The Salt Lake temple in Salt Lake City, UtahPreface: Mormons have an intense respect for Jews and specifically Judaism. In fact, the Book of Mormon would claim that Jesus did not abandon the basic elements of Judaism to create Christianity, because the basic elements of Christianity were already there in Judaism. Recognizing the many strong elements of Judaism in Christianity (beyond a superficial level) is the specialty of Professor Amy-Jill Levine from Vanderbilt University, who is both Jewish and a professor in the New Testament. I strongly recommend seeing the video of her talk on "Reassessing Jewish-Christian Relations," especially the last five minutes. Also, I recommend reading her small article from Christian Century (2006) entitled, "Missing Jesus: How the church divorces Jesus from Judaism." In this article, Levine argues:
Amy-Jill Levine, "Missing Jesus," Christian Century (Dec. 2006)
In the popular Christian imagination, Jesus still remains defined, incorrectly and unfortunately, as "against" the Law, or at least against how it was understood at the time; as "against" the Temple as an institution and not simply against its first-century leadership; as "against" the people Israel but in favor of the gentiles. …
This divorcing of Jesus from Judaism does a disservice to each textually, theologically, historically and ethically.
The central theme of the essay below is the need for a strong temple theology in Christianity. I make my argument primarily from the Bible. Of course, my argument is strongly influenced by LDS theology.
*****The Temple is a House of Remembrance*****There is a need for the continuing operation of temples, which are houses of prayer. God said, "And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst" (EVS: Exodus 25:8). But, did Jesus during his earthly ministry or at some later time make the sanctuary obsolete? I do NOT believe that He did. I see no convincing evidence in the Bible or elsewhere.
Non-LDS Christians might answer: The sacrificial rituals of the temple are no longer to be performed because Jesus provided the last and everlasting sacrifice of the atonement. Latter-day Saints might respond, "Yes, but Jesus asked us to also remember Him." Are temples incompatible with remembering the sacrifice of Jesus? No. It is a misunderstanding that animal sacrifice was the only important function of the ancient Jerusalem temple.
In Matthew 21 Jesus made an essential declaration about the temple. He had just completed his triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. His first objective was to go to the temple.
ESV Matthew 21:12-13
12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, "It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you make it a den of robbers."
Actually, Jesus was quoting two scriptures. The "den of robbers" phrase came from the following:
ESV: Jeremiah 7:11
11 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD.
The reference to "house of prayer" came from the verse quoted below. The argument of Jesus was that the temple should be a sanctuary for special prayers.
ESV: Isaiah 56:7
7 these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples."
Are houses of prayer obsolete? No Christian would answer in the negative. However, the issue becomes: Do temples have a function that cannot be fulfilled by other houses of worship, such as synagogues and chapels?
To Latter-day Saints, the answer is strongly in the affirmative.
*****The Ever Changing Needs of Humans*****Latter-day Saints believe in a gospel that is both consistent and dynamic, a statement that sounds inherently contradictory but is entirely resolvable. The issue is this: 1) God and his methods do not change; but 2) people and their needs are constantly changing. Thus, there is a need for a consistent gospel that can be brought into a current context through continuing revelation. Revelation is needed just as there is the need for constant prayer.
Actually, the Bible is full of examples of how God met the particular needs of peoples. The prime example is the Law of Moses. In LDS theology the Law of Moses is viewed as a preparatory system for bringing the resistant House of Israel to the gospel in its fullness (see the "schoolmaster" concept in Gal. 3:19-26; also, Mosiah 3:14-15; D&C 84:23-26). A good summary of this position can be found in item #3 of the "Law of Moses" entry in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism. This view is not unique to Latter-day Saints. For example, the following is found in the ESV Study Bible (p. 2250, footnote 3:19): "The Mosaic law was part of a temporary covenant never intended to last forever."
The ultimate lesson is that there is a need for continuing revelation because the needs of human beings are ever present and ever changing.
*****God is the Same*****Latter-day Saints, for some reason, are accused by critics of not believing in the following statement: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (ESV: Hebrews 13:8). Elsewhere, I have defended the LDS concept of the eternal nature of Christ (see: "Jesus is Everlasting to Everlasting" and "The Lord's Word Endures Forever").
Alma the younger, a High Priest over the church, spoke these words about 83 years before the birth of Christ:
Alma 5:48
48 … I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth. And behold, it is he that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every man who steadfastly believeth on his name. [cf. John 1:14, 29]
If anything, Latter-day Saints believe that Judaism (at least in some variant groups) had strong Christian elements right from the beginning. In fact, we believe the concept of a divine Messiah was taught as a necessary concept for salvation from the earliest years (600 B.C.) of Book of Mormon history.
In the following verses, the Lord proclaims that the Book of Mormon, an American record of ancient peoples, will add a second testimony to that of the Bible. God's voice is not limited to one nation, even if He "speaks the same words."
2 Nephi 29:8-9
8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.
9 And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.
In the context of God being the same yesterday, today, and forever, let’s examine the following verse:
ESV: Ephesians 2:19-22
19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
Why do some Christians believe in cessationism, the view that there are no more gifts of the spirit, and that there are no more apostles and prophets? Why would God change the foundation that builds a holy temple (v. 21)?
The ESV Study Bible (p. 2266), a volume with Protestant annotations, has a footnote to this verse that flatly contradicts it and incorrectly concludes:
[T]here are no more apostles or prophets today, but their function of speaking the words of God has been replaced by the written Bible, which is the foundation today.
To my best knowledge, the Bible does not claim to be THE foundation. It is essential, but Christ is the foundation, and apostles and prophets are his representatives. How could that change?
*****Sacred Characteristics of the Temple*****One does not need the elaborate behavioral principles of B. F. Skinner or the deep psychodynamic theories of Sigmund Freud to have a strong intuitive understanding that normal adults need times of escape from the ordeals of everyday life. Nearly everywhere one can turn is the potential for headache and tension – except one. That one place is a sanctuary, a place of peace, a mount of meditation, a house of health – it is a temple of the Lord.
In the parlance of Judaism, the temple contains the shechina, the divine presence. The temple, a house of rest, is God's figurative footstool (e.g., 1Chronicles 28:2; Psalms 99:5; 132:7). In this context we find the following words:
ESV: Isaiah 66:1-2
1 Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool;
what is the house that you would build for me,
and what is the place of my rest?
2 All these things my hand has made,
and so all these things came to be,
declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look:
he who is humble and contrite in spirit
and trembles at my word.
The temple is a house of peace:
ESV: Haggai 2: 7, 9
7 … I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. … 9 … And in this place I will give peace, declares the LORD of hosts.’”
The temple is a house of help and healing:
ESV: Psalm 18:6
In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
God's house is a house of revelation and instruction. This principle is taught many times in the Bible. In the Old Testament we find verses like:
ESV: Jeremiah 26:2
2 “Thus says the LORD: Stand in the court of the LORD's house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the LORD all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word.
In the New Testament we find Jesus on the footsteps of the temple:
ESV: John 7:14
14 … Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching.
ESV: Matthew 21:23
23 And when he [Jesus] entered the temple … he was teaching… .
ESV: Matthew 26:55
55 … Day after day I [Jesus] sat in the temple teaching… .
Has God changed his methods of communication and instruction? The Latter-day Saint answer is a potent no.
The final characteristic to mention is that the temple represents heaven:
ESV: John 14:2 [alternate translation in footnote #2]
2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you; I go to prepare a place for you.
The multiple rooms in LDS temples represent the many prepared places in heaven.
Intriguing are the Christian theologians who argue that temples are obsolete. But, such theologians ought to be careful to make sure they are not making arguments of convenience or intellectual rationalizations. Yes, the Jerusalem temple was desecrated and destroyed centuries and centuries ago. It was rebuilt, and then destroyed again. Is this sad fact a proper theological justification for the lack of need for any temple? For me, I think not.
The atonement of Christ set the stage for a re-organization. The Mosaic law had been fulfilled, but not made entirely obsolete. Animal sacrifices foreshadowed the atonement provided by a Savior. "Bread and wine" (the Eucharist or sacrament) could now serve as a reminder. The doors of the priesthood could be opened to all worthy members of the Church. The Melchizedek priesthood was reactivated in place of the Levitical, and it could be widely organized. Temples now could be built outside of old Jerusalem.
