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{{Short description|Former places of Israelite and Jewish worship}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Use Oxford spelling|date=October 2022}}
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{{More sources needed|date=January 2025}}
{{Primary sources|date=January 2025}}

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[[File:Jerusalem Modell BW 2.JPG|thumb|The [[Holyland Model of Jerusalem]] depicts [[Jerusalem during the Second Temple period|Jerusalem during the late Second Temple period]]. The [[Temple Mount]] and [[Herod's Temple]] are shown in the middle. View from the east.]]
{{Jerusalem sidebar}}
{{Jews and Judaism sidebar|History}}
The '''Temple in Jerusalem''', or alternatively the '''Holy Temple''' ({{langx|hbo|בֵּית־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ|Bēṯ ham-Miqdāš}}; {{Langx|ar|بيت المقدس}}, {{Transliteration|ar|Bayt al-Maqdis}}), refers to the two religious structures that served as the central places of worship for [[Israelites]] and [[Jews]] on the [[Temple Mount]] in the [[Old City of Jerusalem]]. According to the [[Hebrew Bible]], the [[Solomon's Temple|First Temple]] was built in the 10th century BCE, during the reign of [[Solomon]] over the [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|United Kingdom of Israel]]. It stood until {{Circa|587 BCE}}, when it was destroyed during the [[Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC)|Babylonian siege of Jerusalem]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Miller |first1=J. Maxwell |title=A History of Ancient Israel and Judah |last2=Hayes |first2=John H. |publisher=[[Westminster John Knox Press]] |year=2006 |isbn=978-0664223588 |edition=2nd |location=Louisville, Kentucky |pages=478ff |language=en-us}}</ref> The exact location of this temple on the temple mount is debatable.

Almost a century later, the First Temple was replaced by the [[Second Temple]], which was built after the [[Neo-Babylonian Empire]] was conquered by the [[Achaemenid Empire]]. While the Second Temple stood for a longer period of time than the First Temple, and was [[Herod's Temple|renovated by Herod the Great]], it was destroyed during the [[Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)|Roman siege of Jerusalem]] in 70 CE.

Projects to build the hypothetical "[[Third Temple]]" have not come to fruition in the modern era, though the Temple in Jerusalem still features prominently in [[Judaism]].<ref>{{Cite news |title=The History of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem |language=en |work=[[Haaretz]] |url=https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2014-08-11/ty-article/.premium/history-of-the-temple-in-jerusalem/0000017f-dc6e-db5a-a57f-dc6e83360000 |access-date=2022-10-02}}</ref> As an object of longing and a symbol of future redemption, the Temple has been commemorated in Jewish tradition through prayer, liturgical poetry, art, poetry, architecture, and other forms of expression.

Outside of Judaism, the Temple, and today's Temple Mount, also carries a high level of significance in [[Islam]] and [[Christianity]]. The name ''Bait al-Maqdis'' which preserves the memory of the Temple, used later for islamic buildings on Temple mount and for entire '''[[Jerusalem]]''' city by Muslims. The site, known to Muslims as the "Al-Aqsa Mosque compound" or ''Haram al-Sharif,'' is considered the [[Holiest sites in Islam#Al-Masjid al-Aqsa|third-holiest site in Islam]]. According to the narrative in [[Islam]], the Temple in Jerusalem was originally a [[mosque]] commissioned by [[Solomon in Islam|Solomon]] and built by {{Transliteration|ar|[[jinn]]}} on the commandment of [[God in Islam|Allah]], with the purpose of serving as the {{Transliteration|ar|[[qibla]]}} of the [[Israelites]]. In the early years of Islam, [[Muhammad in Islam|Prophet Muhammad]] and his followers faced [[Jerusalem]] for prayers until the city of [[Mecca]] (specifically its [[Kaaba]]) superseded the former as the new {{Transliteration|ar|qibla}}.{{sfn|Wensinck|1986|p=82}}

== Etymology ==
The Hebrew name given in the [[Hebrew Bible]] for the building complex is either ''Miqdash'' "Holy place" ({{Langx|he|מקדש}}), as used in [[Terumah (parashah)#First reading—Exodus 25:1–16|Exodus 25:8]], or simply "House of [[Yahweh]]" ({{Langx|he|בֵּית יהוה}}), as in [[1 Chronicles 22]]:11.

In [[rabbinic literature]], the temple sanctuary is called "The Holy House", ''Bet HaMiqdash'', and only the Temple in Jerusalem is referred to by this name.<ref name="JVLtemple">{{Cite web |url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-jewish-temple-beit-hamikdash |title=The Jewish Temple (Beit HaMikdash) |website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org |language=en |access-date=2018-01-23 |archive-date=2018-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180124071514/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-jewish-temple-beit-hamikdash |url-status=live}}</ref>{{bsn|date=January 2025}} In classic English texts, however, the word "Temple" is used interchangeably, sometimes having the strict connotation of the Temple precincts, with its courts ({{langx|el|ἱερὸν}}), while at other times having the strict connotation of the Temple Sanctuary ({{langx|el|ναός}}).<ref>{{cite book |title=Josephus – The Jewish War |publisher=The Penguin Classics |year=1980 |editor=Williamson |editor-first=G. A. |editor-link=G. A. Williamson |location=Middlesex, U.K. |page=290 (note 2) |language=en |oclc=633813720 |quote="Throughout this translation 'Sanctuary' represents Greek ''naos'' and denotes the central shrine, while 'Temple' represents ''hieron'' and includes the courts, colonnades, etc. surrounding the shrine."}} ({{OCLC|1170073907}}) (reprint)</ref> While Greek and Hebrew texts make this distinction, English texts do not always do so.

Jewish rabbi and philosopher [[Maimonides]] gave the following definition of "Temple" in the ''[[Mishne Torah]]'' 9, section 1:5:
{{blockquote|The following are the major requirements for the Temple: It must have a sanctuary and an inner sanctum. There must be a space in front of the sanctuary called the Hall ({{Lang|he|אולם}}) and the three together are called "Heichal" ({{Lang|he|היכל}}). Another wall must be built around the Heichal away from the building itself, like the curtains around the courtyard of the tabernacle in the desert. Everything enclosed by this wall representing the yard of the tabernacle is called the Court ({{Lang|he|עזרה}}), and the whole compound is called "Temple" ({{Lang|he|מקדש}}).<ref>{{cite web |title=Mishneh Torah, The Chosen Temple 1:5 |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Mishneh_Torah%2C_The_Chosen_Temple.1.5?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en |website=www.sefaria.org}}</ref>}}


The historian [[Josephus]] echoes this same theme, when he writes in ''[[The Jewish War]]'' 5.5.2. (5.193–194):
{{quote|When one proceeds through the cloisters to the second court of the temple, there was a stone partition all round, whose height was three cubits and of most elegant construction. Upon it stood pillars, at equal distances from one another, declaring the law of purity, some in Greek and some in Roman letters, that 'no foreigner should go within the Holy Place,' for that second [court of the] temple was called 'the Holy Place,' and was ascended to by fourteen steps from the first court."}}

