Power Struggle

The latest in the ongoing ideological and power struggle for control of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount/Haram.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/129651

Margaret Barker's Temple Studies Group in England will sponsor a symposium on "Temple Music: Meaning and Influence" at the Temple Church in London, Saturday 30 May 2009, 10.00am–5.00 pm.

Details on speakers and topics can be found at:
http://www.templestudiesgroup.com/TSG_Symposia.pdf

If any reader in the London area attends, I'd be happy to post a report on the conference.

David Larsen, on his interesting "Heavenly Ascents" web page has summarized some temple-related sessions that were given in Nov 2008 at the Society of Biblical Literature conference in Boston.

click here

Jewish ritual on the Temple Mount/Haram

This is from a few months ago, but represents the ongoing agitation and efforts of the "Temple Institute" to rebuild the temple.

http://www.templeinstitute.org/hakhel-on-the-temple-mount-5769.htm

The presence of only 400 people in their group probably indicates this movement does not have widespread support among most Israelis.

Welcome to new viewers

... from United Arab Emirates, Iran, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Malta, Jordan, and Ukraine!

Dan Schowalter will be lecturing on pagan three temples Herod the Great built in ancient Israel.

http://asunews.asu.edu/20090116_schowalterlecture

If anyone lives near ASU, send a report and I'll post it.

Gold Plated Temple?

The current issue of Biblical Archaeology Review (Jan/Feb 2009), p 14, has a brief article and photo of a gold-plated stone found years ago in the archaeological excavations south of the Temple Mount, which has remained unpublished until now. Josephus claimed that part of Herod's temple was covered with gold (Wars 5.201-224), leading some scholars to speculate that this gold-leaefed stone may be a remnant of Herod's Temple.

First Temple Artifact found?

The Israeli press is reporting the discovery of a small decorative pomegranate which may date from the First Temple period, and may have been associated with the the pomegranate ornamentation described in 1 Kgs 7:40-45.

Here is a Google translation of the Hebrew new report, which has a picture and a garbled discussion.

These types of discoveries are often overblown by both the archaeologists and the press (not to mention forgeries), so we'll need to wait and see how things develop to understand its real significance.

New class on Temple Studies

This semester William Hamblin, professor of History at BYU, is teaching a new class, "Temples and Civilizations." He is posting podcasts of Keynote slides and recordings of his lectures at the following web site.

http://web.me.com/hamblinwj/HamblinClasses/Temples/Temples.html

New 3D Herod Temple recreation

Leen Ritmeyer's blog has a new post describing a 3D computer recreation of Herod's temple he is working on. Details and links can be found at

http://www.ritmeyer.com/2009/01/05/the-messiah-in-the-temple/

See also this web site.