Elder Andrew Jenson

(Assistant Church Historian)

A few weeks ago I attended the dedication of the temple at Cardston, Alberta, Canada, and in speaking of the dedication of a temple, we Latter-day Saints naturally ask ourselves the question: Why do we build temples ? And why did ancient Israel build temples? Did they erect sacred buildings for the same purpose that we build temples, or why was it that they, even when traveling in the wilderness, erected a tabernacle, which was dedicated to God as a temporary structure in which the children of Israel expected that God would be nearer to them than anywhere rise on their camp ground?

The prophets of old frequently sought God on the tops of mountains, and sometimes they would seek him in forests, or even in the caves of the earth. Christ himself on a certain occasion, took three of his disciples with him to the top of a mountain where the glorious transfiguration took place. At other times Christ went to the top of the Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem, and there poured out his heart in prayer and devotion to God, his Father. Yet the people of God have been trained to believe that while the Lord can be found anywhere, and that we cannot hide in any place, be it ever so remote, where the presence of Deity cannot be felt, there is, nevertheless, something very important attached to the matter of erecting a house to the name of the Lord, even in the building and dedicating of a meetinghouse, a tabernacle, and especially in the building and dedicating of a temple which is considered the holiest of all structures that we read of in the history of sacred architecture.

The Tabernacle

We find that the children of Israel, after they had crossed the Red Sea and were encamped in the wilderness of Sinai (where they spent 40 years), erected a sacred structure in which they could commune with God. The Prophet Moses had spent 40 days with the Lord on Mount Sinai and God had, with his own finger, inscribed on two tablets of stone the ten commandments which Moses brought down from the mountain: and, in order to have a safe place as a depository for these sacred tablets the "Ark of the Covenant" was made and the Tabernacle erected. The Tabernacle was only a tent, 45 feet long by 15 feet wide, pitched in an enclosure which contained about one quarter of an acre of land, as we measure laud in America. Inside of that enclosure stood the Tabernacle, facing east. The Tabernacle itself was divided into two parts. of which one part, called the "Holy Place," was 30 feet long and 15 feet wide, while the other part, called the "Holy of Holies." (or Sanctum Sanctorum), was 15 feet in width, length and height-hus making a complete cube. This Tabernacle became known among the children of Israel as the "Tent of Jehovah ;" it was also called the "Sanctuary" and the "Tabernacle of the Congregation." In that part of the Tabernacle called the "Holy of Holies" was placed the sacred box known as the Ark of the Covenant. It was only a small box about 4 feet in length and about 2 feet in width and height, but it was covered with gold. In this chest, made of shittim wood, the two tablets of stone were placed and the priests only had access to it.

Temple of Solomon

The Tabernacle was the abode of the Lord, so to speak, while the children of Israel traveled in the wilderness, and also for many years after they reached the promised land. But in due course of time, after the Canaanites had been subdued, and after the reign of the Judges and King Saul, King David, inspired of the Lord, became desirous of building a house unto God's holy name. The Lord at that time said that he had dwelt in a tent so far, but would accept of a house that might be erected to him, in which his presence might dwell. But David was not permitted to build the house, because of his transgression, and because he had been a man of blood and war. The Lord, however, directed that his son Solomon should build the house which in due course of time was done, and thus came into existence the Temple of Solomon.

Solomon's temple was only a small building measuring about 90 feet in length and 30 feet in width and height. Hence, it was not larger than many of our meetinghouses. But the children of Israel were proud of their temple because of the very costly ornaments with which it was embellished. The temple was practically covered with gold-not simply with gold leaf, but with gold plate-as we understand it, and was therefore a very costly building when finished, so much so that the enemies of Israel, such as Egyptians, Assyrians and Babylonians, were frequently tempted to take Jerusalem, that they might plunder the temple of its gold and silver, its precious stones and the precious golden vessels used for sacred ordinances in the building. In Solomon's temple, which stood upon Mount Moriah (one of the four hills upon which Jerusalem is built), the children of Israel worshiped about four-hundred years. Then the captivity came, when Nebuchadnezzar attacked Judah with his armies, took Jerusalem, destroyed the temple an carried away to Babylon the golden vessels and the costly ornaments which had been placed in the temple, some of which had been obtained from Tyre, Abyssinia, Egypt and other places.