==First Temple==
{{Main|Solomon's Temple}}
[[File:Bible manual. Introductory course on the Bible, for teachers training classes and Bible classes (1922) (14749899816).jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.8|Model of the [[Solomon's Temple|First Temple]], included in a Bible manual for teachers (1922)]]
The Hebrew Bible says that the [[Solomon's Temple|First Temple]] was built by [[Solomon|King Solomon]],<ref name="ODCC self">"Temple, the." Cross, F. L., ed. ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church.'' New York: Oxford University Press. 2005</ref> completed in 957 BCE.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Temple of Jerusalem {{!}} Description, History, & Significance |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Temple-of-Jerusalem |access-date=2020-10-26 |website=Encyclopedia Britannica |language=en |archive-date=2020-10-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020123151/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Temple-of-Jerusalem |url-status=live}}</ref> According to the [[Book of Deuteronomy]], as the sole place of Israelite ''[[korban]]'' (sacrifice),<ref>{{bibleref2|Deuteronomy|12:2–27}}</ref> the Temple replaced the [[Tabernacle]] constructed in the [[Stations of the Exodus|Sinai]] under the auspices of [[Moses]], as well as local sanctuaries, and altars in the hills.<ref>[[Will Durant|Durant, Will]]. ''Our Oriental Heritage''. New York: Simon and Schuster. 1954. p. 307. See 1 Kings 3:2.</ref> According to the Hebrew Bible, this Temple was sacked a few decades later by [[Shishak]], identified as [[Shoshenq I]] (d. 922 BCE), [[Twenty-second Dynasty of Egypt|pharaoh of the 22nd Dynasty of Egypt]].<ref>''Oxford History of Ancient Egypt'', p. 335, Oxford 2000</ref>

Although efforts were made at partial reconstruction, it was only in 835 BCE when [[Jehoash of Judah|Jehoash, King of Judah]], in the second year of his reign, invested considerable sums in reconstruction, only to have it [[Assyrian siege of Jerusalem|stripped again]] by [[Sennacherib]], ruler of the [[Neo-Assyrian Empire]] {{Circa|700 BCE}}.{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} The First Temple was totally destroyed in the [[Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC)|Siege of Jerusalem]] by the [[Neo-Babylonian Empire]] in 587 BCE.{{efn|''New American Oxford Dictionary'': "Temple".}}

==Second Temple==
{{Main|Second Temple}}
[[File:Second Temple.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Herod's Temple]] as imagined in the [[Holyland Model of Jerusalem]]. It is currently situated adjacent to the [[Shrine of the Book]] exhibit at the [[Israel Museum]] in Jerusalem]]
According to the [[Book of Ezra]], construction of the Second Temple was called for by [[Cyrus the Great]] and began in 538 BCE,<ref name="Rennert97">{{cite web |first=Yisrael |last=Shalem |title=Second Temple Period (538 BCE to 70 CE): Persian Rule. |work=Jerusalem: Life Throughout the Ages in a Holy City |publisher=Ingeborg Rennert Center for Jerusalem Studies, [[Bar-Ilan University]] |location=[[Ramat-Gan]], Israel |year=1997 |url=https://www.biu.ac.il/JS/rennert/history_4.html |access-date=8 January 2020 |archive-date=3 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103074019/https://www.biu.ac.il/js/rennert/history_4.html |url-status=live}}</ref> after the fall of the [[Neo-Babylonian Empire]] the year before.<ref>{{cite book |first=Matt |last=Waters |title=Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire, 550–330 BCE |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2014 |page=212 |isbn=978-1-107-00960-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EjhEAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA212 |access-date=8 January 2020 |archive-date=9 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200309080449/https://books.google.com/books?id=EjhEAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA212 |url-status=live}}</ref> According to some 19th-century calculations, work started later, in April 536 BCE<ref>{{bibleverse|Haggai|1:15}}</ref> and was completed on 21 February, 515 BCE, 21 years after the start of the construction. This date is obtained by coordinating Ezra 3:8–10<ref>{{bibleverse|Ezra|3:8–10}}</ref> (the third day of [[Adar]], in the sixth year of the reign of [[Darius I|Darius the Great]]) with historical sources.<ref name="Jamieson">{{cite web |last1=Jamieson |first1=Robert |last2=Fausset |first2=A. R. |author2-link=Andrew Robert Fausset |last3=Brown |first3=David |author3-link=David Brown (Free Church of Scotland) |title=Ezra 6:13–15. The Temple Finished. |work=[[Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary|A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments]] |year=1882 |via=BibleHub.com |url=https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jfb/ezra/6.htm |access-date=8 January 2020 |archive-date=1 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191101063026/https://biblehub.com/commentaries/jfb/ezra/6.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> The accuracy of these dates is contested by some modern researchers, who consider the biblical text to be of later date and based on a combination of historical records and religious considerations, leading to contradictions between different books of the Bible and making the dates unreliable.<ref>{{cite book |first=Diana |last=Edelman |title=The Origins of the 'Second' Temple: Persion Imperial Policy and the Rebuilding of Jerusalem |chapter=The Seventy-Year Tradition Revisited |publisher=Routledge |edition=reprint, revised |year=2014 |pages=103–104 |isbn=978-1-84553-016-7 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T5zCBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA103 |access-date=8 January 2020 |archive-date=11 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311114702/https://books.google.com/books?id=T5zCBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA103 |url-status=live}}</ref> The new temple was dedicated by the Jewish governor [[Zerubbabel]]. However, with a full reading of the Book of Ezra and the [[Book of Nehemiah]], there were four edicts to build the Second Temple, which were issued by three Achaemenid emperors: Cyrus in 536 BCE ([[Ezra 1]]), [[Darius I]] in 519 BCE ([[Ezra 6]]), and [[Artaxerxes I]] in 457 BCE ([[Ezra 7]]), and finally by Artaxerxes again in 444 BCE ([[Nehemiah 2]]).<ref name="RATIONAL PROOFS AND TRADITIONAL ARGUMENTS FROM THE SACRED SCRIPTURES">{{cite book |editor='Abdu'l-Baha |title=Some Answered Questions |url=http://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/some-answered-questions/#f=f4-151 |access-date=10 December 2016 |archive-date=11 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211235108/https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/abdul-baha/some-answered-questions/#f=f4-151 |url-status=live}}</ref>

According to classical Jewish sources, another demolition of the Temple was narrowly avoided in 332 BCE when the Jews refused to acknowledge the deification of [[Alexander the Great]] of Macedonia, but Alexander was placated at the last minute by astute diplomacy and flattery.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ou.org/judaism-101/bios/leaders-in-the-talmudic-period/shimon-hatzaddik/ |title=Shimon HaTzaddik |website=[[Orthodox Union]] |date=14 June 2006 |access-date=3 September 2020 |archive-date=14 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814143903/https://www.ou.org/judaism-101/bios/leaders-in-the-talmudic-period/shimon-hatzaddik/ |url-status=live}}</ref> 

