耶路撒冷圣殿

古代以色列人崇拜上帝的中心,也是其民族象徵,历史上前後共有两座。大卫攻下耶路撒冷後,将法柜移置该城。大卫选择了莫里亚山(或称圣殿山)为殿址,据说那里是亚伯拉罕建造祭坛准备牺牲以撒的地方。第一座圣殿是大卫之子所罗门在位时所建,西元前957年竣工,分成三间大堂:其中门厅是举行礼拜的主要场所,另外两间分别是圣所和至圣所。从约西亚时代开始,这里成为犹大国唯一指定的献祭场所。西元前586年圣殿毁於巴比伦人征服之时。流亡的犹太人在西元前538年归来後,重建了第二圣殿。西元前167年叙利亚人亵渎了圣殿,激起马加比家族的暴乱,之後重新净化圣殿,才再开放。西元前54年克拉苏掠夺圣殿宝物。犹太国王希律重修并扩建了圣殿,耗时四十六年之久。西元66年犹太人叛乱导致罗马军团出兵镇压(西元70年),圣殿又毁。目前第二圣殿仅存西墙一段,成为朝圣地。圣殿山上现在有一座阿克萨清真寺(远寺)和岩顶圆顶寺。

Jerusalem, Temple of

Either of two temples that were at the center of worship and national identity in ancient Israel. When David captured Jerusalem, he moved the Ark of the Covenant there. As the site for a temple, he selected Mount Moriah, or Temple Mount, where it was believed that Abraham had built his altar to sacrifice Isaac. The First Temple was constructed under David's son Solomon and was completed in 957 BC. It contained three rooms: a vestibule, the main room for religious services, and the Holy of Holies. From the time of Josiah, it was designated as the only place for sacrifice in Judah. It was destroyed during the Babylonian conquest in 586 BC. When the Jews returned from exile in 538, they built the Second Temple (finished 515). Its desecration by the Syrians in 167 BC set off the Maccabees' revolt, after which it was cleansed and rededicated. In 54 BC Crassus plundered the Temple. It was rebuilt and enlarged by Herod the Great; construction lasted 46 years. The Jewish rebellion in AD 66 led to its destruction by Roman legions in AD 70. All that remains is part of the Western Wall, a site of pilgrimage. The Temple Mount is now occupied by a Muslim mosque, al-Aqsa, and the Dome of the Rock.