d) THE
JEWISH WAR VI.2.4 (124-128) Titus Disclaims Responsibility
4. Now Titus was deeply affected with this
state of things, and reproached John and his party, and said to them,
"Have not you, vile wretches that you are, by our permission, put up this partition-wall
before your sanctuary? Have not you been allowed to put up the
pillars thereto belonging, at due distances, and on it to engrave in Greek,
and in your own letters, this prohibition, that no foreigner should
go beyond that wall.* Have not we given you leave to kill such as
go beyond it, though he were a Roman? And what do you do now, you pernicious
villains? Why do you trample upon dead bodies in this Temple? and why do
you pollute this holy house with the blood of both foreigners and Jews
themselves? I appeal to the gods of my own country, and to every god that ever
had any regard to this place; (for I do not suppose it to be now regarded by
any of them;) I also appeal to my own army, and to those Jews that are now with
me, and even to yourselves, that I do not force you to defile this your
sanctuary; and if you will but change the place whereon you will fight, no
Roman shall either come near your sanctuary, or offer any affront to it; nay, I
will endeavor to preserve you your Holy House, whether you will or not want it of me.”
*See illustration of this Greek inscription below in
Section B.1.b, “Stele in Greek: ’Warning to Gentiles’”, pp. 27b-28.
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-19-
3. ROMAN HISTORIANS:
a) TACITUS, HISTORIES 5:9 2.102-109 From Pompey to Felix
Roman control of
Judaea was first established by Gnaeus Pompey. As victor he claimed the
right to enter the Temple, and this incident gave rise to the common
impression that it contained no representation of the deity—the sanctuary was
empty and the Holy of Holies untenanted. Though the walls of Jerusalem
were dismantled, the shrine remained intact. During the civil war which
then afflicted the Roman world, the eastern provinces passed under the control
of Mark Antony and Judaea was conquered by the Parthian king Pacorus. But the
invader was killed by Publius Ventidius, and the Parthians driven back across
the Euphrates, while Gaius Sosius brought the Jews to heel. Antony gave the kingdom to Herod, and it was
enlarged by the now victorious Augustus. At Herod's death, without waiting for
the imperial decision, a certain Simon usurped the title of king. He was dealt
with by the governor of Syria, Quintilius Varus, while the Jews were
disciplined and divided up into three kingdoms ruled by Herod's sons. In
Tiberius' reign all was quiet. Then, rather than put up a statue of Gaius
Caesar in the Temple as they had been ordered, the Jews flew to
arms, though the rebellion came to nothing owing to the assassination of the
emperor. As for Claudius, he took advantage of the death or declining fortunes
of the Jewish kings to commit the government of the province to Roman knights
or freedmen. One of these, Antonius Felix, played the tyrant with the spirit of
a slave, plunging into all manner of cruelty and lust, and marrying Drusilla,
grand-daughter of Cleopatra and Antony. This meant that while Claudius was
Antony's grandson, Felix was his grandson by marriage.
b) TACITUS, HISTORIES 5:12 The Temple’s Defenses
The
Temple was like a citadel
and had its own walls, which had been even more laboriously and skillfully
constructed than the rest. The porticoes around it constituted in themselves
an excellent defensive position. To these advantages must be added a spring
of never-failing water, chambers cut in the living rock, and tanks and cisterns
for the storage of rainwater. Its builders had foreseen only too well that the
strange practices of the Jews would lead to continual fighting. Hence
everything was available for a siege, however long. Moreover, after Pompey's
capture of Jerusalem, fear and experience taught them many lessons. So taking
advantage of the money-grubbing instincts of the Claudian period, they
purchased permission to fortify the city, and in the days of peace built walls
meant for war. Already the home of a motley concourse, its population had been
swollen by the fall of the other Jewish cities, for the most determined
partisan leaders escaped to the capital, and thereby added to the turmoil.