After Jerusalem came under [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid control]], [[Antiochus III the Great]] attempted to introduce [[ancient Greek religion|Greek deities]] into the Temple. A rebellion ensued and was brutally suppressed, but no further action was taken by Antiochus. When [[Antiochus IV Epiphanes]] assumed the Seleucid throne he immediately attempted to enforce universal Hellenization once again. During this time, several incidents considered offensive under traditional Jewish practice occurred in the temple, including erecting a statue of [[Zeus]] and the sacrifice of pigs. This led to a two-year civil war in Judea, during which traditionalist rebels led by [[Mattathias]] fought against both Seleucid forces and the Hellenized Judean forces who administered Judea in Antiochus's name. After the rebels successfully overthrew Seleucid rule, Mattathias' son [[Judas Maccabeus]] rededicated the temple in 164 BCE, giving rise to the celebration of [[Hanukkah]].<ref name="ODCC self"/>

During the Roman era, [[Pompey]] entered (and thereby desecrated) the [[Holy of Holies]] in 63 BCE, but left the Temple intact.<ref>Josephus, ''The New Complete Works'', translated by William Whiston, Kregel Publications, 1999, "Antiquites" Book 14:4, pp. 459–460</ref><ref>Michael Grant, ''The Jews in the Roman World'', Barnes & Noble, 1973, p. 54</ref><ref>Peter Richardson, ''Herod: King of the Jews and Friend of the Romans'', Univ. of South Carolina Press, 1996, pp. 98–99</ref> In 54 BCE, [[Marcus Licinius Crassus]] looted the Temple treasury.<ref>Josephus, ''The New Complete Works'', translated by William Whiston, [[Kregel Publications]], 1999, "Antiquites" Book 14:7, p. 463</ref><ref>Michael Grant, ''The Jews in the Roman World'', Barnes & Noble, 1973, p. 58</ref>

Around 20 BCE, the building was renovated and expanded by [[Herod the Great]] and became known as [[Herod's Temple]]. It was destroyed by the [[Roman Empire]] in 70 CE during the [[Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE)|Siege of Jerusalem]]. During the [[Bar Kokhba revolt]] against the Romans in 132–135, [[Simon bar Kokhba]] and [[Rabbi Akiva]] wanted to rebuild the Temple, but bar Kokhba's revolt failed and the Jews were banned from Jerusalem except for [[Tisha B'Av]] by the Roman Empire. The emperor [[Julian (emperor)|Julian]] allowed the Temple to be rebuilt, but the [[363 Galilee earthquake]] ended all attempts ever since.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}

==Al-Aqsa and the Third Temple==
By the 7th century, the site had fallen into disrepair under Byzantine rule. In tradition, after the Muslim conquest of Jerusalem in the 7th century during the [[Rashidun Caliphate]], a mosque was built by [[Umar]] ({{reign|634–644}}), who first cleared the site of debris and then erected a [[mihrab]] and simple [[mosque]] on the same site as the present one. This first mosque was known as Masjid al-'Umar. 

During the [[Umayyad Caliphate]], the caliph [[Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan]] ordered a renovation of the mosque, constructing the [[Dome of the Rock]] on the Temple Mount. The mosque has stood on the mount since 691; the [[al-Aqsa Mosque]]. It has been renovated several times since, including during the Abbasid, Fatimid, Mamluk, and Ottoman eras.<ref name="ia">{{cite web |title=Aqsa Mosque – Discover Islamic Art – Virtual Museum |url=https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;pa;Mon01;3;en |access-date=1 September 2023 |website=islamicart.museumwnf.org}}</ref>

==Archaeological evidence==
{{main|Archaeological remnants of the Jerusalem Temple}}
{{multiple image
| footer    =
| align     = right
| image1    = Jerusalem Temple Warning Inscription.jpg
| width1    = 180
| caption1  = Jerusalem Temple Warning Inscription
| image2    = Samuel and Saidye Bronfman Archaeology WingDSCN5007.JPG
| width2    = 180
| caption2  = Fragment of the Temple Warning Inscription at the [[Israel Museum]].
| image3    = To the trumpeting place.jpg
| width3    = 180
| caption3  = The [[Trumpeting Place inscription]], a stone (2.43×1 m) with [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] writing ''"To the Trumpeting Place"'' uncovered during archaeological excavations by [[Benjamin Mazar]] at the southern foot of the [[Temple Mount]] is believed to be a part of the complex of the Second Temple.
}}

Archaeological excavations have not found remnants of the First Temple, though there is evidence that Jerusalem was a hub of religious devotion at the time.<ref name=Haaretz2015>{{Cite news |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.681589 |title=Were there Jewish Temples on Temple Mount? Yes – Israel News |newspaper=[[Haaretz]] |access-date=2016-08-15 |archive-date=2015-10-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025003942/http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.681589 |url-status=live}}</ref> Evidence for the Second Temple, both archaeological and literary, is much stronger even though no stone that was definitely part of the temple can be identified.<ref name=Haaretz2015/>

Concrete finds from the Second Temple include the [[Temple Warning inscription]]s and the [[Trumpeting Place inscription]], two surviving pieces of the Herodian expansion of the Temple Mount. The Temple Warning inscriptions forbid the entry of pagans to the Temple, a prohibition also mentioned by the 1st century CE historian [[Josephus]]. These inscriptions were on the wall that surrounded the Temple and prevented non-Jews from entering the temple's courtyard. The Trumpeting Place inscription was found at the southwest corner of Temple Mount, and is believed to mark the site where the priests used to declare the advent of Shabbat and other Jewish holidays.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Were There Jewish Temples on Temple Mount? Yes |language=en |work=[[Haaretz]] |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/were-there-jewish-temples-on-temple-mount-yes-1.5411705 |access-date=2022-01-11 |archive-date=2015-10-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151025003942/http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.681589 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Location==
[[File:The rock of the Dome of the Rock Corrected.jpg|upright=1.4|thumbnail|right|The Foundation Stone in the floor of the [[Dome of the Rock]] shrine in [[Jerusalem]]. The round hole at upper left penetrates to a small cave, known as the [[Well of Souls]], below. The cage-like structure just beyond the hole covers the stairway entrance to the cave (south is towards the top of the image).]]
[[File:Bottom of the Foundation Stone.jpg|upright=1.4|thumbnail|The bottom of the Foundation Stone, photo taken from the [[Well of Souls]]]]
There are three main theories as to where the Temple stood: where the Dome of the Rock is now located, to the north of the Dome of the Rock (Professor Asher Kaufman), or to the east of the Dome of the Rock (Professor Joseph Patrich of the [[Hebrew University]]).<ref>See article in the ''World Jewish Digest'', April 2007</ref>

