From Michael Ruse:

The first chapter of Volume III, Orthodox Christianity begins with the tabernacle of the wilderness, “sacred places” where God appeared, and Solomon’s temple. Our temple worship comes from the ancient Hebrew forms of worship that are described in the early books of the Scriptures. There are many details about measurements, dimensions, materials, bloody sacrifices, symbols, prayers, rituals, and holy objects. From a kind of “tent-temple” the Hebrew people then made a permanent temple for worshiping God in Jerusalem. Aside from those very important developments and parallels to our own worship services, why did King David, not God himself, come up with the idea of creating a “political center” for the state of Jerusalem with its temple built with stone?

Unless you are Roman Catholic, Jewish, or Muslim, it may be difficult to understand why one particularly defined place in the world, like Rome, Jerusalem, or Mecca, deserves more political or spiritual attention for the center of worship than other places. This chapter will help us understand the difference between a synagogue and a temple, how Christians started to break from Jewish places of worship or study, and why Jesus was in the temple in Jerusalem so often during his earthly life. These are only a few questions that can be asked when discussing this rich chapter on how, “the history of the temple is inseparably linked to the history of the Hebrew people” and how Christ Jesus Himself is “One greater than the temple.”