Temple's Location Found

According to an Israeli archaeologist, the real location of the Temple has been found. Prof. Joseph Patrich, an archaeologist and professor at Hebrew University, used maps created in 1866 by a British explorer and passages from the Jewish Mishnah to pinpoint the exact location of the Temple.

Today, many people believe that the Temple built by King Solomon and rebuilt by the people who returned from exile in Babylon was on the site of the present Muslim Dome of the Rock. However, according to Patrich, the location of the original temple was outside the area where the Dome of the Rock is located.

Although Patrich said his study of the location of the Temple was strictly academic and that no political connotations should be attributed to his research, in this case, it is impossible to separate politics from religion. If the original Temple was located outside the area where the Dome of the Rock is located, then a new Temple could be built without destroying the Muslim holy site.

Read Patrich’s report and view his reconstruction of the Temple area by clicking here.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary

Tags: Joseph Patrich, Temple, Temple Mount