Temple
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- 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.
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[edit] Roman Temples
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 not often know 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] Greek Temples
Though today we call most Greek religious buildings "temples," the ancient Greeks 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, where the classical orders were developed, had a profound influence on Western architectural traditions.
[edit] The Christian Tradition
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.
[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. The buildings that they meet in are usually called lodges, but are sometimes referred to as temples, as for example with the Masonic Temple (Toronto).
[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 Greek word synagogue became current during Hellenistic times and remained the convention until the middle of the nineteenth century when the word ‘temple’ began to be used, especially in 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).
[edit] Temples in the Church of Christ
In 1832 the founder of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Joseph Smith, Jr., reported receiving 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
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, 6 under construction, and 5 announced (not yet under construction). Latter-day Saint temples are reserved for performing special ordinances, and are distinct from meetinghouses where weekly worship services are held.
[edit] 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.
[edit] Temple as Metaphor
The word, temple, in metaphorical usage in English-translation, Christian sacred texts, is sometimes evoked to refer to an inner unpolluted self, synonymous with Godhead. Two examples in the New Testament are: 1) the story of the merchants being driven out of the temple by Jesus - representing the necessity for transcending the ego's merchandising of self through doing/getting, and 2) description of the rending of the veil covering the temple (in advance of his resurrection/rebirth as the Christ) at the death of Jesus, representing clarity of vision and enlightenment.
[edit] Temples and non-Western architecture
Though the word ‘’temple’’ is used broadly, one should use it with discretion in the context of non-Western religions. A mosque for example, should never be called a temple. Convention allows the use of temple in the following cases:
- Buddhist temple (stupa, wat, pagoda)
- Hindu temple (koil/kovil,mandir, devasthana)
- Zoroastrian temple (fire temple, darb-e meh, atashkada)
- Sikh temple (gurdwara).
- Shintoist temple (jinja).
- Bahá'í temple (Mashriqu'l-Adhkárs or ‘Houses of Worship’).
[edit] See also
- list of ancient temple structures
- List of Buddhist temples
- List of Hindu temples
- Temple (Latter Day Saints)
- List of temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- List of Masonic temples
- Temples of Tamilnadu
[edit] List of religious temples
In Republic of China ( Taiwan ) for non-Buddhist worship:
- Long-shan Temple (龍山寺, Long Shan Si)
- Bao-an Temple (大龍峒保安宮)
- Xanthos, a Greek temple
- Meenakshi Temple, famous temple in Madurai, India
- Edakkunni Temple, most famous of the 108 durga temples built by Parasurama; known for Kshipra prasadini (i.e. you get whatever you prayed for if you pray daily)
In China:
- The Temple of Heaven, a famous Taoist temple in Beijing
In Japan:
In the United States:
- The Temple at Independence, Missouri (Community of Christ)
- Salt Lake Temple (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)
- Nauvoo Temple (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)
- Washington D.C. Temple (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)
- Mount Ecclesia
In Mexico:
Temples in India :
Krishna Temple ,Udupi
Durga Parameshwari Temple , Talapady
[edit] Additional reading
Hani, Jean, Le symbolisme du temple chrétien, G. Trédaniel (editor); [2. éd.] edition (1978), 207 p., ISBN 2-85707-030-6
[edit] External links
- Sri Vishnu Temples in India, Indian Hindu Temples
- online – distinct for the religious and anatomical terms
- The Hindu Temple – Where Man Becomes God by Sri Nitin Kumar.
- The Temple of Love
- South Indian Temples History and Images
- Nepali Hindu Temples
- Temple Elephants in India – A short video in Quicktime format.
- Sri Guru Parashakthi Mutt, Marakada, Mangalore, The official site.
- The term "temple" in Judaism
