Customer Reviews

Kregel Pictorial Guide to the Temple (Kregel Pictorial Guides) (The Kregel Pictorial Guide Series)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There is a wealth of information packed into this little guide to the Temple in Jerusalem. The extremely concise writing gives you the essential background information on the Tabernacle, Solomon 's Temple, and Herod's Temple. A survey of the history of the Temple and the festivals associated with it are also included. The book then takes you to the future, up to the absence of a temple in the New Jerusalem. But by far, the greatest assets of this little guide are the outstanding pictures of Alec Garrard's authentic model of Herod's Temple. They not only convey a sense grandeur and immense size, but they really allow the viewers to immerse themselves mentally into the temple culture of those times. There is even a drawing of how the city of Jerusalem looked in 30 A.D. (although the Hippodrome is placed in the northeast corner of the city, whereas it is normally thought to have been located just southeast of the temple mount.) Readers will possess a basic knowledge of the Temple and festivals simply by studying this short book. You get a lot for your money here. I recommmend it for expert and novice alike.

I was excited to get this guide because I thought it was going to tell me, or at least show me all about "The Temple".

I was wrong.

This book was authored by an Episcopalian Minister, and I doubt that many scholarly types, will find it particularly enlightening. The few pages contain several anecdotes about Jesus and the money changers, but overall it is not very scholarly. It simply affixes a few quotations from the Tanakh and the New Testament beside pictures of an impressive scaled down reproduction of Herod's Temple. I would have appreciated a discussion of the significance of The (several) Temple(s) to pre-Christian Judaism.

The illustrations seem to me to depict Jewish Priests as practioners of a bizarre cult. One picture of an archealogical find, an oil lamp full of silver shekels, has a caption that reads something like "a hoard of silver shekels, hidden by Jews during the unsuccessful revolt against Rome."

A hoard?

In another part I found that the author's description of Rome's massacre expressed something of a "the Jews deserved it" sentiment, though a reasonable person may disagree.

-MW

In my comment below, I must have been sleeping when I said that the Hippodrome (the oblong stadium that Herod used for chariot racing) was thought to be located just southeast of the Temple Mount. That would place it in the Kidron Valley! I meant to say just southwest of the Temple Mount. In any case it is a rather trivial matter, but one that jumped out at me. The book is chock full of useful information and awesome pictures of Alec Garrard's model of the 2nd Temple. You will have a very good understanding of the history of the Temple after reading this book. Get it, it's worth it.

This is a well illustrated guide to the temple that was in Jerusalem. The history, rituals, feasts, festivals, and furnishings are all covered. The significance of the temple today is also examined. Anybody who needs an introduction to the subject of the temple should read this book. However, the reader will have to do his own research to learn about lesser known facts, such as the detailed appearance of cherubim, or the meaning of the tabernacle pattern. But overall, it is a good starting place to learn about the temple referred to in the pages of the Bible.

I have found this book to be useful to help my son get a better understanding of the old testament. Temples, priest, and sacrifices. When you have a better understanding of this, than you have a better understanding of how this was a shadow to what was to come......Jesus

"The Kregel Pictorial Guide to the Temple" is a Bible reference guide with full-color illustrations of the tabernacle, Solomon's Temple, and Herod's Temple with text giving an overview of what they looked like and what went on in them. The information was given in two-page spreads.

The first spread was on the tabernacle with an artist illustration of what the tabernacle would have looked like, a floor plan, and a description of the tabernacle taken from the Bible. Next was Solomon's Temple with an artist illustration of what his temple would have looked like, a floor plan, and a description taken from the Bible.

Next some history was given about what happened between Solomon's and Herod's reigns. There was a photograph of Alec Garrard's temple model (a close-up on the temple and women's court). The next spread was an artist's illustration of what Jerusalem looked like in AD 30, though it's not the best illustration I've seen of this.

The next spread gave the floor plan of Herod's temple, a picture of the model's Antonia Fortress, and a photograph of the Temple Mount retaining wall as is seen today. Information was given about what Herod did to expand the Temple area and what the temple looked like at that time.

The next spread contained pictures of the model: the sheep pool, sacrificial sheep pens, and the tradesmen's stalls outside the temple. It briefly covered the types of sacrifices given in the temple. The next spread contained a photograph of the model of Herod's temple and surrounding courts. Next was a photograph of the model's court of priests (with altar, laver, posts for tying live animals, and butchering stations for the priests' work).

The next two pages gave a brief overview of the temple festivals and had pictures of models of the lampstand, the table of the showbread, worshipers coming to the temple, and priests leading a red heifer out of the temple to the Mount of Olives.

Next, the book gave some insights about Jesus' visits to the temple: his visit at age 12; when he confronted the moneychangers as an adult; when he went to the various festivals; and his confrontations with the religious leaders. Then it had sections on the destruction of the temple (with pictures of Titus's Arch), the modern remains (with pictures from the Wailing Wall), a modern aerial picture of the temple mount area, and a section talking about the heavenly temple.

While a decent resource, none of the information in the text was new to me. It might be to someone who didn't know much about the topic, though. I found the illustrations and the pictures of the model interesting because they had the priests actually in the temple doing their work (which I haven't seen elsewhere). Overall, it's a decent resource but don't expect a great deal of depth to the information.