There were three different leaders and three armies. The long outer perimeter
of the walls was held by Simon, the central part of the city by John, and the
Temple by Eleazar. John and Simon could rely on numbers and equipment,
Eleazar on his strategic position. But it was upon each other that they turned
the weapons of battle, ambush and fire, and great stocks of corn went up in
flames. Then John sent off a party of men, ostensibly to offer sacrifice
but in reality to cut Eleazar and his followers to pieces, thus gaining
possession of the Temple. Hence-forward, therefore, Jerusalem
was divided between two factions, until, on the approach of the Romans,
fighting the foreigner healed the breach between them.
-20-
c) DIO CASSIUS,
HISTORY
OF ROME
37.16.1-4 Pompey’s
Conquest
16 1 Most
of the city, to be sure, he took without any trouble, as he was received by the
party of Hyrcanus; but the Temple itself, which the other party had
occupied, he captured only with difficulty. 2 For it was
on high ground and was fortified by a wall of its own, and if they had
continued defending it on all days alike, he could not have got possession of
it. As it was, they made an excavation of what are called the days of Saturn,
and by doing no work at all on those days afforded the Romans an opportunity in
this interval to batter down the wall. 3 The latter, on learning
of this superstitious awe of theirs, made no serious attempts the rest of the
time, but on those days, when they came round in succession, assaulted most
vigorously. 4 Thus the defenders were captured on the day
of Saturn, without making any defense, and all the wealth was plundered. The
kingdom was given to Hyrcanus, and Aristobulus was carried away.
d)
DIO
CASSIUS,
HISTORY
OF ROME
37.17.2-3
The Jew’s Temple
17: 2 They
are distinguished from the rest of mankind in practically every detail of life,
and especially by the fact that they do not honor any of the usual gods, but
show extreme reverence for one particular divinity. They never had any statue
of him even in Jerusalem itself, but believing him to be
unnamable and invisible; they worship him in the most extravagant fashion on
earth. 3 They built to him a Temple that was extremely
large and beautiful, except in so far as it was open and roofless, and
likewise dedicated to him the day called the day of Saturn, on which, among
many other most peculiar observances, they undertake no serious occupation.
e)
DIO
CASSIUS,
EPITOME
66.6.4-7.2
The Temple’s Destruction
6:4 The entrance to the Temple was now
laid open to the Romans. The soldiers on account of their superstition would
not immediately rush in, but at last, as Titus forced them, they made their way
inside. Then the Jews carried on a defense much more vigorous than before, as
if they had discovered a rare and unexpected privilege in falling near the Temple,
while fighting to save it. The populace was stationed in the outer court, the
senators on the steps, and the priests in the hall of worship itself.
And though they were but a handful fighting against a far superior force they
were not subdued until a section of the Temple was fired. Then they went
to meet death willingly, some letting themselves be pierced by the swords of
the Romans, some slaughtering one another, others committing suicide, and
others leaping into the blaze. It looked to everybody, and most of all to them,
apparently, [that so far from being ruin, it was victory and salvation and happiness
to perish along with the Temple].
7 Even under these conditions many captives
were taken, among them Bargiora, the commander of the enemy: he was the only
one punished in the course of the triumphal celebration. Thus was Jerusalem
destroyed on the very day of Saturn, which even now the Jews reverence
most.
f) SULPICIUS SEVERUS,
UNIVERSAL CHRONICLE
2.30, FRAGMENTS 2.4ff The Temple’s Destruction by Titus
The Pharisees for a time
maintained their ground most boldly in defense of the Temple, and at
length, with minds obstinately bent on death, they, of their own accord,
committed themselves to the flames. The number of those who suffered death is
related to have been eleven hundred thousand, and one hundred thousand were
taken captive and sold. Titus is said, after calling a council, to have first
deliberated whether he should destroy the Temple, a structure of such
extraordinary work. For it seemed good to some that a sacred
edifice, distinguished above all human achievements, ought
not to be destroyed, inasmuch as, if preserved, it would furnish an evidence of
Roman moderation, but, if destroyed, would serve for a perpetual proof of Roman cruelty.
