The House of the Lord: A Study of Holy Sanctuaries, Ancient and Modern is a 1912 book by James E. Talmage that discusses the doctrine and purpose of the temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Published by the LDS Church, it was the first book to contain photographs of the interiors of Latter-day Saint temples.
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| Author | James E. Talmage |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |
Publication date | 1912 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 238 |
On September 16, 1911, the Salt Lake Tribune published an account of individuals who had secretly taken photographs of the interior of the Salt Lake Temple while it was undergoing renovation.[1] The photographers had written to the church's First Presidency in a blackmail attempt. The church was offered the photographs for $100,000. If the church refused to pay, the photographers threatened to publicly display the photographs.[1][2] Church president Joseph F. Smith was outraged and refused to deal with the photographers.[1][2]
In response to this report, Talmage wrote to the First Presidency and proposed the church pre-empt the revelation of the photographs by authorizing the publication of a book that contained high-quality photographs of the interior of temples.[3] Talmage also proposed that the book could contain an explanation of the purpose and importance of temples to Latter-day Saints.[3] The First Presidency agreed with Talmage's proposal and on September 22 assigned Talmage to produce such a book.[3] The book was completed on September 30, 1912. During the time he was working on the book, Talmage was ordained as a church apostle in December 1911.[3]
The House of the Lord contained 46 photographic plates with descriptive captions and included photos of the interiors and exteriors of the six temples that built by 1912: the Kirtland, Nauvoo, Salt Lake, St. George, Logan, and Manti temples.[3] The majority of the photos—31 of them—were of the interior of the Salt Lake Temple, including one of the temple's Holy of Holies.[3] In the 1968 edition of the book, the photograph of the Holy of Holies was omitted.[3]
Talmage's book "had a significant and long-lasting effect on nonmembers and members alike".[3] The book has gone through a number of editions and remains in print. In October 2010, an adapted excerpt from the book was published by the LDS Church in its official magazine.[4] In 2000, Signature Books published a 1912 first-edition reproduction.
Sample of photographic plates
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The Holy of Holies in the Salt Lake Temple -
The Celestial Room in the Salt Lake Temple -
The Celestial Room in the Salt Lake Temple -
A spiral staircase in the Salt Lake Temple -
The baptismal font in the Salt Lake Temple -
The Telestial Room in the Salt Lake Temple -
The Garden Room in the Salt Lake Temple -
The Terrestrial Room in the Salt Lake Temple
See also
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Notes
edit- ^ a b c Wadsworth, Nelson B. (1996) [1992]. "Epilogue: The Max Florence Affair". Set in Stone, Fixed in Glass: The Mormons, the West, and Their Photographers. Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books. pp. 355–59. ISBN 1-56085-024-8.
- ^ a b Walgren, Kent (Fall 1996). "Inside the Salt Lake Temple: Gisbert Bossard's 1911 Photographs" (PDF). Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. 29: 1–43.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Seely, David R. (2000). "Explaining the Temple to the World: James E. Talmage's Monumental Book, The House of the Lord". FARMS Review. 12 (2): 415–26.
- ^ Talmage, James E. (October 2010). "A History of Temples". Liahona.
External links
edit- The House of the Lord on archive.org