Introduction
A connection between religion and a sacred place is immense. It represents the beliefs invested into the religious domain, a symbolic meaning to the parishioners, and the history encapsulated in a particular place. That is why all religious buildings were constructed in the locations that are significant for the believers and to a particular religion. In some instances it may happen that a sacred building plays a role of a holy place for several religions, as it is the case with Jerusalem. This city is the epitome of holiness, as it contains the places of particular importance for Christians, Judaists, and Muslims.
Jerusalem has a long and diverse history embodied in multiple monuments, buildings, and places that could tell about wars, sacrifice, divinity, and hope. Moreover, a lot of holy places in Jerusalem are still shrouded in mystery despite the efforts of archeological, historical, and religious studies. It is claimed that architecture is the symbol of religion and a container of rituals, but also a sanctuary for the validation of religion (Ousterhout 4). A sacred building is the representation of the beliefs and the consolidation of a role certain religion plays in the society. At the same time, it is also important to know how certain sacred architecture relates to the other holy places in the region to acknowledging its true value and significance in terms of religious domain.
The history and meaning of Solomon’s Temple still remains a mystery and an object of speculations for many researchers. Due to the impossibility of consistent archeological work in the site, where presumably it was located, the existence of this sacred building was explained by nearly five theories that contradict each other. The importance of Solomon’s Temple in terms of historical context and for the modern believers is tremendous without a doubt. However, certain scholars believe that Solomon’s Temple is more of a myth than a real building, as there is no physical evidence of its existence. At the same time, a lot of historians claim that this sacred place did exist and served as one of the most important places for the pilgrims. Taking into consideration the uncertainty and controversy surrounded the existence of the Solomon’s Temple, it is essential to evaluate the evidence existing for and against the fact of its existence as well as its meaning for the parishioners.
Description of Solomon’s Temple and its Architectural Meaning
It is commonly believed that perception is individual category. In this case perception of sacred architecture that tends to transform over the years can point to the changes in vision and opinion regarding religion in general. However, it can be on the contrary that architecture changes the preferences and perception of the public throughout the years. While examining the objectification of different architecture forms Fried (1998) revealed that, for example, while some critics see the sculpture as an object, the others perceives it as a structure. The researcher proves the point that the perception of architecture depends on the eyes of a beholder, not the architects who made particular piece of building.
It was emphasized that when analyzing the modern sacred buildings, it is important to remember that such places has certain energy that manage to empower people who enter them (Halgren Kilde 6). The scholar admitted that the radical change in their perception, and architecture in particular, is connected to the external transformations experienced by the public (Halgren Kilde 7). It is quite easy to follow this statement if visualizing the architecture created centuries before modern time.
Such visions can be observed in the works of the modern researchers, who claim that the beliefs tend to be flexible and elastic matter. For example, Seasoltz emphasized that modern buildings managed to create art that is made only for the sake of expression, without following any specific rules, avoiding clear forms, and usually remaining not understandable for the ordinary beholder (Seasoltz 6). At this point, the researcher emphasizes the danger such products possess for itself and for the future existence of sacred religious places in general. At the same time, if reviewing history, it is possible to say that after the periods of classic perception of art, there was certain rebellion that managed to create something new and unexpected. Architecture as well as religion has the ability to reproduce, emphasizing its ability to find new forms by not changing its meaning. At the same time, it is still quite difficult to understand if the objectification of architecture of buildings that were not preserved in the modern days, as it happened with the Solomon’s Temple.
It is believed that the Solomon’s Temple was built during the reign of King Solomon, which was also supported by him, in 832 BCE, according to Hebrew Bible (1 Kings 5-9). It was also claimed that it was constructed on the Temple Mountain in the place where the Dome of Rock is currently located. As there are lack of possibility to conduct archeological excavations due to the significance of this place for the religion, the evidence of Solomon’s Temple, or the First Temple as it is called sometimes, is scarce. Overall, the researchers believe that the location of the Temple was the following:
Picture 1: Possible location of the Solomon’s Temple
The Picture 1 shows that the exact location is believed to be in the place where the Dome of Rock, Moaf, and Al Aqsa Mosque are situated. Further archeological research is impossible due to the religious sensitivities involved as well as the difficult political situation in the region. Overall, the only evidence supporting the fact of existence of the Solomon’s Temple is the Hebrew Bible. The reason why the Solomon’s Temple was built in this location is the meaning of the place for the believers. The sanctity of this setting dates back hundreds or even thousands of years before the Temple was in construction.
Religious Traditions
As there is lack of information about the Solomon’s Temple and the practices associated with this sacred place, therefore, it is possible only to speculate regarding the traditions and rituals that were held in here. At the same time, evaluation of the traditional sacred places in the region may give certain perspective of how this temple was used. During that time in Near East temples were usual sacred places. Also, it was customary for the individual areas to have their own temple. For pagans, the temple served as the home of their god that was embodied in the shape of idol. For the Israelites, however, the Temple claimed to be the residence of their God, where His presence was impalpable (Morrison 135). It was believed that the people coming to the temple had the chance to speak to the God and to receive the ultimate interaction with the divine.
Further on, the notion of God was the subject of change. The transformation was immense, as the concept changed making God omnipresent instead of being local idol or deity. The meaning of the Temple has changed as well, evolving from the place of God’s residence to the place where the parishioners proclaimed their love to God and the ability to serve His needs in the form of sacrifice (Covernton 29). However, the physical sacrifices were traditional up until the Second Temple was destroyed; after this event, the Jews managed to transform the sacrifices into the prayers and confessions. It is possible to note that the image of religion has shifted as well due to the progress in certain areas. The change made the image of God universal and religion became more requiring.
The Solomon’s Temple was constructed to become a single sanctuary for the United Monarchy. In the Holy of Holies the physical sacrificed were performed, which was traditional for that time. Holy of Holies was a single chamber in the Temple that was situated in the middle of the entire building and was believed to be the residence of God. However, the United Monarchy was later divided after the Solomon’s death. After that, his descendants were investing into the renovation of the temples in other places, like in Israel, Dan, and Bethel (Hayward 145). Overall, the duration of existence of the First and Second Temples was not long as for the Temple due to the armed conflicts with the neighbors and multiple attacks of the foreign nations for the sake of conquering this place.
Historical Significance of the Solomon’s Temple
Initially, the place was obtained by Solomon’s father, King David, who planned to construct a sacred temple (Hayward 145). As it was claimed in the Bible, Davvid could not built the temple due to his sins and, therefore, his son had to accomplish that (Morrison 136). Specifically, this place was connected to Moriah, because it was site where Abraham took his son Isaac in order to sacrifice him in the name of God (Genesis 22:14). Also, the mountain where the Temple was chosen to build was called Zion, which referred to the Land of Israel (Covernton 29). A peculiar thing is that the mountain is referred to as Zion in three religions, namely, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. It is quite frustrating, but there is no evidence or explanation why Solomon built this temple here. Nevertheless, it was stated that the Temple meant to be the permanent sanctuary for the Ark of the Covenant that contained the stone tablets with the prophesy received by Moses on mountain Sinai and, which travelled with the Jews in the desert. In 587 BC the Solomon’s Temple was burnt down by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II during the siege of Jerusalem (Seasoltz 9).
As it was noticed earlier, an exact location of Solomon’s Temple is unknown and there are no evidence found by the excavations, except for several minor artifacts found in this place earlier. However, even if there is any proof, it is impossible to obtain it due to the religious controversy. The Temple Mount holds two important shrines for the Muslims, the Dome of Rock and Al-Aksa Mosque, which means that no one can touch the ground in this place. Also, the Temple Mount is the third place of importance for the Muslims and despite the fact that for the Jews this setting plays a significant part, the Waqf restricted the visitation of the Mount to Muslims only. In addition, in 1999 it was decided to create a Temple for the Muslims, which led to constructions works (Halgren Kilde 9). It was revealed that during construction, a large quantity of soil was extracted from this place, which means that the remnants of the Solomon’s Temple may be lost forever.