*****Temples are Sacred Places*****Temples, mountains, authority, and cleanliness all go together (see LDS Bible Dictionary: Temples, and D&C 124: 37-55). Mountains sometimes represent temples where God may speak to those having been washed and anointed. Only in this context does the following verse make sense:
King James Version: Psalm 24:3-5
3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
The mountain imagery is explicit in the following verse:
ESV: Isaiah 2:2-3
2 It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the LORD
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
3 and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
It is in the "temple mount" wherein we may be taught the ways of the Lord in order to walk His paths.
Only authorized individuals may build temples:
ESV Psalm 127
1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain. …
However, builders need NOT be priesthood holders. For example, King Cyrus, a gentile, was commanded to rebuild the destroyed temple of Solomon (Ezra 1:1-3).
*****There is Something Sacred About Water*****Temples are places of moral and physical cleanliness. Jesus as the saving God and Messiah is sometimes equated with the "living water" (e.g., John 4:10). Thus, it comes as no surprise to the Latter-day Saint that the Jerusalem temple was aligned literally and figuratively with lots of water.
The issue of water has played a role in the ongoing scholarly debate about the actual physical location of the Jerusalem temple. The vast majority of scholars locate the temple on the "temple mount," a high point in the city of Jerusalem. Because the temple mount would need much water transported to it, a few scholars (the minority) have located the temple closer to Gihon Spring (which is farther away from the temple mount and at a lower location). The spring was a main source of water for the city, and it was the location where Solomon was anointed king (1 Kings 1:33-34).
Yet, the relatively dry "temple mount" had access to water (e.g., the lower aqueduct) from major early engineering efforts. LDS Map #12 shows the aqueduct feeding the temple mount during the time of Jesus. For some fairly clear explanations of the water systems in ancient Jerusalem at various periods of time, see the Jerusalem Archeological Park.
The archeological debates about temple location and water sources need not concern us here. What does concern this essay is that water in the temple has an essential symbolic function, besides having a necessary physical function.
Read the beautiful words of Ezekiel, who was shown the temple grounds in a vision by a heavenly guide. This is what Ezekiel saw as he stood at the entrance of the holy sanctuary from the inner court (see ESV Study Bible map entitled "Ezekiel's Temple Vision," p. 1567):
ESV: Ezekiel 47:1
1 Then he [the heavenly guide] brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.
The water formed a river that had special properties:
ESV: Ezekiel 47:12
12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.”
Clearly, the water had healing properties (of a spiritual nature) that could even heal the Dead Sea, where the temple water was destined.
Given the imagery above, one cannot help but think of the long political problems between Israel and Palestine, especially the current battles in Gaza. Perhaps I am wrong, but such verses give me the impression that peace may not come to the area until the Jerusalem temple is rebuilt for the last time.
I have to think that temple water imagery plays a role in other verses, such as:
ESV: Revelation 22:1
1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb… .
The water, in fact, may represent the blessings of the throne of God:
ESV: Isaiah 44:3
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
Temples are the special means by which God pours out his blessings upon offspring and descendants. The metaphor Latter-day Saints use is "sealing." Family members are sealed to each other for eternity contingent upon basic faithfulness. Perfection is an outcome, not a requirement. An excellent and succinct statement of the function of temples in the past and in the LDS present can be found in the LDS Bible Dictionary: Temples.
*****Temples as Sanctuary for All*****A few years ago one of my non-LDS college students said to me, “Dr. Faux, one of the funniest things I have heard is that non-Mormons cannot go into the temple, and that members have to show a card to get in the door.” Such questions have taught me that most people do NOT realize that there is a difference between standard meetinghouses, such as chapels, and temples.
