A Temple (from the Latin: templum "sacred place") is a house of worship used primarily for the purposes of religious devotion. Temples serve a variety of functions in the lives of a religious community: as places for ritual, worship, celebration, sacrifice, and communal activity. Most religions have temples of some sort, whether they are termed "mosque," "mandir," "church," or "gurdwara." Temples are an essential part of many religious traditions because they are believed to represent a physical location for connecting with the divine. In addition, ancient temples frequently functioned as a social center, like a City Hall with scribes and record keepers. Sometimes they were a place of refuge and care for widows, orphans, the handicapped, the sick, and refugees from war. There was no separation of religion and state in the ancient world.
The various temples of the world exhibit a vast array of architectural and iconographic styles. However, they share the same common interest in creating a "sacred space" in which to commune with the divine. This theme is so central to human religiosity that virtually all religions (even those who do not use temples) make use of the metaphorical connotations of the term, as it provides a symbol that can be utilized both macrocosmically (viewing the entire universe as a temple of God) and microcosmically (viewing one's own body as a temple of divine energy, power, and love).
From: https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Temple
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Descendant of:
THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT MYTHOLOGY AND THE CLASSICAL WORLD RELIGIONTexts with this theme:
- Lebenstraum, D 1A, D 39 (Gabriele von Baumberg)
- Die vier Weltalter, D 391 (Friedrich von Schiller)
- Lied eines Schiffers an die Dioskuren, D 360 (Johann Baptist Mayrhofer)
- Kantate zum Geburtstag des Sängers Johann Michael Vogl, D 666 (Albert Stadler)