Temple Study – Page 28 – Sustaining and Defending the LDS Temple

Poll – Top Things that Interfere with Regular Temple Attendance?

November 4, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 24 Comments

Elder Richard G. Scott

In the April General Conference earlier this year Elder Richard G. Scott spoke about the temple. He said:

I have seen that many times individuals have made great sacrifices to go to a distant temple. But when a temple is built close by, within a short time, many do not visit it regularly. I have a suggestion: When a temple is conveniently nearby, small things may interrupt your plans to go to the temple. Set specific goals, considering your circumstances, of when you can and will participate in temple ordinances. Then do not allow anything to interfere with that plan. This pattern will guarantee that those who live in the shadow of a temple will be as blessed as are those who plan far ahead and make a long trip to the temple. ((Elder Scott, “Temple Worship: The Source of Strength and Power in Times of Need,” April 2009 General Conference.))

As Elder Scott suggested, one way to succeed in attending the temple regularly is to identity those things that interfere, and either eliminate them, work around them, or correct them.

So, we come to the poll below (only visible on the website). This poll is completely anonymous. Feel free to explain your choices, or “other” selection, in the comments, and how you plan to overcome your interferences.

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Margaret Barker on The Holy Anointing Oil

November 2, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 2 Comments

Samuel anointing David. Stained glass.

My friend David Larsen has some great notes at Heavenly Ascents on the presentation given by Dr. Margaret Barker at the Temple Studies Symposium III in London this past weekend. Her words were an introduction to the symposium which focused on the topic of “The Holy Anointing Oil”:

Anointing with myrrh oil was the most holy mystery of the Jerusalem temple. It passed into Christianity and gave the faith its name. This symposium will explore the temple rite and its meaning, and then look at some of the ways in which Christians preserved the ancient tradition. ((TempleStudiesGroup.com))

David’s notes on Barker’s presentation include some interesting facets of anointing:

The Messiah, the Christ, was the Anointed One, and so the holy anointing oil is central to Christian identity. It gives the Christians their name.
Christian teaching concerning anointing is a conscious continuation of the ancient temple teaching.
The oil was understood to impart holiness… It was part of the secret teaching of the high priesthood.
The anointing with oil was a part of the “secret teaching” passed on to Christianity from Christ through the apostles.
The high priests were “christs” — they represented Yahweh by being anointed and wearing name “YHWH” on forehead.

See the Heavenly Ascents blog for David’s full notes on Barker’s presentation. Hopefully her presentation will also become available on TempleStudiesGroup.com. Other speakers included Dr. John F. Hall (Professor from BYU), Archimandrite Ephrem, The Rev. Dr Richard Price, Dr Sebastian Brock, and Rev. Dr Laurence Hemming. David has some notes on their presentations here, and will post more notes about their presentations soon.

Temple Preparation

November 1, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 5 Comments

President David O. McKay (1873-1970)

One of the most frequent questions I receive from readers is “how should I prepare to go to the temple?” Or if it is not for them personally, “how do I help someone else prepare to go to the temple?” It is an important question, and one that should be carefully considered.

Preparing to go to the temple is one of the most important things someone can do, not only for the first time they go, but for the rest of our lives. The temple experience is incredibly rich in symbolism and meaning, and only a lifetime of study can reveal all its teachings. Elder Boyd K. Packer once related an experience he had with President David O. McKay in the Salt Lake Temple: [Read more…]

Ancient Israelite Temples Timeline (1300 BC—AD 100)

October 29, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 12 Comments

Ancient Israelite Temples Timeline (1300 BC—AD 100). Click on image for hi-res version.

Ancient Israelite Temples Timeline (1300 BC—AD 100) by Bryce Haymond is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. That means you can use this graphic however you please, as long as you attribute the original work to me and this website, and any derivatives must be licensed the same. See the Creative Commons link above for more details.

I am a visual learner in many ways, so sometimes I like to put things together visually so I can get a better grasp of them, and understand them more thoroughly. The history of the ancient Israelite temples is one of those things that I wanted to learn better, so I created this timeline to help me visualize it.

The timeline shows the basic history of the ancient Israelite temples from the Tabernacle of Moses, through Solomon’s Temple (First Temple Period), the Babylonian Exile, and Zerubbabel’s and Herod’s Temples (Second Temple Period). This spans about 1400 years. Major temple structures are noted, as well as lesser known Israelite temples. Major events which affected temple worship are marked and labeled, as well as other important dates.

The information on the timeline is sourced primarily from William Hamblin and David Seely’s excellent 2007 book, Solomon’s Temple: Myth and History (pages 9-49, 210). Other information was found at various sources online.

I’m sure there are many details I’ve left out, and probably some errors. If there are items that you think should be included (such as additional Israelite temples), please let me know. If there are errors, please tell me those as well. Just leave notes in the comments, and I will continually update the timeline here as I receive feedback. Thanks!

Update (10/31/2009): I’ve updated the timeline. I’ve added some temples in the New World, including the temple in the city of Nephi, Zarahemla, and Bountiful. I’ve also added several more Old World temples including Arad, Meggido, Lachish, Beersheba, Gilgal, Ebal, Shechem, Shiloh, Kirjath-jearim, and Gibeon. Many of the dates are approximated. There are still more to add, as soon as I find more details.

Update (11/2/2009): I’ve decided to make this strictly an Old World temples timeline, so I’ve removed the few references to temples in the New World. I may make a separate timeline which compiles what we know of temples in the Book of Mormon. I’ve added some details about the ruling parties in Judea between 515 BC and AD 100. I’ve also added a visual reconstruction of what the Elephantine Temple may have looked like. Other small details have also been added.

Excellent Panoramas of Temple Square

October 28, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 2 Comments

Temple Square Panoramas

I’ve featured 360° panoramas of Temple Square before, those created by Dr. William Hamblin, but a few more can’t hurt. And these ones are very good indeed.

Created by Martin van Hemert Photography, Inc., at Utah3D.net, these full-screen panoramas include 360° images of the plaza, the Tabernacle, the Assembly Hall, the North-West corner of the temple, the Christus statue, and Christmas lights at Temple Square (between the Tabernacle and Assembly Hall). The color and lighting are exquisite in these! And it gives the perception of standing on the spot. Very well done.

To navigate the panoramas, click on the image of the panorama you want to view, allow the image to load, and then click and drag on the image to look around in any direction. You can zoom in/out with the left shift and CTRL keys, or the scroll wheel on your mouse.

And while you’re at it, check out the other Utah panoramas they’ve done.

Utah3D.net 360° Panoramas of Temple Square

[via Mormon Times via LDS Media Talk]