The Essential Background of the First Temple

 Andre Benveniste

Image depicting Solomon's Temple

         I found it interesting that David’s Jerusalem, and later Solomon’s Temple represented an assimilation of different cultures. This is largely because I had associated David’s conquering of Jerusalem with a new era of religious history, which it was, but had not imagined the amount of local influence. The book Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths therefore captures the combination of the general Biblical interpretations of the rise of monotheism and explains how such a rise was not an isolated event. 

Evidence of cultural influence by local tribes is best seen in the model of the First Temple. Armstrong describes the structure of the temple as “conformed to the usual Canaanite and Syrian model” (48). This is, of course, true besides the Ark of the Covenant. Replicating a temple structure that was commonly used in the neighboring regions at the time nevertheless suggests that Israelites were not much different from their neighbors. This is especially true considering that the Temple had pagan imagery and yet became the most “cherished institution in Israel” (Armstrong 49). However, several people today refuse to believe that the Temple was associated with ancient pagan culture during the rise of monotheistic tradition. 

This is specifically true of individuals who interpret the start of monotheism as an isolated occurrence. The idea of believing in one God has become such an integral part to so many people’ lives that accepting this type of information is particularly hard. As such, many people have an understanding that “God predetermined everything, everyone, every action, and every moment” (Climer). Therefore, several people will not accept that the temple had pagan elements because they were taught, from an early age, that it was God’s home, and therefore this would not make any sense. However, it is important to remember that there was previous history and cultures to the construction of the Temple which would ultimately impact how it was built. 

Accounting for both the historical perspective that Canaanite and Syrian traditions had a role in building the First Temple, as well as that this event marked the beginning of monotheism is important. By taking these two into consideration, it is more likely that society can have a logical approach to historical events, yet still maintain faith in monotheistic ideals even though it was influenced by a pagan background. After all, everything stems from somewhere, and Jerusalem’s rise as the capital of monotheism is not any different.

Reference:

Climer, Phillip. “Archaeology and the Bible.” Answers in Genesis, Answers In Genesis, 15 May 2018, answersingenesis.org/archaeology/archaeology-and-the-bible/. Accessed 8 Feb. 2024.