Solomon's Temple

A sketch of Solomon's Temple. According to the Hebrew Bible , Solomon's Temple , also known as the First Temple , was constructed by Solomon , king of the ancient Israelites , on mount Moriah in Jerusalem . It housed the Ark of the Covenant and functioned as a religious focal point in ancient Judaism for the worship of YHWH . According to secular historians, the Temple would have been completed in around 960 BCE and destroyed by the Babylonians in 587/6 BCE . Traditional rabbinic sources state that the First Temple stood for 410 years and based on the 2nd-century work Seder Olam Rabbah , place construction in 832 BCE and destruction in 422 BCE (3338 AM ), 165 years later than secular estimates . The Second Temple was subsequently built and destroyed on the same site and Jewish eschatology includes the belief that a Third Temple will also be built there. Due to the extreme political sensitivity of the site, few archaeological excavations have been conducted on the Temple Mount itself. To date, no archaeological evidence for Solomon's Temple has been found and the only information regarding the First Temple in Jerusalem is contained in the Hebrew Bible. Temples, tithes, and taxes: the temple and the economic life of ancient Israel , pg. 3. Miraculous journey: a complete history of the Jewish people from creation to the present , pg. 56. Encyclopedia of architectural and engineering feats (3rd, illustrated ed.).

( Learn how and when to remove this message ) According to the Bible , Solomon's Temple , also known as the First Temple , was the Holy Temple ( : Bet HaMikdash ) in ancient Jerusalem , on the Temple Mount (also known as Mount Zion ), before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar II after the Siege of Jerusalem of 587 BCE . There is no archaeological evidence for the existence of Solomon's Temple. The Hebrew Bible states that the temple was constructed under Solomon , King of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah and that during the kingdom of Judah , the temple was dedicated to Yahweh , and is said to have housed the Ark of the Covenant . Josephus claims that "the temple was burnt four hundred and seventy years, six months, and ten days after it was built," ( Jew. Ant. 10.8.5 ), though Rabbinic sources state that the First Temple stood for 410 years and, based on the 2nd-century work Seder Olam Rabbah , place construction in 832 BCE and destruction in 422 BCE (3338 AM ), 165 years later than secular estimates . Because of the religious sensitivities involved, and the politically volatile situation in Jerusalem , only limited archaeological surveys of the Temple Mount have been conducted. No excavations have been allowed on the Temple Mount during modern times. An Ivory pomegranate mentions priests in the house of YHWH, and an inscription recording the Temple's restoration under Jehoash have appeared on the antiquities market, but the authenticity of both has been challenged and they remain the subject of controversy.

Legendary temple described in the Hebrew Bible "Templum Solomonis" redirects here. According to the Hebrew Bible , Solomon's Temple , also known as the First Temple , was the Holy Temple ( בֵּית־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ : Beit HaMikdash ) in ancient Jerusalem before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar II after the Siege of Jerusalem of 587 BCE . The period in which the First Temple presumably, or actually, stood in Jerusalem, is known in academic literature as the First Temple period (c.1000–586 BCE). The Hebrew Bible states the temple was constructed under Solomon , king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah and that during the Kingdom of Judah , the temple was dedicated to Yahweh . During different periods of its operation, Asherah , Baal , the host of heaven and a solar deity were also worshipped in the high places. Temple worship included ritual sacrifice and ritual cleanings. It is said to have housed the Ark of the Covenant . The Jewish historian Josephus says; "the temple was burnt four hundred and seventy years, six months, and ten days after it was built". The temple was subsequently replaced with the Second Temple in 516 BCE. Because of the religious sensitivities involved, and the politically volatile situation in Jerusalem , only limited archaeological surveys of the Temple Mount have been conducted. In modern times, the Israel Antiquities Authority took advantage of a Waqf project to lay an electric cable in order to conduct a partial excavation, during which artifacts dating to the late first temple period were discovered in situ for the first time. In parallel, a massive project is currently underway to sort rubble created when Jordan's Waqf dug new entrances on the mount, potentially destroying a great deal of ancient material in what the former director of the Israel Antiquities Authority called "an archaeological crime". An ivory pomegranate which mentions priests in the house "of ---h", and an inscription recording the Temple's restoration under Jehoash have both appeared on the antiquities market, but their authenticity has been challenged, and they are subjects of controversy.

Legendary temple in Jerusalem in Abrahamic religions "Templum Solomonis" redirects here. Solomon's Temple , also known as the First Temple ( , Bēṯ hamMīqdāš hāRīʾšōn , transl. 'First House of the Sanctum' ), was a biblical Temple in Jerusalem believed to have existed between the 10th and 6th centuries BCE . Its description is largely based on narratives in the Hebrew Bible , in which it was commissioned by biblical king Solomon before being destroyed during the Siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II of the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 587 BCE. Although no remains of the temple have ever been found, most modern scholars agree that the First Temple existed on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem by the time of the Babylonian siege, though there is significant debate over the date of its construction and the identity of its builder. The Hebrew Bible, specifically within the Book of Kings , includes a detailed narrative about the construction's ordering by Solomon, the penultimate ruler of the United Kingdom of Israel . It further credits Solomon as the placer of the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies , a windowless inner sanctum within the structure. Entry into the Holy of Holies was heavily restricted; the High Priest of Israel was the only authority permitted to enter the sanctuary, and only did so on Yom Kippur , carrying the blood of a sacrificial lamb and burning incense . In addition to serving as a religious building for worship, the First Temple also functioned as a place of assembly for the Israelites . The First Temple's destruction and the subsequent Babylonian captivity were both events that were seen as a fulfillment of biblical prophecies and thus affected Judaic religious beliefs , precipitating the Israelites' transition from either polytheism or monolatrism (as seen in Yahwism ) to firm Jewish monotheism . Previously, many scholars accepted the biblical narrative of the First Temple's construction by Solomon as authentic; however, during the 1980s, skeptical approaches to the biblical text as well as the archaeological record led some scholars to doubt whether there was any Temple in Jerusalem constructed as early as the 10th century BCE. Some scholars have suggested that the original structure built by Solomon was relatively modest, and was later rebuilt on a larger scale. No direct evidence for the existence of Solomon's Temple has been found, although no recent archaeological excavations have been conducted on the Temple Mount due to the extreme religious and political sensitivity of the site. Nineteenth and early-twentieth century excavations around the Temple Mount did not identify "even a trace" of the complex. The House of Yahweh ostracon , dated to the 6th century BCE, may refer to the First Temple. Two 21st century findings from the Israelite period in present-day Israel have been found bearing resemblance to Solomon's Temple as it is described in the Hebrew Bible: a shrine model from the early half of the 10th century BCE in Khirbet Qeiyafa ; and the Tel Motza temple , dated to the 9th century BCE and located in the neighbourhood of Motza within West Jerusalem . The biblical description of Solomon's Temple has also been observed to share similarities with several Syro-Hittite temples of the same period discovered in modern-day Syria and Turkey , such as those in Ain Dara and Tell Tayinat . Temple of Jerusalem : totally destroyed the building in 587/586 Britannica: Holy of Holies . And the archaeological evidence in Jerusalem for the famous building projects of Solomon is nonexistent. Bibliotheca Orientalis . 75 ( 1– 2): 25– 48. In "Zion, city of our God", Wm.

Temple in Jerusalem in Abrahamic religions "Templum Solomonis" and "First Temple" redirect here. Solomon's Temple , also known as the First Temple ( Hebrew : בַּיִת רִאשׁוֹן ‎ , romanized : Bayyit Rīšōn , lit. ' First Temple ' ), was a biblical Temple in Jerusalem believed to have existed between the 10th and 6th centuries BCE . Its description is largely based on narratives in the Hebrew Bible , in which it was commissioned by biblical king Solomon before being destroyed during the Siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II of the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 587 BCE. No excavations are allowed on the Temple Mount, and no positively identified remains of the destroyed temple have been found. Most modern scholars agree that the First Temple existed on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem by the time of the Babylonian siege, and there is significant debate among scholars over the date of its construction and the identity of its builder. The Hebrew Bible, specifically within the Book of Kings , includes a detailed narrative about the construction's ordering by Solomon, the penultimate ruler of the United Kingdom of Israel . It further credits Solomon as the placer of the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies , a windowless inner sanctum within the structure. Entry into the Holy of Holies was heavily restricted; the High Priest of Israel was the only authority permitted to enter the sanctuary, and only did so on Yom Kippur , carrying the blood of a sacrificial lamb and burning incense . In addition to serving as a religious building for worship, the First Temple also functioned as a place of assembly for the Israelites . The First Temple's destruction and the subsequent Babylonian captivity were both events that were seen as a fulfillment of biblical prophecies and thus affected Judaic religious beliefs , precipitating the Israelites' transition from either polytheism or monolatrism (as seen in Yahwism ) to firm Jewish monotheism . Previously, many scholars accepted the biblical narrative of the First Temple's construction by Solomon as authentic. During the 1980s, skeptical approaches to the biblical text as well as the archaeological record led some scholars to doubt whether there was any Temple in Jerusalem constructed as early as the 10th century BCE. Some scholars have suggested that the original structure built by Solomon was relatively modest, and was later rebuilt on a larger scale. No direct evidence for the existence of Solomon's Temple has been found. Due to the extreme religious and political sensitivity of the site, no recent archaeological excavations have been conducted on the Temple Mount. Nineteenth and early-twentieth century excavations around the Temple Mount did not identify "even a trace" of the complex. The House of Yahweh ostracon , dated to the 6th century BCE, may refer to the First Temple. Two 21st century findings from the Israelite period in present-day Israel bear resemblance to Solomon's Temple as it is described in the Hebrew Bible: a shrine model from the early half of the 10th century BCE in Khirbet Qeiyafa ; and the Tel Motza temple , dated to the 9th century BCE and located in the neighbourhood of Motza within West Jerusalem . The biblical description of Solomon's Temple also appears to share similarities with several Syro-Hittite temples of the same period discovered in modern-day Syria and Turkey , such as those in Ain Dara and Tell Tayinat . Following Jewish return from exile, Solomon's Temple was replaced with the Second Temple . Temple of Jerusalem : totally destroyed the building in 587/586 Britannica: Holy of Holies . And the archaeological evidence in Jerusalem for the famous building projects of Solomon is nonexistent. Bibliotheca Orientalis . 75 ( 1– 2): 25– 48. In "Zion, city of our God", Wm.