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, a Doric Greek Temple in Athens with the original entrance facing east, 449 BC (western face depicted)]] Hindu temple in Cambodia , with the entrance facing west, is the largest temple in the world (early 12th century)]] , an Islamic shrine at the Temple Mount with 4 entrances in the cardinal directions, stands on the site of the First and Second Jewish Temples in Jerusalem, Israel ]] in Taipei City with the entrance facing west; an example of architecture with southern Chinese influences commonly seen in older buildings in Taiwan (1738)]] , the Rosicrucian Healing Temple with the entrance facing east, Oceanside, California , United States , 1920; it's a solar temple dedicated to the coming Age Of Aquarius ]] For other uses, see Temple (disambiguation) A temple (from the , 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 . ROMAN TEMPLE See Also: Roman Temple 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''. GREEK TEMPLES See Also: Greek Temple 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 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 , 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. 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''. 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). 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 The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints is a prolific builder of " Latter-day Saint " or " Mormon " temples. Latter-day Saint Temples are reserved only for the most holy and sacred of the covenant for performing Special Ordinances , and are distinct from Meetinghouse s 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. 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. TEMPLE AS METAPHOR The word 'temple' can be interpreted as metaphorical in English translations of the 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. 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:
in Andhra Pradesh , India is the second most visited pilgrimage site after the Vatican and the richest Hindu temple in the World.]] SEE ALSO
PARTIAL LIST OF RELIGIOUS TEMPLES In Republic Of China ( Taiwan ):
In China :
In Japan :
In the United States :
In Mexico :
ADDITIONAL READING Hani, Jean, ''Le symbolisme du temple chrétien'', G. Trédaniel (editor); éd. edition (1978), 207 p., ISBN 2-85707-030-6 EXTERNAL LINKS |
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