Practices

The First and Oldest Temple in the World? – Göbekli Tepe

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One of the excavated enclosures at Göbekli Tepe, Turkey, with massive T-shaped megaliths forming ancient stone circles thought to be up to 12,000 years old. (Click for a larger view)

One of the excavated enclosures at Göbekli Tepe, Turkey, with massive T-shaped megaliths forming ancient stone circles thought to be up to 12,000 years old. (Click for a larger view)

Grandpa Enoch over at Pronaos wrote a few days ago that Archaeology Magazine‘s latest issue has a cover article by Sandra Scham entitled “The World’s First Temple” ((Archaeology Magazine, Volume 61 Number 6, November/December 2008, abstract)).  The magazine Science also did an article on the same subject back in January 2008 ((Science, Vol. 319. no. 5861, p. 280, abstract)).  There are many articles that are being published, all focused on one archeological dig in southeast Turkey (see this map) which has come to be known as Göbekli Tepe, a Turkish name meaning “navel hill/mountain” or “hill with a belly” ((Wikipedia – Göbekli Tepe.)).

What makes this excavation so unique?  Why all the hype?  Because evidence is showing that this may be the world’s first man-made monumental structure ever built, even before agriculture developed.  Archeologists didn’t believe that Neolithic hunter-gatherers were capable of building such an enormous complex at such an early date, but this site is starting to redefine our understanding of the beginnings of mankind.  What else is interesting is that this appears to have been some sort of ritual center or ceremonial complex – a temple.  [Read more…]

16th Century Sculpture of the Marriage of Adam and Eve

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The Garden of Eden or Love by Guillielmus Paludanus. 1567. Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels.

The Garden of Eden or Love by Guillielmus Paludanus. 1567. Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels. (click image for a larger view)

Just a couple days ago I came across a sculpture that caught my attention.  Although unsigned and undated, it is widely believed that it was created by the Flemish sculptor and medallist Guillielmus Paludanus in 1567 as part of a chimney mantelpiece at his home in Antwerp, Belgium.  It is described as espousing the virtue of love:

In the centre of the elongated relief stands God the Father, dressed in a long robe, between Adam and Eve. He is blessing the naked human pair and placing their hands together. The scene takes place in the garden of Eden. . . This scene is a prefiguration of the sacrament of marriage. Not only the hieratic gesture of the God the Father, and Adam and Eve’s joined hands [known in antiquity as the dexiosis or dextrarum iunctio], but also the depiction of the paradise animals, two by two, refer to the God-willed lifelong community between husband and wife. (Web Gallery of Art)

I think this is a beautiful depiction of the first marriage, between Adam and Eve, as solemnized by God the Father.  It recalls the moment in the Garden when it was said, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Gen. 2:24; see also Gen. 3:12).

As it was in the beginning, so it continues today, that marriage is between a man and a woman.  It was divinely ordained so by God, for “neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:11).  It cannot be defined otherwise without serious repercussions on our society as a whole, and on our families and religious freedoms.  For that reason, I am in support of traditional marriage, particularly Proposition 8 in California (see my sidebar).  Watch apostles Elder Ballard and Elder Cook discuss the issue, or apostle Elder Bednar answer questions on the Proposition.  Hear people discuss their reasoning of support for the initiative.  Or check out the Church’s new website in support of Proposition 8 – PreservingMarriage.org.  Read the Church’s explanation for why this is important, and the First Presidency’s letter asking members to support this amendment in California.

Now is the time to make a difference by supporting marriage only between a man and a woman.  Vote yes on Proposition 8!  Visit ProtectMarriage.com for more information on how you can support this cause.

Pōwhiri and Hongi of New Zealand’s Māori: a Sacred Ritual

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New Zealand Maori exchanging the sacred act of hongi, the breath of life.

New Zealand Maori sharing in the sacred act of hongi, exchanging the ha or breath of life.

The title is a bit of a mouthful, but let me explain.

I have been a ballroom dancer since I was about 12 years old, or about 15 years.  It has been quite an experience being involved with this subculture of ballroom dance, which has made up a large portion of my life.  During the summer of 2005 I had the opportunity to tour with the BYU Ballroom Dance Company to the South Pacific, during which we visited Hawaii, New Zealand, Australia, and Tahiti.  My wife was also fortunate to join us on the trip.  It was a singular experience which has burned a place in my memory.

Naturally, as part of these tours we were also able to learn much about the locations and people of the places we visited.  One of the places that really struck me for its beauty and uniqueness was New Zealand.  Going to New Zealand was like stepping into a different world.  The indigenous people of New Zealand are known as the Maori, and the customs and traditions of these people were quite different than what we were accustomed to.  Some of the things we experienced with the Maori were very spiritual in nature, which immediately caused me to ponder, and which I have had opportunity to think about for several years now.  Specifically, the Maori ceremonial greeting tradition that they conducted with our BYU group as we arrived in New Zealand was one of the most significant experiences I had with the group.  This rite or ceremony is known as the powhiri, and has insightful elements for Latter-day Saints to consider.  [Read more…]

Catholic Prayer and Mormon Prayer

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Book cover

There is a great article over at LDS Views by Dr. Alonzo Gaskill in which he discusses the differences and similarities between Catholic prayer and Mormon prayer.  It is quite interesting the comparisons he makes, particularly those with prayer in the temple.  I believe this article is from his latest book Know Your Religions, Vol. 1 – Mormonism and Catholicism.