Temple of Zerubbabel

But at the end of seventy years the children of Israel returned to their native land, by permission of King Cyrus. He told the children of Israel to go back to their land and there build a temple where they had formerly worshiped. So Israel, led by Zerubbabel and other valiant leaders, returned to the land of Israel and there built a new temple, which became known as the temple of Zerubbabel. But some of the older people who had seen the temple of Solomon, and now watched the erection of the new temple, wept because it was not so costly a building as the first temple was. It was a larger structure and contained more walls and more cubic feet by one-third than the temple of Solomon, but the people of Israel did not have the gold and silver and the precious stones to ornament it with. That is why the people wept, and not because the second temple was a smaller building than the first one.

Temple of Herod

The people of Israel, after the return from captivity, enjoyed that second temple. known as the temple of Zerubbabel, for something like five hundred years. In the meantime the children of Israel had been deprived of their national independence, had been conquered by the Greeks and afterwards by the Romans and finally the Romans appointed a certain man to be king of the Jews. He was a wicked man, very wicked, indeed, according to history, but he conceived of the idea, in order to become popular with the Jews, that he would rebuild the Jewish temple. He, therefore, pulled down some of the old walls, and erected them anew, better than before, and then finished them with lavish ornaments. We sometimes speak of this building as the third temple of the Israelites. In one sense it was only one temple, because the three successive buildings were erected upon the same site. Herod simply rebuilt, or re-constructed the former temple. It was this so-called Temple of Herod in which the Savior worshiped, and that is also he temple of which the Savior said that it would he destroyed, because of the wickedness of the people, and that not one stone should be left upon another of the building. Any visitor to Jerusalem today will find that the Savior's prediction has been fulfilled to the very letter. There is not one stone left upon another of the temple of Herod. nor of the temple of Zerubbabel, but there are remnants left of Solomon's work, certain portions pertaining to the original foundations still being in existence, and in the cavities under the foundation of the temple are the so-called Solomon's stables, where the great king is supposed to have kept his horses. Thus we find in Jerusalem today workmanship dating back to about 3000 years, while the temple of Herod, as you know, was destroyed by the Romans seventy years after the birth of the Savior.

Nephite Temples

Next permit me to draw your attention to the Nephites who occupied the land of America. A certain statement made by Nephi and recorded in the Book of Mormon, has caused some criticism or discussion. The Nephites had been in America only a short time, and we estimate that there could not have been more than 300 souls of them altogether at the time that Nephi wrote the following:

"And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon, save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land; wherefore it could not be built like unto Solomon's temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceeding fine."

Many of you brethren who are comfortably fixed financially, could, single handed, build a temple like Solomon's temple with your own means. You might be obliged to follow the example of Nephi in not furnishing the building with so much silver and gold or so many precious things as did Solomon, but I venture to say that it was quite possible for a small number of Nephites to erect a temple as large as that erected by Solomon, omitting the costly ornamentations.

It is also recorded in the Book of Mormon that the Savior, after his resurrection, appeared to the Nephites in "the temple in the Land Bountiful." We do not know how many more temples were erected by them. On my recent visit to South America, I saw a number of temple ruins, and I could not help thinking that perhaps I stood face to face with some of the walls and temple ruins which had been erected by the God-fearing Nephites over 2,000 years ago. Of course, I have no way of proving that these temples were erected by the Nephites, but such was my first thought when I saw the remnants of the temple of the sun in Cuzco, Peru, and other temple ruins elsewhere.

Temples Erected By Latter-Day Saints

The Latter-day Saints have erected eight temples since the organization of the Church, all of which have been dedicated and used for holy ordinances. Besides these completed temples, three other temple sites bare been dedicated, upon one of which a temple is in course of erection, at Mesa, Arizona.

Temple Site At Independence

The Church was not much more than a year old when the subject of temple building became popular among its members, as the Lord had commanded his people to erect such buildings. Almost immediately after the arrival of the first colony of Latter-day Saints in Missouri, a temple site was dedicated at Independence, Jackson county, August 3, 1831, but nothing further has hitherto been done toward the erection of that temple, as the Saints were expelled from Jackson county by mobs, in 1833. The temple site is now in the hands of the so-called Hedrickites, but the Saints expect in the future to erect a magnificent house of the Lord in Independence.

