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Temple
(3,208 words)

1. Religious History

1.1. Temples are places to worship God1) or the gods. Their construction and artistic furnishings reflect the basic cosmological and mythical ideas of a religion. Especially the way of distinguishing the sacred and the profane, which is not always as clear and simple as in the case of the Greek temenos or the Roman templum, is demonstrated by the shape of the temple. In many cases, as in the East, we find concentric spheres of the sacred, culminating in the holiest place of all (Sanctuary). A path leads from the outer secu…

Cite this page
Klimkeit, Hans-Joachim and Fritz, Volkmar, “Temple”, in: Encyclopedia of Christianity Online. Consulted online on 10 December 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2211-2685_eco_T.15>
First published online: 2011
First print edition: ISBN: 9789004169678, 20080512



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