xix. to 1 Kings viii. not say expressly that he was buried here; all that it tells us is, that he (a) "was bu- From 2 Sam. ried in the sepulchres of his fathers;" but whether in the city of David, or in the garden v of Uzza, it makes no mention: And therefore, since both his father and grandfather: were buried in this garden, there is reason to think that Josiah was here buried likewise; especially considering that, in one of these subterraneous rooms (as Le Bruyn tells us), which seemed to be more lofty than the rest, there were three coffins curiously adorned with carved works, which he took to be the coffins of these three kings *. But of all the buildings that ancient Jerusalem had to boast of, the temple, which David designed, and Solomon perfected, was the most magnificent, We are not, however, to imagine that this temple was built like one of our churches; for it did not consist of one single edifice, but † of several courts and buildings which took up a great deal of ground. The place whereon it was erected was the top of Mount Moriah, and the building all together made an exact square of eight hundred cubits, or one thousand four hundred and sixty feet long on each side, exactly fronting the east, west, north, and south. (b) To make this building more firm and secure, it was found necessary to begin the foundation at the bottom of the mount; so that the sides were three hundred and thirty-three cubits, or about six hundred and eight feet high, before they were raised to the level of the temple; and this afforded a most noble prospect towards the chief part of the city, which lay westward. It is impossible to compute the labour of laying this foundation, because it is impossible to tell how much of the mountain must in some places be removed, and in others filled up, to bring it to an exact square for so great a height; but when we consider that there were 180,000 workmen, for seven years and an half, constantly employed, we cannot but admire what business could be found for so many hands to do; and yet when we reflect on the vastness of this fabric, it would make one no less wonder, how, in so short a time, it could possibly be completed. "For the foundation (as Josephus tells us) was laid prodigiously deep, and the stones were not only of the largest size, but hard and firm enough to endure all weathers, and be proof against the worm. Besides this, they were so mortised into one another, and so wedged into the rock, that the strength and curiosity of the basis was not less admirable than the intended superstructure, and the one was every way answerable to the other." The ground-plot upon which the temple was built was a square of six hundred cubits every way. It was encompassed with a wall of six cubits high, and the same in breadth, and contained several buildings for different uses, surrounded with cloysters supported by marble pillars. Within this space was the court of the Gentiles fifty cubits wide, and adorned in like manner with cloysters and pillars. To separate this court from the court of the israelites, there was a wall of five hundred cubits square. The court of the Israelites was an hundred cubits. It was paved with marble of dif (a) 2 Chron. xxxv. 24. [It is universally known, that the city, which is now called Jerusalem, is not built on the precise site of the ancient city, and that the reports of modern travellers respecting the ruins of many of the places mentioned in the Old and New Testaments, are little better than conjectures. Those who are desirous of making themselves acquainted with some of the latest and most probable of these conjectures, may consult Dr Clarke's Travels in the Holy Land. What is there said of the royal sepulchres, and of our blessed Lord's sepulchre, is extremely plausible, and to me satisfactory.] †These several parts of the temple the Greeks are Thus very careful to distinguish by different names. What (b) Bedford's Chronology, lib. iv. c. 5.. Ant.Chris. 1023, &c. or 1036. A. M. 2981. ferent colours, and had four gates, to every quarter one, and each rising with an ascent &c. or 4375 of seven steps. To separate this court from the court of the priests, there was a wall of two hundred cubits square; and the priests court was an hundred cubits, encompassed with cloysters and apartments, where the priests that attended the service of the temple were used to live. This court had but three gates, to the east, to the north, and to the south, and were approached by an ascent of eight steps. These courts were all open, and without any covering; but in case of rain, or other bad weather, the people could retire under the cloysters, that were supported with rows of pillars, and went round every court. In the Israelites court, over against the gate of the priests court, was erected a throne for the king, (which was a magnificent alcove) where he seated himself when he came to the temple. In the priests court was the altar of burnt-offerings, a great deal larger than that of the tabernacle, having ten brazen lavers, whereas the tabernacle had but one, and a sea of brass (which the tabernacle had not) supported by twelve oxen. On the west side of the altar of burnt-offerings there was an ascent of twelve steps to what we may properly call the temple; and this consisted of three parts, the porch, the sanctuary, and the holy of holies. The porch was about twelve cubits long and twenty broad, at the entrance of which stood the two famous pillars Jachan and Boaz, whose names import, that "God alone was the support of the temple;" and its gate was fourteen cubits wide. The sanctuary, or nave of the temple, was forty cubits long and twenty broad, wherein were the altar of incense, and the table of shew-bread; but because the temple was larger, and wanted more light than the tabernacle, instead of one, it had ten golden candlesticks. The holy of holies was a square of twenty cubits, wherein was placed the ark of the covenant, containing the two tables of stone, wherein God had engraven his ten commandments, but instead of two cherubims, (as were in the tabernacle) in the temple there were four. Round about the temple, and against the walls thereof (as Josephus tells us) were built thirty cells, or little houses, which served in the way of so many buttresses, and were at the same time no small ornament to it; for there were stories of these cells one above another, whereof the second was narrower than the first, and the third than the second; so that their roofs and balustrades being within each other, made three different terraces (as it were) † upon which one might walk round the temple. Within these little houses were ceiled with cedar, their walls were wainscoted with the same, and embellished with carving, and fretwork overlaid with gold, which with their dazzling splendour made every thing about them look glorious. Upon the whole then, we may observe, (a) that the glory of this temple did not consist in the bulk or largeness of it, (for in itself it was but a small pile of building, no more than an hundred and fifty feet in length, and an hundred and five in breadth, taking the whole of it together from out to out, and is exceeded by many of our parish churches) but its chief grandeur and excellency lay in its out-buildings and ornaments, in its workmanship, which was every where very curious, and its overlayings, which The temple itself, strictly so called, had two stories, the upper of which was raised quite above these little houses and their roofs; for their roofs reached no higher than the top of the first story. The second story, which had no building adjoining to its side, made a large room over the sanctuary, and the Holy of Holies, of equal dimensions with them; and it is no improbable opinion that this was the upper chamber, in which the Holy Ghost was pleased to descend upon the apostles in a visible manner. This upper room was appropriated to the pious laity, as a place for them to come and pay their devotions in; and therefore it seems very likely, that the apostles were here with other devout persons, while the temple was full of Jews of all nations, who were come to cele brate the feast of the Pentecost, and that thereupon they below, hearing the noise, which was occasioned by the shaking of the place, ran up to see the cause of it, and to their great surprise found the apostles distinguished from the other Jews about them, both by "the cloven tongues which sat upon each of them," and by the several different languages that they spake. Lamy's Introduction, lib. i. c. 4. (a) Prideaux's Connection, part 1. lib. iii. were vast and prodigious; for the overlaying of the Holy of Holies only (which was a Fron 2 Sam. room but thirty feet square, and twenty high) amounted to six hundred talents of xix. to 1 Kings gold, which comes to four millions three hundred and twenty thousand pounds of oursterling money. To conclude this dissertation then, (a) in the words of the Jewish historian, "The whole frame, in fine, says he, was raised upon stones, polished to the highest degree of perfection, and so artificially put together, that there was no joint to be discerned, no sign of any working tools being upon them, but the whole looked liker the work of Providence and nature, than the product of art and human invention. And as for the in side, whatever carving, gilding, embroidery, rich silks, and fine linen could do, of these there was the greatest profusion. The very floor of the temple was overlaid with beaten gold, the doors were large and proportioned to the height of the walls, twenty cubits broad, and still gold upon gold." In a word, it was gold all over; and nothing was wanting either within or without, that might contribute to the glory and magnificence of the work.". (a) Jewish Antiq. lib. viii. c. 2. It is not to be doubted, but that Solomon made all the utensils and ornaments of the temple proportionable, both in number and richness, to that of the edifice; and yet Josephus seems to have carried his account beyond all credibility, when he tells us, that there were 10,000 tables, besides those of the shewbread; 10,000 candlesticks, besides those in the holy place; 80,000 cups for drink-offerings; 100,000 basons of gold, and double that number of silver : when he tells us, that Solomon caused to be made 1000 * ornaments for the sole use of the high priest; 10,000 viii. THE HISTORY OF THE BIBLE. BOOK VI. CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF THINGS FROM THE BUILDING OF SOLO- CHAPTER I. FROM THE FINISHING OF THE TEMPLE TO THE REIGN OF THE HISTORY. M. 5001, WHEN Solomon had finished the temple, which was in the eleventh year of his From 1 Kings or 4391. Chris reign, and in the eighth month of that year, even when all the solemn feasts were over, viii. to the end 3. &c. he thought it advisable to defer the dedication of it until the next year, (which was a year of Jubilee), and determined to have it done some days before the † feast of taber 1020. This feast was appointed in commemoration of the children of Israel's dwelling in booths, whilst they were in the wilderness, and of the tabernacle, which at that time was built, where God promised to meet them, to dwell among them, and to sanctify the place with his glory; and might therefore be well reckon- of 2 Chron. |