But on the opposite side, others and Titus himself thought that the Temple
ought specially to be overthrown, in order that the religion of the Jews and of the Christians might more
thoroughly be subverted; for that these religions, although
contrary to each other, had nevertheless proceeded from the same authors; that
the Christians
had sprung up from among the Jews; and that, if the
root were extirpated, the offshoot would speedily perish. Thus, according to
the divine will, the minds of all being inflamed, the Temple was destroyed,
three hundred and thirty-one years ago.
=========================================================================
4. RABBINIC LITERATURE:
a) MISHNAH SOTAH 7:8 The King’s Torah Portion
The portion read by
the king: How so? At the conclusion of the first day of the festival (Sukkot)
in the eighth [year], at the end of the seventh year, they made a wooden
platform in the Temple court, and he sits upon it, as it is said, “At
the end of seven years, in the set time” etc (Deuteronomy
31:10). The sexton takes a Torah scroll and passes it to
the head of the synagogue, the head of the synagogue passes it to the deputy,
who passes it to the high priest, and the high priest passes it
to the king and the king stands and receives it, but reads it while sitting.
King Agrippa stood and received it and read standing, and the sages praised
him. When he reached, “You shall not place a foreigner over you” (ibid
17:15) his eyes ran with tears. They said to him, “Fear not, Agrippas, you are
our brother, you are our brother, you are our brother!” He reads from the
beginning of “These are the words” (ibid 1:1) until the Shema’ (ibid
6:4-9), and the Shema’, and “It will come to pass if you hear” (ibid
11:13-21), and “You shall surely tithe” (ibid 14:22-29), and “When you
have finished tithing” (ibid 26:12-15) and the portion of the king (ibid
17:14-20) and the blessings and curses (ibid 28), until he finishes all
the section. The blessings that the high priest blesses, the king
recites, except that he substitutes one for the festivals instead of one for
the pardon of sin.
b) TOSEPHTA
SOTAH 15:11-13 Mourning
for the Temple
(See
also TALMUD BAVLI, BABA BATRA 60b)
Our Rabbis taught: When the
Temple was destroyed for the second time, large numbers in Israel
became ascetics, binding themselves neither to eat meat nor to drink wine.
Rabbi Joshua got into conversation with them and said to them: My sons, why do
you not eat meat? They replied: Shall we eat flesh which used to be brought as
an offering on the altar, now that this altar is in abeyance? He said to them:
Why do you abstain from drinking wine? They replied: Shall we drink wine which
used to be poured as a libation on the altar, but is now abolished? He said to
them: Should we neither eat figs nor grapes, because there is no longer an
offering of first-fruits at Shavuot? Should we not eat bread either, because they
used to bring the Two Loaves and the Showbread? Should we not drink water,
because there is no longer any ceremony of the pouring of water on Succot?
To this they were silent, so he said to
them: Not to mourn at all is impossible, because the blow has fallen. But to
mourn overmuch is also impossible. But thus the Sages therefore have said: “When
a man plasters his house, but he should leave a little bare as a remembrance of
Jerusalem. (How much should this be? A man can prepare a full-course banquet,
but he should leave out an item or two, as a remembrance of Jerusalem. A woman
can put on all her ornaments, but leave off one small thing, as a remembrance
of Jerusalem For so it says, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right
hand forget, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I remember thee
not, if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.” (Psalm 137:5-6)
c) MISHNAH MIDDOTH I:1-V:4
Measurements of the Temple
I. MISHNAH 1. In three places priests keep watch in the Temple—
in the chamber of Abtinas, in the flash chamber and in the fire chamber. The Levites
keep watch in twenty-one places — five at the five gates of the Temple mount,
four at its four corners on the inside, five at the five gates of the Azarah,
four at its four corners on the outside, one at the offering chamber, one at
the chamber of the veil, and one behind the place of the Mercy Seat.
