The Temple: Meeting Place of Heaven and Earth (Art and Imagination)

Description

The idea of the temple-the holy precinct, the meeting of God and man-is central to all religions. John Lundquist follows it back into the darkness of prehistory, unveiling features that are common to ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian beiefs, Hinduism, Buddhism, Maya and Aztec cults, Islam, Judaism and Christianity; and showing examples that range from Angkor Wat to the biblical Temple of Solomon. The place of ritual and initiation, the mountain, the waters of generation, the pillar joining heaven, earth and the underworld, the path to the innermost sanctuary: these concepts are universal and eternal. They appear in sacred texts and works of art from every time and place, and in the subconscious minds of us all.

With more than two million copies sold in more than a dozen languages, the Art & Imagination series provides illustrated introductions by distinguished writers and scholars to the worlds of mythology, symbols, and sacred traditions. This classic series has now been redesigned and reformatted for a new generation of readers, and it launches with the following four titles. This cross-cultural compendium shows how the holy meeting place is common to faiths and sites from Greece to Mexico, from Jerusalem to Cambodia and beyond. 137 illustrations, 42 in color