They came through the four western gates into the Mountain of the House, and ¹⁶ went up from the Mountain of the House, to the gates of the People’s Court by seven steps, and from the People’s Court to the gates of the Priest’s Court by eight steps: ¹⁷ and the arches in the sides of the gates of both courts led into cloysters ¹⁸ under a double building, supported by three rows of marble pillars, which butted directly upon the middles of the square posts, ran along from thence upon the pavements towards the corners of the Courts: the axes of the pillars in the middle row being eleven cubits distant from the axes of the pillars in the other two rows on either hand; and the building joining to the sides of the gates: the pillars were three cubits in diameter below, and their bases four cubits and an half square. The gates and buildings of both Courts were alike, and ¹⁹ faced their Courts: the cloysters of all the buildings, and the porches of all the gates looking towards the Altar. The row of pillars on the backsides of the cloysters adhered to marble walls, which bounded the cloysters and supported the buildings: ²⁰ these buildings were three stories high above the cloysters, and ²¹ were supported in each of those stories by a row of cedar beams, or pillars of cedar, standing above the middle row of the marble pillars: the buildings on either side of every gate of the People’s Court, being 187½ cubits long, were distinguished into five chambers on a floor, running in length from the gates to the corners or the Courts: there ²² being in all thirty chambers in a story, where the People ate the Sacrifices, or thirty exhedras, each of which contained three chambers, a lower, a middle, and an upper: every exhedra was 37½ cubits long, being supported by four pillars in each row, ²³ whose bases were 4½ cubits square, and the distances between their bases 6½ cubits, and the distances between the axes of the pillars eleven cubits: and where two ²⁴ exhedras joyned, there the bases of their pillars joyned; the axes of those two pillars being only 4½ cubits distant from one another: and perhaps for strengthning the building, the space between the axes of these two pillars in the front was filled up with a marble column 4½ cubits square, the two pillars standing half out on either side of the square column. At the ends of these buildings ²⁵ in the four corners of the Peoples Court, were little Courts fifty cubits square on the outside of their walls, and forty on the inside thereof, for stair-cases to the buildings, and kitchins to bake and boil the Sacrifices for the People, the kitchin being thirty cubits broad, and the stair-case ten. The buildings on either side of the gates of the Priests Court were also 37½ cubits long, and contained each of them one great chamber in a story, subdivided into smaller rooms, for the Great Officers of the Temple, and Princes of the Priests: and in the south-east and north-east corners of this court, at the ends of the buildings, were kitchins and stair-cases for the Great Officers; and perhaps rooms for laying up wood for the Altar.

In the eastern gate of the Peoples Court, sat a Court of Judicature, composed of 23 Elders. The eastern gate of the Priests Court, with the buildings on either side, was for the High-Priest, and his deputy the Sagan, and for the Sanhedrim or Supreme Court of Judicature, composed of seventy Elders. ²⁶ The building or exhedra on the eastern side of the southern gate, was for the Priests who had the oversight of the charge of the Sanctuary with its treasuries: and these were, first, two Catholikim, who were High-Treasurers and Secretaries to the High-Priest, and examined, stated, and prepared all acts and accounts to be signed and sealed by him; then seven Amarcholim, who kept the keys of the seven locks of every gate of the Sanctuary, and those also of the treasuries, and had the oversight, direction, and appointment of all things in the Sanctuary; then three or more Gisbarim, or Under-Treasurers, or Receivers, who kept the Holy Vessels, and the Publick Money, and received or disposed of such sums as were brought in for the service of the Temple, and accounted for the same. All these, with the High-Priest, composed the Supreme Council for managing the affairs of the Temple.

The Sacrifices ²⁷ were killed on the northern side of the Altar, and flea’d, cut in pieces and salted in the northern gate of the Temple; and therefore the building or exhedra on the eastern side of this gate, was for the Priests who had the oversight of the charge of the Altar, and Daily Service: and these Officers were, He that received money of the People for purchasing things for the Sacrifices, and gave out tickets for the same; He that upon sight of the tickets delivered the wine, flower and oyl purchased; He that was over the lots, whereby every Priest attending on the Altar had his duty assigned; He that upon sight of the tickets delivered out the doves and pigeons purchased; He that administred physic to the Priests attending; He that was over the waters; He that was over the times, and did the duty of a cryer, calling the Priests or Levites to attend in their ministeries; He that opened the gates in the morning to begin the service, and shut them in the evening when the service was done, and for that end received the keys of the Amarcholim, and returned them when he had done his duty; He that visited the night-watches; He that by a Cymbal called the Levites to their stations for singing; He that appointed the Hymns and set the Tune; and He that took care of the Shew-Bread: there were also Officers who took care of the Perfume, the Veil, and the Wardrobe of the Priests.