MISHNAH 2. The officer of the Temple mount used to go round
to every watch, with lighted torches before him, and if any watcher did not
rise [at his approach] and say to him, peace be to thee, supervisor of the Temple
mount, it was obvious that he was asleep, and he used to belabor him with
his stick, and he was also at liberty to burn his clothes, and the others used
to say, what is the noise in the Azarah? it is the cry of a Levite
who is being beaten and whose clothes are being burnt, because he was asleep at
his post. R. Eliezer b. Jacob said: Once they found my mother's brother asleep,
and they burnt his clothes.
MISHNAH 3. There were five gates
to the Temple mount-the two gates of Huldah on the south which
were used both for entrance and exit, the gate of Kiponus on the west
which was used both for entrance and exit, the gate of Taddi on the
north which was not used [by the public] at all, and the eastern gate over
which was a representation of the palace of Susa and through which the High Priest who burnt the red heifer and all who assisted with it used to go
forth to the Mount of Olives.
MISHNAH 4. There were three
gates in the Azarah, three in the north and three in the south
and one in the east. In the south there was first the gate of kindling, then
the gate of offering, then the water gate. In the east there was the gate of Nicanor
which had two rooms attached, one on its right and one on its left, one the
room of Phineas the dresser and one the room of the griddle cake makers.
MISHNAH 5. On the north was
the gate of the flash which was shaped like a verandah. It had an upper chamber
built on it, and the priests used to keep watch above and the Levites below,
and it had a door opening into the Hel.(the outer circuit) Next to it
was the gate of offering and next to that the fire chamber.
MISHNAH 6. There were four side chambers to the fire room
like alcoves opening into a hall, two in sacred ground and two in non-sacred,
and there was a row of stones separating the holy from the profane. For what
were they used? The one on the south-west was the chamber of offering; the one
on the south-east was the chamber of the showbread. In the one to the
north-east the Hasmoneans deposited the stones of the altar which the kings
of Greece had defiled. Through the one on the northwest they used to go down to
the bathing place.
MISHNAH 7. The fire room had two gates, one opening on to
the Hel and one on to the Azarah. R. Judah says: The one
that opened on to the Azarah had a small lattice gate through
which they went in to search the Azarah.
MISHNAH 8. The
fire room was vaulted. It was a large room surrounded with stone slabs. On
these the elders of the fathers’ house [on duty] used to sleep having with them
the keys of the Azarah, while the priestly novitiates
slept each on his garment on the ground.
MISHNAH 9. There
was a place there one cubit square on which was a slab of marble. In this was
fixed a ring and a chain [underneath] on which the keys were hung. When closing
time came, the priest would raise the slab by the ring and take the keys
from the chain. Then the priest would lock up within while the Levite
was sleeping without. When he had finished locking up, he would replace the keys
on the chain and the slab in its place and lay his garment on it and sleep
there. If a seminal emission happened to one of them, he would go out by the
winding stair which went under the birah, and which was lighted with
lamps on both sides, until he reached the bathing place. R. Eliezer b. Jacob
says: He descended by the winding stair which went under the Hel and he
went out by the Taddi gate.
-23-
II MISHNAH 1. The Temple mount was five hundred
cubits by five hundred. The greater part
of it was on the south; next to that on the east; next to that on the north;
and the smallest part on the west. The part which was most extensive was the
part most used.
MISHNAH 2. All who entered
the Temple mount entered by the right and went round [to the right] and went
out by the left, save for one to whom something untoward had happened, who
entered and went round to the left. [If he was asked], Why do you go round to
the left, [and he answered] because I am a mourner, [they said to him], May He
who dwells in this House comfort thee. [If he said] because I am
excommunicated. [They said] May He who dwells in this House inspire them
to befriend thee again. So R. Meir. Said R. Jose to him: You make it seem that
they treated him unjustly. What then should they say? May He who dwells in this
House inspire thee to listen to the words of thy colleagues so that they
may befriend thee again.
