TEMPLES.
34. Temples or Other Sacred Places are required for the performance of these holy ordinances. Whenever an organization of the priesthood has existed on earth, the Lord has required the preparation of places suited to His use, where the rites of His Church could be performed. It is but proper that such a structure should be the result of the people's best efforts, inasmuch as it is made by them an offering unto the Lord. In every age of the world, the chosen people have been a temple-building people. Shortly after Israel's deliverance from the bondage of Egypt, the Lord called upon the people to construct a sanctuary to His name, the plan of which He minutely specified. Though this was but a tent, it was elaborately furnished and appointed, the choicest possessions of the people being used in its construction.[443] And the Lord accepted this offering of His wandering people, by manifesting His glory therein, and there revealing Himself.[444] When the people had settled in the promised land, the Tabernacle of the congregation was given a more permanent resting place;[445] yet it still was honored for its sacred purpose, until superseded by the Temple of Solomon as the sanctuary of the Lord.
35. This temple, one of the most gorgeous structures ever erected by man for sacred service, was dedicated with imposing ceremonies; but its splendor was of short duration; for, within less than forty years from the time of its completion, its glory declined, and finally it fell a prey to the flames. A partial restoration of the temple was made after the Jews returned from their captivity; and through the friendly influence of Cyrus and Darius, the temple of Zerubbabel was dedicated.[446] That the Lord accepted this effort of His people to maintain a sanctuary to His name, is fully shown by the spirit that actuated its officers, among whom were Zechariah, Haggai, and Malachi. This temple remained standing for nearly five centuries; and, but a few years before the birth of the Savior, the reconstruction of the edifice was begun by wicked Herod the Great, and the term "Temple of Herod" passed into history.[447] The veil of this temple was rent at the time of the crucifixion,[448] and in the year 70 A. D. the destruction of the building was accomplished by Titus.
36. Modern Temples.—From that time until the present dispensation, no other temples have been reared on the eastern continent. It is true, imposing edifices have been erected for the purposes of worship; but a colossal structure does not necessarily constitute a temple. A temple is more than a church-building, a meeting-house, a tabernacle, or a synagogue; it is a place specially prepared by dedication unto the Lord, and marked by His acceptance, for the performing of the ordinances pertaining to the Holy Priesthood. The Latter-day Saints, true to the characteristics of the chosen of God,[449] have been from the first a temple-building people. Only a few months after the organization of the Church in the present dispensation, the Lord made reference to a temple which was to be built.[450] In July, 1831, the Lord designated a spot in Independence, Mo., as the site of a future temple;[451] but the work of construction thereon has not yet been consummated, as is likewise the case with the temple site at Far West, on which the corner-stones were laid July 4, 1838, and relaid April 26, 1839.
37. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has constructed temples, each an imposing and costly structure, at Kirtland, Ohio; Nauvoo, Illinois; St. George, Logan, Manti, and Salt Lake City, Utah; Cardston, Canada; and Laie, Hawaiian Islands. The temples at Kirtland and Nauvoo were abandoned as the members of the Church who had built them through sacrifice yet untold were driven westward by the force of persecution. The building at Kirtland is now used as an ordinary meeting-house by a small sect that is but little known and that evinces no activity in the sacred labors for which temples are built. The temple at Nauvoo was destroyed through malicious incendiarism. The magnitude and grandeur of the sacred labors accomplished in the temples of the present dispensation, for the salvation of both the living and the dead, give assurance of the Lord's gracious acceptance.[452]
NOTES.
1. Usage of the Term "Baptize" in Ancient Times.—The following instances show the ordinary meaning attached to the Greek term from which our word "baptize" is derived. In all, the idea of immersion is plainly intended.—(For these and other examples, see Millennial Star, Vol. XXI, pp. 687-688.)
Polybius, a writer of history, who flourished during the second century before Christ, uses the following expressions: In describing a naval conflict between the Carthaginian and Roman fleets off the shores of Sicily he says, "If any were hard pressed by the enemy they withdrew safely back, on account of their fast sailing into the open sea: and then turning round and falling on those of their pursuers who were in advance, they gave them frequent blows and 'baptized' many of their vessels."—Book I, ch. 51.
The same writer thus refers to the passage of the Roman soldiers through the river Trebia: "When the passage of the river Trebia came on, which had risen above its usual current, on account of the rain which had fallen, the infantry with difficulty crossed over, being 'baptized' up to the chest."—Book III, ch. 72.
Describing a catastrophe which befell the Roman ships at Syracuse, Polybius states: "Some were upset, but the greater number, their prow being thrown down from a height, were 'baptized' and became full of sea."
Strabo, who lived during the time of Christ, used the term "baptized" in the same sense. He thus describes an instrument used in fishing: "And if it fall into the sea it is not lost: for it is compacted of oak and pine wood: so that even if the oak is 'baptized' by its weight, the remaining part floats and is easily recovered."
Strabo refers to the buoyancy of certain saline waters thus: "These have the taste of salt water, but a different nature, for even persons who cannot swim are not liable to be 'baptized' in them, but float like logs on the surface."
Referring to a salt spring in Tatta, the same writer says: "So easily does the water form a crust round everything 'baptized' into it that if persons let down a circlet of rushes they will draw up wreaths of salt."
Speaking of a species of pitch from the lake Sirbonis, Strabo says: "It will float on the surface owing to the nature of the water, which, as we said, is such as to render swimming unnecessary, and such that one who walks upon it is not 'baptized.'"
Dio Cassius, speaking of the effects of a severe storm near Rome says: "The vessels which were in the Tiber, which were lying at anchor near the city, and to the river's mouth, were 'baptized.'"