Solomon's Temple overcame several armed attacks led by the outside forces that were aiming to conquer this land. Unfortunately, it was eventually destroyed by the Babylonians, which also made the inhabitants of Jerusalem to go to exile to the farther land. After Babylon’s fall, the Persians let the Jews to return to their lands and 515 B.C.E. the temple was reconstructed and was given a name Herod’s Temple or the Second Temple (Hayward 155). It was constructed by Judea, a king that was appointed by the Roman Empire. In 20 B.C.E. the Temple was finished, yet it did exist only for a century. In 70 C.E. Roman emperor Titus decided to destroy it again (Seasoltz 14). The destruction of the Second Temple was accompanied by the destruction of the entire Jerusalem during the First Revolt.
It is believed that it was the time when the Judaism embraced certain transformations. Synagogues replaced temples and the animal sacrifice was substituted by prayer. However, Jews still have the mourn day when both Temples were destroyed. In Jews Zion is still associated with not only the loss of their temples, but the losses their people encountered with throughout the entire history. That is why, the Zionism as the movement is focusing on the renovation of the Jerusalem according to the ancient Jewish traditions. There is also a movement advocating the rebuilding the Temple and return the time when the Jews were practicing sacrifice and pilgrimage.
It is quite difficult, and sometimes even impossible, to describe the sacred space without the time parameter. The most significant characteristics of the sacred facility are the way it transcends usual sense of time by providing the experience of divinity. It is possible to claim that Solomon’s Temple did exist despite the speculations about the lack of evidence. The artifacts found in the setting and description of the Temple in Hebrew Bible provides enough illustration of how the temple was constructed. It was customary for the inhabitants of that time to strive for the experience with the divinity inside the temple. Also, it was convenient for the Jerusalem citizens to come to a local temple seeking to bring sacrifices or to encounter with the deity.
Despite the radical changes experienced by the religious domains and the current state of the sacred place, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam managed to took the roots in the pagan beliefs. That is why, the Solomon’s Temple and the place where it was built plays an important part for all three religions available in this region. By conquering Jerusalem, Muslims constructed two mosques on the Temple Mount, which was initially the location of the First and the Second Temples. It was not a coincidence, as there is a tradition in the Islamic religion to create their sacred facilities on the settings of other people’s holy locations. As the current Temple Mount is administered by the Muslims, the restoration of the Solomon’s Temple is impossible nowadays.
Conclusion
The history of the Solomon’s Temple is difficult and contradicting, as there is no direct evidence of its existence. The mentioning of this holy site in the Hebrew Bible is scarce as well, which creates multiple conflicts in the religious world and raises debates among scholars. At the same time, the meaning of this place is essential for the Jerusalem and the entire Christian, Muslim, and Judaist world. Nowadays, the major part of the Temple Mount is controlled by the Islamic authorities, however the name of the sacred place remains the symbolic representation of the initial Temple constructed in this site. There are conflicts between the Zionists, Orthodox Judaists and Muslims regarding the meaning and significance of this site for the believers and the religions in general. However, it is a conflicting and multifaceted issue that cannot be resolved in one day. Due to the constant opposition of the Muslims, Christians, and Judaists and present volatile situation in the region, the Temple Mount is surrounded by the aggression and misunderstanding of the opposing religions. It is possible that after the political and social changes are employed, the meaning of this holy place will overpower the opposition of the Jerusalem citizens and the Temple Mount will experience the pilgrimage of the representative of all religions.
Works Cited
Covernton, Gillian. "Inside King Solomon's Temple: A Brief Glimpse into Early Masonry in Red River, 1864-1869." Manitoba History 49 (2005): 29-41.
Fried, Michael. Art and Objecthood: Essays and Reviews. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1998.
Hayward, C. T.R. The Jewish Temple: A Non-Biblical Sourcebook. New York: Routledge, 1996.
Morrison, Tessa. "Solomon's Temple, Stonehenge, and Divine Architecture in the English Enlightenment." Parergon 29.1 (2012): 135-144.
