Monday, February 12, 2007

The Temple was Where?

Fellow Racine resident Texas Hold'em Blogger points out an interesting story about the archaeology of Solomon's Temple:
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This is interesting, especially if you are into End Times prophecy.

An Israeli professor believes he has found the actual location of Solomon’s temple and it isn’t where tradition has it: where the current Dome of the Rock stands.

Using maps created in 1866 by a British explorer and passages from the Jewish Mishnah, an Israeli archaeologist and professor at Hebrew University says he has pinpointed the location of the sacred Jewish Temple, twice built and twice destroyed in ancient times.

While popular consensus places the Temple, built by King Solomon in the 10th century B.C. and rebuilt by Jews who returned from Babylon in the 5th century B.C., on the site of the present Muslim Dome of the Rock, Prof. Joseph Patrich says archaeological remains show its exact location – and the consensus is wrong.

According to Patrich, the Temple, its corresponding courtyards, chambers and gates were oriented in a more southeasterly direction, sitting diagonally on what is the modern Temple Mount. The difference in orientation and the placement further eastward varies from the east-facing orientation of other scholars who believe the Temple was closer to today’s Western Wall.


Many Christians believe that the Temple must be rebuilt before the Second Coming of Christ.

Here is some
information on the building of the Third Temple. The Temple Institute is a group dedicated to the rebuilding of the Temple. The Institute’s webpage is an interesting look at Jewish tradition and the group’s preparation for the day the Temple is rebuilt.
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Of course we Lutherans know the True Temple was rebuilt on Easter Sunday (just as He promised). And therefore, while historically of interest, it doesn't really matter where the bricks-and-mortar temple is or was.

3 comments:

Mr. & Mrs. Traylor said...

I'm not sure that our Lord wants us to be caught up in the net of Archeology and Geography. When it comes to the " End Times " here on earth. We've heard God say that He has distroyed the temple that was made with hands, and that in three days He rebuilt another, not made of hands. Mark 14:58
God has promised that He has gone to prepare a place for us and that He is coming again to take us to Himself, so that we can be where He is. John 14:3

Paul said...

You mean "believe" and not know, correct? That is, epistemologically speaking?

With knowledge there would be no need for faith.

Preachrboy said...

So, Paul, we can't know anything if we didn't see it ourselves?

What are you getting at?

Epistemologically, I don't set faith and knowledge at odds. Faith is the assurance of things unseen... gee, I think I read that somewhere.