Secrets of Jerusalem's Temple Mount

by Leen Ritmeyer, Kathleen Ritmeyer, Hershel Shanks (Foreword)

The site of ancient Israel's holy Temple is uncovered stone by stone in this special selection of groundbreaking articles from the pages of Biblical Archaeology Review. Discover the hidden secrets of Solomon's Temple and King Herod's expansion of the Temple Mount, where the ark of the Covenant once stood and where Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers.

Illustrated throughout with stunning photos nd clear explanatory drawings, this book by famed archaeological architect Dr. Leen Ritmeyer and archaeological researcher and writer Kathleen Ritmeyer explains what archaeology can teach us about this holy ground. Dr. Ritmeyer is the world's leading authority on the archaeology of the Temple Mount, having worked with Israel's most respected excavators. Kathleen Ritmeyer has worked with Leen on several projects, including a forthcoming book on the Temple Mount, and the preparation of a traveling exhibit of two large models of the Temple and the Temple Mount

Genres: Archaeology, Nonfiction

116 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1998

Reviews

[Randy Mccracken · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always leaned toward believing that the Temple originally stood on the site of the Dome of the Rock. First, temples were usually constructed on the highest point of a mountain. Second, once a place was considered holy in the ancient world, it usually stayed holy unless somehow desecrated. Since es-Sakhra is the highest point on the mountain, it makes sense this is where Solomon would have built the Temple. It also makes sense that Zerubbabel, and later Herod would have rebuilt the Second Temple on the same spot. It's hard to imagine that Jews would have accepted moving the Holy of Holies to a different location, or any other part of the sacred structure. This is one reason I have never favored any of the other theories that have been proposed. Ritmeyer's experience and study of the Temple Mount, and his indepth arguments have only served to strengthen my belief. Furthermore, Secrets of Jerusalem's Temple Mount, taught me many other details that I had no knowledge of. Even though this book is written for a general audience it is very detailed and technical and therefore it may not appeal to everyone. But for those who are interested in the Temples of Solomon and Herod, their significance, where they stood, and what they looked like, Secrets of Jerusalem's Temple Mount is a goldmine of information. I highly recommend it!

For a full review click here:http://www.biblestudywithrandy.com/20...

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and rather convincing archeological history of the Temple Mount. It keys on recent discoveries of Dr. Ritmeyer in regards to the first and second temples and all the expansions thereof.

[Eric Chevlen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a marvelous review of the archaeology of the Temple Mount. The author is an engineer as well as archaeologist, and both strengths are on display here. The author doesn't simply tell what remnants of the Temple Mount are still standing; he tells how we know when each of them was built. He also describes how the Temple Mount (and Temple!) appeared before their destruction.

The book is well named, because, unlike other books, if focuses much more on the Temple Mount than on the Temple itself.

I plan to carry this book with me when I visit Jerusalem so that I can have the author as my virtual guide around the Temple Mount.

[Ben B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having ready several of the author's articles in Biblical Archaeology Review, I was delighted to find his research and hypotheses regarding the temple mount collected in one volume. The history of the mount is presented clearly and concisely, but of course the heart of the book is the author's thesis concerning the location of the Temple of Solomon. He makes the case cogently, and supports it with documentation I have not seen anywhere else (and not widely available today, due to the volatile political situation).

[Robert Clay · Rating 2 out of 5]

A couple of chapters were really interesting, but overall it was just a bit too architecturally exacting for my taste. I guess I will never be an archaeologist.