The Temple of Solomon, also known as the First Temple, was constructed in ancient Jerusalem during the 10th century BCE, around 957 BCE according to traditional biblical chronology (though some modern scholars date it slightly later, between 970–931 BCE, during Solomon's reign). Described in detail in the Hebrew Bible (primarily in 1 Kings 5–8 and 2 Chronicles 2–4), it was commissioned by King Solomon, son of David, as a permanent house for Yahweh (the God of Israel) and a replacement for the portable Tabernacle used during the Israelites' exodus from Egypt.

Solomon's reign marked the height of Israel's united monarchy, a period of prosperity fueled by trade, alliances, and conquests. To build the Temple, Solomon formed an alliance with Hiram I, King of Tyre (in modern-day Lebanon), who provided cedar wood from Lebanon, skilled craftsmen, and the renowned architect Hiram Abiff (or Huram-Abi). The Temple was erected on Mount Moriah, a site with deep mythological resonance—traditionally where Abraham nearly sacrificed Isaac and where David purchased a threshing floor to build an altar after a divine vision. The structure took seven years to complete and was dedicated in a grand ceremony involving sacrifices, prayers, and the installation of the Ark of the Covenant in the inner sanctum, the Holy of Holies.

Architecturally, the Temple was a masterpiece of ancient Near Eastern design, measuring about 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high (dimensions vary slightly in interpretations due to ancient cubit measurements). It featured three main sections: the Ulam (porch or vestibule), the Hekhal (main hall or sanctuary), and the Debir (Holy of Holies). The exterior was clad in stone, while the interior was lined with cedar panels overlaid with gold, adorned with carvings of cherubim, palm trees, and flowers—symbolizing Edenic paradise and divine order. Two massive bronze pillars, Jachin and Boaz, flanked the entrance, representing stability and strength (Jachin meaning "He establishes," Boaz "In Him is strength").

The Temple served as the center of Jewish worship, housing rituals, sacrifices, and festivals like Passover and Yom Kippur. However, its history was turbulent. Internal divisions after Solomon's death (around 931 BCE) split Israel into northern and southern kingdoms, weakening its defenses. In 586 BCE, Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II besieged Jerusalem, destroyed the Temple, and exiled the Jews to Babylon—a cataclysmic event known as the Babylonian Captivity. The Ark of the Covenant vanished during this sack, fueling centuries of speculation about its fate (hidden in Ethiopia, buried under the Temple Mount, or destroyed).

A Second Temple was built in 516 BCE after the Persian conquest allowed Jewish return under Cyrus the Great, but it lacked the original's splendor and the Ark. Expanded by Herod the Great in the 1st century BCE, it became a massive complex, only to be razed by the Romans in 70 CE during the First Jewish-Roman War, fulfilling Jesus' prophecy in the Gospels. Today, the Western Wall (or Wailing Wall) in Jerusalem is a remnant of the Second Temple's retaining wall, a site of pilgrimage. Archaeological evidence is limited due to the site's religious sensitivity—the Temple Mount now houses the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque—but excavations have uncovered artifacts like the "Trumpeting Place" inscription and possible foundation stones, supporting the biblical descriptions.

Beyond history, the Temple of Solomon is enveloped in myth, transforming it from a physical structure into a symbol of cosmic harmony and human aspiration. In the Bible, it's portrayed as a divine mandate: God provided Solomon with a "blueprint" (1 Chronicles 28:11–19), echoing creation myths where the Temple mirrors the heavens—its layout symbolizing the Garden of Eden, the Tabernacle, and even the human body. Rabbinic traditions (e.g., in the Talmud) describe miraculous events during construction: stones levitating into place, divine fire descending at dedication.

Esoterically, myths amplify this. In Kabbalistic texts like the Zohar (13th century), the Temple represents the Sephirotic Tree of Life, with rooms corresponding to emanations of God (e.g., Holy of Holies as Kether, the Crown). Legends claim Solomon used magical knowledge—derived from the "Key of Solomon" grimoires—to command demons for construction, blending wisdom (Chokmah) with understanding (Binah). The "lost word" or "Mason's Word" in later traditions refers to a secret name of God uttered during rituals, now forgotten, symbolizing humanity's fall from grace.

The destruction and "loss" of the Temple fuel apocalyptic myths: it's prophesied to be rebuilt in the Messianic age (Ezekiel 40–48 describes a visionary Third Temple). In Christian mysticism, Jesus calls himself the "temple" (John 2:19–21), shifting focus inward. Islamic tradition reveres the site as the "Farthest Mosque" (Al-Aqsa), where Muhammad ascended to heaven. Overall, the myth portrays the Temple as a axis mundi—a bridge between heaven and earth, lost due to human corruption but redeemable through spiritual quest.

The Temple of Solomon as symbolic microcosm

In the Western Mystery Tradition the Temple of Solomon embodies the pursuit of divine wisdom and inner transformation. Emerging prominently during the Renaissance (e.g., via Marsilio Ficino and Pico della Mirandola), it represents the "Prisca Theologia" or ancient theology, a primordial truth hidden in symbols.

