Temple: Encyclopedia - Temple

Temple

The word temple has different meanings in the fields of architecture, religion, geography, anatomy, and education.

The word is derived from the both more and less specific Latin word templum ("sacred place") - see Roman temple.

Temple - Religion

A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites (as in masonry). It is a general term for house of worship. Some religions use this term:

• Hinduism
• Buddhism (Shaolin)
• Temple at Uppsala
• Greek temple
• Temple in Jerusalem
• Mormon temple
• Roman temple
• Reform Judaism's synagogues.

Some religions refer to their temples by a unique word of their own:

• In ancient Rome, only the native deities of Roman mythology had a templum; any equivalent structure for a foreign deity was called fanum.
• A Christian temple is called a church.
  • In Western Christianity, some "private" temples are called chapels, while major public ones are designated cathedral (i.e. seat of a diocesan bishop), basilica, or minster.
  • In Orthodox Christianity (both Eastern and Oriental) a temple is church with base shaped like Greek cross. See Orthodox temple.
  • Protestant denominations installed in France in the early modern era use the word "temple" (as opposed to "church," supposed to be Roman Catholic); some more recently installed Christian denominations use "church."
• A Jain temple is called a derasar.
• A Hindu temple is variously called a mandir (Hindi), a koyil (Tamil), and an gudi/devalayam/kovela (Telugu).
• An Islamic temple is called a mosque (masjid in Arabic)
• In Judaism, the Temple in Jerusalem (Hebrew: בית המקדש, Beit ha Mikdash, literally "House of the Temple") on Temple Mount in Jerusalem was the center of ancient Judaism and the most important holy site in the religion. The First Temple was built in the 10th century BCE under King Solomon to replace the Tabernacle and was destroyed by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BCE, marking the beginning of the Babylonian exile. The Second Temple was constructed after the return from the Babylonian exile, from around 536 BCE to 515 BCE. Herod's Temple was a massive expansion of the Second Temple begun under Herod the Great around 19 BCE. It was almost entirely destroyed by Roman troops under Titus in 70 CE during the siege of Jerusalem of the First Jewish-Roman War, leaving only the Western Wall. Some synagogues, especially Reform synagogues, are called temples (as in Temple Emanu-El; Temple Beth-El), but Orthodox Judaism considers this inappropriate as they do not consider synagogues a replacement for the Temple in Jerusalem.
• A Sikh temple is called a gurdwara.
• A Zoroastrian temple is called a fire temple.
• In Cambodia and Thailand, both Hindu and Buddhist temples are known as wats.
• Baha'i Temples are known as a "Mashriqul Adhkar"
• Masonic temples are meeting-places for Freemasons, who, though not a religious movement as such, follow some cultic practices in its external forms
• A Shintoist temple is called jinja

Temple - Architecture

In various historical periods, specific architectural styles were maintained strictly for major religious structures. These temple structures, along with military and palace structures, have often been the main surviving studied examples of certain kinds of architecture. In particular, Greek and Roman temple architecture has been a major influence in Western public architecture. See list of ancient temple structures.

Temple - List of religious temples

For Buddhist temples, see List of Buddhist temples

In Japan:

• Hōryū-ji
• Sensō-ji
• Ryōan-ji

In Taiwan for non-buddist worship:

• Bao-an Temple (大龍峒保安宮)
• Long-shan Temple (龍山寺, Long Shan Si)

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Temple", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki