Wasserman J. The Temple of Solomon: From Ancient Israel to Secret Societies

Rochester, Vermont; Toronto, Canada: Inner Traditions, 2011. — 386 p. — ISBN: 978-1-62055-340-4 (ebook)The spiritual heart of many esoteric societies, the Temple of Solomon was located atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, a site venerated by the three great monotheistic religions as the intersection of Divine and human. Built by King Solomon at the peak of ancient Israel’s power, the Temple of Solomon housed the golden Ark of the Covenant in its Holy of Holies, a sacred chamber where one could communicate directly with God. Centuries after the temple’s destruction, the Temple Mount was used as the headquarters for the Knights Templar during the Crusades, and countless legends have come down through the centuries about the secrets they may have uncovered there, including discovery of the Holy Grail or the Ark of the Covenant.
Richly illustrated with biblical and Masonic illustrations, photographs, and ancient and modern paintings-many from rare archives-this book explores the Temple of Solomon in the Hebrew Scriptures, the New Testament, and Apocryphal writings as well as its role in the founding of Freemasonry, the legends of the Knights Templar, the doctrines of the Kabbalah, and Muhammad’s visionary journey from the Temple Mount through the heavens. Seeking to understand the powerful desire of many religions and secret societies to re-create the temple through ritual and prayer, James Wasserman explains why it was built, the magical forces King Solomon may have used in its creation, what its destruction meant for Jews and Christians alike, and why the Knights Templar as well as several modern secret societies named their orders after it. Detailing the sacred architecture of this perfectly proportioned mystical edifice through words and art, the author reveals the Temple of Solomon as the affirmation of God’s presence in human affairs, the spiritual root of Western culture, and an important monument to the Divine nearly forgotten in today’s secular times but sorely needed to bridge the divide between our ancient past and our spiritual future.In the Beginning.
Creation and Destruction: The Garden to the Flood.
The Patriarchs and Matriarchs.
Moses, the Tabernacle, and the Law.
Exodus: The Freedom to Worship.
Leviticus: The Laws of Sacrifice.
Numbers: The Journey to the Promised Land Continues.
Deuteronomy: The Book of the Law of the Temple.
Pre-Monarchical Leadership.
Joshua: Subduing the Land of Israel.
Judges: The People Depart from Righteousness.
Ruth: The Matriarch of the Kings of Israel.
Samuel: The Prophet Establishes the Monarchy.
The United Monarchy and the First Temple.
The Reign of Saul: First King of the Realm.
The Reign of David: The Warrior/Poet.
The Reign of Solomon: The Building of the Temple.
The Divided Monarchy and the Loss of the Temple.
The Divided Kingdoms of Judah and Israel.
The Loss of the Kingdom of Israel.
The Loss of the Kingdom of Judah.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, the Last Days of the Temple of Solomon, and the Exile.
The Second Temple.
Ezekiel’s Vision of the Temple.
The Return from Exile and the Second Temple.
The Second Temple in the Books of Maccabees.
Herod’s Temple.
The Christian Revelation.
The Temple in the Story of Jesus.
The New Jerusalem.
The Temple in the Esoteric Tradition.
The Knights of the Temple.
The Freemasons and the Temple.
Afterword Reflections on the Temple.A Brief History of Jerusalem and the Promised Land.
A Suggestive Chronology of the Temple and Jerusalem.
The Temple Holidays.
Maps of the Holy Land.Permissions.