Symbolically, the Temple is the microcosm: its proportions reflect sacred geometry (golden ratio, pi), aligning with Pythagorean and Platonic ideals. In Alchemy, building the Temple parallels the "Great Work"—transmuting base matter (the self) into gold (enlightenment). The Holy of Holies, veiled and accessible only to the High Priest, mirrors initiatory secrecy: entering it symbolizes gnosis, direct knowledge of the divine. Kabbalists see it as the Shekinah (divine presence) dwelling in matter, with Jachin and Boaz as the pillars of Mercy and Severity on the Tree of Life.

The "lost Temple" motif signifies humanity's exile from paradise—echoing Atlantis or Eden—and the quest to rebuild it internally. Rosicrucian texts (e.g., Fama Fraternitatis, 1614) invoke Solomon's wisdom as part of their "invisible college," blending Christian mysticism with Egyptian-Hermetic lore. In Theosophy (Helena Blavatsky) and Anthroposophy (Rudolf Steiner), it's a repository of akashic records, accessible via higher consciousness.

Overall, the Temple teaches that true sanctity is internal: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God?" (1 Corinthians 3:16). It represents harmony between spirit and matter, the alchemical marriage of opposites, and the initiatory path from profane to sacred.

The Temple's Meaning in Freemasonry: Building the Inner Temple

Freemasonry, emerging in the early 18th century from medieval stonemasons' guilds, reveres the Temple of Solomon as its foundational myth, allegorizing its construction for moral and spiritual development. The society's "speculative" (philosophical) form, formalized in 1717 with the Grand Lodge of England, claims descent from Temple builders or Knights Templar, though historians trace it to Enlightenment rationalism blended with esoteric revival.

Central to Masonic ritual is the legend of Hiram Abiff, the Temple's master builder (based on biblical Hiram but mythologized). In the Third Degree (Master Mason), Hiram is murdered by apprentices seeking the "secrets of a Master Mason"—a "lost word" or divine name. His death and symbolic resurrection teach fidelity, resurrection of the soul, and the triumph of virtue over vice. Lodges are oriented like the Temple, with the Worshipful Master in the East (symbolizing light/wisdom), and rituals involve "working tools" like the square and compass.

Why "masonry"? Freemasons view themselves as "operative" builders in spirit: constructing a moral edifice. The Temple's perfect design inspires "building" character—layer by layer, from Apprentice (foundation) to Fellowcraft (structure) to Master (completion). This mirrors the Mystery Tradition's initiation: progressing through degrees to uncover hidden truths.

The square and compass are operative tools turned symbolic:

• Square: Represents earthly virtue, rectitude, and morality—"squaring" actions with ethics. It measures right angles, symbolizing justice and the material world (the "square" as in "fair and square").
• Compass: Denotes heavenly wisdom, boundaries, and the spiritual realm—drawing circles, it evokes the divine architect (God as "Grand Geometrician"). It teaches to "circumscribe desires" within moral limits.
• Together: Often interlaced with a "G" (God or Geometry), they symbolize balance between material (square) and spiritual (compass), echoing the Temple's harmony. In rituals, they're used to "prove" work—ensuring alignment with divine law.

Freemasonry's dedication to these ideas stems from Enlightenment ideals: using reason (geometry) to build enlightened society, while preserving esoteric threads from Rosicrucianism and Kabbalah. Critics see it as secretive elitism, but Masons view it as a universal brotherhood promoting tolerance, charity, and self-improvement. Influential figures like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin embodied this, using Masonic principles in founding modern democracies.

• Plan and cube of the Holy of Holies. “The temple… was sixty cubits long, twenty wide and thirty high.” The inner sanctuary: “twenty cubits long, twenty wide and twenty high,” overlaid with gold; the Ark placed there.
• Ark in the debîr. “He prepared the inner sanctuary… to set the ark of the covenant of the LORD there.”

• First Temple completed ca. 957 BCE; destroyed 587/586 BCE by Babylonia. Second Temple finished 515 BCE, transformed by Herod; destroyed 70 CE. Western Wall remains a retaining wall of the complex.

• Apocalypse mirror. “The river of the water of life… flowing from the throne of God… the leaves… for the healing of the nations.”

• Philo (Hellenistic-Jewish allegory). Tabernacle and high-priestly regalia signify cosmic order (colors/elements/zodiac); the sanctuary is a symbol of the cosmos. (Summary of De Vita Mosis and related treatises.)

“And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold” (1 Kings 6:20, KJV).

“I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple” (Ezekiel 47:1, NIV).

“You yourselves are God’s temple and God’s Spirit dwells in your midst” (1 Corinthians 3:16, NIV).

Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 3.7.7: the twelve stones on the high priest’s breastplate represent the months and the zodiac; the robe signifies the earth; the headpiece, heaven.

