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Wonders of the World
The Temple of Jerusalem
It was destroyed nearly 2000 years ago, and yet the Temple of Jerusalem--cultural memory, symbol, and site--remains one of the most powerful, and most contested, buildings in the world. This glorious structure, imagined and re-imagined, reconsidered and reinterpreted again and again over two millennia, emerges in all its historical, cultural, and religious significance in Simon Goldhill's account.
Built by Herod on a scale that is still staggering--on an earth and rock platform 144,000 square meters in area and 32 meters high--and destroyed by the Roman emperor Titus 90 years later, in 70 A.D., the Temple has become the world's most potent symbol of the human search for a lost ideal, an image of greatness. Goldhill travels across cultural and temporal boundaries to convey the full extent of the Temple's impact on religious, artistic, and scholarly imaginations. Through biblical stories and ancient texts, rabbinical writings, archaeological records, and modern accounts, he traces the Temple's shifting significance for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
A complex and engaging history of a singular locus of the imagination--a site of longing for the Jews; a central metaphor of Christian thought; an icon for Muslims: the Dome of the Rock--"The Temple of Jerusalem" also offers unique insight into where Judaism, Christianity, and Islam differ in interpreting their shared inheritance. It is a story that, from the Crusades onward, has helped form the modern political world.
Built by Herod on a scale that is still staggering--on an earth and rock platform 144,000 square meters in area and 32 meters high--and destroyed by the Roman emperor Titus 90 years later, in 70 A.D., the Temple has become the world's most potent symbol of the human search for a lost ideal, an image of greatness. Goldhill travels across cultural and temporal boundaries to convey the full extent of the Temple's impact on religious, artistic, and scholarly imaginations. Through biblical stories and ancient texts, rabbinical writings, archaeological records, and modern accounts, he traces the Temple's shifting significance for Jews, Christians, and Muslims.
A complex and engaging history of a singular locus of the imagination--a site of longing for the Jews; a central metaphor of Christian thought; an icon for Muslims: the Dome of the Rock--"The Temple of Jerusalem" also offers unique insight into where Judaism, Christianity, and Islam differ in interpreting their shared inheritance. It is a story that, from the Crusades onward, has helped form the modern political world.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
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About the author
Simon Goldhill
62 books21 followersSimon David Goldhil is Professor in Greek literature and culture and fellow and Director of Studies in Classics at King's College, Cambridge. He was previously Director of Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (CRASSH) at the University of Cambridge, succeeding Mary Jacobus in October 2011. He is best known for his work on Greek tragedy.
In 2009, he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2010, he was appointed as the John Harvard Professor in Humanities and Social Sciences at Cambridge, a research position held concurrently with his chair in Greek.
In 2016, he became a fellow of the British Academy. He is a member of the Council of the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Board of the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes, and is President of the European Institutes for Advanced Study (NetIAS).
Goldhill is a well-known lecturer and broadcaster and has appeared on television and radio in England, Australia, the United States and Canada. His books have been translated into ten languages, and he has been profiled by newspapers in Brazil, Australia and the Netherlands.
In 2009, he was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2010, he was appointed as the John Harvard Professor in Humanities and Social Sciences at Cambridge, a research position held concurrently with his chair in Greek.
In 2016, he became a fellow of the British Academy. He is a member of the Council of the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Board of the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes, and is President of the European Institutes for Advanced Study (NetIAS).
Goldhill is a well-known lecturer and broadcaster and has appeared on television and radio in England, Australia, the United States and Canada. His books have been translated into ten languages, and he has been profiled by newspapers in Brazil, Australia and the Netherlands.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 1, 2023
this book taught me that the michalangelo statue david is of david from the bible and I told my mom that because i thought it was some amazing revelation and she called me stupid. good book though very interesting!
May 12, 2017
A very close look at the role of the Temple in different religions and ideologies. A very special angle. I have not been relating the Christian teaching of the relationship between body and temple to the actual architecture. Maybe it is because I have not read a lot about the history of different religions, I do think this book opens my eyes.
But I expect more of Muslim perspective and quotation from the Qur'an, which is most unfamiliar to me. It is much less than the quotes from Christianity or Judaism writings.
But I expect more of Muslim perspective and quotation from the Qur'an, which is most unfamiliar to me. It is much less than the quotes from Christianity or Judaism writings.
December 13, 2023
This is a quite brilliant little book and I warmly recommend it. The history of the various Temples is interwoven with the history of the idea of a Temple. This mixture of history, historigraphy and ideology is written up with economy and verve.
November 3, 2020
Didn't technically finish...
November 16, 2021
An interesting book if you are interested in the Temple of Jerusalem... obviously.
September 25, 2023
Καλή αφορμή για να ξαναδείς τον Ιντιάνα Τζόουνς και τους Κυνηγούς της Χαμένης Κιβωτού (που άλλωστε αναφέρονται στο βιβλίο).
June 10, 2014
I wanted more information than this book gave. It is more about idea than anything. I would have like more information about Herod. However, it does give a good detail about site in modern times.
Crossposted at Booklikes.
Crossposted at Booklikes.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews