“I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon”
Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2021 5:46 pm
2 Nephi 5 wrote:
16 And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine.
Here we have Nephi and his followers living in survival mode when their main and only concern should be keeping themselves alive. Food, shelter, clothing, medicine! The idea of building a temple after the manner of Solomon is entirely Joseph Smith’s fictionalized idea that he invented and incorporated into his story to appear romantic and authentic. Blood, sweat, and tears, into a building made with hands just so one can worship God when their very lives should be spent in building homesteads and producing farms and crops -- here we are concerned with a temple after the manner of Solomon's which was built under the auspices of a vast work force and with the aid and wealth of a nation state. Nothing could be further from a historical truth in claiming a Nephite band living out of the jungles and wilderness built a temple after the manner of Solomon’s.