Temple by Robert Cornuke

The traditional site of Solomon's and Herod's Temples is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Cornuke says that much fought over location with the Mosque of Omar on it is not the right one.

Cornuke says he had accepted that location until he was introduced to the work of the late archaeologist and author Dr. Ernest L. Martin. He now calls the “mistaken placement of the temple location on the Temple Mount” the “greatest archaeological blunder of all time.” (35)

The true site, he says, is about a quarter of a mile due south, outside of Muslim control. The Temple Mount, he argues, is actually the site of Fort Antonia, housing some 10,000 soldiers and support personnel.

He uses his own experiences (such as his tour of excavation sites with Eli Shukron, Director of Excavations at the City of David in Jerusalem), Scripture, and historical accounts to prove his case. He reminds us that in 70 AD the temple was completely uprooted by the Romans, fulfilling Christ's prophecy that not one stone would be left standing. Following that, the exact location of the temple would be unknown for hundreds of years.

Does he prove his case? He certainly provides lots of evidence that seems to indicate his location is the correct one. One that impressed me was the presence of the Gihon Spring, a source of running water needed for many of the temple rituals.

You can go here to read a synopsis of Cornuke's argument and, scrolling to the bottom of that page, see drawings of the proposed location.

As Cornuke notes near the end of his book, this discovery has profound ramifications for the possibility of a third temple being built. Since he has already investigated the possible location of the Ark of the Covenant, which he also recounts in this book, nothing stands in the way.

This is a controversial topic and if you'd like to read evidence disputing Cornuke's caims, you can go here.

Robert Cornuke is president of the Bible Archaeology Search and Exploration (BASE) Institute. He has participated in over 50 expeditions searching for lost locations described in the Bible and has been featured on major television networks. He is a former FBI-trained police investigator and SWAT team member. The author of nine books, he received his PhD from Louisiana Baptist University. He and his wife, along with their children, live in the Pikes Peak region of Colorado.

LifeBridge Books, 207 pages.