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Jewish views

Ever since its destruction in 70 CE, Jews have prayed that God will allow for the rebuilding of the Temple. This prayer has been a formal part of the traditional thrice daily Jewish prayer services. Though it remains unbuilt, the notion of and desire for a Third Temple is sacred in Judaism, particularly Orthodox Judaism, as an unrealized place of worship. The prophets in the Tanakh called for its construction, to be fulfilled in the Messianic era. Not all rabbis agree on what would happen in a rebuilt Temple, or whether there should even be one.

Orthodox view

Orthodox Judaism believes in the rebuilding of a Third Temple and the resumption of sacrifical worship, although there is disagreement about how rebuilding should take place or exactly what kind of worship will occur. Orthodox authorities generally believe that rebuilding should occur in the era of the Jewish Messiah at the hand of Divine Providence, although a minority position, following the opinion of Maimonides (also known as the Rambam), holds that Jews should endeavor to rebuild the temple themselves, whenever possible. Orthodox authorities generally predict the resumption of the complete traditional system of sacrifices, but some authorities have disagreed. It has traditionally been assumed that some sort of animal sacrifices would be reinstituted, in accord with the rules in Leviticus and the Talmud. However there are some modern opinions, that sacrifices would not take place in a rebuilt Temple. Maimonides's book "A Guide for The Perplexed", states "that God deliberately has moved Jews away from sacrifices towards prayer, as prayer is a higher form of worship," although Maimonides' book "The Mishnah Torah" that animal sacrifices will take place in the third temple, and details how they will be carried out.

Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the first chief rabbi of the Jewish community in pre-state Israel, is often attributed wih holding that animal sacrifices will not be reinstituted, a view not shared by most Haredi rabbis. Rav Kook's views on the Temple service are sometimes misconstrued. Kook's work Olat Ri'iah, commenting on the prophecy of Malachi ("Then the grain-offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to God as in the days of old and as in former years" 3:4), indicates that only grain offerings will be offered in the reinstated Temple service. However, a related essay from Otzarot Hari'iah may suggest otherwise.

Role in prayer
Orthodox Jewish prayers include, in every prayer service, a prayer for the reconstruction of the Temple and resumption of sacrifices. The morning prayer service also includes a study session of the daily Temple ritual and offerings as a reminder, including detailed study of the animal sacrifices and incense offerings. In addition, the theological and poetic language of Hebrew is filled with words with dual connotations, which are both literal references to elements of Temple architecture or ritual, and also have metaphorical theological and poetic meanings regarding the relationship between the worshipper and God. Translations and commentary on prayers with this language tend to discuss both meanings in Orthodox Judaism. (Examples of dual-meaning words: deshen refers to both the ashes left after a burnt-offering, and also means "acceptance with favor"; kodesh refers to "the Holy", i.e. the Sanctuary portion of the Temple, and also means "holy" generally; and chatzrot refers to the courtyards of the Temple, and also connotes nearness to God; "korban" means both "sacrifice" and "drawing near".

Preservation of Kohanim and Leviim
Orthodox Judaism preserves the Kohanim, descendents of the priestly family of Aaron, and Levi'im (Levites), descendents of the tribe of Levi, intact for future service in a restored Temple. Kohanim and Levites are regarded as still being dedicated to Divine service and obligated to report for duty for service in the Temple, at any moment, should it be rebuilt.

Role in Conservative Judaism

Conservative Judaism has modified the prayers; their prayerbooks call for the restoration of Temple, but do not ask for resumption of sacrifices. Most of the passages relating to sacrifices are replaced with the Talmudic teaching that deeds of loving-kindness now atone for sin. In the central prayer, the Amidah, the Hebrew phrase na'ase ve'nakriv (we will present and sacrifice) is modified to read to asu ve'hikrivu (they presented and sacrificed), implying that sacrifices are a thing of the past. The petitions to accept the "fire offerings of Israel" and "the grain-offering of Judah and Jerusalem" (Malach 3:4) are removed. In Conservative prayer books, words and phrases that have dual meaning, referring to both Temple features and theological or poetic concepts, are generally retained. However, translations and commentaries generally refer to the poetic or theological meanings only. Conservative Judaism also takes an intermediate position on Kohanim and Levites, preserving patrilinial tribal descent and some aspects of their roles, but lifting restrictions on who Kohanim are permitted to marry.

Role in Liberal Judaism

Reform Judaism and Reconstructionist Judaism do not believe in the rebuilding of a Temple or a restoration of Temple sacrifices or worship. They regard the Temple and sacrificial era as a period of a more primitive form of ritual which Judaism (in their view) has evolved out of and should not return to. They also believe a special for Kohanim and Levites represents a caste system incompatible with modern principles of egalitarianism, and do not preserve these roles.