The exhedra on the western side of the south gate, and that on the western side of the north gate, were for the Princes of the four and twenty courses of the Priests, one exhedra for twelve of the Princes, ²⁸ and the other exhedra for the other twelve: and upon the pavement on either side of the Separate Place ²⁹ were other buildings without cloysters, for the four and twenty courses of the Priests to eat the Sacrifices, and lay up their garments and the most holy things: each pavement being 100 cubits long, and 50 broad, had buildings on either side of it twenty cubits broad, with a walk or alley ten cubits broad between them: the building which bordered upon the Separate Place was an hundred cubits long, and that next the Peoples Court but fifty, the other fifty cubits westward ³⁰ being for a stair-case and kitchin: these buildings ³¹ were three stories high, and the middle story was narrower in the front than the lower story, and the upper story still narrower, to make room for galleries; for they had galleries before them, and under the galleries were closets for laying up the holy things, and the garments of the Priests, and these galleries were towards the walk or alley, which ran between the buildings.

They went up from the Priests Court to the Porch of the Temple by ten steps: and the ³² House of the Temple was twenty cubits broad, and sixty long within; or thirty broad, and seventy long, including the walls; or seventy cubits broad, and 90 long, including a building of treasure-chambers which was twenty cubits broad on three sides of the House; and if the Porch be also included, the Temple was ³³ an hundred cubits long. The treasure-chambers were built of cedar, between the wall of the Temple, and another wall without: they were ³⁴ built in two rows three stories high, and opened door against door into a walk or gallery which ran along between them, and was five cubits broad in every story; So that the breadth of the chambers on either side of the gallery, including the breadth of the wall to which they adjoined, was ten cubits; and the whole breadth of the gallery and chambers, and both walls, was five and twenty cubits: the chambers ³⁵ were five cubits broad in the lower story, six broad in the middle story, and seven broad in the upper story; for the wall of the Temple was built with retractions of a cubit, to rest the timber upon. Ezekiel represents the chambers a cubit narrower, and the walls a cubit thicker than they were in Solomon’s Temple: there were ³⁶ thirty chambers in a story, in all ninety chambers, and they were five cubits high in every story. The ³⁷ Porch of the Temple was 120 cubits high, and its length from south to north equalled the breadth of the House: the House was three stories high, which made the height of the Holy Place three times thirty cubits, and that of the Most Holy three times twenty: the upper rooms were treasure-chambers; they ³⁸ went up to the middle chamber by winding stairs in the southern shoulder of the House, and from the middle into the upper.

Some time after this Temple was built, the Jews ³⁹ added a New Court, on the eastern side of the Priests Court, before the King’s gate, and therein built ⁴⁰ a covert for the Sabbath: this Court was not measured by Ezekiel, but the dimensions thereof may be gathered from those of the Womens Court, in the second Temple, built after the example thereof: for when Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the first Temple, Zerubbabel, by the commissions of Cyrus and Darius, built another upon the same area, excepting the Outward Court, which was left open to the Gentiles: and this Temple ⁴¹ was sixty cubits long, and sixty broad, being only two stories in height, and having only one row of treasure-chambers about it: and on either side of the Priests Court were double buildings for the Priests, built upon three rows of marble pillars in the lower story, with a row of cedar beams or pillars in the stories above: and the cloyster in the lower story looked towards the Priests Court: and the Separate Place, and Priests Court, with their buildings on the north and south sides, and the Womens Court, at the east end, took up an area three hundred cubits long, and two hundred broad, the Altar standing in the center of the whole. The Womens Court was so named, because the women came into it as well as the men: there were galleries for the women, and the men worshipped upon the ground below: and in this state the second Temple continued all the Reign of the Persians; but afterwards suffered some alterations, especially in the days of Herod.

This description of the Temple being taken principally from Ezekiel’s Vision thereof; and the ancient Hebrew copy followed by the Seventy, differing in some readings from the copy followed by the editors of the present Hebrew, I will here subjoin that part of the Vision which relates to the Outward Court, as I have deduced it from the present Hebrew, and the version of the Seventy compared together.

Ezekiel chap. xl. ver. 5, &c

⁴² And behold a wall on the outside of the House round about, at the distance of fifty cubits from it, aabb: and in the man’s hand a measuring reed six cubits long by the cubit, and an hand-breadth: so he measured the breadth of the building, or wall*, one reed, and the height one reed.* ⁴³ Then came he unto the gate of the House*, which looketh towards the east, and went up the seven steps thereof,* AB*, and measured the threshold of the gate,* CD*, which was one reed broad, and the* Porters little chamber, EFG*, one reed long, and one reed broad; and the arched passage between the little chambers,* FH*, five cubits: and the second little chamber,* HIK*, a reed broad and a reed long; and the arched passage,* IL*, five cubits: and the third little chamber* LMN*, a reed long and a reed broad: and the threshold of the gate next the porch of the gate within,* OP*, one reed: and he measured the porch of the gate,* QR*, eight cubits; and the posts thereof* ST*,* st*, two cubits; and the porch of the gate,* QR*, was inward,* or toward the inward court*; and the little chambers,* EF*,* HI*,* LM*,* ef*,* hi*,* lm*, were* outward, or to the east; three on this side, and three on that side of the gate*. There was one measure of the three, and one measure of the posts on this side, and on that side; and he measured the breadth of the door of the gate,* Cc*, or* Dd*, ten cubits; and the breadth of the gate* within between the little chambers, Ee or Ff*, thirteen cubits; and the limit, or margin, or step before the little chambers,* EM*, one cubit on this side, and the step,* em*, one cubit on the other side; and the little chambers,* EFG*,* HIK*,* LMN*,* efg*,* hik*,* lmn*, were six cubits* broad on this side, and six cubits broad on that side: and he measured the whole breadth of the gate, from the further wall of one little chamber to the further wall of another little chamber: the breadth, Gg, or Kk, or Nn*, was twenty and five cubits* through*; door,* FH*, against door,* fh*: and he measured the posts,* EF*,* HI*, and* LM*,* ef*,* hi*, and* lm*, twenty cubits* high*; and at the posts there were gates,* or arched passages, FH, IL, fh, il*, round about; and from the* eastern face of the gate at the entrance, Cc*, to the* western face of the porch of the gate within, Tt*, were fifty cubits: and there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to the porch within the gate, round about, and likewise to the posts; even windows were round about within: and upon each post were palm trees.*

Then he brought me into the Outward Court, and lo there were chambers, and a pavement with pillars upon it in the court round about, ⁴⁴ thirty chambers in length upon the pavement, supported by the pillars, ten chambers on every side, except the western*: and the pavement butted upon the shoulders or sides of the gates below,* every gate having five chambers or exhedræ on either side*. And he measured the breadth* of the Outward Court*, from the fore-front of the lower-gate, to the fore-front of the inward court, an hundred cubits eastward.*

Then he brought me northward, and there was a gate that looked towards the north; he measured the length thereof, and the breadth thereof, and the little chambers thereof, three on this side, and three on that side, and the posts thereof, and the porch thereof, and it was according to the measures of the first gate; its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth was five and twenty: and the windows thereof, and the porch and the palm-trees thereof were according to the measures of the gate which looked to the east, and they went up to it by seven steps: and its porch was before them, that is inward*. And there was a gate of the inward court over against* this gate of the north, as in the gates to the eastward: and he measured from gate to gate an hundred cubits.

A Description of THE TEMPLE OF SOLOMON

ABCD. The Separate Place in which stood the Temple.

ABEF. The Court of y^{e} Priests.

G. The Altar.

DHLKICEFD. A Pavement compassing three sides of the foremention’d Courts, and upon which stood the Buildings for the Priests, with Cloysters under them.

MNOP. The Court of the People.

MQTSRN. A Pavement compassing three sides of the Peoples Court, upon which stood the Buildings for the People, with Cloysters under them.

UXYZ. The Mountain of the House.

aabb. A Wall enclosing the whole.

c. The Gate Shallecheth.

d. The Gate Parbar.

ef. The two Gates Assupim.

g. The East Gate of the Peoples Court, call’d the Kings Gate.

hh. The North and South Gates of the same Court.

iiii. The chambers over the Cloysters of the Peoples Court where the People ate the Sacrifices, 30 Chambers in each Story.

kkkk. Four little Courts serving for Stair Cases and Kitchins for the People.

l. The Eastern Gate of the Priests Court, over which sate the Sanhedrin.

m. The Southern Gate of the Priests Court.

n. The Northern Gate of the same Court, where the Sacrifices were flea’d &c.

opqrst. The Buildings over the Cloysters for the Priests, viz six large Chambers (subdivided) in each Story, whereof o and p were for the High Priest and Sagan, q for the Overseers of the Sanctuary and Treasury, r for the Overseers of the Altar and Sacrifice and s and t for the Princes of the twenty four Courses of Priests.

uu. Two Courts in which were Stair Cases and Kitchins for the Priests.

x. The House or Temple which (together with the Treasure Chambers y*, and Buildings* zz on each side of the Separate Place) is more particularly describ’d on the second Plate.

