Everything about Third Temple totally explained
Since the
destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, religious Jews have prayed that God will allow for the building of a
Third Temple. This
prayer has been a formal part of the traditional thrice daily
Jewish prayer services. Though it remains unbuilt, the notion of and desire for a
Third Temple is sacred in
Judaism, particularly
Orthodox Judaism, as an unrealized place of worship. The prophets in the
Tanakh called for its construction, to be fulfilled in the
Messianic era.
Unused ancient Jewish floor plans for a Temple exist in various sources, notably in Chapters 40-47 of
Ezekiel (Ezekiel's vision pre-dates the
Second Temple) and in the Temple Scroll discovered at
Qumran among the
Dead Sea Scrolls.
Role in Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism believes in the rebuilding of a Third Temple and the resumption of
sacrificial worship, although there's disagreement about how rebuilding should take place or exactly what kind of worship will occur. Orthodox authorities generally believe that rebuilding should occur in the era of the
Jewish Messiah at the hand of
Divine Providence, although a minority position, following the opinion of
Maimonides, holds that Jews should endeavor to rebuild the temple themselves, whenever possible
(External Link
). Orthodox authorities generally predict the resumption of the complete traditional system of sacrifices, but some authorities have disagreed. It has traditionally been assumed that some sort of animal sacrifices would be reinstituted, in accord with the rules in
Leviticus and the
Talmud. This belief is embedded in Orthodox liturgy. Every Orthodox
prayer service contains prayers for the Temple's restoration and for sacrificial worship's resumption, and every day there's a recitation of the order of the day's sacrifices and the
psalms the
Levites would have sung that day.
The generally accepted position among Orthodox Jews is that the full order of the sacrifices will be resumed upon the building of the Temple. Although
Maimonides wrote in his early work "A
Guide for the Perplexed" "that
God deliberately has moved Jews away from sacrifices towards prayer, as prayer is a higher form of worship," his definitive book "The
Mishneh Torah" - which is considered by some to have the force of law - states that animal sacrifices will take place in the third temple, and details how that'll be carried out. Some attribute to Rabbi
Abraham Isaac Kook, the first chief rabbi of the Jewish community in
Palestine, the view that animal sacrifices won't be reinstituted. It should be noted that
Rav Kook's views on the Temple service are sometimes misconstrued (for example, in
Olat Re'ayah, commenting on the prophecy of
Malachi ("Then the grain-offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to God as in the days of old and as in former years" [Malachi3:4]), he indicates that only grain offerings will be offered in the reinstated Temple service, while in a related essay from
Otzarot Hare'ayah he suggests otherwise).
Role in prayer
Orthodox Jewish prayers include, in every prayer service, a prayer for the reconstruction of the Temple and resumption of sacrifices. The morning prayer service also includes a study session of the daily Temple ritual and offerings as a reminder, including detailed study of the animal sacrifices and incense offerings. The service also contains the daily and special-occasion
psalms the
Levites used to sing in the Temple. Following the weekday
Torah reading there's a prayer to "restore the House of our lives and to cause the
Shekhinah (Divine Presence) to dwell among us", and the
Amidah contains prayers for acceptance of "the fire-offerings of Israel" and ends with a meditation for the restoration of the Temple. ("And may the grain-offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasing, as in former days and ancient times" (
Malachi 3:4). In addition, the theological and poetic language of
Hebrew is filled with words with dual connotations, which are both literal references to elements of Temple architecture or ritual, and also have metaphorical theological and poetic meanings regarding the relationship between the worshipper and God. Translations and commentary on prayers with this language tend to discuss both meanings in Orthodox Judaism. (Examples of dual-meaning words:
deshen refers to both the ashes left after a burnt-offering, and also means "acceptance with favor";
kodesh refers to "the Holy", for example the
Sanctuary portion of the Temple, and also means "holy" generally; and
chatzrot refers to the courtyards of the Temple, and also connotes nearness to God; "korban" means both "sacrifice" and "drawing near".
