middle of |
[[File:The ancient city of Jerusalem with Solomon's Temple (LOC pga.02305).jpg|thumb|alt=A picture of ancient Jerusalem with Solomon’s temple|In the middle of Jerusalem, there stands the Famed Temple of Solomon.]] |
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According to the [[Hebrew Bible]], '''Solomon’s Temple''' |
According to the [[Hebrew Bible]], '''Solomon’s Temple''' was the first-temple the [[Israelites|Israelis]] built for [[God]]. It was also called the '''First Temple''' and was first built by Solomon. It stood next to the king’s palace, and was both God’s royal palace and Israel’s center of worship. The Bible says that [[YHWH|YHWH/YHVH]] said to Solomon, “I have consecrated (made special or clean) this Temple…by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there” (1 Kings 9:3). A symbol of holiness and royalty, it reminded the [[Israelites|Israelis]] that Jehovah was the special head of Israel and Judah.<ref name=joy>{{cite book | last = | first = | authorlink = | title = ''The NIV Study Bible''| year =1995| publisher = Zondervan Publishing House| location = Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, USA| pages = | url =https://archive.org/details/nivstudybibleper00kenn| doi = | id = | isbn =0310925886|lccn=95-060484}}</ref> It was very much patterned after the [[tabernacle]] and, in general, other temples at that time, and was divided into three important areas: the Most Holy-Place, the Holy-Place and the outer courtyard. It was built in Jerusalem, on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, where Solomon's father [[David]] had bought to build an altar to [[God]]. |
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==Historical evidence== |
==Historical evidence== |
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According to |
According to [[Secular]] [[Historian]]s, the Temple would have been completed in 957 BCE. The People of [[Babylonia]] destroyed it in the 586 BCE.<ref>Stevens, Marty E. [https://books.google.com/books?id=0P9gcFR1MSAC Temples, tithes, and taxes: the temple and the economic life of ancient Israel], pg. 3. Hendrickson Publishers 2006, {{ISBN|1565639340}}</ref> Rabbinic literature says that the temple stood for 410 years. According to the work [[Seder Olam Rabbah]], written in the second century CE, the temple was built in 832 BCE, and destroyed in 433 BCE (3338 [[Anno Mundi|AM]]). This is 165 later than the secular estimates.<ref>YEisen, Yosef. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7lsVajEtaQ0C Miraculous journey: a complete history of the Jewish people from creation to the present], pg. 56. Targum Press 2004, {{ISBN|1568713231}}</ref> |
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To date, no [[wikt:definite|definite]] [[archaeology|archaeological]] proofs for Solomon's Temple have been found<ref name=Langmeadp314>{{cite book|url= |
To date, no [[wikt:definite|definite]] [[archaeology|archaeological]] proofs for Solomon's Temple have been found<ref name=Langmeadp314>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T5J6GKvGbmMC&dq=%22solomon%27s+temple%22&pg=PA314|title=Encyclopedia of architectural and engineering feats|first1=Donald|last1=Langmead|first2=Christine|last2=Garnaut|edition=3rd, illustrated|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2001|isbn=157607112X}}</ref> and the only information regarding the First Temple in Jerusalem is inside the biblical books of [[Book of Joshua|Joshua]], [[Book of Judges|Judges]], [[Books of Samuel|1-2 Samuel]] and [[Books of Kings|1-2 Kings]]. |
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==Biblical description== |
==Biblical description== |
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===Preparations for building the temple=== |
===Preparations for building the temple=== |
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| ⚫ | At first, King David wanted to build a temple for God, but according to the Bible, God said to him through the [[prophet]] Nathan, "You are not to build a house for my name, because you are a [[wikt:warrior|warrior]] and have [[wikt:shed|shed]] blood." However, he chose Solomon to build the temple. Before his death, David gave his son Solomon the plans for the building of the temple, and [[wikt:instruction|instructions]] for the [[priest]]s and Levites, and all the work of serving in the temple. He also gave his own money to Solomon to help build the temple, and asked the people to help give gifts of money. |
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| ⚫ | King [[Solomon]] sent a message to Hiram, king of [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]], who had been friends with his father [[David]] and sent [[David]] lots of [[wood]] to build his [[palace]] with. In this message, [[Solomon]] said that he wanted to build a temple for [[God|the Lord]], and asked Hiram to send him wood. Hiram said that he would if Solomon gave food for the cost of the wood and work people did. So Hiram gave Solomon all the cedar and [[pine]] logs he wanted, and Solomon gave Hiram [[wheat]] for his family, and twenty thousand baths (about 115,000 gallons or 434 000 liters) of [[Olive (fruit)|olive]] [[oil]]. King Hiram cut down the [[wood]] and sent them on{{broken wikt link|raft|rafts}}to a place called [[Tel Aviv|Joppa]]. From there they could take the wood up to [[Jerusalem]]. |