Temple restrictions always have existed, since recorded history. In the time of Jesus there were signs posted in the outer court of the temple (also known as the Court of the Gentiles) warning non-authorized individuals in Latin & Greek to NOT enter the sanctuary boundaries of the temple at the pain of death. Some of these signs have been preserved and can be seen here and here. Bruce R. McConkie described Solomon’s temple this way:
Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah, Vol.1, p. 111 - 112
Within the walls and their porches was the court of the Gentiles, an area, paved with marble, to which all people were welcome, both Jew and Gentile. Proper reverence and decorum were expected of all, and there were signs, in Greek and Latin, warning Gentiles not to enter the temple building itself on pain of death. It was in this public court that oxen, sheep, and doves were sold for sacrificial purposes, and from it our Lord, in anger, drove those who he said had turned his Father's house into a den of thieves.
As to the temple building proper, it contained the court of women with its chests for charitable contributions, in which place Jesus probably made his comments about the widow's mite. It contained the court of Israel and of the priests, in which stood the great altar of unhewn stones, which was 48 feet square at the bottom and 36 feet at the top and which rose 15 feet in height. In the temple also was the holy place, containing the table of the shewbread, the golden candlestick, and the altar of incense. And finally, with a veil separating it from the holy place, in it stood the Holy of Holies, a sanctuary 30 feet square, a sanctuary now empty except for a large stone -- occupying the place where the ark, the mercy seat, and the cherubim should have been -- and on which stone the high priest sprinkled the blood each year on the Day of Atonement.
Restrictions for getting into temples nearly got the Apostle Paul killed. Here is what happened to Paul when he took some Greek Christians into the temple:
King James Version: Acts 21:26 - 31
26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.
27 ¶ And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,
28 Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all [men] every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.
29 (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)
30 And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut.
31 And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.
Is it not interesting that the Christian Apostle Paul still regarded the temple as being important, even after the death of Christ? Paul’s view of the temple is in contrast to doctrines found in many modern Christian churches that teach that temples are now obsolete and not needed.
In any case, please note that the early Jerusalem temple had restrictions about attendance, complete with warning signs not to trespass. LDS Temples merely maintain that tradition, although without the threat of death!
There is at least one other verse in the New Testament where it is helpful to understand temple restrictions. Read the following:
NASB: Ephesians 2:13-14
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall
The context here is the bringing together of Jews and Gentiles by Christ. Where Gentiles were once kept out of the sacred spaces of the "temple," the barrier (the dividing wall) has now been broken down.
All may participate in temple worship, but there are prerequisites. Modern temples are a graduate school of theology and ordinance. Entrance takes preparation, morally and mentally.
*****Why Go to the Temple?***** A great scriptural account is found in Alma 22. It is about Aaron, a missionary, a son of King Mosiah, and a former unbeliever intent upon destroying the Church. By the spirit, Aaron was led to the king over all the Lamanites. The king, evidently a good man, had allowed the Church to “build sanctuaries” (v. 7), but now he was “troubled in mind” (v. 3) as he began to think about the gospel. The king was ready to accept God into his life, and thus he was greatly helped by Aaron, the missionary. The king did not fully appreciate at the time, but the sanctuaries he had previously allowed to be built contained the answers to the current troubles in his mind. But, he learned further (v. 16) that all he had to do was bow down before God, repent, exercise faith, and he would receive “the hope” he desired.
Both faith and temples are sanctuaries of a sort. They provide eternal hope. We go to the temple to build the hope that the love of our families can be a basis for heaven.
*****Brief Conclusions*****We are a modern people with great technologies. Despite our technological sophistication, our spiritual needs are the same as our ancient predecessors. We are in need of sanctuary as much as anyone who has ever lived upon the earth. Thus, we may legitimately ask: Why has God not provided us with a temple, wherein we can learn the sacred ways of God without distraction? The simple answer is that God has so provided. Those who seek shall find.
Our daily lives may be in the great desert, but even in that desert we can build a sanctuary and come close to God. Spiritual riches are NOT dependent upon earthly riches. The boredom of daily life is a shallow barrier, easily overcome, if we but seek God and His spiritual riches in the temple. Temple blessings are available to us here and now, and the need is great.
*****Please Note: The standard Bible for the LDS Church is the King James Version. Essays on this blog site often borrow from other versions of the Bible only in the attempt for clarity and transparency. However, such usage is intended only as a supplement to the standard.Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.Scripture marked as NASB is taken from the New American Standard Bible®,
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,
1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
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