The focus of the article is on Catholic prayer, and that when Catholics petition saints on their behalf it does not mean that they are praying to them.  Gaskill explains that praying to anyone else besides God is against Catholic theology.  What they are really doing is asking those saints, those faithful followers of Christ, to pray for them, to combine their faith in petitioning God for blessings.

In this way, Catholic prayer is similar to LDS prayer in the temple, where faithful members of the Church combine their prayers of faith with each other to make it more effectual in reaching God’s throne.

While I have personally witnessed many Catholics seemingly worshiping saints other than God, such a practice does not accord with Catholic teaching.  In this case, a benefit of a doubt might be granted, since Latter-day Saints also have practices which don’t accord with our teachings too.  My wife once worked for the library at BYU cataloging Mormon folklore, and she could give you a laundry list of interesting practices or beliefs among the Saints.

Read the article at LDS Views here.

“Temples and Ritual in Antiquity” SANE Symposium at BYU

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David Larsen posted a great notice over at Heavenly Ascents of the upcoming “Temples and Ritual in Antiquity” Symposium that will be held at BYU on November 7th, 2008.  It is being presented by the Students of the Ancient Near East (SANE), and will have both students and top scholars presenting papers on the temple in antiquity.  In fact, David will be presenting there too, as well as Andrew Miller.  I will certainly be going to this symposium!  It will be like Christmas morning, a smorgasbord of insight in temple studies.

I will see if I can liveblog the event here on TempleStudy.com.  The FAIR Conference liveblog (Day 1 & Day 2) seemed to work out well and was beneficial to many people.  Unfortunately, they have three speakers going at once, so we’ll only be able to attend 1/3 of all the exceptional presentations that will be presented.  It’s a shame they had to consolidate since all of the presentations are no doubt going to be excellent.  It appears that a selection will be “printed in a publication from the Religious Studies Center, and several others will be printed in Studia Antiqua” (link).  (I’m still trying to find a way to go to Margaret Barker’s Temple Study Symposium in Oxford the next day, November 8th, and Bill Hamblin’s Temple Study SBL group in Boston a couple weeks later).

[Update 8/19/08: Dan McClellan has posted a nice schedule of the presentations, as well as short bios of the presenters, on his blog here.]

See the poll below (viewable only from the website):

Which presentations interest you most? (Pick one from each time slot, 8 total)

  • 9:00-9:30 - Andrew Miller–”The Mysteries in Pauline Christianity” (11%, 25 Votes)
  • 10:30-11:00 - Dr. John Gee–”Rituals of the Egyptian Temple: An Orientation” (10%, 23 Votes)
  • 10:00-10:30 - David Larsen–”Two High Priesthoods? Evidence for Changes in the Priesthood from First to Second Temple Judaism” (10%, 23 Votes)
  • 12:45-1:15 - Matthew Brown–”Kingship Initiation Motifs in Ancient Israel” (7%, 17 Votes)
  • 11:15-11:45 - James Carroll–”An Expanded View of the Israelite Scapegoat” (6%, 15 Votes)
  • 12:15-12:45 - Scott Preston Sukhan Nibley–”Ancient Southeast Asian Temples” (6%, 14 Votes)
  • 11:45-12:15 - Dr. David Seely–”Josephus and the Temple” (6%, 14 Votes)
  • 11:45-12:15 - Mark Wright–”The Cultural Context of Nephite Apostasy” (5%, 12 Votes)
  • 9:30-10:00 - Doug Marsh–”The Microcosmic Egyptian Temple” (5%, 12 Votes)
  • 12:45-1:15 - Joseph Petramalo–”The Samaritan Temple and Priesthood” (5%, 11 Votes)
  • 12:15-12:45 - Justin Robinson–”Covenants and Simile Curses” (4%, 10 Votes)
  • 9:30-10:00 - Dr. Dan Belnap–”The Role of Scent in the Rituals of Ancient Israel” (3%, 8 Votes)
  • 10:00-10:30 - Daniel Becerra–”The Chrism in Early Christianity” (3%, 8 Votes)
  • 10:30-11:00 - Dr. Bill Hamblin–TBA (3%, 8 Votes)
  • 10:30-11:00 - Rachel A. Grover–”The Paradise Garden and Messianic Age Imagery in the 5th to 7th Century Church Floor Mosaics of Jordan” (3%, 7 Votes)
  • 11:15-11:45 - Chris Dawe–”The Deification of Romulus” (3%, 6 Votes)
  • 11:45-12:15 - Dr. Bryan Benson–”The Treatment of Temples in Plato’s Republic and Laws“ (2%, 5 Votes)
  • 12:15-12:45 - Dustin Simmons–”Emperor as God: Roman Imperial Cult Worship & Implications for Early Christians” (2%, 5 Votes)
  • 11:15-11:45 - Jacob Moody–”Philistine Ritual Artifacts” (2%, 4 Votes)
  • 10:00-10:30 - Elliott Wise–”An Odor of Sanctity: The Iconography, Magic, and Liturgy of Egyptian Incense” (2%, 4 Votes)
  • 12:45-1:15 - Keith Fairbank–”The Eleusinian Mysteries: Greatest Conquest of Demetrios Poliorketes” (1%, 3 Votes)
  • 9:30-10:00 - Aaron Snyder–”The Prayer Circle in Early Christianity” (0%, 1 Votes)
  • 9:00-9:30 - Donald Parry–”Eve, Eden, and the Temple” (0%, 1 Votes)
  • 9:00-9:30 - Kerry Muhlestein with Alyssa Lewis–”The Role of Violent Rituals in the Egyptian Temple” (0%, 0 Votes)

Total Voters: 236

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