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| ⚫ | At first, King David wanted to build a temple for God, but according to the Bible, God said to him through the [[prophet]] Nathan, "You are not to build a house for my |
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| ⚫ | King [[Solomon]] sent a message to Hiram king of [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]], who had been friends with his father [[David]] and sent [[David]] lots of [[wood]] to build his [[palace]] with. In this message, [[Solomon]] said that he wanted to build a temple for [[God|the Lord]], and asked Hiram to send him wood. Hiram said that he would if Solomon gave food for the cost of the wood and work people did. So Hiram gave Solomon all the cedar and [[pine]] logs he wanted, and Solomon gave Hiram [[wheat]] for his family, and twenty thousand baths (about 115,000 gallons or 434 000 liters) of [[Olive (fruit)|olive]] [[oil]]. King Hiram cut down the [[wood]] and sent them on |
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===Building the temple=== |
===Building the temple=== |
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[[File:Solomon and the Plan for the Temple.jpg|thumb|left|170px|alt=Solomon planning the building of the temple.|Solomon and the [[wikt:elder|elders]] of [[Israel]] joyfully plan to build a temple for the LORD.]] |
[[File:Solomon and the Plan for the Temple.jpg|thumb|left|170px|alt=Solomon planning the building of the temple.|Solomon and the [[wikt:elder|elders]] of [[Israel]] joyfully plan to build a temple for the LORD.]] |
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According to the [[Bible]], “In the 480th year after the Israelites had come out of [[Egypt]], in the fourth year of [[Solomon]]’s reign over [[Israel]], in…the second month, he began to build the temple of the LORD.”(1 Kings 6:1) King Solomon brought Huram-Abi, whose mother was a [[widow]] from the tribe of Naphtali (one of the tribes of Israel) and whose father was a man from Tyre and a person who was a [[craft]]sman in [[bronze]]. Huram was very good at all kinds of work. In 2 Chronicles 2:7 it says that he was "...skilled to work in [[gold]] and [[silver]], [[bronze]] and [[iron]], and in [[purple]], [[red|crimson]], and [[blue]] [[yarn]]." He was especially good at working with [[bronze]]. When all the work King [[Solomon]] had done for the temple was finished, he brought in the things his father [[David]] had given to God, and put them in the [[bank|treasuries]] of the temple. So "In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its [[wikt:specific|specifications]]." (1 Kings 6:38 NIV) |
According to the [[Bible]], “In the 480th year after the Israelites had come out of [[Egypt]], in the fourth year of [[Solomon]]’s reign over [[Israel]], in…the second month, he began to build the temple of the LORD.”(1 Kings 6:1) King Solomon brought Huram-Abi, whose mother was a [[widow]] from the tribe of Naphtali (one of the tribes of Israel) and whose father was a man from Tyre and a person who was a [[craft]]sman in [[bronze]]. Huram was very good at all kinds of work. In 2 Chronicles 2:7 it says that he was "...skilled to work in [[gold]] and [[silver]], [[bronze]] and [[iron]], and in [[purple]], [[red|crimson]], and [[blue]] [[yarn]]." He was especially good at working with [[bronze]]. When all the work King [[Solomon]] had done for the temple was finished, he brought in the things his father [[David]] had given to God, and put them in the [[bank|treasuries]] of the temple. So "In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its [[wikt:specific|specifications]]." (1 Kings 6:38 NIV) |
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===Dedicating the temple=== |
===Dedicating the temple=== |
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| ⚫ | [[File:Tissot Solomon Dedicates the Temple at Jerusalem.jpg|thumb|alt=Solomon spreading his arms towards heaven and praying for God to accept the temple.|Solomon the Davidean prayed to YHWH, "O YHWH, the Super power of Israel, there isn't other Superpower like you in [[heaven]] above or on the land below—you who keep your covenant of [[love]] with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way...with your mouth you have promised and with your hand you have fulfilled (made true) it—as it is today."]] |
