The
Angkor Wat Hindu temple in
Cambodia, with the entrance facing west, is
the largest temple in the world (early 12th century)
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)
- 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.
Ancient Near East
-
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). 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).
Greco-Roman temples
-
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.
Indian religions
- Further information: Indian religions
Hindu temples
-
These may also be called by other names, including mandir or mandira, koil or kovil,
devasthana and devalaya, depending on region and language.
Buddhist temples
-
Main article: Buddhist temple
They include the structures called stupa, wat and pagoda in different regions and languages.
Sikh temples
-
Ayyavazhi temples
-
Zoroastrian temples
-
Zoroastrian temples may also be called the [darb-e meh and atashkada.
LDS temple in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. Dedicated 1893
Christian temples
Since a temple, in its traditional sense is viewed as a dwelling place of a god or gods and was in the days of early
Christianity associated with the pagans, the word is rarely used in the mainstream of the Christian tradition where God is not believed to live in a church but 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. Beginning in
the late eighteenth century, after the Enlightenment, some Protestant denominations
in France and elsewhere began to use the word "temple" to distinguish these spaces from a Catholic church.
Temples in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints & related movements
In 1832 the restorer of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Meridian of time Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
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.
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 124 operating temples, 9 under construction, and 4 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
meetinghouses 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.
Community of Christ temple in Independence, Missouri, USA. Dedicated 1994
Other related sects
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.
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. Lodge's 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.
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:
Temple as Metaphor
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.
See also
Partial list of temples
In Republic of China ( Taiwan ):
In Cambodia:
In China:
In Egypt:
In Greece:
In Guatemala:
In Iran:
In Italy:
In Japan:
In Malta:
In Turkey:
In the United States:
In Mexico:
In India:
Additional reading
Hani, Jean, Le symbolisme du temple chrétien, G. Trédaniel (editor); [2. éd.] edition (1978), 207 p., ISBN
2-85707-030-6
References
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