• “You yourselves are God’s temple and… God’s Spirit dwells in your midst.” “Your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.”
• “Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets… the whole building… becomes a holy temple… you too are being built together.”
• “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house.”

The Temple of Solomon, also known as the First Temple, was constructed in Jerusalem during the 10th century BCE, traditionally dated to around 957 BCE during the reign of King Solomon, son of David (1 Kings 5–8; 2 Chronicles 2–4). It served as a permanent dwelling place for the God of Israel, replacing the portable Tabernacle used since the Exodus. The biblical narrative describes its construction as a monumental event in Israel’s history, marking the height of the united monarchy and the nation’s prosperity through trade, alliances, and military success.

Solomon’s building project was made possible through an alliance with Hiram I, King of Tyre, who supplied cedar and cypress timber from Lebanon, as well as skilled craftsmen. A figure named Hiram Abiff, or Huram-Abi, is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 2:13–14 as a master craftsman skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, iron, stone, and wood. In Freemasonic tradition, Hiram Abiff becomes a central mythic figure — the chief architect of the Temple, murdered by three ruffians seeking the Master’s Word, a secret name of God. This allegory, absent from the Bible, was developed in 17th–18th century Masonry to teach fidelity, the inevitability of death, and the hope of resurrection.

The Temple stood on Mount Moriah, a site associated in Genesis 22 with Abraham’s near-sacrifice of Isaac and in 2 Samuel 24 with David’s purchase of the threshing floor to build an altar. Construction took seven years and culminated in a lavish dedication ceremony, during which the Ark of the Covenant was placed in the Holy of Holies. This innermost sanctuary, a perfect cube of twenty cubits in length, width, and height, was overlaid with pure gold and accessible only to the High Priest on Yom Kippur (1 Kings 6:20).

Architecturally, the Temple was divided into three parts: the Ulam (vestibule), the Hekhal (sanctuary), and the Debir (Holy of Holies). The building measured approximately 60 cubits long, 20 wide, and 30 high, with the interior walls lined with cedar and overlaid with gold, carved with cherubim, palm trees, and flowers. Two massive bronze pillars, Jachin (“He establishes”) and Boaz (“In him is strength”), stood at the porch, later interpreted in Kabbalah as the Pillars of Mercy and Severity on the Tree of Life.

The Temple functioned as the spiritual and ritual center of Israelite religion for nearly four centuries. In 586 BCE, it was destroyed by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II during the conquest of Jerusalem, an event that began the Babylonian Exile. The Ark of the Covenant disappeared at this time, giving rise to traditions that it was hidden, taken to Ethiopia, buried on the Temple Mount, or destroyed. A Second Temple was completed in 515 BCE after the return from exile, greatly expanded by Herod the Great in the first century BCE, and destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. Today, the Western Wall remains as part of the Herodian expansion’s retaining structures.

Beyond its historical existence, the Temple of Solomon developed a profound symbolic and esoteric significance. In prophetic and apocalyptic literature, it became the prototype for the ideal or heavenly temple described in Ezekiel 40–48 and Revelation 21–22, where a river of life flows from its threshold to heal the nations. Jewish sources such as Josephus and Philo of Alexandria interpreted the Temple and the vestments of the High Priest as a microcosm of the universe, with its architecture corresponding to the elements, planets, and zodiac signs. In Christian writings, the Temple is internalized: Paul’s letters declare the believer to be the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19), and in the Gospel of John (2:19–21), Jesus identifies his own body as the true temple.

In Western esotericism, the Temple symbolizes the perfected microcosm — the human being or soul aligned with divine order through sacred geometry and moral discipline. Its measurements and proportions have been associated with the golden ratio and Pythagorean harmonics. In alchemy, the building of the Temple parallels the Great Work: the transformation of base matter (the profane self) into spiritual gold (illumined being). The Holy of Holies becomes an emblem of the inmost center of consciousness, veiled from the uninitiated, where the divine presence — the Shekhinah — dwells. The pillars Jachin and Boaz frame the initiate’s passage into the mysteries, uniting opposites in balance.

For the Knights Templar, whose headquarters in Jerusalem was located on the Temple Mount, the Temple’s name and associations became integral to their identity. In medieval Grail literature, Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival depicts the Grail guardians as “Templeisen,” suggesting a fusion of the Templar ideal with the Grail quest. In Freemasonry, the Temple is the central allegory: the lodge room represents the Temple, the Master is placed in the East as Solomon, and the initiate progresses through degrees that mirror the stages of construction, loss, and restoration. The legend of Hiram Abiff serves as the Master Mason’s initiation into the deeper mysteries of life, death, and resurrection.

Rosicrucian manifestos such as the Fama Fraternitatis (1614) invoke Solomon’s wisdom and the Temple’s sacred proportions as part of their vision of an “invisible college.” In these and later mystical systems, rebuilding the Temple of Solomon becomes the inner work of constructing a spiritual edifice within oneself, restoring the harmony of Eden, and preparing the soul to receive the divine presence.