A Description of the Inner Court & Buildings for the Priests in Solomons Temple

ABCD. The Separate Place.

ABEF. The Inner Court, or Court of the Priests, parted from the Separate Place, and and Pavement on the other three sides, by a marble rail.

G. The Altar.

HHH. The East, South, & North Gates of the Priests Court.

III. &c. The Cloysters supporting the Buildings for the Priests.

KK. Two Courts in which were Stair Cases and Kitchins for the Priests.

L. Ten Steps to the Porch of the Temple.

M. The Porch of the Temple.

N. The Holy Place.

O. The most Holy Place.

PPPP. Thirty Treasure-Chambers, in two rows, opening into a gallery, door against door, and compassing three sides of the Holy & most Holy Places.

Q. The Stairs leading to the Middle Chamber.

RRRR. &c. The buildings for the four and twenty Courses of Priests, upon the Pavement on either side of the Separate Place, three Stories high without Cloysters, but the upper Stories narrower than the lower, to make room for Galleries before them. There were 24 Chambers in each Story and they opend into a walk or alley, SS. between the Buildings.

TT. Two Courts in which were Kitchins for the Priests of the twenty four Courses.

A Particular Description of one of the Gates of the Peoples Court,

with part of the Cloyster adjoyning

uw. The inner margin of the Pavement compassing three sides of the Peoples Court.

xxx. &c. The Pillars of the Cloyster supporting the Buildings for the People.

yyyy. Double Pillars where two Exhedræ joyned, and whose interstices in the front zz were filled up with a square Column of Marble.

Note The preceding letters of this Plate refer to the description in pag. 344 345.

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Footnotes

1. See Plate I. & II ↩

2. Ezek. xli. 13, 14 ↩

3. Ezek. xl. 47 ↩

4. Ezek. xl. 29, 33, 36 ↩

5. Ezek. xl. 19, 23, 27. 2 King xxi. 5. 2 Chron. iv. 9 ↩

6. Ezek. xl. 15, 17, 21. 1 Chron. xxviii. 12 ↩

7. Ezek. xl 5, xlii. 20, & xlv. 2 ↩

8. 2 King. xxi.5 ↩

9. Ezek. xl ↩

10. Plate III ↩

11. Plate I ↩

12. 1 Chron. xxvi. 17 ↩

13. Ezek. xlvi. 8, 9 ↩

14. Ezek. xliv. 2, 3 ↩

15. 1 Chron. xxvi. 15, 16, 17, 18 ↩

16. Ezek. xl. 22, 26, 31, 34, 37 ↩

17. Plate II & III ↩

18. 1 King. vi. 36. & vii. 13. Ezek. xl. 17, 18 ↩

19. Ezek. xl. 10, 31, 34, 37 ↩

20. Plate I ↩

21. 1 King. vi. 36, & vii. 12 ↩

22. Ezek. xl. 17 ↩

23. Plate III ↩

24. Plate I & II ↩

25. Ezek. xlvi. 21, 22 ↩

26. Ezek. xl. 45 ↩

27. Ezek. xl. 39, 41, 42, 46 ↩

28. Plate II ↩

29. Ezek. xlii. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 13, 14 ↩

30. Ezek. xlvi. 19, 20 ↩

31. Ezek. xlii. 5, 6 ↩

32. 1 King. vi. 2. Ezek. xli. 2, 4, 12, 13, 14 ↩

33. 1 King. vi. 3. Ezek. xli. 13 ↩

34. Ezek. xli. 6, 11 ↩

35. 1 King. vi. 6 ↩

36. Ezek. xli. 6 ↩

37. 2 Chron. iii. 4 ↩

38. 1 King. vi. 8 ↩

39. 2 Chron. xx. 5 ↩

40. 2 King. xvi. 18 ↩

41. Ezra vi. 3, 4 ↩

42. Plate I ↩

43. Plate III ↩

44. Plate I ↩