UGANDA MARTYRS NATIONAL MAJOR SEMINARY ALOKOLUM

AFFILIATED

TO URBANIANA PONTIFICAL UNIVERSITY, ROME-ITALY

STUDENTS’ NAMES:

LECTURER: Fr. Joseph Ssekannyo

COURSE UNIT: INTRODUCTION TO BIBLE

COURSE CODE: HAT III

YEAR OF STUDY: ONE

SEMESTER ONE: ONE

ACADEMIC YEAR: 2021/2022

COURSEWORK QUESTION; Religious Institutions: Temples

DATE OF SUBMISSION:
 OUTLINE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 ETYMOLOGY

1.2 HISTORY SOLOMONS TEMPLE

1.2.1 DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE

1.2.2 POST-EXILIC TEMPLE

1.2.3 STRUCTURE OF SOLOMON’S TEMPLE

1.2.3.1 FURNISHINGS OF THE TEMPLE

1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TEMPLES

1.4 CONCLUSION
1.0 INTRODUCTION

From, our research on the temples in the ancient Israel we intend to present our findings on the

temples, their history, structures, significance, and our views in this thesis as researched and

discussed by the members of our group.

1.1 ETYMOLOGY

The term originates from a

Hebrew word “hekal” which means a great house. It was the religious center of Israel. It was a

permanent structure that was built to substitute the tent of worship that the Israelites had used in

the wilderness and continued to use during David’s reign.

In the latter books of the Bible especially Ezekiel, the temple is often called “miqdash,” which

strictly speaking means a ‘holy place’ or “sanctuary.1

1.2 HISTORY OF THE TEMPLES

In the early years of the Israelite kingdom, Israelites believed that Yahweh was the God of Israel

and that he had delivered them from the Philistines worship continued to be offered in various

shrines and sanctuaries. The Ark of the covenant was periodically moved about among several

sanctuaries especially those of Schechem and Shiloh.

1
 2
When David came to the throne, the Ark was moved into the city. This action joined Israel’s

major religious object with monarchy and the city itself into a central symbol of union of the

Israelites. David chose Mount. Moriah or the Temple mount where it was believed Abraham had

built the altar on which to sacrifice his son Isaiah. The temple however was not built until the

reign of Solomon. “We are told that David contemplated the erection of a shrine for the Ark but

was dissuaded by Nathan the prophet, acting as God’s messenger.2

2
H. Rowley Worship in Ancient Israel
 3
The first temple was constructed during the reign of Solomon’s and completed in 957 BCE.

Other sanctuaries retained their religious functions, however, until Josiah (640-609 B.C.E)

abolished them and established the Temple to Jerusalem as the only place of sacrifice in the

kingdom of Judah.

1.2.1 DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE

The temple suffered at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylonia, he looted and plundered

the Temple treasures in 604 B.C.E and 597 B.C.E. He took the Jews captive and sent them into

exile thus he destroyed the temple completely in 586BCE. Prophet Jeremiah thus referred to

Nebuchadnezzar as a destroyer of the nations who made the land of Israel desolate.

“This destruction and the deportation of Jews to Babylonia in 586 and 582 were seen as

fulfillment of prophecy, and to strengthen Judaic religious beliefs and awakened the hope for the

re-establishment of independent Jewish state.”

1.2.2 POST EXILIC TEMPLE

 4
The empire of Babylonia was conquered by Cyrus II of Persia. In 538 B.C.E, he made a decree

allowing exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. Cyrus II appointed

Zerubbabel, the leader of the tribe of Judah, as governor of Judah. (Haggai 1:1). Joshua, the high

priest and Zerubbabel got to work reconstructing, the temple. By 515 BCE, the Second temple

was completed.