The exact location of the Temple is a contentious issue, as questioning the exact placement of the Temple is often associated with [[Temple denial]]. Since the [[Holy of Holies]] lay at the center of the complex as a whole, the Temple's location is dependent on the location of the Holy of Holies. The location of the Holy of Holies was even a question less than 150 years after the Second Temple's destruction, as detailed in the [[Talmud]]. Chapter 54 of the [[Berakhot (tractate)|Tractate Berakhot]] states that the Holy of Holies was directly aligned with the [[Golden Gate (Jerusalem)|Golden Gate]], which, assuming the current gate follows the same course as the now buried Herodian gate, would have placed the Temple slightly to the north of the Dome of the Rock, as Kaufman postulated.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Berakhot.54a.7?ven=William_Davidson_Edition_-_English&lang=bi |title=Berakhot 54a:7 |access-date=2020-02-27 |archive-date=2020-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608104932/https://www.sefaria.org/Berakhot.54a.7?ven=William_Davidson_Edition_-_English&lang=bi |url-status=live}}</ref> However, chapter 54 of the [[Yoma|Tractate Yoma]] and chapter 26 of the [[Sanhedrin (tractate)|Tractate Sanhedrin]] assert that the Holy of Holies stood directly on the [[Foundation Stone]], which agrees with the traditional view that the Dome of the Rock stands on the Temple's location.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Yoma.54b.2?ven=William_Davidson_Edition_-_English&lang=bi |title=Yoma 54b:2 |access-date=2020-02-27 |archive-date=2020-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608104940/https://www.sefaria.org/Yoma.54b.2?ven=William_Davidson_Edition_-_English&lang=bi |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.26b.5?ven=William_Davidson_Edition_-_English&lang=bi |title=Sanhedrin 26b:5 |access-date=2020-02-27 |archive-date=2020-06-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200608104936/https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.26b.5?ven=William_Davidson_Edition_-_English&lang=bi |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Physical layout==
{{religious text|section|date=January 2024}}
===First Temple===
The [[Temple of Solomon]], or First Temple, consisted of four main elements:
*the Great or Outer Court, where people assembled to worship;<ref>{{bibleverse|Jeremiah 19:14; 26:2|multi=yes}}</ref>
*the Inner Court<ref>{{bibleverse|1 Kings|6:36}}</ref> or Court of the Priests;<ref>{{bibleverse|2 Chr.|4:9}}</ref>
:and the Temple building itself, with
*the larger [[Solomon's Temple#Sanctuary (main chamber)|Holy Place]] (''hekhal''), called the "greater house"<ref>{{bibleverse|2 Chr.|3:5}}</ref> and the "temple"<ref>{{bibleverse|1 Kings|6:17}}</ref> and
*the smaller "inner sanctum", known as the [[Holy of Holies]]<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Michael M. Homan |author1-link=Michael Homan |title=The Tabernacle and the Temple in Ancient Israel |journal=Religion Compass |date=2007 |volume=1 |issue=1 |page=43 |doi=10.1111/j.1749-8171.2006.00006.x |url=https://compass.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1749-8171.2006.00006.x |access-date=30 January 2025 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |location=[[Wiley-Blackwell]] |language=en |issn=1749-8171 |quote=and the cube-shaped back room, the Holy of Holies (Hebrew debîr)|url-access=subscription }}</ref> or ''Kodesh HaKodashim''.

===Second Temple===
[[File:TempleStepsMay2009.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|Remnants of the 1st-century Stairs of Ascent in front of [[the Double Gate]], discovered by archaeologist [[Benjamin Mazar]].]]

In the case of the last and most elaborate structure, the [[Second Temple#Herod's Temple|Herodian Temple]], the structure consisted of the wider Temple precinct, the restricted Temple courts, and the Temple building itself:
*Temple precinct, located on the extended Temple Mount platform, and including the Court of the Gentiles
*[[Court of the women|Court of the Women]] or ''Ezrat HaNashim''
*Court of the Israelites, reserved for ritually pure Jewish men
*Court of the Priests, whose relation to the Temple Court is interpreted in different ways by scholars
*Temple Court or ''Azarah'', with the Brazen Laver (''kiyor''), the Altar of Burnt Offerings (''mizbe'ah''), the Place of Slaughtering, and the Temple building itself

The Temple edifice had three distinct chambers:
*Temple vestibule or porch (''ulam'')
*Temple sanctuary ([[Second Temple#Sanctuary ("the holy")|''hekhal'']] or ''heikal''), the main part of the building
*[[Holy of Holies]] (''Kodesh HaKodashim'' or ''debir''), the innermost chamber
[[File:Temple sketch2.png|thumb|upright=1.4|Diagram of the Temple (top of diagram is north)]]

According to the [[Talmud]], the Women's Court was to the east and the main area of the Temple to the west.<ref>{{cite book |title=Mishna Tractate Midos}}</ref> The main area contained the butchering area for the sacrifices and the Outer Altar on which portions of most offerings were burned. An edifice contained the ''ulam'' (antechamber), the ''[[hekhal]]'' (the "sanctuary"), and the [[Holy of Holies]]. The sanctuary and the Holy of Holies were separated by a wall in the First Temple and by two curtains in the Second Temple. The sanctuary contained the [[Menorah (Temple)|seven branched candlestick]], the table of [[showbread]] and the [[Altar (Judaism)#Altar of Incense|Incense Altar]].

The main courtyard had thirteen gates. On the south side, beginning with the southwest corner, there were four gates:
*The Upper Gate (''Sha'ar HaElyon'')
*The Kindling Gate (''Sha'ar HaDelek''), where wood was brought in
*The Gate of Firstborns (''Sha'ar HaBechorot''), where people with first-born animal offerings entered
*The Water Gate (''Sha'ar HaMayim''), where the Water Libation entered on [[Sukkot]]/the Feast of Tabernacles

On the north side, beginning with the northwest corner, there were four gates:
*The Gate of Jeconiah (''Sha'ar Yechonyah''), where kings of the Davidic line enter and [[Jeconiah]] left for the last time to captivity after being dethroned by the King of Babylon
*The Gate of the [[Korban|Offering]] (''Sha'ar HaKorban''), where priests entered with ''kodshei kodashim'' offerings
*The [[Role of women in Judaism|Women's]] Gate (''Sha'ar HaNashim''), where women entered into the ''Azara'' or main courtyard to perform offerings<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ou.org/torah/tt/5764/vayeitzei64/mikdash.htm |title=Sheyibaneh Beit Hamikdash: Women in the Azara? |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060729212719/http://www.ou.org/torah/tt/5764/vayeitzei64/mikdash.htm |archive-date=2006-07-29}}</ref>
*The Gate of Song (''Sha'ar HaShir''), where the [[Levites]] entered with their musical instruments.