Preservation of Kohanim and Levi'im
Orthodox Judaism preserves the
Kohanim, descendants of the priestly family of Aaron, and
Levi'im (
Levites), descendants of the tribe of Levi, intact for future service in a restored Temple. Kohanim and Levites are regarded as still being dedicated to Divine service and obligated to report for duty for service in the Temple, at any moment, should it be rebuilt. Kohanim are still subject to Biblical purity restrictions including a prohibition on marrying a divorcee or proselyte and restrictions on entering cemeteries.
Preservation of daily cycle
Orthodox Judaism's required daily prayers must be said at the times when corresponding sacrifices would have been offered in the Temple.
Preservation of rules of tumah
The Temple had elaborate rules of ritual purity forbidding entry to people with
Tumah, ritual impurity, arising from contact with the dead, seminal emissions and menstrual blood, contact with non-
kosher (unclean) animals, certain diseases, and a number of other sources. While many of the original purification ceremonies involved (such as the
Red Heifer ceremony) became impossible in the absence of the Temple and its rites, Rabbinic Judaism, and later Orthodox Judaism, considered Jews obligated to observe such laws of ritual purity as are possible, and retained a large number of the rules as principles for ordinary life. The laws of "
family purity" are directly based, in function and terminology, on the Temple rules. A number of other requirements, such as the practices of immersing in a
mikvah before
Yom Kippur, washing the hands in the morning, before meals, and after a funeral, derive from these principles. Many contemporary and seemingly unconnected rules for ordinary living are intimately linked with these Temple rituals and rules. For example, the
Shema Yisrael prayer is said at the time of day when
Kohanim who were
Tamei completed a portion of their purification ritual, and the kind of plant material that can be put on the roof of a contemporary
Sukkah is the kind that isn't susceptible to
Tumah. In addition, authorities who permit Jews to ascend the Temple Mount require observance of a larger set of ritual purity rules than have been retained in daily life, such as a requirement of immersion following a seminal emission.
Role in Conservative Judaism
Conservative Judaism believes in a
Messiah and in a rebuilt Temple, but doesn't believe in the restoration of
sacrifices. Accordingly, Conservative Judaism's
Committee on Jewish Law and Standards has modified the prayers. Conservative prayerbooks call for the restoration of Temple, but don't ask for resumption of sacrifices. The Orthodox study session on sacrifices in the daily
morning service has been replaced with the Talmudic passages teaching that deeds of loving-kindness now atone for sin.
In the daily
Amidah prayer, the central prayer in
Jewish services, the petitions to accept the
"fire offerings of Israel" and "the grain-offering of Judah and Jerusalem" (
Malachi 3:4) are removed. In the special
Mussaf Amidah prayer said on
Shabbat and
Jewish holidays, the Hebrew phrase
na'ase ve'nakriv (we will present and sacrifice) is modified to read to
asu ve'hikrivu (they presented and sacrificed), implying that sacrifices are a thing of the past. The prayer for the restoration of "the House of our lives" and the
Shekhinah to dwell "among us" in the weekday
Torah reading service is retained in Conservative prayer books, although not all Conservative services say it. In Conservative prayer books, words and phrases that have dual meaning, referring to both Temple features and theological or poetic concepts, are generally retained. However, translations and commentaries generally refer to the poetic or theological meanings only. Conservative Judaism also takes an intermediate position on Kohanim and Levites, preserving patrilineal tribal descent and some aspects of their roles, but lifting restrictions on who Kohanim are permitted to marry.
In recent
responsa on the subject of the role of
Niddah in Conservative Judaism, a majority of the
Committee on Jewish Law and Standards expressed the view that principles of
ritual purity relevant to entry into the Temple are no longer applicable to contemporary Judaism and accepted a proposal to change the term "
family purity" to "family holiness" and to explain the continuing observence of
Niddah on a different basis from continuity with Temple practices. The Committee also permitted retention of existing observances, terminology, and rationale..
