• About
  • Contents
  • Tag Cloud

Temple Study

Sustaining and Defending the LDS Temple

photographs

Bird’s Eye View of Temple Square (and others)

March 28, 2011 by Bryce Haymond 1 Comment

Google has recently has added photographs from planes to its “satellite” imagery in Google Maps.  What this means is that many cities in the U.S. now have higher resolution pictures from the sky as you zoom in close, and they are typically more realistic looking since they are at a 45 degree angle.

Below is an example of Temple Square, and the Jordan River temple. These are interactive embedded maps, so you can drag them around with your mouse and look at various parts of Temple Square, in exquisite detail, as if you were in an airplane.

Just think what it’ll all look like when they get 3D aerial photography in Google Maps!


View Larger Map

Jordan River temple (this one is a bit more finicky, if it doesn’t show the 45 degree angle at first, zoom out one level and back in):

View Larger Map

Posted in: Temples Today Tagged: 3D, google, imagery, interactive, map, photographs

The Traditional Greek Folk Dances and their Ancient Roots

September 8, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 11 Comments
San Joaquin Delta College Hellenic Dancers doing the Greek Syrtos dance at the school's new campus dedication in 1977.  They wear the traditional Greek folk dance costume.  A musician is playing a Thracian gaida in the center of the circle.  Used by permission.

San Joaquin Delta College Hellenic Dancers doing the Greek Syrtos dance at the school's new campus dedication in 1977. They wear the traditional Greek folk dance costume. A musician is playing a Thracian gaida in the center of the circle, leading the dance. Used with permission.

When I originally wrote my paper on “The Genesis of the Round Dance,” I included a short section on the ancient Greek dance forms:

The ancient choruses, dances, and songs of the dithyramb of Greece displayed the familiar pattern of a dignified, circular dance around the altar of Dionysus in the theater’s orchestra. In fact, the term orchestra originally meant the circular dancing place of the theater. In addition, the terms carole and chorus, also originally Greek, meant a sacred ring dance, men and women holding each others hands [other related English words are chorale, choir, and choreography]. LDS scholar, Dr. Hugh Nibley, reminds us that the creation was often acted out in these Greek dance dramas:

The Greek play has a chorus. Well what does chorus mean? It’s a ring dance; it’s a circle. Same as our word curve; Latin: curvus; going around. The chorus sings, and the chorus of the muses sings the poiema, the creation song . . . When they sing together, it’s the poiema, the song of the creation. It’s a glorious thing. It’s a round dance like the Egyptian maypole.

Nibley takes it one step further to explain that all the arts originated from the ancient temple dramas. “So poetry, music, and dance,” he tells us, “go out to the world from the temple-called by the Greeks the Mouseion, the shrine of the Muses.” Again he states that, “All the arts and sciences began at the temple. Dance, music, architecture, sculpture, drama, and so forth-they all go back to the temple.” Kraus supports this claim of a ritualistic connection between the arts when he informs us that Native American ceremonies and sacred dances are “part of an elaborate drama which embraces all the arts.” ((http://www.templestudy.com/2008/02/01/the-genesis-of-the-round-dance-part-3/))

The more one learns about the arts, the more one is convinced of Nibley’s stunning summation.

I want to expand a bit more on the traditional Greek dance forms, and share some more interesting details I’ve learned about these ancient practices that still are continued today.  [Read more…]

Posted in: Artifacts, Practices Tagged: altar, ancients, apron, art, circle, clothing, coat, dance, garments, greece, greek, hands, marriage, muses, photographs, robe, round dance, song, traditions, tree of life

Man Builds Massive Model of Herod’s Temple

February 26, 2009 by Bryce Haymond 1 Comment
A retired farmer spent 30 years building this massive model of Herod's Temple

A retired farmer spent 30 years building this massive model of Herod's Temple. Picture: Geoff Robinson Photography

The Telegraph reported today about a man from Norfolk, England, who has spent the last 30 years building an awesome, gigantic and highly detailed scale model of Herod’s Temple.  Here are some interesting facts about it:

  • Estimated 33,000 hours to construct
  • Measures 20ft by 12ft
  • Includes 4,000 tiny human figures, with authentic time-period dress
  • 1:100 scale
  • Everything is hand-made down to every clay brick and tile
  • Took 3 years of research
  • Still not finished
  • Not for sale
  • Resides in a building in the creator’s back garden
  • The creator, Alec Garrard, is now 78 years old, and he started it when he was in his 40’s
  • Some historians believe it to be the best representation of the temple in the world

Now that is pretty creative!  You can see many more great photographs of the model at the Telegraph’s picture gallery.

Posted in: Artifacts, Tidbits Tagged: building, construction, herod, model, photographs, representation

New LDS Temple Videos Page

May 17, 2008 by Bryce Haymond Leave a Comment

There is a very well done 44-minute professional video about LDS temples, and why the LDS Church builds temples, entitled “Between Heaven and Earth.”  Above is a preview of this video.  It is an excellent overview and introduction of the Mormon temples.

Also, yesterday lds9999 posted on LDS.net an awesome collection of 125 videos that he has been putting together of all the temples around the world. The amount of work he must have put into this project is staggering to think about.

I have made a new permanent page, Videos, to begin collecting all of these great videos in one place. I have placed a link to this Videos page on the top navigation bar. On this new page I will continue to gather links to all temple videos as I come across them.

Mike Batie has also contributed fantastic videos of temples (including interiors) on YouTube, and I have included those also. In particular, I have added his video of the Nuku’alofa Tonga temple, and another video of Various temples, that I haven’t featured here before.

Thanks to all who are sharing their testimonies of the gospel and of the temple online in so many different ways.

Posted in: Temples Today Tagged: collection, film, lds9999, mikebatie, movies, photographs, photos, videos, youtube

Virtual Open House for Curitiba Brazil Temple

May 12, 2008 by Bryce Haymond 3 Comments

The Curitiba Brazil Temple public open house began a couple days ago, on May 10th, and will run through May 24th. Can’t attend? Mike Batie has put together another well-done video of official photographs of the outside and inside of this new temple. It does the good service of feeling like you are there. Wouldn’t it be great if the Church put together virtual tours online of the new temples for the many members, and members of other faiths, of the world who are too far away to attend the open house? In the meantime, this does a pretty good job.

The temple in Curitiba Brazil was announced in August 2002, and groundbreaking was in March 2005. The dedication of the temple will take place on June 1st, following a cultural celebration that is expected to be attended by 25,000 people.

The excellent music in this video is by Lex de Azevedo, “If you Could Hie to Kolob,” on the album Variations on a Sacred Theme: Vol. 2, available at Deseret Book, or Amazon.com.

Posted in: Temples Today Tagged: brazil, curitiba, film, inside, lex de azevedo, movie, music, photo, photographs, video, virtual reality
1 2 3 Next »

About TempleStudy.com

This blog is dedicated to the exemplary LDS (Mormon) scholar Dr. Hugh Nibley, whose landmark temple studies have strengthened the faith of many. Read more on About page. Email me. Click on the widget in the lower-right corner of the window to chat with me.

Support TempleStudy.com

Recent Comments

  • Miguel David Gedo on The Black Robes of a False Priesthood
  • ellen north on Pondering the Temple Experience Through Scripture
  • Corey on Who were the Shepherds in the Christmas Story?
  • Lori allred on Creed Haymond Story of the Word of Wisdom, in His Own Words
  • Aleta G on Homeward Bound: Interpretations of Marta Keen Thompson’s Music

Recent Posts

  • ThyMindOMan.com – Exploring the Mind’s Relationship to God
  • Videos of 2014 Temple on Mount Zion Conference Now Available for Free Viewing
  • Gratitude Precedes Zion
  • Official Church Video on Temple Garments and Robes
  • The Temple on Mount Zion 2014 Conference

Categories

  • Announcements
  • Artifacts
  • Church History
  • Favorites
  • General Authorities
  • Practices
  • Scholarship
  • Temples Today
  • Texts
  • Tidbits
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • April 2017
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • February 2014
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • December 2011
  • October 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008

Blogroll

  • Adventures in Mormonism
  • Believe All Things
  • Free Temple Photos Blog
  • Heavenly Ascents
  • Latter-Day Commentary
  • LDS Temples Photo Blog
  • Leen Ritmeyer – Archeological Design
  • Lehi’s Library
  • Millennial Star
  • Mormanity
  • Mormon Insights
  • Mormon Mysticism
  • Pronaos
  • Sacred Symbolic
  • Strong Reasons
  • Temple Photos Blog
  • The Seer Stone
  • Things Unutterable
  • Visions of the Kingdom

Links

  • Barry Bickmore: Temple in Early Christianity
  • Bruce Porter’s Temple Articles
  • BYU Students of the Ancient Near East (SANE)
  • FAIR Wiki
  • FAIRLDS: Mormon Research
  • FARMS: Mormon Scholarship
  • Jeff Lindsay: Temples and Masonry
  • Jesus Christ
  • LDS Church News
  • LDS Church Temples
  • LDS Temple Fine Art – Robert Boyd
  • LDS Temple Photography – Aaron Barker
  • LDS Toolbar.com
  • LDS Toolbar.net
  • LDS.org
  • LDS.org Temples
  • Mormon Church Temples
  • Mormon Conferences
  • Mormon Monastery
  • Mormon Temple Ceremony
  • Mormon Temple Ceremony
  • Mormon.org
  • Temple Prints Fine Art Photography
  • Temple Studies Group
  • The Temple Institute

Copyright © 2023 Temple Study.

Omega WordPress Theme by ThemeHall