The '''[[Hall of Hewn Stones]]''' (Hebrew: לשכת הגזית ''Lishkat haGazit''), also known as the '''Chamber of Hewn Stone''', was the meeting place, or council-chamber, of the [[Sanhedrin]] during the [[Second Temple period]] (6th century BCE – 1st century CE). The [[Talmud]] deduces that it was built into the north wall of the Temple in Jerusalem, half inside the sanctuary and half outside, with doors providing access both to the temple and to the outside. The chamber is said to have resembled a [[basilica]] in appearance,<ref>[[Babylonian Talmud]] (''Yoma'' 25a)</ref> having two entrances: one in the east and one in the west.<ref>[[Mishnah]] ''Taharoth'' 6:8, Commentary of Rabbi [[Hai Gaon]], s.v. {{Script/Hebrew|בסילקי}}</ref>

On the east side was the Gate of Nicanor, between the Women's Courtyard and the main Temple Courtyard, which had two minor doorways, one on its right and one on its left. On the western wall, which was relatively unimportant, there were two gates that did not have any name.

The [[Mishnah]] lists concentric circles of holiness surrounding the Temple: Holy of Holies; Sanctuary; Vestibule; Court of the Priests; Court of the Israelites; Court of the Women; Temple Mount; the walled city of [[Jerusalem]]; all the walled cities of the [[Land of Israel]]; and the borders of the Land of Israel.

The Talmud speaks also of important presents which Queen [[Helena of Adiabene]] gave to the Temple at Jerusalem.<ref>Yoma 37a.</ref> "Helena had a golden candlestick made over the door of the Temple," to which statement is added that when the sun rose its rays were reflected from the candlestick and everybody knew that it was the time for reading the Shema'.<ref>Yoma 37b; [[Tosefta]] Yoma 82</ref> She also made a golden plate on which was written the passage of the [[Pentateuch]]<ref>{{bibleverse|Numbers|19–22}}</ref> which the Kohen read when a wife suspected of infidelity was brought before him.<ref>Yoma l.c.</ref> In the [[Jerusalem Talmud]], tractate Yoma iii. 8 the candlestick and the plate are confused.

==Temple services==
{{religious text|section|date=January 2024}}
[[File:Model of Second Temple made by Michael Osnis from Kedumim 1.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.6| [[Replicas of the Jewish Temple|Model of Second Temple]] made by Michael Osnis from Kedumim.]]
[[File:04 2022 Roma (Arco di Trionfo di Tito- Bassorilievi) FO228685 bis Photo by Paolo Villa.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.6|[[Arch of Titus]] relief showing the Menorah from the Temple as spoils of the Romans]]

{{Main|Korban|Ketoret}}
The Temple was the place where [[korban|offerings]] described in the course of the Hebrew Bible were carried out, including daily morning and afternoon offerings and special offerings on [[Biblical Sabbath|Sabbath]] and [[Jewish holidays]]. [[Levites]] recited [[Psalms]] at appropriate moments during the offerings, including the Psalm of the Day, special psalms for the [[Rosh Chodesh|new month]], and other occasions, the [[Hallel]] during major Jewish holidays, and psalms for special sacrifices such as the "Psalm for the Thanksgiving Offering" ([[Psalm]] 100).

As part of the daily offering, a prayer service was performed in the Temple which was used as the basis of the traditional Jewish [[Shacharit|(morning) service]] recited to this day, including well-known prayers such as the [[Shema]], and the [[Priestly Blessing]]. The [[Mishna]] describes it as follows:
{{blockquote|The superintendent said to them, bless one benediction! and they blessed, and read the Ten Commandments, and the Shema, "And it shall come to pass if you will hearken", and "And [God] spoke...". They pronounced three benedictions with the people present: "True and firm", and the "Avodah" "Accept, Lord our God, the service of your people Israel, and the fire-offerings of Israel and their prayer receive with favor. Blessed is He who receives the service of His people Israel with favor" (similar to what is today the 17th blessing of the Amidah), and the Priestly Blessing, and on the Sabbath they recited one blessing; "May He who causes His name to dwell in this House, cause to dwell among you love and brotherliness, peace and friendship" on behalf of the weekly Priestly Guard that departed.|[[Mishna]] [[Tamid]] 5:1}}

In addition to the sacrifices, the Temple was considered a special location for prayer to God:
{{quote|When Your people Israel are smitten down before the enemy, when they sin against You, if they turn again to You, and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication to You '''in this house''' - may You hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers. ... If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting or mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague, whatever sickness there be; whatever prayer and supplication be made by any person of all Your people Israel, who shall know every man the plague of his own heart, and spread forth his hands '''toward this house''' - may You hear in heaven Your dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and render to every man according to all his ways, whose heart You know.<ref>{{Bibleverse|1 Kings|8:33-39|HE}}</ref>}}

==In the Talmud==
Seder [[Kodashim]], the fifth order, or division, of the [[Mishnah]] (compiled between 200 and 220 CE), provides detailed descriptions and discussions of the religious laws connected with [[Temple in Jerusalem#Temple services|Temple service]] including the [[korban|sacrifices]], the Temple and its furnishings, as well as [[Kohen|the priests]] who carried out the duties and ceremonies of its service. [[Masekhet|Tractates]] of the order deal with the sacrifices of animals, birds, and [[Gift offering|meal offerings]], the laws of bringing a sacrifice, such as the [[sin offering]] and the [[guilt offering]], and the laws of misappropriation of sacred property. In addition, the order contains a description of the Second Temple ([[Masekhet|tractate]] [[Middot (Talmud)|Middot]]), and a description and rules about the daily sacrifice service in the Temple ([[Masekhet|tractate]] [[Tamid]]).<ref name="Birnbaum">{{cite book |last=Birnbaum |first=Philip |title=A Book of Jewish Concepts |publisher=Hebrew Publishing Company |year=1975 |isbn=088482876X |location=New York, New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bookofjewishconc00birn/page/541 541–542] |chapter=Kodashim |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/bookofjewishconc00birn/page/541 |chapter-url-access=registration}}</ref><ref name="Soncino">{{cite book |title=The Babylonian Talmud |publisher=The Soncino Press |others=Singer, M. H. (translator) |year=1948 |editor1-last=Epstein |editor1-first=Isidore |editor-link=Isidore Epstein |volume=5 |location=London |pages=xvii–xxi |chapter=Introduction to Seder Kodashim}}</ref><ref name=EJ>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Arzi |first=Abraham |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Judaica |volume=10 |pages=1126–1127 |title=Kodashim |year=1978 |edition=1st |publisher=Keter Publishing House Ltd. |location=Jerusalem, Israel}}</ref>

In the [[Babylonian Talmud]], all the tractates have [[Gemara]] – rabbinical commentary and analysis – for all their chapters; some chapters of Tamid, and none on Middot and Kinnim. The [[Jerusalem Talmud]] has no Gemara on any of the tractates of Kodashim.<ref name="Soncino"/><ref name=EJ/>

The Talmud ([[Yoma]] 9b) describes traditional theological reasons for the destruction: "Why was the first Temple destroyed? Because the three cardinal sins were rampant in society: idol worship, licentiousness, and murder… And why then was the second Temple – wherein the society was involved in Torah, commandments and acts of kindness – destroyed? Because gratuitous hatred was rampant in society."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.divreinavon.com/pdf/SinatHinam.pdf |title=Gratuitous Hatred – What is it and Why is it so bad? |access-date=2009-07-23 |archive-date=2011-07-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710135056/http://www.divreinavon.com/pdf/SinatHinam.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0008_0_08528.html |title=Hatred |access-date=2014-07-08 |archive-date=2015-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402092835/https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0008_0_08528.html |url-status=live}}</ref>{{bsn|date=January 2025}}

==Role in contemporary Jewish services==
{{unreferenced section|date=March 2018}}
{{Main|Jewish services}}
Part of the traditional Jewish [[Shacharit|morning]] service, the part surrounding the Shema prayer, is essentially unchanged from the daily worship service performed in the Temple. In addition, the [[Amidah]] prayer traditionally replaces the Temple's daily ''tamid'' and special-occasion ''Mussaf'' (additional) offerings (there are separate versions for the different types of [[sacrifices]]). They are recited during the times their corresponding offerings were performed in the Temple.

