Bede's De Tabernaculo and De Templo

The Temple of Solomon is the most frequently mentioned building in the Bible. The dimensions, a description of the overall plan and the artefacts of the Temple, are described in I Kings 6-8 and Ezekiel 40-42. However, the architectural plan and design of the features of the Temple are a forgotten memory that has been the subject of much speculation. Not a single stone or any contemporary image that can be identified with the Temple of Solomon has survived. However, this has not prevented the Temple from being one of the most important and influential buildings, in both philosophical and physical manifestations, throughout time. In I Corinthians, Paul of Tarsus claimed that he was like a master-builder laying the foundations of the temple of God; this temple was built of faithful souls. Paul turned away from a physical temple to the congregation and the spiritual temple. Solomon's Temple and Paul's master builder analogy become a powerful and enduring temple metaphor in Christian writings. Bede's De Tabernaculo and De Templo reflect this tradition by claiming that the building of the Tabernacle and Solomon's Temple signified one and the same Church of Christ. This paper explores Bede's vision of Solomon's Temple, the building and the metaphor.