MISHNAH 3. Within it was
the soreg[stone lattice] ten hand-breadths high. There were thirteen
breaches in it; these had been originally made by the kings of Greece, and when
they repaired them they enacted that thirteen prostrations should be made
facing them. Within this was the Hel, which was ten cubits [broad]. There
were twelve steps there. The height of each step was half a cubit and its tread
was half a cubit. All the steps in the Temple were half a cubit high
with a tread of half a cubit, except those of the porch. All the doorways in
the Temple were twenty cubits high and ten cubits broad except those of
the porch. All the doorways there had doors in them except those of the porch. All
the gates there had lintels except that of Taddi which had two stones
inclined to one another. All the original gates were changed for gates of gold
except the gates of Nicanor, because a miracle was wrought to them; some say,
however, it was because the copper of them gleamed [like gold].
MISHNAH 4. All the walls of
the Temple were high except the eastern wall, so that the priest who
burnt the red heifer might while standing on the top of the Mount of Olives by
directing his gaze carefully see the door of the Hekhal at the
time of the sprinkling of the blood.
MISHNAH 5. The women's Azarah
was a hundred and thirty-five cubits long by a hundred and thirty-five
broad. It had four chambers in its four corners, each of forty cubits. They
were not roofed, and so they will be in the time to come, as it says, “Then He
brought me forth into the outer court, and caused me to pass by the four
corners of the court, and behold in every corner of the court there was a
court. In the four corners of the court there were smoked courts” [Ezekiel 46:
21-22]; and
smoked means only that they were not roofed. For what were they used? The
southeastern one was the chamber of the Nazirites where the Nazirites used to boil their peace-offerings
and poll their hair and throw it under the pot. The north-eastern one was the
wood chamber where priests with a physical defect used to pick out the wood
which had worms, every piece with a worm in it being unfit for use on the altar.
The north-western one was the chamber of the lepers. As for the southwestern
one, R. Eliezer b. Jacob said: I forget what it was used for. Abba Saul says:
they used to store there wine and oil, and it was called the oil storage room. It
[the women's Azarah] had originally been quite bare but
subsequently they surrounded it with a balcony so that the women could look on
from above while the men were below, and they should not mix together. Fifteen steps
led up from it to the Azarah of Israel, corresponding to the
fifteen [songs of] ascents mentioned in the book of Psalms. The Levites used
to chant psalms on these. They were not rectangular but circular like the half
of a threshing floor.
MISHNAH 6. There were chambers underneath the court of Israel
which opened into the court of women, where the Levites used to keep lyres and
lutes and cymbals and all kinds of musical instruments. The court of Israel was
a hundred and thirty-five cubits in length by eleven in breadth. Similarly the
court of the priests was a hundred and thirty-five cubits in length by
eleven in breadth, and a row of stones separated the court of Israel from the
court of the priests. R. Eliezer b. Jacob says: There was a step a cubit
high on which was placed a platform, and this had three steps each of half a
cubit. In this way the court of the priests was made two and a half
cubits higher than that of Israel. The whole of the Azarah was a
hundred and eighty-seven cubits in length by a hundred and thirty-five in
breadth, and thirteen prostrations were made there. Abba Jose b. Hanan
says: They were made facing thirteen gates. On the south adjoining the west
there were the upper gate, the gate of burning, the gate of the firstborn, and
the water gate. (Why was it called the water gate? Because they brought in
through it the pitcher of water for libation on the festival. R. Eliezer b. Jacob
says: In it the water welled up, and in the time to come they will issue from
under the threshold of the temple). Corresponding to them in the north
adjoining the west were the gate of [King] Jeconiah, the gate of the
offering, the women's gate, the gate of song. Why was it called the gate of Jeconiah?
Because Jeconiah went forth into captivity through it. On the east was the gate
of Nicanor; it had two wickets, one on its right and one on its left. There
were further two gates in the west which had no special name.