It is howev er not clearly stated by authors about the structure of the Second temple “There is

no known detailed plan of the Second Temple, which was constructed as a modest version of the

original building”3

1.2.3 STRUCTURE OF SOLOMON’S TEMPLE

The Temple was a long building facing Eastward. It was open on one of its shorter sides. The

interior was divided into three rooms of equal width, the porch or vestibule, called the Ulam, a

room fir religious worship called the “hekal”, meaning “palace” or “temple” which was later

called “Holy place” and the Debir meaning, “the backroom” which was later called “the Holy of

Holies”, this was the part reserved to Yahweh, and the Ark of the covenant stood there. There

was a store house called “yazia” sorroundimg the temple except on its front side, the east.

The temple was 20 cubits wide, the Ulan 10 cubits long, the Hekal 40cubits. There was a wall

partitioning between the Ulam and the Hekal and Debir. The Hekal and Debir were treated as

one whole. They all formed the “house.” “Solomon used cedar planks to build the twenty cubits

from the back of the Temple from the ground to the rafters. These planks are not the wooden

paneling on the main walls and was found both in the Hekal and in the Debir”4

3
www. Britannica.com/topic/Temple –of-Jerusalem
4
Roland de Vaux, O.P Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions. 2nd ed. Great Britain, 1965.
 5
1.2.3.1 FURNISHINGS OF THE TEMPLE

“ The first temple contained five altars: one at the entrance of the Holy of Holies, two others

within the building, a large bronze one before the porch, and a large tiered altar in the

courtyard.”5

The Ark of the Covenant stood in the Debir. There were two great wooden figures of cherubim,

plated with gold, they stretched right across the width of the Debir and reached half-way to the

ceiling. This sanctuary was taken as the dwelling place of the Divine Presence, “Shekina” and

could only be entered by the High Priest and only on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

The cherubim were winged animals with human heads, these together with the Ark represented

the throne of Yahweh. In the Hekal, there stood the altar of incense which was also called the

altar of cedar, and the altar of gold), the table of shrew bread and ten candlesticks.

In the court South East of the temple, there was a sea of bronze on huge basin supported by

twelve statues of bulls. There were also ten wheeled pedestals each supporting a bronze basin,

five to the right and five to the left of the entrance. The sea was used for the priests to purify

themselves and that the basins were used to wash the victims.

5
www. Britannica.com/topic/Temple –of-Jerusalem
 6
1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF TEMPLES IN ANCIENT ISRAEL

The temple was of great importance to the Israelites.

To begin with, it acted as a safe place where the Ark of the covenant was kept. Since it had been

kept in the tent, later it was brought into the temple after Solomon built one.

The temple also attracted many pilgrims from Israel for centuries and was a cornerstone for their

covenant relationship with God. It was also a sacred place to the ancient Israelites whereby the

priests represented the people, entered into God’s presence to offer sacrifices and be in the

presence of Yahweh.

The temple was a place of consecration of persons and materials. Some prophets were called

from the temple. An example is Isaiah’s vision in Isaiah 6:1 ff, and the call of Samuel took place

where he was serving in the temple. 1st Sam: 3;10

Jerusalem held a lot of prestige from the temple, it was at the same time a royal shrine, not in a

way a private chapel but in being the official shrine for the kingdom. This resulted into the

northern kingdom under Jeroboam to constitute Bethel and Dan because of jealousy of

Jerusalem.

1.4 CONCLUSION
 7
In conclusion the Temple of Israel was an important symbol in Ancient Israel which always

reminded them of the Lord’s presence in their lives. The Jewish laid a foundation to rooting of

many temples thereafter such as the Herodian temple, In the New Testament we are presented

with synagogues where Jesus on several occasions went to preach. These replaced the temples in

Jewish worship. The site of the Jewish temple today is marked by the mosque, The Dome of the

rock. One cannot neglect the role of the temples in the history of Ancient Israel.
Bibliography

www. Britannica.com/topic/Temple –of-Jerusalem

H. Rowley, Worship in Ancient Israel: Its forms and meaning

Roland de Vaux, O.P Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions. 2nd ed. Great Britain, 1965.