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| ⚫ | When the temple was finished, King Solomon brought the {{broken wikt link|ark|ark}} of the Lord's covenant to the temple and made all the people of Israel come there, and they sacrificed so many [[domestic sheep|sheep]] and [[cattle]] "they could not be recorded or counted". Then the cloud filled the temple - just as [[YHWH]] showed himself on the{{broken wikt link|tabernacle|tabernacle}} at [[Biblical Mount Sinai|Mt. Sinai]], he now showed himself at the temple in a [[cloud]]. Then King Solomon praised God. He said a [[prayer]] of dedication (giving to God) in front of the people of Israel. He asked God to keep his promise to King David of letting King David's sons rule forever (which, according to Christianity, becomes true when Jesus, the son of David, dies for [[human|mankind]]); then he added, "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!"—reminding the people that God was not [[wikt:bind|bound]] to the temple and could not be contained, even though he had chosen to come and {{broken wikt link|dwell|dwell}} with the people of Israel in a special way.<ref name=joy/> Then he asked God to answer the people of Israel when they prayed toward, or at, the temple; to hear from heaven when someone sinned, or enemies came to Israel, or there was [[drought]] or [[famine]] in the land, "...whatever disaster or [[disease]] may come, and when a [[prayer]] or plea (asking for something, request) is made by any of your people Israel...then hear from [[heaven]], your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men), so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers" (1 Kings 8:38-40). Then Solomon the Davidean stood up and [[blessing|blessed]] the people of Israel, and gave sacrifices to God: "twenty thousand [[cattle]] and a hundred and twenty thousand [[sheep]] and [[goat]]s. So the king and all [[Israelites|Israelis]] dedicated the temple of the LORD (YHWH/YHVH...)" |
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(1 Kings 8:63, NIV). |
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| ⚫ | [[File:Tissot Solomon Dedicates the Temple at Jerusalem.jpg|thumb|alt=Solomon spreading his arms towards heaven and praying for God to accept the temple.|Solomon prayed to |
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| ⚫ | When the temple was finished, King Solomon brought the {{broken wikt link|ark|ark}} of the Lord's covenant to the temple and made all the people of Israel come there, and they sacrificed so many [[domestic sheep|sheep]] and [[cattle]] "they could not be recorded or counted". Then the cloud filled the temple - just as [[ |
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===God comes to Solomon=== |
===God comes to Solomon=== |
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According to the Bible, when Solomon had finished building the [[temple]], God [[wikt:appear|appeared]] to him and said, "I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me...My eyes and my heart will always be there [at the temple you have made]." However, God also warned to Solomon the importance of obeying [[God]]'s covenant (promise) in order to [[wikt:enjoy|enjoy]] its [[blessing]]s, not its [[curse]]s.<ref name=joy/> This was needed because [[God]] gave [[Solomon]] power and [[money|wealth]], which many times made people forget the promise [[God]] had made with them.<ref name=joy/> |
According to the Bible, when Solomon had finished building the [[temple]], God [[wikt:appear|appeared]] to him and said, "I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me...My eyes and my heart will always be there [at the temple you have made]." However, God also warned to Solomon the importance of obeying [[God]]'s covenant (promise) in order to [[wikt:enjoy|enjoy]] its [[blessing]]s, not its [[curse]]s.<ref name=joy/> This was needed because [[God]] gave [[Solomon]] power and [[money|wealth]], which many times made people forget the promise [[God]] had made with them.<ref name=joy/> |
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Solomon also gave to Hiram king of Tyre 20 towns in [[Galilee]] because Hiram had given him all the cedar and [[pine]] and [[gold]] he had needed. But Hiram did not like the towns Solomon had given him and he said, "What kind of towns are these you have given me, my brother?" (1 Kings 9:13, NIV) He called them the Land of |
Solomon also gave to Hiram king of Tyre 20 towns in [[Galilee]] because Hiram had given him all the cedar and [[pine]] and [[gold]] he had needed. But Hiram did not like the towns Solomon had given him and he said, "What kind of towns are these you have given me, my brother?" (1 Kings 9:13, NIV) He called them the Land of [[Kabul]] (which sounds like ''good-for-nothing''). Probably Solomon had become more [[debt|indebted]] to Hiram than he had at first thought, so he had given the towns to Hiram king of [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]] as a sign that he would pay him later.<ref name=joy/> 2 Chronicles 8:1-2 says that later, when Solomon became richer - maybe because of the [[wikt:explore|expedition]] to Ophir (1 King 9:26-28;10-11) or the visit from the [[Queen]] of Sheba. |
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==Design== |
==Design== |
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[[File:Brazen Sea of soloman From Jewish Encyclopedia.jpg|thumb|170px|alt=The Bronze Sea inside Solomon's temple.|This is the Bronze Sea, a big basin made of [[metal]], used by the [[priest]]s to clean themselves. It stood on 12 bulls.]] |