-24-
III MISHNAH 1. The altar was thirty-two cubits by
thirty-two. It rose a cubit and went in a cubit, and this formed the
foundation, leaving thirty cubits by thirty. It then rose five cubits and went
in one cubit, and this formed the surround, leaving twenty-eight cubits by
twenty-eight. The horns extended a cubit in each direction, thus leaving
twenty-six by twenty-six. A cubit on every side was allowed for the priests
to go round, thus leaving twenty-four by twenty-four as the place of the wood
pile [for the altar fire]. R. Jose said: Originally the complete area
[occupied by the altar] was only twenty-eight cubits by twenty-eight, and it
rose with the dimensions mentioned until the space left for the altar pile
was only twenty by twenty. When, however, they returned from the captivity,
they added four cubits on the north, and four on the west like a gamma, since
it is said: And the hearth shall be twelve cubits long by twelve broad, square.
Am I to suppose that it was only twelve cubits by twelve? When it says, in the
four sides thereof, this shows that he was measuring from the middle, twelve
cubits in every direction. A line of red paint ran round it in the middle
to divide between the upper and the lower blood. The foundation ran the whole
length of the north and of the west sides, but it left open one cubit on the
south and one on the east.
MISHNAH 2. At the
south-western corner [of the foundation] there were two openings like two fine
nostrils through which the blood which was poured on the western side of the
foundation and on the southern side flowed down till the two streams became
mingled in the channel, through which they made their way out to the brook of Kidron.
MISHNAH 3. On the pavement beneath at that corner there
was a place a cubit square on which was a marble slab with a ring fixed in it,
and through this they used to go down to the pit to clean it out. There was an
ascent on the south side of the altar, thirty-two cubits [long] by
sixteen broad. it had a cavity in its western side where rejected sin-offerings
of birds were placed.
MISHNAH 4. The stones both of the ascent and of the altar
were taken from the valley of Beth Kerem. They dug into virgin soil and
brought from there whole stones on which no iron had been lifted, since iron
disqualifies by mere touch, though a scratch made by anything could disqualify.
If one of them received a scratch, it was disqualified, but the rest were not.
They were whitewashed twice a year, once at Passover and once at Tabernacles,
and the Hekhal was whitewashed once a year, at Passover. Rabbi
says: They were whitewashed every Friday with a cloth on account of the blood
stains. The plaster was not laid on with a trowel of iron, for fear that it
might touch and disqualify, since iron was created to shorten man's days and
the altar was created to prolong man's days, and it is not right
therefore that that which shortens should be lifted against that which prolongs.
MISHNAH 5. There
were rings to the north of the altar, six rows of four each, or, according to
some, four rows of six each, at which they used to slaughter the sacrificial
animals. The slaughterers’ shed was at the north of the altar. There were eight
dwarf pillars there, on which were blocks of cedar-wood. In these were fixed
hooks of iron, three rows in each, on which they hung the carcasses, and flayed
them over tables of marble between the pillars.
MISHNAH 6. The laver was
between the porch and the altar, a little to the south. The space between the
porch and the altar was twenty-two cubits. There were twelve steps
there, each step being half a cubit high and a cubit broad. There was a cubit,
a cubit and a level space of three cubits, then a cubit, a cubit and a level
space of three cubits, then at the top a cubit, a cubit and a level space of
four cubits. R. Judah says that at the top there was a cubit, a cubit and a
level space of five cubits.
MISHNAH 7. The doorway of
the porch was forty cubits high and its breadth was twenty cubits. Over it were
five main beams of cedar. The lowest projected a cubit on each side beyond the
doorway. The one above projected beyond this one a cubit on each side. Thus the
topmost one was thirty cubits long. There was a layer of stones between each
one and the next.
MISHNAH 8. There were cross
bars of stone stretching from the wall of the Hekhal to the wall
of the porch to prevent it from bulging. There were chains of gold fixed in the
roof beams of the porch by which the priestly novitiates used to ascend
and see the crowns, as it says, and the crowns shall be to Helem and to Tobijah
and to Jedaiah and to Hen the son of Zephaniah as a
memorial in the Temple of the Lord. A golden vine stood at the door of
the Hekhal trained on poles, and anyone who offered a leaf or a grape or
a bunch used to bring it and hang it thereon. R. Eliezer son of R. Zadok said: On
one occasion three hundred priests were commissioned [to clear it].
