Destruction of temples and their transformation into churches are central symbols of change in religious environment, socio-political system, and public perception in late antiquity. Archaeologists, historians, and historians of religion seek an appropriate larger perspective on the phenomenon a oetemple-destructiona .

Destruction of temples and their transformation into churches are central symbols of change in religious environment, socio-political system, and public perception in late antiquity. Archaeologists, historians, and historians of religion seek an appropriate larger perspective on the phenomenon “temple-destruction”.

Founded as the main church of the Knights Templar in England, at their New Temple in London, the Temple Church is historically and architecturally one of the most important medieval buildings in England. Its round nave, modelled on the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, is extraordinarily ambitious, combining lavish Romanesque sculpture with some of the earliest Gothic architectural features in any English building of its period. It holds one of the most famous series of medieval effigies in the country. The luminous thirteenth-century choir, intended for the burial of Henry III, is of exceptional beauty. Major developments in the post-medieval period include the reordering of the church in the 1680s by Sir Christopher Wren, and a substantial restoration programme in the early 1840s. Despite its extraordinary importance, however, it has until now attracted little scholarly or critical attention, a gap which is remedied by this volume. It considers the New Temple as a whole in the middle ages, and all aspects of the church itself from its foundation in the twelfth century to its war-time damage in the twentieth. Richly illustrated with numerous black and white and colour plates, it makes full use of the exceptional range and quality of the antiquarian material available for study, including drawings, photographs, and plaster casts. Contributors: Robin Griffith-Jones, Virginia Jansen, Philip Lankester, Helen Nicholson, David Park, Rosemary Sweet, William Whyte, Christopher Wilson.

An edited collection of documents on the the history and doctrines surrounding Mormon temples. Includes excerpts from leaders' diaries, minutes of Quorum of the Twelve meetings, pastoral letters, sermons, and official publications.

The series Religion and Society (RS) contributes to the exploration of religions as social systems – both in Western and non-Western societies; in particular, it examines religions in their differentiation from, and intersection with, other cultural systems, such as art, economy, law and politics. Due attention is given to paradigmatic case or comparative studies that exhibit a clear theoretical orientation with the empirical and historical data of religion and such aspects of religion as ritual, the religious imagination, constructions of tradition, iconography, or media. In addition, the formation of religious communities, their construction of identity, and their relation to society and the wider public are key issues of this series.

This book is a collection of articles examining liturgical music from classical Greece and ancient Israel to late 15th-century Flanders and Spain. The focus is on two main topics: the negative role of instruments in ancient cult music; and the development of ecclesiastical song in early Christianity. Presented in this book are 16 articles written by the author over a period of 30 years. They span two millenia in their coverage, ranging from classical Greece and ancient Israel to the late 15th-century Flanders and Spain. Liturgical music in some form or another is the theme that binds them together, and two topics in particular are focused on: the negative role that instruments play in ancient cult music; and the development of ecclesiastical song in early Christianity. For the negative role of instruments, a series of articles treats classical Greek ethical notions of instruments, the status of instruments in temple and synagogue and the absence of instruments from early Christian and medieval Church music. The second focus - that of the development of ecclesiastical song - is dealt with in several studies that trace the psalmody and hymnody of the Christian tradition from its roots in Judaism to the origins of Gregorian chant in 7th-century Rome. The articles rely strongly on the writings of the Christian Church Fathers, such as Augustine, Basil and John Crystostom.