Jesus in the Temple (Ran Wagner's Question): As a rabbi and not a priest, Jesus would have been allowed to go as far as the Court of the Israelites (the vestibule to the inner courtyard), just past the Court of Women.
There is a later, non-historical Christian tradition that Mary (Jesus's mother) was raised in the Temple.
Luke's Gospel suggests a priestly connection through John the Baptist, who was the son of a priest and related to Jesus.
Ethiopian Temple/Shrine (Ran Wagner's Question): It is unknown if the main Ethiopian Orthodox Church shrine housing the Ark of the Covenant is laid out like the Jerusalem Temple, as its interior and floor plan are generally inaccessible or unknown.
Both early Ethiopian Jewish and Christian communities claim traditions linking them back to Solomon, but these claims date only to the Middle Ages.
Rebuilding the Temple/Sinful Site (Jeff Counz's Question): The idea that it's sinful to walk where the Holy of Holies stood was a 19th-century interpretation related to Judeans returning to the Ottoman Empire and the beginning of the Western Wall worship practice.
The speaker does not know if this sensibility existed when Herod's Temple was constructed.
Herod had to prove his readiness to the priests before reconstruction. Construction workers were likely Israelites (Jews). The speaker suggests reviewing Josephus's account.
Second Temple Appearance (Mara Elman's Question):
The only visual depiction is a coin showing the front facade of the inner place.
The platform, Court of the Gentiles, and surrounding outbuildings are well-known.
The exact layout of the inner precincts and courtyards is a reconstruction based on descriptions from sources like Josephus, which in turn draw on First Temple descriptions in the Bible.
Diagrams of the inner courtyards vary and are somewhat speculative because physical evidence is lacking or mostly gone from the surface.
Samaritan Identity (David Lator's Question): The Samaritans are a mixture, as intermarriage and assimilation of foreigners brought in by the Assyrians occurred.
The Assyrians took away only the small Israelite elite (the "lost 10 tribes"), who assimilated into northern Iraq.
The few foreigners settled in Samaria assimilated into Israelite identity by speaking the language and worshiping the God of Israel.
Judean exiles who returned were also "Babylonianized," adopting new things. The concept of a "pure bloodline" was promoted by Ezra and his successors, but opposed by others (e.g., the book of Ruth).
The Samaritans' definition of the "people of Israel" differed from the Judean priestly class's definition.
Alexander the Great in the Bible (Rain Weber's Question):
Alexander is not mentioned by name in the Protestant Old Testament because the setting of those texts ends before his period.
He is mentioned directly by name in the Books of Maccabees, which are included in the Catholic and Orthodox Old Testaments (the Septuagint) but not the Hebrew or Protestant Bibles. These books are Jewish writings from the Hellenistic period.
The Book of Daniel, the last book written to make it into the Hebrew Bible, symbolically refers to Alexander and his successors (leading to Antiochus IV Epiphanes) through visions (e.g., the idol with different layers, the goat and ram with horns).
Herod's Heirs and Weakened Grip (Darthur Rama's Question): Splitting Herod's kingdom among his heirs weakened their grip compared to Herod's power, but they continued his playbook of building Roman cities and remaining loyal clients to the emperor (e.g., Antipas built Tiberius; Philip built Caesarea Philippi).
Herod's kingdom was briefly reunited under Herod Agrippa (a friend of Emperor Claudius) but Agrippa died after only a few years.
Minoan/Levantine Architectural Connection (Hikado Tanako Sakuron's Question): The connection between Minoan tripartite shrines and the three-section Levantine temples is debatable. Both are ancient civilizations with interactions, but the speaker has not heard a specific theory for this feature.
Holy of Holies as a "Big Ark" (KPus Bradford/Dr. Robert Cargle's Theory): The theory that the Holy of Holies was an "Ark of the Covenant writ large" (due to descriptions of cherubim wings and decorative features mirroring the Ark) is interesting and possible.
The Ark is very important in the mythic history but is missing from the end of the First Temple narrative and the Second Temple.
Cargle's theory suggests King Hezekiah or Josiah, during their iconoclastic reformations, may have destroyed the Ark (like they destroyed Moses' staff), and later editors deleted the reference as a regret.
The importance of the mobile Ark in the Exodus story (written later) served the reformers' goal of concentrating worship in Jerusalem by explaining pre-Jerusalem worship. The theory is an "interesting thesis."
Rebuilding a Modern Temple (Rain Weber's Question):
A temple cannot be rebuilt on the current Temple Mount site without destroying the Dome of the Rock (an important, early Muslim structure and a UNESCO World Heritage site), which would be a "crime against humanity."
A modern temple could be built elsewhere.