[[File:Brazen Sea of soloman From Jewish Encyclopedia.jpg|thumb|170px|alt=The Bronze Sea inside Solomon's temple.|This is the Bronze Sea, a big basin made of [[metal]], used by the [[priest]]s to clean themselves. It stood on 12 bulls.]] |
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The temple of Solomon was next to the king's palace. The floor plan was like most West Semite kinds of floor plans. An early example of a floor divided into ''ulam'', ''hekal'', and ''debir'' ({{broken wikt link|portico|portico}}, main hall, and inner {{broken wikt link|sanctuary|sanctuary}}) has been found at Syrian Ebla (c.2300 B.C.) <ref name=joy/> and much later but more around the time of [[Solomon]], at Tell Tainat at the Orontes basin (c.900 B.C.).<ref name=joy/> Like [[Solomon]]'s, the later temple has three divisions has two columns at the entrance (in Solomon's palace, they are called ''Jakin'' and Boaz''), and is next to the royal palace. |
The temple of Solomon was next to the king's palace. The floor plan was like most West Semite kinds of floor plans. An early example of a floor divided into ''ulam'', ''hekal'', and ''debir'' ({{broken wikt link|portico|portico}}, main hall, and inner {{broken wikt link|sanctuary|sanctuary}}) has been found at Syrian Ebla (c.2300 B.C.) <ref name=joy/> and much later but more around the time of [[Solomon]], at Tell Tainat at the Orontes basin (c.900 B.C.).<ref name=joy/> Like [[Solomon]]'s, the later temple has three divisions has two columns at the entrance (in Solomon's palace, they are called ''Jakin'' and Boaz''), and is next to the royal palace. |
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The ark of the covenant of God was put inside the inner sanctuary - the Most Holy Place - which was about 30 feet (about 9 meters) long, wide and high, [[wikt:laid|overlaid]] with pure [[gold]]. Solomon used lots of [[gold]] in the temple: this was probably because the bright [[gold]] [[symbol]]ized the glory of God and his [[heaven]]ly temple (Rev.21:10-11,18,21). Inside the temple were carved {{broken wikt link|cherubim|cherubim}}, palm trees and [[flower]]s. This is a reminder of the [[Garden of Eden]], which [[human]]s could not live in anymore because of their [[sin]]. The temple was a [[symbol]] that |
The ark of the covenant of God was put inside the inner sanctuary - the Most Holy Place - which was about 30 feet (about 9 meters) long, wide and high, [[wikt:laid|overlaid]] with pure [[gold]]. Solomon used lots of [[gold]] in the temple: this was probably because the bright [[gold]] [[symbol]]ized the glory of God and his [[heaven]]ly temple (Rev.21:10-11,18,21). Inside the temple were carved {{broken wikt link|cherubim|cherubim}}, palm trees and [[flower]]s. This is a reminder of the [[Garden of Eden]], which [[human]]s could not live in anymore because of their [[sin]]. The temple was a [[symbol]] that [[Israelites|Israelis]] could come back to [[paradise]] through the temple.<ref name=joy/><ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |
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|url= |
|url= https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14310-temple-of-solomon |
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|title=JewishEncyclopedia.com - TEMPLE OF SOLOMON. |
|title=JewishEncyclopedia.com - TEMPLE OF SOLOMON. |
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|encyclopedia=jewishencyclopedia.com |
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|accessdate=11 April 2010 |
|accessdate=11 April 2010 |
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}}</ref> |
}}</ref> |
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==Things inside the temple== |
==Things inside the temple== |
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Some discoveries today echo the words in 1 Kings 6-7. |
Some discoveries today echo the words in 1 Kings 6-7. |
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===Movable Bronze Basin=== |
===Movable Bronze Basin=== |
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Something very much like the [[wheel]]ed movable [[wikt:basin|basin]] used in the courtyard of the temple has come from [[archaeology|archaeological]] {{broken wikt link|excavation|excavations}} on [[Cyprus]].<ref name=joy/> |
Something very much like the [[wheel]]ed movable [[wikt:basin|basin]] used in the courtyard of the temple has come from [[archaeology|archaeological]] {{broken wikt link|excavation|excavations}} on [[Cyprus]].<ref name=joy/> |
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===Table for the Bread of the Presence=== |
===Table for the Bread of the Presence=== |
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| ⚫ | A stone [[altar]] having four [[horn (anatomy)|horns]] on the corners was found at Megiddo.<ref name=joy/> It shows a good idea of how the gold [[altar]] in the temple looked like. The table for the Bread of the [[wikt:presence|Presence]] was also made of [[gold]]. The Bread of the Presence (twelve pieces of [[bread]], one for each of the [[Tribes of Israel]]), [[symbol]]ized a continual offering to [[God]] by which [[Israelites|the People of Israel]] showed that she gave to [[God]] what she earned with her work, and that everything [[Israelites|Israelis]] had received was a [[blessing]] of [[God]]'s. |
