The Mystery of the Temple

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The Mystery of the Temple

• The Archaeological Origins of the Temple of David

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"As the navel is set in the centre of the human
body, so is the land of Israel the navel of the
world... situated in the centre of the world,
and Jerusalem in the centre of the land of
Israel, and the sanctuary in the centre of
Jerusalem, and the holy place in the centre of
the sanctuary, and the ark in the centre of the
holy place, and the foundation stone before the
holy place, because from it the world was
founded. Midrash Tanchuma, Qedoshim.
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The History of the Temple

• 1,000 B.C. E. The first altar is built on Mt.
  Moriah which becomes the Temple Mount.
• 950 B.C. E. The first Temple is built by Solomon
  and approximately 200,000 workers made of
  Limestone, cedar, gold, and silver.

• 587 B.C. E. The Temple is destroyed by the
  Babylonians.
• 541 B.C. E. The Jews return to the city and
  rebuild Temple at Mt. Moriah.

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The History of the Temple

• 70 C. E. The second Temple destroyed by the
  Romans.
• 136 C. E. The Romans construct Temple of Jupiter
  on Temple Mt.
• 330-640 C. E. Christianization of the Roman
  Empire Temple of Jupiter falls into ruin.
• 638 C. E. Muslim conquest of the Holy Land.

• 684-690 C. E. The Dome of the Rock is constructed
  on the Temple Mt.

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The History of the Temple

• 1187 C. E. Crusaders take Jerusalem, rename the
  Dome of the Rock Temple Domini
• 1187 C. E. The city (and Temple) restored to
  Islam
• 1855 C.E. 1st acknowledged non-Muslim visitor
  allowed to enter the Temple Mount since 1187
• 1917 C. E. The Temple Mount opened to Europeans.

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Where was the first temple?

• Jesus left the temple area and was going away,
  when his disciples approached him to point out
  the temple buildings. He said to them in reply,
  You see all these things, do you not? Amen, I
  say to you, there will not be left here a stone
  upon another stone that will not be thrown down
  (Matthew 24 1-2, NAB).
• Just as Jesus predicted, the temple was
  completely destroyed on the 9th day of the month
  of Av in 70 C.E. Due to the total destruction of
  the site, as well as its modification during the
  Roman, Moslem and Crusader periods, there is much
  doubt today as to the location of the original
  and the second temples.

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The Temple Mount Today
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The Temple Today Aerial Photograph
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Theory 1 The Traditional Site

• The traditional site places the Temple exactly
  where the Dome of the Rock sits today.

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Theory 1 The Traditional Site
The Temple Mount sits in the middle of the city,
and has experienced thousands of years of
building, erosion, and changes to the landscape.
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Theory 1 The Traditional Site
Over the years, every group that has build on
the Temple Mount has built on top of whatever
religious structure was previously there.
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Theory 1 The Traditional Site
Furthermore, the walls of the temple line up
with the walls and area that the temple should
have mathematically covered.
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Theory 2 The Northern Conjecture

• 330 ft north of the Dome of the Rock
• Theorized by Asher Kaufman
• Temple of Yahweh must be built in a certain
  location with certain dimensions or it will be
  merely a temple of man
• the building of the third temple will not effect
  the Dome of the Rock or the Mosque
• According to Ezekiel chapters 1, 2, and 40, the
  temple and inner court will be rebuilt with a
  pavement in the outer court area on the east and
  north

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The Dome of the Tablets

• Actually over the Dome of the Tablets
• The bedrock of Mt. Moriah outcrops within the
  dome of the rock, and part of this outcropping
  goes underneath and almost level to the paving
  stones for about 100 meters north which includes
  the Dome of the Tablets
• According to the Bible, the east-west centerline
  of the Temple must pass through the center of the
  Eastern Gate
• There is archaeological evidence as to where the
  Eastern Gate stood and the modern gate is built
  on top of it
• If built in the Revelations proportion in respect
  to the Eastern Gate, the temple should be to the
  north of the current Dome of the Rock

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Theory 3 The Southern Conjecture

• In the last five years, a Tel Aviv architect
  named Tuvia Sagiv has researched and presented a
  new location of the original Temple Mount which
  is often referred to as the Southern Conjecture.
• Between the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa
  mosque under an Islamic ablution fountain known
  as El Kas. The level of the bedrock of Mount
  Moriah outcrops within the Dome of the Rock and
  is just beneath the paving stones of the
  surrounding platform. However, to the south the
  bedrock drops steeply towards the City of David
  and the junction of Hinnom and Kidron Valleys.

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A few of Tuvia Sagivs considerations

• The Southern Conjecture Topographic Mapof
  Jerusalem(Contour interval 10 meters)
• Sagivs main points
• Location of the Antonia Fortress
• Location of the Ancient North Moat
• The Hulda Gates
• The View from the North according to Josephus
  Flavius
• King Herod Aggripas view of the Temple from the
  west
• The Jerusalem water aqueduct from the Judean
  hills

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Thermal-infrared scanning

• Subsurface anomalies revealed as a result of
  ground-penetrating radar. Variations suggest
  vaults, rabbinical arches, and other structures
  which one would expect below the Temple, but he
  found them to the south.
• Softer (lighter) regions result from heating and
  cooling processes. During the day, sunlight
  heating is consistent, but a night, the drop in
  temperature has left the softer ground with
  notably hotter regions, visibly darker on the
  thermal-infrared scans to the right.
• Due to the solid rock foundation under the
  presently accepted traditional location of the
  original Temple Mount, they are unable to further
  excavate. Regardless, Sagiv suggests that this
  southern location, with its inconsistencies below
  ground, is more likely accurate.

Nighttime Thermal-Infrared Imagery of the Dome of
the Rock
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Who Owns the Temple Mount?

• Islamic Considerations
• Muslims claim that Jerusalem is
• the third holiest site in Islam
• Dome of the Rock now stands there
• Jerusalem is never specifically mentioned in the
  Koran
• Muslims pray facing Mecca
• with their backs to Jerusalem

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Jewish Considerations

• Temple Mount is the holiest site in Judaism
• Temple Mount was original site of the Temple of
  Solomon
• Explicitly mentioned in the Old Testament
• Jews pray facing Jerusalem

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Points of Contention

• Mohammed never mentions Jerusalem as a holy site
• Jews argue that Arafat claims the Temple Mount as
  holy for political reasons
• Arafat has claimed that there was no Jewish
  temple on the Temple mount
• Muslims now own the Temple Mount and Jews
  arent allowed to pray there
• Bombings of particular Jewish holy sites within
  Jerusalem are extremely common
• Holy space is extremely important in the politics
  of the Middle East and archaeological fact is
  part of the conflict

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Modern day implications

• What happens once the original Temple location is
  determined and everyone officially agrees?
• Many Jews hope for a new, third Temple so they
  may regain their timeless place of worship and
  restore millennia-old traditions.
• The ongoing questions remains Is Jerusalem a
  Center of Peace or a Center of Conflict?

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http//atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/christian/bl
xtn_jerusalem-city07.htm http//witcombe.sbc.edu/s
acredplaces/images/domeofrockext.jpg http//www.tp
arents.org/Library/Unification/Photos/Uph2003/HtoH
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te.html http//worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp
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ate.html http//worldnetdaily.com/news/article.as
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