It could be rebuilt without "supernatural influence," as people can destroy heritage sites (driven by fundamentalists).
Whoever is in charge of the territory would run it.
Records of People Left in the Land (Marvin's Question): No records have survived from the people left in the land of Judah after the elite were taken to Babylon.
Records exist from the Judean exiles in Egypt (Elephantine) and Babylon, and from the later diaspora communities in the Persian Empire and Egypt.
LDS temples (starting with Kirtland) are inspired by the Old Testament, but specifically by the New Testament understanding of the Jerusalem Temple.
The LDS tradition sought to restore early Christian practice as described in the Book of Acts, where Jesus taught in the Temple and the early community gathered there and held "all things in common."
LDS temples were thus initially inspired by how early Christians used Herod's Temple, not the First Temple period's use.
Temple Access for Jesus (as a non-priest Rabbi): Jesus would have been allowed to go as far as the Court of the Israelites, just past the Court of Women, but not into the Court of the Priests.
Jesus's Family and Priestly Lineage: There is a tradition (e.g., in Luke) connecting Jesus's family to John the Baptist's priestly family, but the speaker dismisses the later Christian tradition that Mary was raised in the Temple as unhistorical.
Ethiopian Temple/Shrine: The speaker is unsure if the Ethiopian shrine housing the Ark of the Covenant is based on the Jerusalem Temple, as its floor plan is not publicly known. They note the historical connection of Ethiopian Jewish and Christian communities to traditions claiming a link back to Solomon, though these claims are Medieval, not ancient.
Rebuilding the Temple and Purity Concerns: The concern about walking where the Holy of Holies was is a 19th-century interpretation related to modern Western Wall worship. Herod's reconstruction required priests' approval, and presumably, the construction workers within the precincts would have been Jews/Israelites.
Knowledge of the Second Temple's Layout: The only visual depiction is the facade on a coin. The outer platform (Court of the Gentiles) is well-known, but the layout of the inner precincts is a reconstruction based on descriptions from sources like Josephus and is somewhat speculative, as the exact positioning and format are not confirmed by archaeological remains.
Samaritans and Intermixture: People are generally mixtures; the Samaritans are an example. The Assyrians took away only a small elite from the Northern Kingdom. The few foreigners settled in Samaria assimilated into the Israelite identity, language, and worship, thus becoming the Samaritan people. The Judean exiles returning from Babylon were themselves "Babylonianized."
Alexander the Great in the Bible: Alexander is not in the Protestant "Old Testament" because those texts' setting ends before his time. He is mentioned by name in the Books of Maccabees, which are part of the Catholic and Orthodox Old Testament (the Septuagint) and fill the Intertestamentary period. In the Book of Daniel, which was written during the Maccabean period, Alexander and his successors are referenced symbolically in visions.
Herod's Successors and the Kingdom Split: The splitting of Herod's kingdom among his heirs weakened their collective power, but they continued Herod's playbook of building Roman-style cities (like Tiberias and Caesarea Philippi) to remain loyal clients of Rome, though they lacked Herod's wealth. The kingdom was briefly reunited under Herod Agrippa by Emperor Claudius.
Minoan/Mycenaean and Levantine Temple Architecture: The suggested link between Minoan tripartite shrines and Levantine temples is debatable; while all are ancient civilizations with interactions, it's unclear if the architectural similarity is coincidence or influence.
Holy of Holies as a "Big Ark Room" Theory: The speaker finds the theory that the Holy of Holies was conceived as an Ark of the Covenant "writ large" (based on mirroring language and decorative features) interesting and plausible, especially when combined with the theory that King Hezekiah destroyed the physical Ark. This would explain the Ark's prominence in the narrative (written later as a potential regret for its destruction) despite its absence from the Second Temple.
Rebuilding a Modern Temple in Jerusalem:
It cannot be rebuilt on the Temple Mount without destroying the Dome of the Rock, a UNESCO World Heritage site and an important early Muslim religious structure.
A temple could be built elsewhere.
It could be rebuilt without "supernatural influence," but only by fundamentalists willing to commit a "crime against humanity."
Whoever controls the territory would run it.
Records of People Left in the Land After Babylonian Captivity: No records have survived from the non-elite people left behind in Judea after the elite were taken to Babylon. Records exist for the exiles in Babylon and Egypt (Elephantine, etc.) and for the later diaspora communities.
LDS Temple Inspiration: LDS temples are inspired by the Old Testament, but primarily through the lens of how Jesus and the early Christians interacted with the Jerusalem Temple as described in the New Testament (Gospels and Acts) — as a place of teaching, community gathering, and a model for restoring early Christian practice.