_______________________________________________________________________________
-25-
IV MISHNAH 1. The doorway of the hekhal was
twenty cubits high and ten broad. It had four doors, two on the inner side, and
two on the outer, as it says, and the Temple and the Sanctuary
had two doors. The outer ones opened into the interior of the doorway so as to
cover the thickness of the wall, while the inner ones opened into the Temple
so as to cover the space behind the doors, because the whole of the Temple
was overlaid with gold except the space behind the doors. R. Judah says: The
doors were placed within the doorway, and they resembled folding doors, one
half covering two cubits and a half [of the wall] and the other half covering
two cubits and a half, leaving half a cubit and a doorpost at the one end and
half a cubit and a doorpost at the other end, as it says: And the doors had two
leaves apiece, two turning leaves, two leaves for the one door and two leaves
for the other.
MISHNAH 2. The great gate had two wickets, one to the
north and one to the south. By the one to the south no man ever went in, and
concerning this the rule was distinctly laid down by the mouth of Ezekiel, as
it says, “And the Lord said unto me: ‘This gate shall be shut, it shall not be
opened, neither shall any man enter in by it, for the Lord God of Israel hath
entered in by it; therefore it shall be shut.’” [Ezekiel
44:2] He [the
priest] took the key and opened the [northern] wicket and went in to the
cell, and from the cell he went in to the Hekhal. R. Judah says:
He used to walk along in the thickness of the wall until he came to the space
between the two gates. He used to open the outer doors from within and the
inner doors from without.
MISHNAH 3. There were thirty-eight cells there, fifteen
on the north, fifteen on the south, and eight on the west. On the north and on
the south there were five over five and five again over these; on the west
there were three over three and two over these. Each had three openings, one to
the cell on the right and one to the cell on the left and one to the cell
above. In the [one at the] northeastern corner there were five openings, one to
the cell on the right, one to the cell above, one to the mesibbah, one
to the wicket, and one to the Hekhal.
MISHNAH 4. The lowest story chamber was five cubits wide
with a ceiling of six cubits; the middle story chamber was six cubits wide with
a ceiling of seven; the top story chamber was seven cubits wide, as it says,
the nethermost story of the side-structure was five cubits broad, and the
middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad.
MISHNAH 5. A winding
passage went up from the north-east corner to the north-west corner by which
they used to mount to the roofs of the cells. One ascended the passage facing
the west, and traversed the whole of the northern side till he reached the
west. When he reached the west he turned to face south. He then traversed the
west side till he reached the south. When he reached the south he turned to
face eastwards. He then traversed the south side till he reached the door of
the upper chamber, since the door of the upper chamber opened to the south. In
the doorway of the upper chamber were two columns of cedar by which they used
to climb up to the roof of the upper chamber, and at the top of them was a row
of stones showing the division in the upper chamber between the Holy part
and the Holy of Holies. there were trap doors in the upper chamber
opening into the Holy of Holies by which the workmen were let down in
baskets so that they should not feed their gaze on the Holy of Holies.
MISHNAH 6. The Hekhal was a hundred cubits
by a hundred with a height of a hundred. The substructure was six cubits, then
it rose forty, then a cubit for the ornamentation, two cubits for the
guttering, a cubit for the roof and a cubit for the plastering. The height of
the upper chamber was forty cubits, there was a cubit for its ornamentation,
two cubits for the guttering, a cubit for the ceiling, a cubit for the
plastering, three cubits for the parapet and a cubit for the spikes. R. Judah
says the spikes were not included in the measurement, the parapet being four
cubits.
