Temple legend

The Temple legend tells the story of the building of King Solomon's temple by the architect Hiram Abiff, and includes the linked legend of the Molten sea.

The legend plays an important role in the rosecrucian tradition, for more context see the introduction on Paradise legend

Hiram Abiff symbolizes the Human 'I', and the story represents the transition to build the temple of Man and his higher self or Man's higher triad, along with the challenges the threefold soul faces as the lower three of Man's bodily principles inhibit the development of the higher ones.

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For a positioning, see: Streams of Abel and Cain#Note 1 - On Paradise Legend, Golden Legend, Temple Legend, and the Streams of Abel and Cain

Aspects

• Hiram Abiff is often regarded an early incarnation of the Individuality of Christian Rosenkreutz, but there is also a statement by Rudolf Steiner pointing to Jeshu ben Pandira. See: Bodhisattva#Note 3 - On Hiram Abiff or Adoniram and Jeshu ben Pandira

Illustrations

Schema FMC00.330 provides a schematic overview of the Temple Legend and the building of Solomon's temple (click three times to enlarge)

Lecture coverage and references

Coverage

Rudolf Steiner covers the topics of the Temple legend in many lectures,

• the first reference is 1904/5-GA093 (Temple legend) with four main lectures:
  • 1910-06-10 on Cain and Abel,
  • 1905-05-15 and 22 and 29 on the lost temple and how it is to be restored
  • and further references in 1904-11-04, 1905-10-23
• the most extensive coverage is in
  • GA265, oa p 379-386 and p 400-416
  • GA265A
• furthermore also in GA046 p 430-437

Extracts

1905-05-29

1906-12-17-GA096

1907-05-21-GA284

1907-11-25-GA100

1913-03-25-GA145

1915-12-19-GA165

Related pages

• Molten sea
• Paradise legend
• Streams of Abel and Cain
• Golden legend

References and further reading

• Gérard de Nerval (1808-1855): 'Histoire de la Reine du Matin et de Soliman Prince des Génies, PLA: Voyage en Orient.' (original in FR)
  • in DE 2001 as: 'Die Tempellegende: Die Geschichte von der Königin aus dem Morgenland und von Sulaiman, dem Fürsten der Genien'
  • in NL 1986: 'De legende van Salomo's tempel : De geschiedenis van de Koningin van de Morgen en van Soliman Vorst der Geesten'