ASK Books
The Temples That Jerusalem Forgot 


Associates for Scriptural Knowledge
P.O. Box 25000
Portland, OR 97298-0990
Phone: 503-292-4352

In this large world in which we live, no man is ever an island. Each of us is constantly coming in contact with others from whom we learn many valuable teachings that cause us to change our minds on some important occasions. In regard to the discovery of the site of the Temples in Jerusalem, I have had the pleasure and the good fortune of being brought into the company of many of the top historians and archaeologists of Jerusalem over the period of my professional career as a historian and theologian. My first visit to Jerusalem in 1961 set my mind on solving the problems that affected the true geographical comprehension of early Jerusalem throughout all its periods of history. I watched closely how Professor Benjamin Mazar and Meir Ben Dov (his assistant at the time) went about their professional duties and this was a great learning experience. Both of them were more than willing to answer questions for me in the many private times that I could learn from them. I later met Professor Mazar's son, Ory, who was the first to recommend to me that the Temples of Solomon and Zerubbabel were located on the Ophel mound just to the north of the original Mount Zion on the southeast ridge. He said that his father was leaning in that direction at the time of his death. After a study of six months, in 1995 I wrote a preliminary report that suggested strongly that this theory was indeed correct for the two earlier Temples. I was then under the impression that Simon the Hasmonean (along with Herod a century later) moved the Temple from the Ophel mound to the Dome of the Rock area. Mr. Bill Lavers in England in reading closely the texts in Josephus mentioned that Herod stated dogmatically that his Temple (though enlarged to be double in size of the former Temple) was still located in the same general area as that of the former Temples. This was also pointed out to me by Dr. James Tabor and David Sielaff (My historical and compositional editor).
 

But then I noticed the eyewitness account of Eleazar who led the final contingent of Jewish resistance to the Romans at Masada. He stated that the Roman fortress which had long been in Jerusalem was the only structure left by 73 C.E. With this key in mind, I came to the conclusion in 1997 that all the Temples were indeed located on the Ophel mound over the area of the Gihon Spring. It then became clear that the dimensions of the Temple (with its unique shape and characteristics) was not the Haram esh-Sharif. We then began to draw (as would an architect) the Temple at its location over the Gihon Spring. I had the good fortune of having a professional artist, who was also interested in biblical matters, draw what Josephus stated in his writings. My thanks go to Lydia Cooper who provided the pictures showing how the Temple and Fort Antonia looked in relationship to one another. The illustrations she provided help make the matter much clearer to those who have only a limited amount of study into these historical and geographical matters.

This book is a result of my concluding research that shows that the Temples of God in Jerusalem were indeed located over the Gihon Spring and not over the Dome of the Rock. What has been  amazing to me is the vast amount of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian records that remain available from the first to the sixteenth centuries that clearly vindicate the conclusions that I have reached in this book of research. Any information that you readers may have or discover that either support or detract from the conclusions that I have made in this book, would be greatly appreciated by me.


Prices Details Reference
$30.95 US ASK #: BK08 ISBN: 0-945657-95-1

Selected Reviews

 "This is an unexpected, exceptional analysis of the historical and archaeological data of the Temples of Jerusalem. This new explanation of the venue of the First and Second Temples provides the solution to heretofore incongruous statements in Josephus with the evidence of the biblical and archaeological records. Not only a work of significant scholarly impact it may well serve as the awaited stimulus for the building of Jerusalem's Third Temple by shifting our collective focus from the Haram esh-Sharif to the area of the Gihon Spring." 
 
- Dr. Michael P. Germano, Editor, bibarch.com. Professor Emeritus Ambassador University, a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and who holds earned doctorates from the University of Southern California and the University of La Verne. 

He has completed post-graduate study in anthropology, archaeology, and theology at Southern Methodist University and Texas A&M University at College Station in Texas. You can contact him at PO Box 2494 Cullowhee, NC 28723-2494. It is my pleasure to recommend his excellent BibArch Web Site that explores the world of biblical archaeology. It is fully scholarly and is at http://www.bibarch.com.

  "When I first read of Ernest L. Martin's thesis that both the 1st and 2nd Jewish Temples, those of Solomon and Herod, were located south of the presently accepted Dome of the Rock location--down in the area of the ancient City of David over the Ophel spring, my reaction was short and to the point--impossible, preposterous!!  Having now read his arguments I am convinced this thesis, however revolutionary and outlandish it first appears, deserves careful, academic and critical consideration and evaluation. I am not yet convinced that Martin has ironed out all the problems or handled all the potential objections, yet he has set forth a case that should be heard. His arguments regarding the size of the Fortress Antonia, based on Josephus and other evidence we have about Roman military encampments, must be addressed. He also makes a most compelling argument based on Luke, writing a decade or so after the 70 C.E. destruction, and obviously wanting to report on the lips of Jesus an accurate prediction of the state of things regarding "not one stone left upon another" in the post-War city of Jerusalem. Historians of the Byzantine, Islamic, and Crusader periods are more qualified to judge his arguments from subsequent epochs, however, my initial reading of Martin's presentation has left me with the same impression--all of this evidence needs to be reexamined in the light of this radical proposal. Martin's thesis is so bold, so utterly non-conventional, and so potentially upsetting, radically altering central aspects of the theological, historical, cultural, and political understanding of Jerusalem and its holy places, it should not be ignored. I hope Martin's book will begin a most interesting debate and critical discussion of all relevant issues." 
 
- Prof. James D. Tabor, Dept. of Religious Studies, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223.
Table of Contents
Chapter Number and Title Page
Part One: The Wrong Site of the Temple
  1 What was the Haram esh-Shariff? 8
  2 The Roman Fortress at Jerusalem 33
  3 The Largeness of Fort Antonia 50
  4 Fort Antonia was a Roman City 60
  5 The Harem esh-Shariff was Fort Antonia 75
  6 The Rock and Fortress of Antonia 82
  7 The Significance of the "Rock" under the Dome of the Rock 93
Part Two: The Original Site of the Temples at Jerusalem
  8 Many Modern Sites for the Temples in Jerusalem 108
  9 The Real Jewish Site of the Temples 142
10 All Jewish Buildings in Jerusalem Destroyed in 70 C.E. 163
11 Every Stone Uprooted from the Temple 168
12 Ruins of the Temple in Southeastern Jerusalem 199
13 The First "Western (Wailing) Wall" 218
14 The Actual Temple Site from 638 to 1099 C.E. 233
Part Three: A Biblical History of the Temples unto Herod the Great
15 The Garden of Eden, The Tower of Babel and the Temple of God 248
16 Where did Solomon build the Temple? 262
17 The Centrality of the Early Temples 271
18 The Temple on the Southeast Ridge 277
19 The Prime Position of the Temple 283
20 The Original Temple over the Gihon Spring 288
21 Necessary Spring Waters within the Temples 308
22 Where was the Akra? 322
23 The City of David and the Ophel 331
24 Critical Problems Facing Simon the Hasmonean 340
25 A New Temple had to be Built 356
26 The Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Jerusalem of Simon 363
27 Resistance to Simon's Rule 368
28 Simon's Building Projects 381
29 The Temple in the Book of Enoch 387
30 Rebuilding the Temple 396
Part Four: The Position and Description of Herod's Temple
31 Descriptions of Fort Antonia and the Temple of Herod 410
32 The Colonnades from the Temple to Fort Antonia 423
33 The Temple that Josephus Knew 432
34 The Proper Comparisons of the Temple 456
35 How Could the Rabbis Forget? 471
456
471
 

© 1976-2025 Associates for Scriptural Knowledge ~ ASK is supported by freewill contributions