Kirtland Temple

On the 1st of June, 1833, the Lord directed the Saints to build a temple at Kirtland, Ohio, and on July 23, 1833, the corner stones were laid. In less than three years after that the temple was completed and on March 27, 1836, it was dedicated by Joseph Smith the Prophet. One week later, April 3, 1836, the Savior and other holy personages appeared in the temple and committed sacred keys of the Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Among others, Elijah, the Prophet, appeared and delivered to the elders named, certain keys whereby the Saints since have been enabled to perform sacred ordinances for themselves and their friends and relatives beyond the veil. The Kirtland temple passed out of the hands of the Saints through persecutions of apostates and mob element. It is a rock building 80 feet long and 60 feet wide; the walls are 50 feet high and the top of the tower is 110 feet above the ground. This temple is situated on an elevation overlooking the surrounding country, about two and one-half miles frm Willoughby and 18 miles from the center of Cleveland, Ohio.

Temple Site in Far West Missouri

Ground was broken for a temple in Far West, Missouri, July 3, 1837, and the corner stones were laid July 4, 1838. Nothing further was done until April 26, 1839, when the twelve apostles, in fulfilment of a revelation, held a secret meeting or conference on the temple site and re- commenced the building of the temple by rolling a large stone up to one of the corners. This temple, which would have been 110 feet long and 80 feet wide, according to plan, was never built, because the Saints were driven from Missouri, in 1839. The site, however, is now owned by the Church.

Nauvoo Temple

Soon after the Saints had settled in Illinois, preparations were made for the erection of a temple and the corner stones of such a building were laid in Nauvoo, Hancock county, Illinois, April 6, 1841. At the time of the Prophet's martyrdom the walls were up to the windows of the first story, but under the direction of President Brigham Young, the temple was so far completed that the attic story could be dedicated Nov. 30, 1845, and endowments were given in that part of the building during the winter of 1845-46. The whole building was privately dedicated by Joseph Young, April 30, 1846, and publicly dedicated by Orson Hyde, May 1, 1846. No endowment had been given in the Kirtland temple, but the ordinance of washing of feet was attended to in that building. Joseph the Prophet gave sacred endowments to certain leaders of the Church as early as May, 1842, or about four years prior to the completion of the Nauvoo temple.

There was no baptismal font in the Kirtland temple, but such a font was built in the basement of the Nauvoo temple and baptism for the dead performed in it as early as November, 1841. The Nauvoo temple, which was 128 feet long from east to west and 88 feet wide, with a spire 165 feet high, was burned by an incendiary October 9, 1848, and the walls were blown down by a hurricane, May 27, 1850. There is now not one stone left upon another of that magnificent edifice which cost the Church nearly a million dollars.

St. George Temple.

Although a temple had been in course of erection in Salt Lake City since 1853, it was decided by the authorities of the Church to erect a temple in southern Utah, and the site for such a building was dedicated in St. George, Utah, Nov. 9, 1871, by George A. Smith, and the ground broken the same day. The mason work was commenced March 10, 1873, the lower part of the building was dedicated Jan. 1, 1877, and the whole building was dedicated April 6, 1877, by Daniel H. Wells. This temple is 141 feet long and 93 feet wide. The walls, built of red sandstone, measure 84 feet from the ground to the top of the parapets, and the tower is 135 feet high. Its erection represents an outlay of at least $500,000.

Logan Temple

The temple site of Logan, Cache county, Utah, was dedicated May 18, 1877, and the corner stones were laid Sept. 17, 1877. Seven years were spent in its erection and the building was dedicated May 17, 1884. The Logan temple, which occupies an elevation in the upper part of the city of Logan, is 171 feet long and 95 feet wide. The walls are 82 feet high and there are two towers, the one on the east end being 170 feet and the one on the west end 165 feet high. The cost of construction is estimated at about $800,000.

Manti Temple

The temple site at Manti, Sanpete county, Utah, was dedicated by President Brigham Young April 25, 1877, and the ground was broken five days later, April 30, 1877. The corner stones were laid April 14, 1879, but prior to that date much work had been done and considerable means expended in preparing the ground, as the temple is built on the top of a hill, known since 1849, as Temple Hill, in the outskirts of the City of Manti. This temple, which is visible from nearly all parts of Sanpete Valley is, like the Logan temple, 171 feet long and 95 feet wide. The walls are about 85 feet high. The east tower is 179 feet and the west tower 169 feet high. The building, which was dedicated May 21, 1888, including the preparations of the ground, cost about $1,000,000.