The Temple is mentioned extensively in [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] [[Jewish services|services]]. [[Conservative Judaism]] retains mentions of the Temple and its restoration, but removes references to the [[korban|sacrifices]]. References to sacrifices on holidays are made in the past tense, and petitions for their restoration are removed. Mentions in Orthodox Jewish services include:

*A daily recital of Biblical and Talmudic passages related to the [[korbanot]] (sacrifices) performed in the Temple ''(See korbanot in [[siddur]])''.
*References to the restoration of the Temple and sacrificial worships in the daily [[Amidah]] prayer, the central prayer in Judaism.
*A traditional personal plea for the restoration of the Temple at the end of private recitation of the Amidah.
*A prayer for the restoration of the "house of our lives" and the [[shekhinah]] (divine presence) "to dwell among us" is recited during the Amidah prayer.
*Recitation of the Psalm of the day; the [[psalm]] sung by the [[Levite]]s in the Temple for that day during the daily morning service.
*Numerous psalms sung as part of the ordinary service make extensive references to the Temple and Temple worship.
*Recitation of the special [[Jewish holidays|Jewish holiday]] prayers for the restoration of the Temple and their offering, during the [[Mussaf]] services on Jewish holidays.
*An extensive recitation of the [[Yom Kippur Temple service|special Temple service]] for [[Yom Kippur]] during the service for that holiday.
*Special services for [[Sukkot]] (Hakafot) contain extensive (but generally obscure) references to the special Temple service performed on that day.

== Mourning and commemoration ==

=== Fast days ===
The destruction of the Temple is mourned on the Jewish fast day of [[Tisha B'Av]]. Three other minor fasts (Tenth of [[Tevet]], 17th of [[Tammuz (Hebrew month)|Tammuz]], and Third of [[Tishrei]]), also mourn events leading to or following the destruction of the Temple. During the three-week period preceding Tisha B'Av, weddings and haircuts are forbidden.{{Sfn|Levine|2008|p=42}} Additionally, many Jews abstain from eating meat during the first eight days of Av.{{Sfn|Levine|2008|p=42}}

''[[Avodah (Yom Kippur)|Avodah]]'', a ''[[piyyut]]'' (Jewish liturgical poem) recited on Yom Kippur, is a poetic depiction of the High Priest's ritual on that day.{{Sfn|Levine|2008|p=42}}

=== Jewish weddings ===
[[Jewish wedding]] ceremonies traditionally conclude with the groom breaking a glass in remembrance of the destruction of Jerusalem.{{Sfn|Levine|2008|p=42}} This act is often accompanied by the reciting of [[Psalm 137]]:5–6:{{Sfn|Levine|2008|pp=42–43}}<blockquote>If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand wither;

Let my tongue cleave to my palate If I cease to think of you,

If I do not keep Jerusalem in memory

Even at my happiest hour.{{Sfn|Levine|2008|pp=42–43}}</blockquote>In the Middle Ages, depictions of the Temple began to appear in [[Illuminated manuscript|illuminated manuscripts]], marriage contracts (''[[Ketubah|ketubbot]]''), and even on [[Wedding ring|wedding rings]], serving as a reminder of the Temple's destruction even on the most joyful occasions in life.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Maria |first=Stürzebecher |date=2022 |title=Jewish Wedding Rings with Miniature Architecture from Medieval Europe |url=https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/11/6/131 |journal=Arts |language=en |volume=11 |issue=6 |pages=9 |doi=10.3390/art |doi-broken-date=10 July 2025 |doi-access=free |issn=2076-0752 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240706084810/https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/11/6/131 |archive-date=6 July 2024 |access-date=9 July 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Day-to-day commemoration ===
Daily Jewish prayer contains several references to the hope for the rebuilding of the Temple. After reciting the ''[[Amidah]]'' and during the [[counting of the Omer]], a petition is added: "May it be that the Temple be rebuilt soon in our days."<ref name=":0">{{Citation |last1=Berlin |first1=Adele |title=The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion |date=2011-01-01 |editor-last=Berlin |editor-first=Adele |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199730049.001.0001/acref-9780199730049-e-3123 |access-date=2025-07-09 |chapter=Temple |publisher=Oxford University Press |language=en |doi=10.1093/acref/9780199730049.001.0001 |isbn=978-0-19-973004-9 |last2=Grossman |first2=Maxine}}</ref> The ''[[Birkat Hamazon]]'' (Grace After Meals) includes a plea for "the great and holy house over which Your name has been called."<ref name=":0" /> Similarly, the ''[[Mussaf]]'' prayer, recited on Shabbat and Jewish holidays, contains a request that "You may have mercy on Your Temple and rebuild it soon."<ref name=":0" />

In addition to liturgy, some mourning customs are observed continuously. One traditional practice is to leave a small section of the house unplastered, serving as a physical reminder of the Temple's destruction.

=== Communal customs ===
In addition to the customs observed by Jews universally, some Jewish communities developed their own unique ways to commemorate the Temple's destruction. In late medieval Europe, Jewish brides would often wear a large, decorative ring symbolizing the Temple, while grooms would place ashes on their heads.{{Sfn|Levine|2008|p=42}} In Jewish communities of [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]] and [[Djerba]], a tradition recorded by chronicler Mordechai HaCohen (1856–1929) held that a bride would throw a hen's egg, kept in her bosom, against the wall of her new home as a sign of mourning for the destruction of the Temple.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ha-Cohen |first1=Mordecaı̈ |title=The book of Mordechai: a study of the Jews of Libya |last2=Goldberg |first2=Harvey E. |last3=Ha-Cohen |first3=Mordecaı̈ |date=1980 |publisher=Institute for the Study of Human Issues |isbn=978-0-89727-005-2 |location=Philadelphia |pages=66, 117, 124}}</ref>

==Recent history==
The Temple Mount, along with the entire Old City of Jerusalem, was captured from Jordan by Israel in 1967 during the [[Six-Day War]], allowing Jews once again to visit the holy site.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-liberation-of-the-temple-mount-and-western-wall-june-1967 |title=The Liberation of the Temple Mount and Western Wall (June 1967) |website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org |language=en |access-date=2017-03-29 |archive-date=2017-03-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170330005830/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-liberation-of-the-temple-mount-and-western-wall-june-1967 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{bsn|date=January 2025}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sixdaywar.org/content/ReunificationJerusalem.asp |title=1967: Reunification of Jerusalem |website=www.sixdaywar.org |access-date=2017-03-29 |archive-date=2017-03-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308074552/http://www.sixdaywar.org/content/ReunificationJerusalem.asp |url-status=live}}</ref> Jordan had occupied East Jerusalem and the Temple Mount immediately following Israel's declaration of independence on May 14, 1948. Israel officially unified [[East Jerusalem]], including the Temple Mount, with the rest of Jerusalem in 1980 under the [[Jerusalem Law]], though [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 478]] declared the Jerusalem Law to be in violation of international law.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}} The [[Jerusalem Islamic Waqf]], based in Jordan, has administrative control of the Temple Mount.{{Citation needed|date=January 2025}}

==In other religions==

===Christianity===
{{See also|Jerusalem in Christianity}}
[[File:Prospect des Temples Salomonis, wie er von der Seiten des Berges Moriae, anzusehen gewesen - nach... R.P.Villalpandi - Joh. Bernh- Fischers v.Erlach, delin.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|alt=An imaginary view of the Temple, on a huge base in the foreground. 1721|An imaginary view of the Temple, on a huge base in the foreground, 1721]]
According to Matthew 24:2,<ref>{{bibleverse||Matthew|24:2}}</ref> Jesus predicts the destruction of the Second Temple. This idea, of the Temple as the [[body of Christ]], became a rich and multi-layered theme in medieval Christian thought (where Temple/body can be the heavenly body of Christ, the [[wikt:ecclesial|ecclesial]] body of the Church, and the Eucharistic body on the altar).<ref>See Jennifer A. Harris, "The Body as Temple in the High Middle Ages", in Albert I. Baumgarten ed., ''Sacrifice in Religious Experience'', Leiden, 2002, pp. 233–256.</ref>

===Islam===
The Temple Mount bears significance in Islam as it acted as a sanctuary for the Hebrew prophets and the [[Children of Israel|Israelites]]. Islamic tradition says that a temple was first built on the Temple Mount by [[Islamic view of Solomon|Solomon]], the son of [[Islamic view of David|David]]. After the destruction of the second temple, it was rebuilt by the second [[Rashidun Caliphate|Rashidun Caliph]], [[Omar]], which stands until today as [[Qibli Mosque|Al-Aqsa Mosque]]. Traditionally referred to as the "Farthest Mosque" (''al-masjid al-aqṣa' ''literally "utmost site of bowing (in worship)" though the term now refers specifically to [[Al-Qibli Chapel|the mosque in the southern wall]] of the compound which today is known simply as ''al-haram ash-sharīf'' "the noble sanctuary"), the site is seen as the destination of [[Muhammad]]'s [[Isra and Mi'raj|Night Journey]], one of the most significant events recounted in the [[Quran]] and the place of his ascent [[Seven Heavens|heavenwards]] thereafter (''[[Mi'raj]]''). Muslims view the Temple in Jerusalem as their inheritance, being the followers of the last prophet of God and believers in every prophet sent, including the prophets Moses and Solomon. To Muslims, [[Qibli Mosque|Al-Aqsa Mosque]] is not built on top of the temple, rather, it is the Third Temple, and they are the true believers who worship in it, whereas Jews and Christians are disbelievers who do not believe in God's final prophets [[Jesus]] and [[Muhammad]].<ref name="rts">{{cite journal |last1=Anderson |first1=James |title=The Centrality of Covenant Theology to the Islamic Faith |journal=Reformed Theological Seminary |date=2018 |url=https://rts.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/GrubbIslam.pdf |access-date=19 May 2021 |archive-date=14 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414132842/https://rts.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/GrubbIslam.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="halaqa">{{cite web |last1=Carr |first1=Gregory |title=A Brief History of the Temple of Jerusalem |url=https://halaqa.home.blog/2020/03/18/a-brief-history-of-the-temple-of-jerusalem/ |website=Halaqa |access-date=19 May 2021 |language=en |date=2020-03-18 |archive-date=2021-06-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625152838/https://halaqa.home.blog/2020/03/18/a-brief-history-of-the-temple-of-jerusalem/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

In Islam, Muslims are encouraged to visit Jerusalem and pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque. There are over forty [[hadith]] about Al-Aqsa Mosque and the virtue of visiting and praying in it, or at least sending oil to light its lamps. In a hadith compiled by [[Al-Tabarani]], [[Bayhaqi]], and [[Suyuti]], the Prophet Muhammad said, "A prayer in [[Masjid al-Haram|Makkah (Ka’bah)]] is worth 1,000,000 times (reward), a prayer in [[Al-Masjid an-Nabawi|my mosque (Madinah)]] is worth 1,000 times and a prayer in Al-Aqsa Sanctuary is worth 500 times more reward than anywhere else." Another hadith compiled by imams [[Muhammad al-Bukhari]], [[Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj|Muslim]], and [[Abu Dawud al-Sijistani|Abu Dawud]] expounds on the importance of visiting the holy site. In another hadith the prophet Muhammad said, "You should not undertake a special journey to visit any place other than the following three Masjids with the expectations of getting greater reward: the Sacred Masjid of Makkah (Ka’bah), this Masjid of mine (the Prophet’s Masjid in Madinah), and Masjid Al-Aqsa (of Jerusalem)."<ref name="sabeel">{{cite web |title=Masjid Al Aqsa: The Best Place of Residence – 40 Ahadith |url=https://sabeel-travels.co.uk/40-ahadith-masjid-al-aqsa/ |website=Sabeel Travels |access-date=19 May 2021 |archive-date=8 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508085327/https://sabeel-travels.co.uk/40-ahadith-masjid-al-aqsa/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

According to [[Hossein Nasr|Seyyed Hossein Nasr]], professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University, Jerusalem (i.e., the Temple Mount) has the significance as a holy site/sanctuary ("[[Haram (site)|haram]]") for Muslims primarily in three ways, the first two being connected to the Temple.<ref>"The Spiritual Significance of Jerusalem: The Islamic Vision. The Islamic Quarterly. 4 (1998): pp. 233–242</ref> First, Muhammad (and his companions) prayed facing the Temple in Jerusalem (referred to as "''Bayt Al-Maqdis''", in the [[Hadith]]s) similar to the Jews before changing it to the [[Kaaba]] in Mecca sixteen months after arriving in [[Medina]] following the verses revealed (Sura 2:144, 149–150). Secondly, during the Meccan part of his life, he reported to have been to Jerusalem by night and prayed in the Temple, as the first part of his otherworldly journey ([[Isra and Mi'raj]]).

