Temple

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Temple of Hephaestus, a Doric Greek temple in Athens with the original entrance facing east, 449 BC (western face depicted).

The Angkor Wat Hindu temple in Cambodia, with the entrance facing west, is the largest temple in the world (early 12th century).

Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine at the Temple Mount with 4 entrances in the cardinal directions, stands on the site of the First and Second Jewish Temples in Jerusalem, Israel.

Longshan Temple in Taipei City with the entrance facing west; an example of architecture with southern Chinese influences commonly seen in older buildings in Taiwan (1738).

The Ecclesia, the Rosicrucian Healing Temple with the entrance facing east, Oceanside, California, United States, 1920; it's a solar temple dedicated to the coming Age of Aquarius.

For other uses, see Temple (disambiguation).

A temple (from the Latin word templum) is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A ‘’templum’’ constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word “ template,’’ a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out on the ground by the augur. Though a templum, technically speaking, is not a “house of the gods” but a diagram that for the Romans linked the geometries of heaven and earth, it was also indicative of a dwelling place of a god or gods. This tradition, of course, dates back to prehistoric times. For the ancient Egyptians, the word pr could refer not only to a house, but also to a sacred structure since it was believed that the gods resided in houses.^[1] The word ‘temple’ (which dates to about the 6th century BCE), despite the specific set of meanings associated with the religion of the ancient Rome, has now become quite widely used to describe a house of worship for any number of religions and is even used for time periods prior to the Romans. Stated differently, temple was once a species of sacred structures; today it is, in the English language, often used as a genus.

[edit] Ancient Near East

Main articles: É (temple) and Ziggurat

[edit] Jewish synagogues and temples

In Judaism, the ancient Hebrew texts refer not to temples, the word having not existed yet, but to a "sanctuary", "palace" or "hall". (The Jerusalem temples were called Beit Hamikdash, the Holy House or more commonly, Beth El (the House of God)or Beth Yahweh (the House of Yahweh)). The Greek word synagogue became current during Hellenistic times and it (along with the Yiddish term shul) remained the convention until the middle of the nineteenth century when the word ‘temple’ began to be used, almost exclusively by the followers of Reform Judaism, as in Temple Emanu-El, or the Temple Beth-El. The word referred not to Roman temples, but to the Temple of Solomon. Orthodox Judaism considers this inappropriate as it does not consider synagogues a replacement for the Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is the site where the First Temple of Solomon and the Second Temple were built. At the center of the structure was the Holy of Holies where only the high priest could enter. The Temple Mount is now the site of the Islamic mosque, the Dome of the Rock (c. 690).

Two different Jewish temples actually occupied this mountain at different times. The first was proposed by King David but was not built until his son, Solomon gained the throne. David made great preparation for the temple but, according to the Bible was not allowed to because of the wars he had fought. This temple stood for a number of years until it was destroyed by the invading armies of Nebuchadnezzar when Jerusalem fell and was taken into exile as captives. It was at this time that the Ark of the Covenant, which occupied the Holy of Holies (the inner sactuary of the temple)was believed to have disappeared from history). Roughly some 70 years later, under the leadership of Jewish leaders such as Ezra and Nehemiah and with the blessing of the Persian King Cyrus, the temple was again rebuilt and stood until the time of Jesus Christ, during the reign of King Herod. Herod refurbished the temple, built my Ezra/Nehemiah, making it into a grandiose building far excelling its previous glory and splendor. Unfortunately, this notoriety was short-lived, as the building was raized by the Romans, some 70 years later. The so-called "Wailing Wall" in Jerusalem, is actually part of the original retaining wall built around the temple mount as a foundation for the original temple by King Solomon.

Since 1979, a Texas based religious denomination, known as The House of Yahweh, under the leadership of its pastor, Elder Yisrayl B. Hawkins has promoted plans to rebuild the Jewish Temple on its original site. Due to the volatile political climb in the Middle East, this has understandably been a controversial undertaking. Their proposal suggests that the Jewish Temple, (called "La Bayit Yahweh" or "The House of Yahweh") was originally located just north of the Muslim mosque's present location, its main door directly in line with the Old City's "Golden Gate" (since blocked). This suggestion is important in the fact that it means the Muslim mosque need not be removed in order for the Jewish Temple to be rebuilt, but instead they would share the Holy Site. The House of Yahweh points to prophesy in the book of Ezekiel to support their proposal, and has gone so far as to draw up patented and copyprotected blue prints based on the description given in Ezekiel and shown it to Israeli and Palestinian leaders for consideration. According to Hawkins, these leaders are seriously considering his proposal. Jewish tradition claims the temple mount, Mount Moriah as the site where the patriarch Abraham tested by being asked to offer up his son Isaac as a sacrifice. Islamic tradition, which actually shares quite a bit in common with Judaism, also claims this site as the place where the prophet Muhammad ascended into Heaven.