Role in Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism
Reform Judaism and
Reconstructionist Judaism don't believe in the rebuilding of a Temple or a restoration of Temple sacrifices or worship. They regard the Temple and sacrificial era as a period of a more primitive form of ritual which Judaism (in their view) has evolved out of and shouldn't return to. They also believe a special role for Kohanim and Levites represents a
caste system incompatible with modern principles of
egalitarianism, and don't preserve these roles. Furthermore, there's a Reform attitude that the shul or synagogue
is a modern Temple; hence, "Temple" appears in numerous congregation names in Reform Judaism. Indeed, the re-christening of the synagogue as "temple" was one of the hallmarks of early Reform in 19th century Germany, when Berlin was declared the new Jerusalem, and Reform Jewry sought to demonstrate their staunch German nationalism. The
anti-zionism that characterized Reform Judaism throughout most of its history subsided somewhat with the
Holocaust in Europe and the later successes of the modern state of
Israel. As of yet, however, the belief in the return of the Jews to the Temple in Jerusalem isn't part of mainstream Reform Judaism.
Ancient attempts at rebuilding
The Bar Kochba revolt
The forces of
Simon Bar Kosiba, more commonly known as Bar Kochba, captured Jeruselem from the Romans in
132 CE, and construction of a new temple began, as well as renewed temple services. The failure of this revolt led to the writing of the
Mishna, as the religious leaders believed that the next attempt to rebuild the temple might be centuries away and memory of the practices and ceremonies would be lost otherwise.
Julian's Roman "Third Temple"
There was an aborted project by the
Roman emperor
Julian (
361-
363) to allow the Jews to build a "Third Temple", part of Julian's empire-wide program of restoring/strengthening local religious cults. There is reason to believe that Julian wanted the rebuilt "Third Temple" to be for the purpose of his own
apotheosis, rather than the worship of the Jewish God. Rabbi Hilkiyah, one of the leading
rabbis of the time, spurned Julian's money, arguing that
gentiles should play no part in the rebuilding of the temple.
According to various sources of that time (including the pagan historian and close friend of Julian,
Ammianus Marcellinus) the project of rebuilding the temple was aborted because each time the workers were trying to build the temple, using the existing substructure, they were burned by terrible flames that were coming from inside the earth and an earthquake negated what work was made. Shortly thereafter, Julian was killed in battle, and the Christians reasserted control over the empire.
The Sassanid vassal state
In
610,
Sassanid Empire of Iran drove the
Byzantine Empire out of the Middle East with the help of the Jews of Babylonia, who were given governorship of Palestine. With Jewish control of Jerusalem, the church on the temple mount was torn down and construction began on a new temple, along with sacrificial services as set down in the Mishna.
Shortly before the Byzantines took the area back, the Persians gave control to the Christian population, who tore down the partly built edifice and turned it into a garbage dump, which is what it was when the Caliph
Omar took the city in the 630s.
In 1267
Nahmanides wrote a letter to his son. It contained the following references to the land and the Temple:
» What shall I say of this land . . . The more holy the place the greater the desolation. Jerusalem is the most desolate of all . . . There are about 2,000 inhabitants . . . but there are no Jews, "for after the arrival of the Tartars, the Jews fled, and some were killed by the sword. There are now only two brothers, dyers, who buy their dyes from the government.
At their place a quorum of worshippers meets on the Sabbath, and we encourage them, and found a ruined house, built on pillars, with a beautiful dome, and made it into a synagogue . . . People regularly come to Jerusalem, men and women from Damascus and from Aleppo and from all parts of the country, to see the Temple and weep over it. And may He who deemed us worthy to see Jerusalem in her ruins, grant us to see her rebuilt and restored, and the honor of the Divine Presence returned.
Current efforts to rebuild the Temple
Although in mainstream Orthodox Judaism the rebuilding of the Temple is generally left to the coming of the
Jewish Messiah and to
Divine Providence, a number of organizations, generally representing a small minority of even Orthodox Jews, have been formed with the objective of realizing the immediate construction of a Third Temple in present times. These organizations include:
Organizations involved
The Temple Institute states that its goal is to build the Third Temple on Mount Moriah. The Temple Institute has already made several items to be used in the Third Temple. (See below for list).
Recently an organization known as Revava, ambitious to build the Third Temple, has planned numerous ascensions of the Temple Mount. Revava last held a rally at the Western Wall on April 10, 2005 after it announced plans to bring 10,000 Jews to the Mount. This prompted counter-protests by Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and on the Temple Mount, and by more than 100,000 Muslims in Indonesia and several other Muslim countries. An estimated 200 Jewish protesters were allowed past intense security during the Revava rally, and they didn't ascend the Mount.
The Raëlian Movement has as one of its goals to build an Embassy for Elohim. The embassy is also referred to as the Third Temple. According to the Raëlian Movement, Elohim is an extraterrestrial civilisation, that were mistaken for angels and gods in the past. The Raëlian Movement has sent several requests to the Israeli authorities to grant the necessary diplomatic immunity. But since the responses have been negative, the Raëlians are now turning to other countries to build the embassy there. According to Raël, he was first asked to build the embassy (Third Temple) close to Jerusalem. The Raëlians believe that the leaders of the Elohim and the prophets, will land at the Embassy once it's built and as soon as humans are peaceful enough for such an extraterrestrial encounter. Raël also claims to be the Messiah.
A group called Third Temple Builders in Second Life was formed 2007-05-25 just after the holiday of Shavout. This group of avatars currently meets to discuss all things Third Temple, including but not limited to building the Third Temple in a virtual world, and the implications of doing so.
Obstacles to realization
The most immediate and obvious obstacle to realization of these goals is the fact that two important Muslim structures, namely the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock, are built on top of the Temple Mount. The Dome of the Rock is regarded as occupying the actual space where the Temple once stood, and the State of Israel has undertaken to preserve access to these buildings as part of international obligations. Any efforts to damage or reduce access to these sites, or to build Jewish structures within, between, on, or instead of them, would probably lead to severe international conflicts, given the immense association of the Muslim world with these holy places.
In addition, most Orthodox scholars reject any attempts to build the Temple before the coming of Messiah. This is because there are many doubts as to the exact location in which it's required to be built. For example, while measurements are given in cubits, there exists a controversy whether this unit of measurement equals approximately 1.5 feet or 2 feet. (For the most part, however, even those who advocate the 2-ft. interpretation do so only as a stringency, and accept the 1-1/2 ft. understanding as normative.) Without exact knowledge of the size of a cubit, the altar couldn't be built. Indeed, the Talmud recounts that the building of the second Temple was only possible under the direct prophetic guidance of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. Without valid prophetic revelation, it would be impossible to rebuild the Temple, even if the mosques no longer occupy its location.
Status of Temple Mount
The State of Israel currently restricts access by Jews to the Temple Mount on both religious and political grounds. Many religious authorities, including the Chief Rabbinate, interpret halakha (Jewish law) as prohibiting entering the area to prevent inadvertently entering and desecrating forbidden areas (such as the Kadosh Kadoshim), as the Temple area is regarded as still retaining its full sanctity and restrictions. Moreover, political authorities, concerned about past violent clashes at the Temple Mount including one which inaugurated the Palestinian Intifada, seek to reduce the likelihood of further violent confrontations between Jewish religious activists and Muslims worshipping at the mosques, which could further damage the area's delicate archeological and political fabric. (External Link).
During the Sukkot festival in 2006 Uri Ariel, a member of the knesset from the National Union party ascended the mount (External Link) and said that he's preparing a plan where a synagogue will be built on the mount. His suggested synagogue won't be built instead of the mosques but in a separate area in accordance with rulings of the prominent Rabbis. He said he believed that this will be correcting an historical injustice and that it's an opportunity for the Muslim world to prove that it's tolerant to all faiths.
Building of Temple ritual items by Temple Institute
As part of its ongoing effort to prepare for a future rebuilt Temple, the Temple Institute has been preparing ritual objects suitable for Temple use. Several items to be used in the Temple have been made by the Temple Institute, including:
Copper Laver (For Kohanim to wash at start of day)
Mizrak (holds blood from sacrificial animals)
Large Mizrak (holds blood from larger animals)
Three Pronged Fork (to arrange offerings on Altar)
Measuring Cup (to measure meal offerings)
Copper Vessel for Meal Offerings (to prepare meal offerings)
Silver Shovel (to remove ashes from altar)
Silver Vessel for Wine Libation (for wine accompanying offerings)
Lottery Box (For Yom Kippur)
Silver Altar Cup for Water Libation (for Sukkot)
Silver Libation Vessels (for Sukkot)
Sickle (to reap the Omer barley)
Other Offering Implements (to offer the Omer barley)
Abuv (to roast the Omer barley)
Menorah Cleansing Vessel (to clean the Menorah)
Oil Pitcher (for replenishing the Menorah)
Small Golden Flask (for replenishing individual Menorah lamps)
Frankincense Censer (For the frankincense placed on the loaves of Showbread)
Incense Chalice (For Ketoret or Incense Offering)
Incense Shovel (For Ketoret or Incense Offering)
Menorah (See Menorah)
Table of the Showbread (See Showbread)
Incense Altar (For Ketoret or Incense Offering)
mock-up of Ark of the Covenant (See Ark of the Covenant)
The Crown (Crown worn by the High Priest)
Garments of the High Priest (See High Priest)
Silver Trumpets (Announce special occasions and offerings)
Gold-Plated Shofar (For Rosh Hashanah. See Shofar)
Silver-Plated Shofar (For fast days. See Shofar)
Harp (Used by the choir of Levites singing Psalms)
Lyre (Used by the choir of Levites singing Psalms)
Christian views
While there are a number of differing views amongst Christianity with regard to the significance or the requirement of a third temple being built in Jerusalem, most believe that the new covenant (spoken of in Jeremiah 31:31-34) is marked by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer (Ezekiel 36:26-27) and that, as such, the body is the temple. Paul illustrates this concept in his letter to the believers at Corinth:
» Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you've received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.(1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV)
Some would therefore see the need for a third temple as being either diminished or redundant, while others take a position that the building of the third temple is an integral part of end-time prophecy. The various perspectives on the significance of the building of a third temple within Christianity are therefore generally linked to a number of factors including: the level of literal or spiritual interpretation applied to end-time prophecy; the perceived relationships between various scriptures such as Daniel, the Olivet discourse, 2 Thessalonians and Ezekiel (amongst others); and whether or not a dual-covenant is considered to be in place. For example, Daniel referred to what would be the third Jewish Temple in Daniel and the Apostle Paul referred to it in 2 Thessalonians .
A number of these perspectives are illustrated below.
Protestant view
The dominant view within Protestant Christianity is that animal sacrifices within the Temple were a foreshadowing of the sacrifice Jesus made for the sins of the world, through his death. As such they believe there's no longer a need for the physical temple and its rituals.
Those Protestants who do believe in the importance of a future rebuilt temple (viz.,some dispensationalists) hold that the importance of the sacrificial system shifts to a Memorial of the Cross, given the text of Ezekiel Chapters 39 and following (in addition to Millennial references to the Temple in other Old Testament passages); since Ezekiel explains at length the construction and nature of the Millennial temple, in which Jews will once again hold the priesthood; some others hold that perhaps it wasn't completely eliminated with Jesus' sacrifice for sin, but is a ceremonial object lesson for confession and forgiveness (somewhat like water baptism and Communion are today); and that such animal sacrifices would still be appropriate for ritual cleansing and for acts of celebration and thanksgiving toward God. Some dispensationalists believe this will be the case with the Second Coming of Christ when Jesus reigns over earth from the city of Jerusalem.
interprets a passage in the Book of Daniel, Daniel 12:11, as a prophecy that the end of this age will occur shortly after sacrifices are ended in the newly rebuilt temple.
Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox view
The Catholic and Orthodox churches believe that the Eucharist, which they hold to be one in substance with the one self-sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, is a far superior offering when compared with the merely preparatory temple sacrifices, as explained in the Epistle to the Hebrews. They also believe that Christ Himself is the new Temple, as spoken of in the Book of Revelation and that Revelations can best be understood as the Eucharist, heaven on earth. Their church buildings are meant to model Solomon's Temple, with the Tabernacle, containing the Eucharist, being considered the new "Holy of Holies." Therefore they don't attach any significance to a possible future rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple.
The Orthodox also quote Daniel 9:27 ("he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease") to show that the sacrifices would stop with the arrival of the Messiah, and mention that according to Jesus, St. Paul and the Holy Fathers, the temple will only be rebuilt at the times of the Antichrist. (Quotations: Matthew 24:15, "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)"; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4: "...that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that's called God, or that's worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he's God".)
Latter-day Saint (Restorationist) view
Joseph Smith, Jr. believed that not only would the Temple in Jerusalem be rebuilt, but that its Western Hemisphere counter-part would be constructed in the Americas in Independence, Missouri. This future temple is also referred to as the Temple of the New Jerusalem, or Central stake of Zion. Originally the temple was planned to be constructed in the 1830s, but this date was postponed. One LDS sect, Church of Christ (Temple Lot), attempted to build the temple in the late 1920s, but it wasn't completed due to the Great Depression.
Mormon thought suggests that the Temple of Jerusalem was meant to be a reconstruction of the Garden of Eden. See, for instance, Jesus and Yahweh, by Harold Bloom. Since modern Latter-day Saint Temples, of which there are now over 130, are certainly intended to be symbolic reconstructions of the Garden of Eden, it could be said that every Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is intended to be a representation of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem.
Mormons believe that before the second coming of Jesus Christ, the Jews will have reconstructed the Third Temple. They believe that at the time of the second coming of Jesus Christ, when He returns and appears in Jerusalem, the Jews will accept him as the Messiah.
Hal Lindsey view
According to American evangelist author Hal Lindsey, the Third Temple could be built right next to the Dome of the Rock. (External Link) He believes, based on the theory of Dr. Asher Kaufman regarding the location of the Eastern Gate, that the Dome of the Rock was built on what the Bible refers to as the Court of the Gentiles. He states that according to Revelation 11:1-2, the rebuilding of the Third Temple was to not include the section of the temple mount known as The Court of the Gentiles. Therefore, he believes that the Third Temple and the Dome of the Rock could stand side by side.
Islamic view
Most Muslims think the plans to build the Third Temple is just a “cover-up plan” to “destroy” Dome of the Rock and/or Al Aqsa Mosque one of the three most sacred mosques in Islam. Al Aqsa Mosque has a special significance to the Muslims and in Islam; it was the first qibla (direction that Muslims faced during prayer), and is the third most important mosque in Islam after the Kaaba in Mecca and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina.
Bahá'í view
In the Bahá'í view the prophecy of the Third Temple was fulfilled with the writing of the Súriy-i-Haykal by Bahá'u'lláh in pentacle form. The Súriy-i-Haykal or Tablet of the Temple, is a composite work which consists of a tablet followed by five messages addressed to world leaders; shortly after its completion, Bahá'u'lláh instructed the tablet be written in the form of a pentacle, symbolizing the human temple and added to it the conclusion:
Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, explained that this verse refers to the prophecy in the Hebrew Bible where Zechariah had promised the rebuilding of the Temple in the End Times as fulfilled in the return of the Manifestation of God, Bahá'u'lláh, in a human temple. Throughout the tablet, Bahá'u'lláh addresses the Temple (himself) and explains the glory which is invested in it allowing all the nations of the world to find redemption. In the tablet, Bahá'u'lláh states that the Manifestation of God is a pure mirror that reflects the sovereignty of God and manifests God's beauty and grandeur to mankind.[Further Information]
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