Imam [[Abdul Hadi Palazzi]], leader of Italian Muslim Assembly, quotes the Quran to support Judaism's special connection to the Temple Mount. According to Palazzi, "The most authoritative Islamic sources affirm the Temples". He adds that Jerusalem is sacred to Muslims because of its prior holiness to Jews and its standing as home to the biblical prophets and kings David and Solomon, all of whom he says are sacred figures in Islam. He claims that the Quran "expressly recognizes that Jerusalem plays the same role for Jews that Mecca has for Muslims".<ref name="margolis">{{Cite news |last=Margolis |first=David |title=The Muslim Zionist |work=[[Los Angeles Jewish Journal]] |date=February 23, 2001}}</ref>

==Building a Third Temple==
{{Main|Third Temple}}
[[File:Visionary Ezekiel Temple.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8|Ezekiel's Temple as imagined by [[Charles Chipiez]] in the 19th century.]]
[[File:Ground Plan of Ezekiel's Temple.png|thumb|right|"Ground Plan of Ezekiel's Temple" by dispensationalist author [[Arno Clemens Gaebelein|A. C. Gaebelein]]|upright=1.4]]

Ever since the Second Temple's destruction, a prayer for the construction of a Third Temple has been a formal and mandatory part of the thrice-daily [[Jewish prayer]] services. However, the question of whether and when to construct the Third Temple is disputed both within the Jewish community and without; groups within Judaism argue both for and against construction of a new Temple, while the expansion of [[Abrahamic religions|Abrahamic religion]] since the 1st century CE has made the issue [[Religious significance of Jerusalem|contentious]] within [[Christianity|Christian]] and [[Islam]]ic thought as well. Furthermore, the complicated [[Positions on Jerusalem|political status of Jerusalem]] makes reconstruction difficult, while Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock have been constructed at the traditional physical location of the Temple.

In 363 CE, the Roman emperor [[Julian the Apostate|Julian]] had ordered [[Alypius of Antioch]] to rebuild the Temple as part of his campaign to strengthen non-Christian religions.<ref>Ammianus Marcellinus, ''Res Gestae'', 23.1.2–3.</ref> The attempt failed, with contemporary accounts mentioning divine fire falling from Heaven but also perhaps due to sabotage, an accidental fire, or an [[Galilee earthquake of 363|earthquake in Galilee]].

The [[Book of Ezekiel]] prophesies what would be the Third Temple, noting it as an eternal house of prayer and describing it in detail.

==In media==
A journalistic depiction of the controversies around the Jerusalem Temple was presented in the 2010 documentary ''Lost Temple'' by Serge Grankin. The film contains interviews with religious and academic authorities involved in the issue. German journalist Dirk-Martin Heinzelmann, featured in the film, presents the point of view of Prof. Joseph Patrich (the Hebrew University), stemming from the underground cistern mapping made by [[Charles William Wilson]] (1836–1905).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1633222/ |title=Lost Temple |date=1 January 2000 |via=IMDb |access-date=1 July 2018 |archive-date=19 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171019165923/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1633222/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Israel|Judaism}}
*[[Jewish Temple at Elephantine]] (7th? 6th? – mid-4th century BCE)
*[[Jewish Temple of Leontopolis]] (c. 170 BCE – 73 CE)
*[[Temple of Solomon (São Paulo)]], a replica built by a Brazil-based church
*[[Synagogue]]
:
:'''Similar Iron Age temples from the region'''
*[[Ain Dara (archaeological site)|'Ain Dara]] temple<ref name="Hess1999"/>
*[[Ebla]] (Temple D)<ref name="Hess1999"/>
*[[Emar]] temple<ref name="Hess1999"/>
*[[Mumbaqat]] temple<ref name="Hess1999"/>
*[[Tell Tayinat]] temple (8th century BCE)<ref name="Hess1999">{{cite book |editor1=Hess, Richard S. |editor2=Wenham, Gordon J. |title=Zion, city of our God {{!}} C. The Ain Dara Temple:A New Parallel from Syria |chapter=The Temple of Solomon: Heart of Jerusalem |first=John M. |last=Monson |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lk_xLfQ_SRAC&pg=PA16 |access-date=15 February 2011 |date=June 1999 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |isbn=978-0-8028-4426-2 |pages=12–19 |archive-date=29 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629020614/http://books.google.com/books?id=Lk_xLfQ_SRAC&pg=PA16 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Bibliography ==

* {{Cite book |last=Levine |first=Lee I. |editor-first1=Tamar |editor-first2=Suleiman A. |editor-last1=Mayer |editor-last2=Mourad |url=https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203929773-9/jerusalem-jewish-history-tradition-memory-lee-levine?context=ubx&refId=6e1b1efa-936a-4d02-a688-d567c0ff4fa2 |title=Jerusalem: Idea and Reality |publisher=Routledge |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-203-92977-3 |location=London |pages=27–47 |chapter=Jerusalem in Jewish History, Tradition, and Memory |doi=10.4324/9780203929773}}
* {{Cite book |last=Magness |first=Jodi |url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/jerusalem-through-the-ages-9780190937805 |title=Jerusalem Through The Ages: From Its Beginnings To The Crusades |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2024 |isbn=978-0-19-093780-5 |series= |volume= |location=New York, NY |pages= |chapter=}}

==Further reading==
*''[[Biblical Archaeology Review]]'', issues: July/August 1983, November/December 1989, March/April 1992, July/August 1999, September/October 1999, March/April 2000, September/October 2005
*[[Leen Ritmeyer|Ritmeyer, Leen]]. ''The Quest: Revealing the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.'' Jerusalem:, Israel Carta, 2006. {{ISBN|965-220-628-8}}
*[[William J. Hamblin|Hamblin, William]] and [[David Seely]], ''Solomon's Temple: Myth and History'' (Thames and Hudson, 2007) {{ISBN|0-500-25133-9}}
*Yaron Eliav, ''God's Mountain: The Temple Mount in Time, Place and Memory'' (Baltimore, Maryland: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005)
*Rachel Elior, ''The Jerusalem Temple: The Representation of the Imperceptible'', ''Studies in Spirituality'' 11 (2001), pp.&nbsp;126–143

==External links==
*[http://jerusalem.livetourism.tv/video.php?video_id=9629 Visit of the Temple Institute Museum in Jerusalem conducted by Rav Israel Ariel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426233850/http://jerusalem.livetourism.tv/video.php?video_id=9629 |date=26 April 2014 }}
*[http://bible.ag/ezekiel.htm Video tour of a model of the future temple described in Ezekiel chapters 40–49 from a Christian perspective] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529140203/http://bible.ag/ezekiel.htm |date=2008-05-29 }}
*[[Rachel Elior]], "The Jerusalem Temple – The Representation of the Imperceptible", Studies in Spirituality 11 (2001): 126–143
*[https://rts.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/GrubbIslam.pdf The Centrality of Covenant Theology to the Islamic Faith]
*[https://halaqa.home.blog/2020/03/18/a-brief-history-of-the-temple-of-jerusalem/ A Brief History of the Temple of Jerusalem]

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[[Category:Tabernacle and Temples in Jerusalem| ]]
[[Category:Three Pilgrimage Festivals]]
[[Category:Judaism in Jerusalem]]