[edit] Greco-Roman temples

Main articles: Greek Temple and Roman Temple

Though today we call most Greek religious buildings "temples," the ancient pagans would have referred to a temenos, or sacred precinct. Its sacredness, often connected with a holy grove, was more important than the building itself, as it contained the open air altar on which the sacrifices were made. The building which housed the cult statue in its naos was originally a rather simple structure, but by the middle of the 6th century BCE had become increasingly elaborate. Greek temple architecture had a profound influence on ancient architectural traditions.

The rituals that located and sited the temple were performed by an augur through the observation of the flight of birds or other natural phenomenon. Roman temples usually faced east or toward the rising sun, but the specifics of the orientation are often not known today; there are also notable exceptions, such as the Pantheon which faces north. In ancient Rome, only the native deities of Roman mythology had a templum; any equivalent structure for a foreign deity was called a fanum.

[edit] Indian religions

Further information: Indian religions

[edit] Hindu temples

Main article: Hindu temple

These may also be called by other names, including mandir or mandira, koil or kovil, devasthana and devalaya, depending on the region in the Indian subcontinent and its local language.

Hindu temples are large and magnificent with a rich history. Some date as far back as the Bronze Age and later the Indus Valley Civilization. In the present day magnificent Hindu temples have been built in India, Great Britain, the United States, Australia and South Africa.

[edit] Buddhist temples

Interior of Tibetan temple.

Main article: Buddhist temple

They include the structures called stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhism represent the pure land or pure environment of a Buddha. Traditional Buddhist Temples are designed to inspire inner and outer peace.^[2]

[edit] Sikh temples

Main article: gurdwara

[edit] Ayyavazhi temples

Main article: Pathi

[edit] Zoroastrian temples

Main article: fire temple

Zoroastrian temples may also be called the [darb-e meh and atashkada.

[edit] Christian temples

The Temple of Saint Sava, in Belgrade, Serbia.

LDS temple in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Dedicated 1893.

Community of Christ temple in Independence, Missouri, USA. Dedicated 1994.

The word is rarely used in the mainstream of the Christian tradition where God is defined as omnipresent. The principal words for Christian architecture are: basilica, cathedral and church.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church the use of the word temple is not at all unusual, but in English the term church is often substituted, and in Slavic languages 'church' and 'temple' are used quite interchangeably. For example Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade, Serbia. See also: Orthodox church (building) and catholicon.

Beginning in the late eighteenth century, following the Enlightenment, some Protestant denominations in France and elsewhere began to use the word "temple" to distinguish these spaces from a Catholic church. Evangelical and other Protestant churches will make use of a wide variety of terms to designate their worship spaces, such as Tabernacle, Temple, etc.

[edit] Temples in the Latter Day Saints movement

According to Latter Day Saint tradition, in 1832, Joseph Smith, Jr. received a revelation to restore the practice of temple worship, in a "house of the Lord". The Kirtland Temple was the first temple of the Latter Day Saint movement and the only one completed in Smith's lifetime, although the Nauvoo Temple was partially complete at the time of his death. The schisms stemming from a succession crisis have led to differing views about the role and use of temples between various groups with competing succession claims.

[edit] Temples of LDS church

See also: List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a prolific builder of "Latter-day Saint" or "Mormon" temples. Currently there are 125 operating temples, 9 under construction, and 6 announced (not yet under construction). Latter-day Saint temples are reserved only for the most holy and sacred of the covenant for performing special ordinances, and are distinct from meeting houses and chapels where weekly worship services are held. The Temples are built and kept under strict sacredness and not to be defiled, thus, strict rules for entrance.

[edit] Other LDS Denominations

Various other Latter Day Saint denominations also have temples. An example is the Independence Temple at Independence, Missouri that was built by the Community of Christ by then church prophet-president Wallace B. Smith. The Community of Christ also currently owns the original Kirtland Temple, which it operates as a historic site.

[edit] Masonic temples

Freemasonry is a fraternal organization with its origins in the eighteenth century whose membership is held together by a shared set of moral and metaphysical ideals. Freemasons meet as a Lodge. Lodges meet in a Masonic Temple, Masonic Center or a Masonic Hall, such as Freemasons' Hall, London. Some confusion exists as Masons usually refer to a Lodge meeting as being in Lodge.

[edit] Other religions

Though the word "temple" is used broadly, one should use it with discretion in the context of some religions. A mosque for example, should never be called a temple. Convention allows the use of temple in the following cases:

Bahá'í temple (Mashriqu'l-Adhkárs or ‘Houses of Worship’).
Mankhim, the temple of the ethnic group the Rai , located at Aritar, Sikkim.
Confucian temple or Temple of Confucius.
Shintoist jinja are normally called shrines in English in order to distinguish them from Buddhist temples (-tera, -dera).

[edit] Temple as Metaphor

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Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (August 2007)

The word 'temple' can be interpreted as metaphorical in English translations of the Bible, synonymous with Godhead^{[citation needed]}. Two examples in the New Testament are: 1) Jesus and the money changers and 2) description of the rending of the veil covering the temple (in advance of his resurrection as the Christ) at the death of Jesus in Matthew 27:51.