Solomon's Temple
Solomon's Temple, also known as the First Temple, was a significant religious structure built in ancient Jerusalem by King Solomon, the third king of Israel, as described in Jewish scripture. Constructed on the Temple Mount, it served as a sacred space where God was believed to manifest during key holy observances. The temple was renowned for housing the Ark of the Covenant, the most revered object in Judaism, which contained the original tablets of the Ten Commandments. While Solomon's father, King David, was initially tasked with building the temple, it was ultimately Solomon who completed the project, utilizing vast resources and labor from both his citizens and allied nations.
The temple featured a multi-tiered design, with access becoming progressively restricted as one approached the innermost sanctum, known as the Holy of Holies. This room was only accessible to the Jewish high priest, emphasizing the temple's sacredness. Solomon's reign is often viewed as a prosperous period for the Jewish people, marked by religious rituals and miraculous occurrences attributed to God's presence at the temple. However, the temple met its demise when King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon invaded Jerusalem, leading to its destruction. Today, little physical evidence remains of Solomon's Temple, and its exact location is a topic of historical inquiry, complicated by religious sensitivities surrounding the Temple Mount.
Solomon's Temple
Solomon's Temple was the first great temple created by the Jewish people. It was built by King Solomon, the second of the three kings of Israel, reportedly in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount, the holiest site. According to scripture, Solomon's Temple was a sacred place where God revealed himself three times a year on specific holy days. Solomon's Temple, along with the temple built to replace it, were the only places in history where the Jewish religion allows Jews to fully practice their faith. It also housed the Arc of the Covenant, the most holy item in Judaism.
Overview
According to the Torah, the Jewish scriptures, the temple was originally meant to be built by King David. David was the second of Judaism's legendary kings, the man who killed Goliath as a child and helped conquer the lands surrounding Israel. However, though God commanded David to build him a temple in Jerusalem, David was more concerned with his various military campaigns. When David took longer than God liked to get around to building the temple, God revoked David's privilege to build the temple and rewarded it to David's son, Solomon.
Solomon was the third and last of Judaism's legendary kings. He is remembered primarily for his writings, his wisdom, his wealth, and building of the first temple on the Temple Mount. Solomon maintained political peace through diplomatic marriages with other nations and important families, reportedly having more than seven hundred wives. Additionally, according to Islamic holy texts, God gave Solomon power over both angels and demons. Solomon used that power to wrench unmatched wisdom and the secrets of the universe from them.
When it was time for Solomon to build the temple, he wasted no expense. He called upon all his political allies to provide supplies, most notably Hiram, King of Tyre. Solomon forced all foreign peoples under his control to help build the temple and instituted mandatory work shifts for his own citizens. He also borrowed so much money and materials to get the job done that he was forced to give away several towns to pay back the debt. However, the final product was more than worth the effort that went into building it.
Solomon's Temple was reportedly about twenty stories tall at its highest point. It was simply but extravagantly designed. The temple had multiple layers, each walled off and higher than the last. Access was open to all peoples at the most outer layer, but as one moved higher, and thus closer to the innermost rooms, access became more restricted. Only the Jewish high priest was ever allowed in the Holy of Holies, which was the innermost room. The Holy of Holies contained the Arc of the Covenant, the most holy item in the Jewish religion. The Arc of the Covenant is the golden and acacia wooden chest that was custom-built to hold the original tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were recorded.
Solomon's lifetime was supposedly a golden era for both the Jewish people and the temple itself. The temple had the first altar at which Jews were allowed to perform ritual animal sacrifices, and such offerings happened at key points throughout the year. During the commemoration ceremony, God himself is said to have appeared veiled by a cloud and flashes of light. Additionally, ten miracles supposedly happened at the temple as a sign of God's presence and love for his people. These miracles include sacrificial meat never spoiling, the wind never extinguishing certain candles, the smoke from the sacrificial fire never being moved by the wind, and the temple expanding to allow everyone enough room to bow and pray regardless of how many people showed up.
Solomon had a favorite wife toward the end of his life. This wife, the daughter of the Egyptian Pharaoh ruling at the time, convinced Solomon to pay tribute to one of her own gods. Solomon made a small tribute to placate his wife—but this offended the God of Israel. For idolatry, which is the crime of paying tribute to false gods, the God of Israel decreed that Solomon's son would lose control of nine out of the ten tribes of Israel and eventually he would have Solomon's Temple destroyed.
Many generations later, after Israel had been weakened by infighting, King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon invaded Jerusalem, looted the city, and burned down Solomon's Temple. No one is certain what happened to the many artifacts in the temple, including the Arc of the Covenant. Common theories include that the arc was destroyed in the fire, is being guarded in a church in Ethiopia that has claimed to have had it for centuries, and remains hidden under the Temple Mount.
Little to no physical evidence remains of Solomon's Temple. Its successor, built by Herod the Great and destroyed by the Romans, has walls that remain standing. Historians theorize that the remains of Solomon's Temple may be under the Islamic Dome of the Rock, but archaeological study is not allowed in this area. Studies of soil removed from the site have revealed various artifacts believed to be from the time of the first temple. However, the authenticity of these artifacts is debated and cannot be proven until excavations are allowed on the Temple Mount. Historians believe that excavating the site would lead to large-scale religious violence, so no excavations are planned in the near future.
Tyler J. Biscontini
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