1. What is a Temple?

5. Let’s first look at the word temple?

6. The English word temple --

7. The English word ‘temple’ comes from the Latin word ‘templum’

8. The English word temple -- The English word ‘temple’ comes from the Latin word ‘templum’ The Latin word templum referred not so much as to a type of building as to an area that was marked out for religious purposes – i.e., a sacred place.

9. The English word temple -- The English word ‘temple’ comes from the Latin word ‘templum’ The Latin word templum referred not so much as to a type of building as to an area that was marked out for religious purposes – i.e., a sacred place. Initially, a templum was the space or location for augurs to perform observations.

10. What is an augur?

11. Augurs

12. Augurs

13. Augurs Augurs were Roman priests who observed birds to interpret divine approval or disapproval from the gods. A templum is the place in which augurs would make their observations.

14. Augurs An augur observing the birds

15. The English word temple -- The section of sky observed by augurs was also called a templum. The root word ‘tem’ means ‘to cut off.’ A templum was a space that was ‘cut off’ or separated for sacred purposes. A templum was a space that was ‘cut off’ or separated for sacred purposes. The Greek’s had a word similar in meaning -- temenos.

16. Greek Word Temenos A Greek-English Lexicon (Liddell and Scott, 1940) : I. “a piece of land cut off and assigned as an official doman, especially to kings and chiefs”I. “a piece of land cut off and assigned as an official doman, especially to kings and chiefs” II. “ a piece of land marked off from common uses and dedicated to a god, precint”II. “ a piece of land marked off from common uses and dedicated to a god, precint” III. “temple”III. “temple”

17. Greek Word Temenos Most often, temenos referred to the precinct surrounding the temple. For example:

18. The Step-Pyramid of Djoser

21. Temple of Herod the Great

23. Temple of Karnak

26. Borobudur Temple

28. Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacan

29. Temple of the Sun, Teotihuacan

30. Temple of Quetzalcoatl, Teotihuacan

31. Temenos of Teotihuacan

32. Parthenon of Athens

35. Salt Lake Temple

38. Though templum and temenos can mean temple, these are not the normal words used in Latin or Greek for temple.

39. Latin: templum templum aedes (dwelling place of a god) aedes (dwelling place of a god) delubrum (dwelling place of a god) delubrum (dwelling place of a god) sacellum (small shrine) sacellum (small shrine) fanum (sacred space) fanum (sacred space)

40. Greek: temenos temenos hieron (a consecrated place) hieron (a consecrated place) naos (dwelling place of a god) naos (dwelling place of a god) oikos (house) oikos (house)

41. Hebrew beth or bayit (“house”) beth or bayit (“house”) hekal (“palace”) hekal (“palace”) har (“mountain”) har (“mountain”) quodesh (the “holy” place) quodesh (the “holy” place) quodesh makom (“holy place”) quodesh makom (“holy place”) miqdash (sanctuary) miqdash (sanctuary) mishkan (sanctuary, divine abode) mishkan (sanctuary, divine abode) ohel mo’ed (tent of meeting) ohel mo’ed (tent of meeting)

42. Sumerian E (house or temple) E (house or temple) egal (“big house”, palace) egal (“big house”, palace) temen (foundation pegs) temen (foundation pegs) E-temen-an-ki, "the temple of the foundation (pegs) of heaven and earth” [temen referring to the axis mundi]

43. So what does the English word temple mean?

44. In this course, we will define a temple as a structure as a dwelling place of a god or gods, or other objects of religious reference and a place where worship of that object may occur.