Salt Lake City Temple

The temple site in Salt Lake City was selected by President Brigham Young, July 28, 1847, four days after the arrival of President Brigham Young in the Great Salt Lake Valley, and dedicated Feb. 14, 1853. The corner stones were laid April 6, 1853, the capstone placed in position April 6, 1892, and the building dedicated by President Wilford Woodruff, April 6, 1893. Hence, the erection of the Salt Lake temple took 40 years and the estimated cost is $4,000,000. The Salt Lake City temple is built of beautiful granite, quarried in the mouth of Little Cottonwood canyon, about 20 miles from Salt Lake City. It stands on the east half of the Temple Block and occupies a central position in Salt Lake City. This temple is 186 feet long and 99 feet wide. It has three towers on the east and also three on the west end. The main tower, which is the central tower on the east end, is 225 feet high and is surmounted by a statue of the Angel Moroni. The Salt Lake temple is by far the largest and most costly temple building ercted by the Latter-day Saints.

Hawaiian Temple

On the occasion of a visit to the Hawaiian Islands of President Joseph F. Smith, Elder Reed Smoot, of the Council of the Twelve, and Bishop Charles W. Nibley, in the summer of 1915, the erection of a temple at Hawaii was discussed, and on the first of June, 1915, President Joseph F. Smith, in the presence of the two brethren named, selected and dedicated a spot at Laie, on the island of Oahu, for the erection of a temple. The matter was laid before the general conference, held in Salt Lake City, Oct. 3, 1915, and it was then decided by unanimous vote to erect a temple in Hawaii, in the interest of the Polynesian Saints. Work on the building was begun early in 1916 and the temple dedicated by President Heber J. Grant, Nov. 27, 1919. The Hawaiian temple is situated on an eminence commanding an unobstructed view of the ocean. It is built in the shape of a Grecian cross and measures 102 feet from east to west and 78 feet from north to south. The central portion of the edifice, which has no towers, rises to a heigt of 50 feet and the temple grounds are most beautifully ornamented with all kinds of tropical vegetation.

Alberta Temple

A temple site at Cardston, Alberta, Canada, was dedicated July 27, 1913, by President Joseph F. Smith. Later the corner stone was laid, under the direction of Elder David O. McKay, of the Council of Twelve. The temple, which is built in the shape of a Maltese cross, measures 165 feet from north to south and the same distance from east to west. The walls are three feet thick and the height of the building 110 feet. Like the Hawaiian temple it has no towers. The sacred edifice was dedicated Aug. 26, 1923, by President Heber J. Grant, in the presence of many of the general authorities of the Church. This temple, known as the Alberta temple, occupies, like all other temples, of the Latter-day Saints, elevated ground, which overlooks much of the surrounding country, and has cost about $782,000. It is the first temple erected outside of territory belonging to the United States, and it is considered quite appropriate that a temple should be built in a British dominion, as the British Empire has contributed so many tousands of faithful converts to the great latter-day work.

Arizona Temple

The site for a temple in Mesa, Arizona, was dedicated December 1, 1921, by President Heber J. Grant and is now in course of construction. The corner stone will probably be laid next month.

Now, just a word or two in conclusion: The Latter-day Saints having erected eight temples in these last days, and knowing now for what purposes temples in our day are erected they should be energetic in attending to the sacred ordinances which have been revealed. It is true that the children of Israel built their temples different to ours, as the ordinance work in them was done by men bearing the Aaronic Priesthood, while the temples built by the Latter-day Saints are officiated in by the Melchizedek priesthood. Consequently, the internal arrangements of the temple of the Israelites were different to ours. The temple erected in Kirtland, Ohio, was also different in the inner arrangements to those subsequently built, but commencing with the Nauvoo temple, and ending so far with the Canadian temple, the interior of all the temples are in most particulars the same, and used for holy ordinances.

May God help us to be true and faithful in the discharge of our duties, regarding temple work, so that we indeed may become saviors on Mount Zion and do what the Lord wants us to do in the temples, while we are trying also to be faithful in all things which the Lord has commanded us, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.