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| ⚫ | A stone [[altar]] having four [[horn (anatomy)|horns]] on the corners was found at Megiddo.<ref name=joy/> It shows a good idea of how the gold [[altar]] in the temple looked like. The table for the Bread of the [[wikt:presence|Presence]] was also made of [[gold]]. The Bread of the Presence (twelve pieces of [[bread]], one for |
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===Lamp stand=== |
===Lamp stand=== |
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Ten lamp stands were in the temple, five on each side of the {{broken wikt link|sanctuary|sanctuary}}(1 Kings 7:49). Lamps like these have been found in many places in [[Palestine]], including [[Hazor]] and [[Dothan]]. |
Ten lamp stands were in the temple, five on each side of the {{broken wikt link|sanctuary|sanctuary}}(1 Kings 7:49). Lamps like these have been found in many places in [[Palestine]], including [[Hazor]] and [[Dothan]]. |
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==Related pages== |
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*[[Solomon]] |
*[[Solomon]] |
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*[[David]] |
*[[David]] |
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*[http://www.dinur.org/resources/resourceCategoryDisplay.aspx?categoryid=418&rsid=478 Resources > Biblical History > Jerusalem, The First Temple] Project of the Dinur Center for Research in Jewish History, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. |
*[http://www.dinur.org/resources/resourceCategoryDisplay.aspx?categoryid=418&rsid=478 Resources > Biblical History > Jerusalem, The First Temple] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205165134/http://www.dinur.org/resources/resourceCategoryDisplay.aspx?categoryid=418&rsid=478 |date=2009-02-05 }} Project of the Dinur Center for Research in Jewish History, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. |
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* Jewish Encyclopedia [ |
* Jewish Encyclopedia [https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/14310-temple-of-solomon Temple of Solomon]. |
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* Nat, Arnold vander, "''[http://orion.it.luc.edu/~avande1/jerusalem/accounts/index.htm The Temple of Jerusalem]''". |
* Nat, Arnold vander, "''[http://orion.it.luc.edu/~avande1/jerusalem/accounts/index.htm The Temple of Jerusalem] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821184357/http://orion.it.luc.edu/~avande1/jerusalem/accounts/index.htm |date=2009-08-21 }}''". |
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* Telushkin, Joseph, "''[http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Judaism/The_Temple.html The Temple]''". Jewish Literacy (Jewish Virtual Library). |
* Telushkin, Joseph, "''[http://www.us-israel.org/jsource/Judaism/The_Temple.html The Temple]''". Jewish Literacy (Jewish Virtual Library). |
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* Wells, Steve, "''[http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/ The Skeptic's Annotated Bible]''". |
* Wells, Steve, "''[http://www.skepticsannotatedbible.com/ The Skeptic's Annotated Bible]''". |
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[[Category:Ancient Israel and Judah]] |
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[[Category:Buildings and structures in Jerusalem]] |
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Jerusalem]] |
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[[Category:Temple Mount]] |
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[[Category:10th century BC]] |
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[[Category:1st millennium BC buildings and structures]] |
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Latest revision as of 14:08, 4 November 2024
.jpg)
According to the Hebrew Bible, Solomon’s Temple was the first-temple the Israelis built for God. It was also called the First Temple and was first built by Solomon. It stood next to the king’s palace, and was both God’s royal palace and Israel’s center of worship. The Bible says that YHWH/YHVH said to Solomon, “I have consecrated (made special or clean) this Temple…by putting my name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there” (1 Kings 9:3). A symbol of holiness and royalty, it reminded the Israelis that Jehovah was the special head of Israel and Judah.[1] It was very much patterned after the tabernacle and, in general, other temples at that time, and was divided into three important areas: the Most Holy-Place, the Holy-Place and the outer courtyard. It was built in Jerusalem, on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, where Solomon's father David had bought to build an altar to God.
Historical evidence
[change | change source]According to Secular Historians, the Temple would have been completed in 957 BCE. The People of Babylonia destroyed it in the 586 BCE.[2] Rabbinic literature says that the temple stood for 410 years. According to the work Seder Olam Rabbah, written in the second century CE, the temple was built in 832 BCE, and destroyed in 433 BCE (3338 AM). This is 165 later than the secular estimates.[3]
To date, no definite archaeological proofs for Solomon's Temple have been found[4] and the only information regarding the First Temple in Jerusalem is inside the biblical books of Joshua, Judges, 1-2 Samuel and 1-2 Kings.
Biblical description
[change | change source]Preparations for building the temple
[change | change source]At first, King David wanted to build a temple for God, but according to the Bible, God said to him through the prophet Nathan, "You are not to build a house for my name, because you are a warrior and have shed blood." However, he chose Solomon to build the temple. Before his death, David gave his son Solomon the plans for the building of the temple, and instructions for the priests and Levites, and all the work of serving in the temple. He also gave his own money to Solomon to help build the temple, and asked the people to help give gifts of money.
King Solomon sent a message to Hiram, king of Tyre, who had been friends with his father David and sent David lots of wood to build his palace with. In this message, Solomon said that he wanted to build a temple for the Lord, and asked Hiram to send him wood. Hiram said that he would if Solomon gave food for the cost of the wood and work people did. So Hiram gave Solomon all the cedar and pine logs he wanted, and Solomon gave Hiram wheat for his family, and twenty thousand baths (about 115,000 gallons or 434 000 liters) of olive oil. King Hiram cut down the wood and sent them on raftsto a place called Joppa. From there they could take the wood up to Jerusalem.
Building the temple
[change | change source]
According to the Bible, “In the 480th year after the Israelites had come out of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in…the second month, he began to build the temple of the LORD.”(1 Kings 6:1) King Solomon brought Huram-Abi, whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali (one of the tribes of Israel) and whose father was a man from Tyre and a person who was a craftsman in bronze. Huram was very good at all kinds of work. In 2 Chronicles 2:7 it says that he was "...skilled to work in gold and silver, bronze and iron, and in purple, crimson, and blue yarn." He was especially good at working with bronze. When all the work King Solomon had done for the temple was finished, he brought in the things his father David had given to God, and put them in the treasuries of the temple. So "In the eleventh year in the month of Bul, the eighth month, the temple was finished in all its details according to its specifications." (1 Kings 6:38 NIV)
Dedicating the temple
[change | change source]
When the temple was finished, King Solomon brought the ark of the Lord's covenant to the temple and made all the people of Israel come there, and they sacrificed so many sheep and cattle "they could not be recorded or counted". Then the cloud filled the temple - just as YHWH showed himself on the tabernacle at Mt. Sinai, he now showed himself at the temple in a cloud. Then King Solomon praised God. He said a prayer of dedication (giving to God) in front of the people of Israel. He asked God to keep his promise to King David of letting King David's sons rule forever (which, according to Christianity, becomes true when Jesus, the son of David, dies for mankind); then he added, "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!"—reminding the people that God was not bound to the temple and could not be contained, even though he had chosen to come and dwell with the people of Israel in a special way.[1] Then he asked God to answer the people of Israel when they prayed toward, or at, the temple; to hear from heaven when someone sinned, or enemies came to Israel, or there was drought or famine in the land, "...whatever disaster or disease may come, and when a prayer or plea (asking for something, request) is made by any of your people Israel...then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Forgive and act; deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of all men), so that they will fear you all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers" (1 Kings 8:38-40). Then Solomon the Davidean stood up and blessed the people of Israel, and gave sacrifices to God: "twenty thousand cattle and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep and goats. So the king and all Israelis dedicated the temple of the LORD (YHWH/YHVH...)"
(1 Kings 8:63, NIV).
God comes to Solomon
[change | change source]According to the Bible, when Solomon had finished building the temple, God appeared to him and said, "I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me...My eyes and my heart will always be there [at the temple you have made]." However, God also warned to Solomon the importance of obeying God's covenant (promise) in order to enjoy its blessings, not its curses.[1] This was needed because God gave Solomon power and wealth, which many times made people forget the promise God had made with them.[1]
Solomon also gave to Hiram king of Tyre 20 towns in Galilee because Hiram had given him all the cedar and pine and gold he had needed. But Hiram did not like the towns Solomon had given him and he said, "What kind of towns are these you have given me, my brother?" (1 Kings 9:13, NIV) He called them the Land of Kabul (which sounds like good-for-nothing). Probably Solomon had become more indebted to Hiram than he had at first thought, so he had given the towns to Hiram king of Tyre as a sign that he would pay him later.[1] 2 Chronicles 8:1-2 says that later, when Solomon became richer - maybe because of the expedition to Ophir (1 King 9:26-28;10-11) or the visit from the Queen of Sheba.
Design
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The temple of Solomon was next to the king's palace. The floor plan was like most West Semite kinds of floor plans. An early example of a floor divided into ulam, hekal, and debir ( portico, main hall, and inner sanctuary) has been found at Syrian Ebla (c.2300 B.C.) [1] and much later but more around the time of Solomon, at Tell Tainat at the Orontes basin (c.900 B.C.).[1] Like Solomon's, the later temple has three divisions has two columns at the entrance (in Solomon's palace, they are called Jakin and Boaz), and is next to the royal palace.
The ark of the covenant of God was put inside the inner sanctuary - the Most Holy Place - which was about 30 feet (about 9 meters) long, wide and high, overlaid with pure gold. Solomon used lots of gold in the temple: this was probably because the bright gold symbolized the glory of God and his heavenly temple (Rev.21:10-11,18,21). Inside the temple were carved cherubim, palm trees and flowers. This is a reminder of the Garden of Eden, which humans could not live in anymore because of their sin. The temple was a symbol that Israelis could come back to paradise through the temple.[1][5]
Things inside the temple
[change | change source]Some discoveries today echo the words in 1 Kings 6-7.
Movable Bronze Basin
[change | change source]Something very much like the wheeled movable basin used in the courtyard of the temple has come from archaeological excavations on Cyprus.[1]
Table for the Bread of the Presence
[change | change source]A stone altar having four horns on the corners was found at Megiddo.[1] It shows a good idea of how the gold altar in the temple looked like. The table for the Bread of the Presence was also made of gold. The Bread of the Presence (twelve pieces of bread, one for each of the Tribes of Israel), symbolized a continual offering to God by which the People of Israel showed that she gave to God what she earned with her work, and that everything Israelis had received was a blessing of God's.
Lamp stand
[change | change source]Ten lamp stands were in the temple, five on each side of the sanctuary(1 Kings 7:49). Lamps like these have been found in many places in Palestine, including Hazor and Dothan.
Related pages
[change | change source]References
[change | change source]- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 The NIV Study Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530, USA: Zondervan Publishing House. 1995. ISBN 0310925886. LCCN 95-060484.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ↑ Stevens, Marty E. Temples, tithes, and taxes: the temple and the economic life of ancient Israel, pg. 3. Hendrickson Publishers 2006, ISBN 1565639340
- ↑ YEisen, Yosef. Miraculous journey: a complete history of the Jewish people from creation to the present, pg. 56. Targum Press 2004, ISBN 1568713231
- ↑ Langmead, Donald; Garnaut, Christine (2001). Encyclopedia of architectural and engineering feats (3rd, illustrated ed.). ABC-CLIO. ISBN 157607112X.
- ↑ "JewishEncyclopedia.com - TEMPLE OF SOLOMON.". jewishencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 11 April 2010.
Other websites
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- Resources > Biblical History > Jerusalem, The First Temple Archived 2009-02-05 at the Wayback Machine Project of the Dinur Center for Research in Jewish History, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
- Jewish Encyclopedia Temple of Solomon.
- Nat, Arnold vander, "The Temple of Jerusalem Archived 2009-08-21 at the Wayback Machine".
- Telushkin, Joseph, "The Temple". Jewish Literacy (Jewish Virtual Library).
- Wells, Steve, "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible".