KnoWhy #716 | February 19, 2024

How Are Some Ancient American Temples Similar to the Temple of Solomon?

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Scripture Central

“And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine.” 2 Nephi 5:16

The Know

After Nephi and his family arrived in the New World, Nephi was forced to take “those who believed in the warnings and the revelations of God” into the wilderness to create what would later be known as the Nephite nation (2 Nephi 5:6). Nephi mentions that after settling a new part of the land, his people built a temple “after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things. … But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine” (2 Nephi 5:16).

When the Book of Mormon was first published, the idea of an Israelite temple outside of Jerusalem was a point of criticism leveled against the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. However, it is widely recognized by scholars today that while the central Israelite temple was undoubtedly that at Jerusalem, it was not uncommon for Israelites to build temples dedicated to the worship of Jehovah outside of Jerusalem. These temples were also typically patterned after the temple of Solomon. Famous examples include the Israelite temples found at Elephantine and Leontopolis in Egypt, although recent archeological finds have found even more temples within the land of Israel itself.1

Because Lehi’s branch of Israel built temples in the New World after their arrival, it is also interesting to look at temple building practices in pre-Columbian America. As many Latter-day Saint archeologists and scholars of the ancient Americas have observed, many similarities exist between the temple of Jerusalem and temples found in ancient America in terms of both structure and function.

For example, the temple of Solomon contained many unique features.2 As summarized by John Sorenson,

the temple of Solomon was built on a platform and on a hill. … Inside were distinct rooms of differing sacredness. Outside the building itself was a courtyard or plaza surrounded by a wall. Sacrifices were made in that space, atop altars of stepped or terraced form. … The temple building was oriented so that the rising of the sun on equinoctial day (either March 21 or September 21) sent the earliest rays—considered ‘the glory of the Lord’—to shine through the temple doors, which were opened for the occasion, directly into the holiest part.3

While there was some variation between temple designs in the New World, this same pattern was typical of many ancient Mesoamerican temples, many of which date to Book of Mormon times. For example, Mesoamerican temples were often built on tall platforms or hills. Occasionally, they would be built on top of pyramids to serve as an artificial hill, setting it apart from the city to “form exclusively religious centers that give the buildings intended for worship an importance that the metropolis limits to certain areas.”4 Some Mesoamerican temples also include two non-structural pillars at the entrance to the temple precinct, which was also a prominent feature of the entrance to Solomon’s temple (see 1 Kings 7:21).5

Furthermore, Mesoamerican temples contained a walled courtyard for sacrifices as well as inner rooms accessible only to the priest.6 These often included two rooms, with the innermost room understood to be the presence of a deity. These rooms “were typically covered with a curtain” and could be accessed only by “Maya rulers and priests.”7 This was not unlike the temple of Solomon, which followed the tabernacle’s pattern of dividing the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple complex with a veil (see Exodus 36:35–36). Furthermore, the Holy of Holies contained the Ark of the Covenant, which served as God’s throne on the earth. For this and other reasons, some Mesoamerican scholars and even some early Spanish sources have likewise compared Mesoamerican temples to the temple of Solomon.8

In addition to the structural similarities between Old and New World temples, Mark Alan Wright has noted that these temples also shared functional parallels as well.9 At Mesoamerican temples, kings would be coronated, and on murals found at the temple in “San Bartolo, Guatemala (ca. 100 BC) we see an enthronement ceremony wherein the ruler sits upon a wooden tower or scaffold to receive the emblems of rulership.”10 A similar coronation at a temple is recorded in the book of Mosiah. At that coronation, King Benjamin addressed his people from a tower constructed for the event and declared his son Mosiah to be “a king and a ruler over” the people (Mosiah 2:30).

Mesoamerican temples also served as a place of ritual instruction, and some murals at the San Bartolo temple may be understood as depicting “a premortal existence; the ordering of the cosmos; a paradise of creation and the emergence of mankind; instruction on proper sacrifice; and the heavenly enthronement of the god of resurrection, culminating in a scene where a human accedes to a throne identical to the one used by the god of resurrection” as priests were initiated into the temple ordinances.11 Ultimately, Mayan rituals focused on entering the presence of the gods in the innermost sanctum of the temple, akin to entering the Holy of Holies.12 Similar themes and rituals have long been noted to have been connected to the temple of Solomon in the Old World.

In areas of the Americas, some of these temple-themed rituals are still performed today. V. Garth Norman, for example, has observed that many rituals performed at Izapa, Mexico, reflect ancient understandings of the temple in both the Old and New Worlds.13 Van C. Evans has also noted that some temples found in South America share similar functions and rituals to those in the Old World.14

The Why

Many early critics of the Book of Mormon initially believed that Nephi’s temple would have been anachronous to Israelite belief and forbidden by the law of Moses. However, as greater archeological evidence comes forth from both the Old and New Worlds, the opposite picture is actually painted. Indeed, it would appear that the temple was of utmost importance to Israelites in all parts of the world, as shown in the Book of Mormon.15 This is especially significant because these temples were found well after the publication of the Book of Mormon in 1830 and would have been unfamiliar to Joseph Smith.

As New World temples continue to be excavated, it should be remembered that these findings do not allow us to identify any specific ancient American temples as Nephite temples. However, these temples (especially those dating to Book of Mormon times) show that the type of temple Nephi claimed his people constructed would not have been out of place in parts of pre-Columbian America. In other words, while Nephi’s precedent and pattern for the temple was grounded in the Old World, it would have been consistent with patterns familiar to the New World people as well.

Ultimately, more significant than the architectural structure of these temples is the underlying significance of the buildings themselves. In both the Old and New Worlds, the temple was a place where God’s children could approach Him, make covenants with Him, learn about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and become more like God. Because of the importance of temples, it is no surprise that the Lord has also restored the true order of temple worship in the latter days as well through His prophet Joseph Smith. As we stay true to our covenants made in the temple today, we can likewise hold fast to the Lord and become more like our Savior.

Further Reading
Footnotes
Book of Mormon
2 Nephi
Solomon's Temple
Temples
Mesoamerica

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