4. Temples played a vitally important role among the peoples of the Book of Mormon. Following their arrival in the promised land, Nephi built a temple "after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things" (2 Nephi 5:16), where Nephi’s brothers Jacob and Joseph later taught as priests (see Jacob 1:17–8). Subsequently, temples were built in Zarahemla (see Mosiah 1:18, 2:1, 5–7) and in Bountiful, where the risen Christ appeared to the people (see 3 Nephi 11:1; compare Mosiah 6:3).9

In the Community council (there shall be) twelve men and three priests, perfect in everything that has been revealed about all the law to implement truth, justice, judgment, compassionate love and unassuming behaviour of each person to his fellow to preserve faithfulness on the earth with firm purpose and repentant spirit in order to atone for sin, doing justice and undergoing trials in order to walk with everyone in the measure of truth and the regulation of time. (1QS VIII 1–4)

{A}t this moment the men of the Community shall set themselves apart (like) a holy house for Aaron, in order to enter the holy of holies, and (like) a house of the Community for Israel, (for) those who walk in perfection. (1QS IX 5–6)

They shall not desecrate the oil of their priestly anointing with the blood of futile nations. (1QM IX 8–9)

And the priests, sons of Aaron, shall station themselves in front of the lines and blow the memorial trumpets. And afterwards, they shall open the gat[es] to the soldiers of the infantry. The priests shall blow the battle trumpets [to strike] the lines of the nations. (4Q493 1–4)

They shall be for me a people and I will be for them for ever and I shall establish them for ever and always. I shall sanctify my temple with my glory, for I shall make my glory reside over it until the day of creation, when I shall create my temple, establishing it for myself for ever, in accordance with the covenant which I made with Jacob at Bethel. (11Q19 XXIX 7–9)

[Because he has established] the holy of holies among the eternal holy ones, so that for him they can be priests [who approach the temple of his kingship,] the servants of the Presence in the sanctuary of his glory. In the assembly of all the deities [of knowledge, and in the council of all the spirits] of God, he has engraved his ordinances for all spiritual works, and his [glorious] precepts [for those who establish] knowledge of the people of the intelligence of his glory, the gods who approach knowledge. (4Q400 1 i 3–6)

And in the hand of the Angel of Darkness is total dominion over the sons of deceit; they walk on paths of darkness. Due to the Angel of Darkness all the sons of justice stray, and all their sins, their iniquities, their failings and their mutinous deeds are under his dominion in compliance with the mysteries of God, until his moment; and all their punishments and their periods of grief are caused by the dominion of his enmity. (1QS III 20–3)

{T}o separate themselves from the sons of the pit; to abstain from wicked wealth which defiles, either by promise or by vow, and from the wealth of the temple and from stealing from the poor of the people, from making their widows their spoils and from murdering orphans; to separate unclean from clean and differentiate between the holy and the common. (CD VI 14–7)

The sons of light and the lot of darkness shall battle together for God’s might, between the roar of a huge multitude and the shout of gods and of men, on the day of the calamity. It will be a time of suffering fo[r al]l the people redeemed by God. (1QM I 11–2)

Since ancient time you determined the day of the great battle

[…] to assist truth,

and destroy wickedness,

to demolish darkness

and increase light.

(1Q27 1 i 9–10)

Introduction | Section 1 | Section 2 | Conclusion and Notes