The same author thus alludes to the fate of some of Curio's soldiers while fleeing before the forces of Juba: "Not a few of these fugitives perished, some being knocked down in their attempts to get on board the vessels, and others, even when in the boats, being 'baptized' through their weight."
Alluding to the fate of the Byzantians who endeavored to escape the siege by taking to the sea, he says: "Some of those, from the extreme violence of the wind, were 'baptized.'"
2. Baptism among the Greeks.—"The native Greeks must understand their own language better than foreigners, and they have always understood the word baptism to signify dipping; and therefore from their first embracing of Christianity to this day they have always baptized, and do yet baptize, by immersion."—Robinson.
3. Early Form of Christian Baptism.—History furnishes ample proof that in the first century after the death of Christ, baptism was administered solely by immersion. Tertullian thus refers to the immersion ceremony common in his day: "There is no difference whether one is washed in a sea or in a pool, in a river or in a fountain, in a lake or in a channel: nor is there any difference between those whom John dipped in Jordan, and those whom Peter dipped in the Tiber.... We are immersed in the water."
The following are but a few of the instances on record (see Millennial Star, Vol. XXI, pp. 769-770):
Justin Martyr describes the ceremony as practiced by himself. First describing the preparatory examination of the candidate, he proceeds: "After that they are led by us to where there is water, and are born again in that kind of new birth by which we ourselves were born again. For upon the name God, the Father and Lord of all, and of Jesus Christ, our Savior, and of the Holy Spirit, the immersion in water is performed, because the Christ hath also said, 'Except a man be born again, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.'"
Bishop Bennet says concerning the practices of the early Christians: "They led them into the water and laid them down in the water as a man is laid in a grave; and then they said those words, 'I baptize (or wash) thee in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost'; then they raised them up again, and clean garments were put on them; from whence came the phrases of being baptized into Christ's death, of being buried with Him by baptism into death, of our being risen with Christ, and of our putting on the Lord Jesus Christ, of putting off the old man, and putting on the new."
"That the apostles immersed whom they baptized there is no doubt.... And that the ancient church followed their example is very clearly evinced by innumerable testimonies of the fathers."—Vossius.
"Burying as it were the person baptized in the water, and raising him out again, without question was anciently the more usual method."—Archbishop Secker.
"'Immersion' was the usual method in which baptism was administered in the early Church.... Immersion was undoubtedly a common mode of administering baptism, and was not discontinued when infant baptism prevailed.... Sprinkling gradually took the place of immersion without any formal renunciation of the latter."—Canon Farrar.
4. The Fathers and the Children.—"The revelation in our day of the doctrine of baptism for the dead may be said to have constituted a new epoch in the history of our race. At the time the Prophet Joseph received that revelation, the belief was general in Christendom that at death the destiny of the soul was fixed irrevocably and for all eternity. If not rewarded with endless happiness, then endless torment was its doom, beyond all possibility of redemption or change. The horrible and monstrous doctrine, so much at variance with every element of Divine justice, was generally believed, that the heathen nations who had died without a knowledge of the true God, and the redemption wrought out by His Son Jesus Christ, would all be eternally consigned to hell. The belief upon this point is illustrated by the reply of a certain Bishop to the inquiry of the king of the Franks, when the king was about to submit to baptism at the hands of the bishop. The king was a heathen, but had concluded to accept the form of religion then called Christianity. The thought occurred to him that if baptism were necessary for his salvation, what had become of his dear ancestors who had died heathens? This thought framed itself into an inquiry which he addressed to the bishop. The prelate, less politic than many of his sect, bluntly told him they had gone to hell. 'Then, by Thor, I will go there with them,' said the king, and thereupon refused to accept baptism or become a Christian."—Geo. Q. Cannon's Life of Joseph Smith, p. 510.
5. Temples and Sacred Places.—"When the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, determined to make that people a nation to Himself, as soon as they had arrived at a safe distance from surrounding peoples, He required them to build a Tabernacle, which is sometimes called the Temple, wherein He could institute certain ordinances and regulations for their guidance and worship. This, at the commencement of their pilgrimage in the wilderness, was made portable, and of the costliest and best material within their reach; and one of the tribes was set apart to have charge of it and its appurtenances. Such has ever been the purpose of the Lord. This served them through their journey and in the promised Canaan, until suitable wealth enabled Solomon to erect a magnificent Temple on Mount Moriah, since called 'The Hill of Zion,' to which all Israel came annually to worship or attend conference. The Lord has informed us (Doc. and Cov. cxxiv, 39) that His people are always commanded to build Temples, or holy houses, unto His holy name. This accounts for our reading in the Book of Mormon of so many Temples having been erected on this continent. It also explains why the Prophet Joseph so early taught the commencement of a Temple in every important location of the Saints."—Compendium, F. D. Richards and J. A. Little, pp. 301-302. Consult: Exo. xxv-xxviii; I Kings vi-viii; Ezra vi; II Nephi v, 16; and compare Jacob i, 17; ii, 2-11; Mosiah i, 18; ii, 6-7; Alma xvi, 13; xxiii, 2; xxvi, 29; Helaman iii, 9; x, 8; Doc. and Cov. i, 7-9; lxxxiv, 3-5, 31; xcvii, 10; cxxiv, 29-51, 55. See also Temples, J. M. Sjodahl, Salt Lake City, 1892. See "The House of the Lord, a Study of Holy Sanctuaries, Ancient and Modern," by James E. Talmage, Salt Lake City, 1912.