meridian magazine

What is Guile?

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The word guile may date back as early as the 12th century, but is not very common in our vernacular today.  At first it seemed to me this might mean “lies,” but there is more to it.  Webster defines it as “deceitful cunning : duplicity.”  This doesn’t get us very far unless we understand those words too:

  • deceitful – having a tendency or disposition to deceive, not honest, deceptive, misleading
  • cunning – dexterous or crafty in the use of special resources (as skill or knowledge) or in attaining an end, characterized by wiliness and trickery
  • duplicity – contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action; especially : the belying of one’s true intentions by deceptive words or action

The word comes from the Middle English gile, from Anglo-French.  It’s related to the Old English/French wigle or wigila, which refer to sorcery or witchcraft.  It’s also related to the Old English word wil or wile, meaning a trick. [Read more…]

Who were the Shepherds in the Christmas Story?

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Annunciation to the Shepherds, Abraham Hondius, 1663, oil on panel. Note the cherubim forming circular ring dances (ancient temple prayer circle) in the heavens, praising God.

Annunciation to the Shepherds, Abraham Hondius, 1663, oil on panel. (Click image for a larger view)

The Christmas story from Luke 2 reads in part:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them,

Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another,

Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. (Luke 2:8-20)

Most of us are very familiar with these scriptures, as it is tradition in many families to read this story at Christmastime every year to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas.

But who were the shepherds?  Have you, like me, considered the angelophany to the shepherds in their fields something that was completely random?  Were the angels announcing the birth of the Savior abroad in the land, and this was just one of the accounts that was recorded in scripture?  Or was there a greater purpose to the angelic revelation specific to these shepherds?  [Read more…]

Pronaos: A New Temple-Themed Blog!

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A Greek or Roman temple with the pronaos shaded.

A Greek or Roman temple with the pronaos shaded.

There is a great new LDS-oriented temple-themed blog in the Bloggernacle entitled Pronaos, which is run by Grampa Enoch.  From the first few posts this appears like it will be a very good blog indeed.

The word pronaos comes from the Greek for “before a temple” (pro-before, naos-temple).  It references the inner area of the portico (porch) of ancient temples, or between the outer wall or colonnade and the entrance to the inner shrine.  In modern-day LDS temples, the entryway/front desk/lobby area I suppose could be viewed as the architectural pronaos today.  It is the first zone of the archetypal tripartite or three-level temple, corresponding to the courtyard of Moses’ Tabernacle.

His latest post is on the location of Solomon’s temple, which we took a look at a few days ago.  According to Grampa Enoch, the only real answer to the question “Where was the location of Solomon’s temple?” is “We don’t know.” Unless we have future archaeological investigations, we won’t know for sure.

He also confirms my hestitancy about the Meridian Magazine article theory:

But even if we could completely excavate the Temple Mount/Haram, it is quite possible that all remains of Solomon’s original temple were removed in subsequent rebuilding programs…

…it is important to note that almost nothing visible on the plaza inside the Haram [Temple Mount] today dates from Solomon’s time. Most of what we see today was built by the Muslims after 638. There are also a number of crusader structures as well. Any interpretation of the Temple Mount must first deal with the dating and interpretation of the visible structures.

Since virtually all the evidence presented by Meridian Magazine’s theory is based on structures currently visible on the temple mount, the entire premise of the theory is unfortunately faulty.  Grampa Enoch gives an extensive list of sources that one may look to gain a better understanding of the pre-Islamic Temple Mount.

Take a look at Pronaos!

“New Proposed Location for Solomon’s Temple” at Meridian Magazine

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Tradition has held that Solomon’s Temple, the first permanent temple that the Israelites built in Jerusalem around 968 B.C. and destroyed around 587 B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar, was located on the same site as the modern-day Muslim mosque, the Dome of the Rock.  A new archaeological team made up of Garth Norman, Lance Harding, Jason Jones, and John Pratt who have been studying the subject for several months propose that the original temple might have actually been located between the modern Dome of the Rock and the Dome of the Tablets.  They propose that Solomon’s Temple could be rebuilt, the Third Temple, on its precise original location without disturbing the standing Muslim mosque.  At least 20 other locations have been proposed for the site, including Margaret Barker’s last Monday, so it will be interesting to see how this new theory is accepted.

See the full article at Meridian Magazine:
http://meridianmagazine.com/sci_rel/080815temple.html

Some of the evidence this new theory presents seems somewhat unconvincing to me, such as the “pillar base.”  Could a pillar base from Solomon’s Temple really have survived intact on the temple mount since 587 B.C.?  What have other scholars proposed as the purpose of this stone, which stands out in the middle of the otherwise flat temple mount?  If that is where Solomon’s temple originally stood, and the pillar base is intact, would we not also see some evidence for the exterior or interior walls?

The question has been asked, and could be asked again, if the Third Temple has to be built directly on the first temple site at all, or only near it.  What do you think about this latest theory?

God Dwelleth Not in Temples Made with Hands? – Part 1

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Cartoon for St. Paul Preaching in Athens - Raphael. c1513-1514. Mixed media on paper, mounted on canvas. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK.

A respectful evangelical protestant reader of TempleStudy.com has asked this question:

Paul tells us in the sermon at Mars Hill that the Lord does not “dwell in houses built by hands” (Acts 17:24-25, Stephen echoes this in ch 7 of the same book) but rather that the Holy Spirit of God dwells in us; that is, that WE are His temples (1 Cor. 3:16-17). Interestingly, not only is this a contradiction to D&C teachings regarding the temple (see D&C 97), but it also appears to be a strong witness to the Trinity, at least in part (demonstrating an equivalency between the Father and the Spirit – “you are a temple of God […] the Spirit of God dwells in you”). I am curious how you interpret these scriptures.

I think this gets to the heart of the doctrinal argument over the necessity/validity of the temple in the post-Messianic age. I know where I stand, but I welcome your counterpoint!

This is an honest question; unfortunately the scriptures in question to support the claim are misunderstood. [Read more…]