Another Temple Mount Interest Group

Students, faculty and guests gathered to hear BYU professors discuss the modern day importance of Solomon's Temple at the House of Learning Lecture hosted by the Harold B. Lee Library.

Professors William Hamblin and David Seeley spoke Thursday to over 60 listeners in the library auditorium about the importance of Solomon's Temple in history and its significance today. The lecture was based on a book previously published by the professors called "Solomon's Temple in History and Myth."

"It is the idea that God can dwell with us and that this dwelling is symbolically represented by his temple," Seeley said. "Solomon's Temple epitomizes the idea of the sought-for golden moment when God dwells among us."

Professor Hamblin, a professor in the Department of History, continued the lecture by bringing in the concept of the Dome of the Rock and its sacred location. The Dome of the Rock is believed to be in the location of Solomon's Temple as well as the site where Abraham took Isaac in faith as a commandment from God. The Dome of the Rock has become a political and cultural issue today.

"Right now we are left with a political problem of what to do with the temple mount," Hamblin said. "We have this paradox of this struggle for sole control of the temple mount." Both professors agreed that Solomon's Temple has significant meaning to Latter-day Saints and to all students on campus, because its history and modern day relevance affect everyone. "The temple mount of Jerusalem is the key to how we'll resolve the issue of peace," Hamblin said.