Ancient Attempts at Rebuilding

Temple at Leontopolis

Sometime in the second century BCE, a Jewish temple was constructed at Leontopolis in the Egyptian nome of Heliopolis; it was closed by Rome in 74CE. The earliest reference to it is in Josephus, writing shortly after its closure. Later rabbinic sources mention Leontopolis, but do not describe the temple; and allusions to it may be found in various other texts. The temple was built by a Zadokite High Priest (Kohen Gadol) called Onias, though Josephus identifies him variously as Onias III and Onias IV, while dating the temple so as to suggest Onias II. The temple was built to imitate that in Jerusalem, with the key differences that it resembled a tower (probably as a traditional symbolic reflection of the Jerusalem temple), and that the seven-branched Menorah was replaced by a single golden hanging lamp (probably representing the sun: hence Heliopolis, city of the sun). The building of this temple was justified by reference to Isaiah, and stood in opposition to Jerusalem.

a treatment of the Josephus material, with comprehensive bibliographies, see: C.T.R. Hayward, 'The Jewish Temple at Leontopolis: A Reconsideration', in the Journal of Jewish Studies vol.33 (1982) pp.429-433

Possible Temple at Qumran

Scholarship is divided over the question of a temple at Qumran, the community of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Most scholars favour the general emphasis in the community's literature on a spiritualisation of temple imagery to encompass the group with its 'sacrifice' of strict moral behaviour. Some, however, point to archaeological evidence particularly of burnt animal bones comparable to finds at Leontopolis, and the discovery of what may be an altar stone, in support of the existence of a Jewish temple probably operating along similar lines to that of Onias. This school, including S.H. Steckoll, also draws on somewhat sparse textual evidence of a sacrificial cult at Qumran, in the Damascus Document and in Josephus' Antiquities (which depends on the community's identification with Essenism). The question of a Qumran temple essentially reduces to whether or not the marginal evidence of such cultic activities is considered compatible with the undisputed emphasis on spiritualisation.

Steckoll outlines the arguments for the temple in Revue de Qumran vol.6 (1967) pp.55-69

Julian's Roman "Third Temple"

There was an aborted project by the Roman emperor Julian (361-363) to allow the Jews to build a "Third Temple", part of Julian's empire-wide program of restoring/strengthening local religious cults. There is reason to believe that Julian wanted the rebuilt "Third Temple" to be for the purpose of his own apotheosis, rather than the worship of the Jewish God. Rabbi Hilkiyah, one of the leading rabbis of the time, spurned Julian's money, arguing that gentiles should play no part in the rebuilding of the temple. *.

Current Efforts to rebuild the Temple

Although in mainstream Orthodox Judaism the rebuilding of the Temple is generally left to the coming of the Jewish Messiah and to Divine Providence, a number organizations, generally representing a small minority of even Orthodox Jews, have been formed with the objective of realizing the immediate construction of a Third Temple in present times. These organizations include:

Organizations involved

  • The Temple Institute states that its goal is to build the Third Temple on Mount Moriah. The Temple Institute has already made several items to be used in the Third Temple. (See below for list).

  • Recently an organization known as Revava, ambitious to build the Third Temple, has planned numerous ascensions of the Temple Mount. Revava last held a rally at the Western Wall on April 10, 2005 after it announced plans to bring 10,000 Jews to the Mount. This prompted counter-protests by Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and on the Temple Mount, and by more than 100,000 Muslims in Indonesia and several other Muslim countries. An estimated 200 Jewish protesters were allowed past intense security during the Revava rally, and they did not ascend the Mount.

Obstacles to Realization

The most immediate and obvious obstacle to realization of these goals is the fact that two important Moslem structures, namely the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, are built on top of the Temple Mount. The Dome of the Rock is regarded as occupying the actual space where the Temple once stood, and the State of Israel has undertaken to preserve access to these buildings as part of international obligations. Any efforts to damage or reduce access to these sites, or to build Jewish structures within, between, on, or instead of them, would likely begin immediate riot, war, and intense international condemnation.

Status of Temple Mount

The State of Israel currently restricts access by Jews to the Temple Mount on both religious and political grounds. Many religious authorities, including the Chief Rabbinate, interpret halakha (Jewish law) as prohibiting entering the area to prevent inadvertantly entering and desacrating forbidden areas (such as the Holy of Holies), as the Temple area is regarded as still retaining its full sanctity and restrictions. Moreover, political authorities, concerned about past violent clashes at the Temple Mount including one which inaugurated the Palestinian Intifada, seek to reduce the likelihood of further violent confrontations between Jewish religious activists and Moslems worshipping at the mosques, which could further damage the area's delicate archeological and political fabric. *.

Building of Temple Ritual Items by Temple Institute

Several items to be used in the Temple have been made by the Temple Institute, including:

Christian views

According to the Gospels, Jesus came with his followers to Jerusalem during the Passover festival, and created a disturbance in the Temple by overturning the tables of the moneychangers and driving them out.

Protestant view

The dominant view within Protestant Christianity is that animal sacrifices within the Temple were a foreshadowing of the sacrifice Jesus made for the sins of the world, through his death. As such they believe there is no longer a need for the physical temple and its rituals.

Those Protestants who do believe in the importance of a future rebuilt temple (viz.,some dispensationalists) hold that the importance of the sacrificial system shifts to a Memorial of the Cross, given the text of Ezekiel Chapters 39 and following (in addition to Millennial references to the Temple in other OT passages); since Ezekiel explains at length the construction and nature of the Millennial temple, in which Jews will once again hold the priesthood; some others perhaps hold that it was not completely eliminated with Jesus' sacrifice for sin, but is a ceremonial object lesson for confession and forgiveness (somewhat like water baptism and Communion are today); and that such animal sacrifices would still be appropriate for ritual cleansing and for acts of celebration and thanksgiving toward God. Some dispensationalists believe this will be the case with the Second Coming of Christ when Jesus reigns over earth from the city of Jerusalem.

It should be noted, however, that the book of Daniel states that the end of the world will occur shortly after sacrifices are ended in the newly rebuilt temple. (Daniel 12:11)

However, in contrast to both the dominant Protestant view and the view of many dispensationalists just mentioned, many evangelicals (especially those who call themselves Messianic) believe that there will be a full restoration of the sacrificial system in Ezekiel's temple and that it will be more than just a memorial of the cross. These sacrifices, according to this Messianic view, will be just as expiatory as those under the Mosaic Law. According to that view, while the so-called Antichrist will put an end to the sacrificial system during the Tribulation (Dan. 9:27, 11:31, 12:11), the arrival of the true Messiah will inaugurate the building of Ezekiel's Temple (see Ezekiel 40-44). This view holds that the Prince of Israel (the human descendant of David who will rule in the Kingdom) will provide the regular sacrifices (Ezek. 45:17), including sin offerings for himself and the people (Ezek. 45:22). In this view the Prince of Israel is parallel in many ways to the hoped-for messiah of traditional Judaism. Also, this view (like Orthodox Judaism) looks for and encourages both the rebuilding of the Third Temple and the resumption of animal sacrifices. It sees no conflict between claiming Christ as the final sacrifice for sin and at the same time participating in animal sacrifices for sin in the temple of the Messianic Kingdom, since the sacrifice of Christ brings spiritual cleansing, while animal sacrifices have dealt and will deal only with the cleansing of the flesh. While this view shares much in common with dispensationalism, it is at its core not dispensationalist.

Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox view

The Catholic and Orthodox churches believe that the Eucharist, which they believe to be one in substance with the one self-sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, is a far superior offering when compared with the merely preparatory temple sacrifices, as explained in the Epistle to the Hebrews. They also believe that Christ Himself is the new Temple, as spoken of in the Book of Revelation. Their church buildings are meant to model Solomon's Temple, with the Tabernacle, containing the Eucharist, being considered the new "Holy of Holies." Therefore they do not attach any significance to a possible future rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple.

Latter-day Saint Restorationist view

Joseph Smith, Jr. believed that not only would the Temple in Jerusalem be rebuilt, but that its counter-part would be constructed in Independence, Missouri. This temple is also referred to as the temple of New Jerusalem, or Zion. Originally the temple was planned to be constructed in the 1830s, but this date was postponed. One LDS sect, Church of Christ (Temple Lot), attempted to build the temple in the late 1920s, but it was not completed due to the Great Depression.

Modern scholarly research suggests that the Temple of Jerusalem was meant to be a reconstruction of the Garden of Eden. See, for instance, Jesus and Yahweh, by Harold Bloom. Since modern Latter-day Saint Temples, of which there are now over 130, are certainly intended to be symbolic reconstructions of the Garden of Eden, it could be said that every Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is in a way a reconstruction of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem.

See also

Further Reading

  • Gorenberg, Gershom. The End of Days : Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount. Free Press, 2000. ISBN 0684871793 (Journalist's view)
  • Ha'Ivri, David. Reclaiming the Temple Mount. HaMeir L'David, 2006. ISBN 9659050968 (Advocacy of immediate rebuilding of a Third Temple)

External links

Tabernacle and Jerusalem Temples

Troisième temple de Jérusalem

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "The Third Temple".

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