MISHNAH 7. From
east to west was a hundred cubits — the wall of the porch five cubits, the
porch itself eleven, the wall of the Hekhal six cubits and its
interior forty, a cubit for the partition and twenty cubits for the holy of
holies, the wall of the Hekhal six cubits, the cell six cubits and
the wall of the cell five. From north to south was seventy cubits — the wall of
the mesibbah five cubits, the mesibbah itself three, the wall of
the cell five and the cell itself six, the wall of the Hekhal six
cubits and its interior twenty, then the wall of the Hekhal again
six and the cell six and its wall five, then the place of the water descent three
cubits and its wall five cubits. The porch extended beyond this fifteen cubits
on the north and fifteen cubits on the south, and this space was called the
knife-house where they used to store the [slaughterers’] knives. Thus the Hekhal
was narrow behind and broad in front, resembling a lion, as it says, “Ah,
Ariel, Ariel, the city where David encamped.”[Isaiah 29:1] Just as a lion is narrow behind and broad in front, so the Hekhal
was narrow behind and broad in front.
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V MISHNAH 1. The
whole of the Azarah was a hundred and eighty-seven cubits long by
a hundred and thirty-five broad. From east to west it was a hundred and
eighty-seven. The space to which the Israelites had access was eleven cubits. The
space to which the priests had access was eleven cubits. The altar
took up thirty-two. Between the porch and the altar was twenty-two
cubits. The Hekhal took up a hundred cubits, and there were
eleven cubits behind the Mercy Seat.
MISHNAH 2. From north to south was a hundred and
thirty-five cubits. The ascent and the altar took up sixty-two; from the
altar to the rings was eight cubits. The rings took up twenty-four
cubits. From the rings to the tables was four cubits, from the tables to the
dwarf pillars four, and from the dwarf pillars to the wall of the Azarah
eight cubits, and the remainder was between the ascent and the wall and the
space occupied by the pillars.
MISHNAH 3. There were six chambers in the Azarah,
three on the north and three on the south. On the north were the salt chamber,
the Parwah chamber and the washers’ chamber. In the salt chamber they
used to keep the salt for the offerings. In the Parwah chamber they used
to salt the skins of the animal-offerings. On its roof was the bath used by the
High Priest on the Day of Atonement. In the washers’ chamber they used
to wash the entrails of the sacrificial animals, and from it a winding ascent
went up to the roof of the Parwah chamber.
MISHNAH 4. On
the south were the wood chamber, the chamber of the captivity and the chamber
of Hewn Stones. With regard to the wood chamber, R. Eliezer b. Jacob says: I
forget what it was used for. Abba Saul says: The chamber of the High Priest
was behind two of them, and one roof covered all three. In the chamber of the
captivity there was a fixed cistern with a wheel over it, and from there water
was provided for all the Azarah. In the chamber of Hewn Stone the
Great Sanhedrin of Israel used to sit and judge [among other things the
applicants, for priesthood. a priest in whom was found a
disqualification used to put on black under garments and wrap himself in black
and clear away. One in whom no disqualification was found used to put on white
under garments and wrap himself in white and go in and minister along with his
brother priests. They used to make a feast because no blemish had been found in
the seed of Aaron the Priest, and they used to say thus: Blessed is the Omnipresent,
blessed is He, because no blemish has been found in the seed of Aaron. Blessed
is He who chose Aaron and his sons to stand to minister before the Lord in the Holy
of Holies.
-27
d) TALMUD
BAVLI SUKKAH 51B The Beauty of the Temple
GEMARA. Our Rabbis taught:
He who has not witnessed the rejoicing at the place of the Water-Drawing has
never seen rejoicing in his life. He who has not seen Jerusalem in her splendor,
has never seen a desirable city in his life. He who has not seen the Temple
in its full construction has never seen a glorious building in his life. Which
Temple?— Abaye, or it might be said, R. Hisda, replied, The
reference is to the building of Herod. Of what did he build it? — Rabbah
replied, of yellow and white marble. Some there are who say, with yellow, blue
and white marble. The building rose in tiers in order to provide a hold for the
plaster. He intended at first to overlay it with gold, but the Rabbis told him,
Leave it alone for it is more beautiful as it is, since it has the appearance
of the waves of the sea.
================================================
B. ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE
1. Direct Evidence:
a)
Inscription: “To the Place of Trumpeting”
b) Stele
in Greek: “Warning to Gentiles”
The map of
the Temple and its courtyards shows where the stone inscription in Greek would
have been located: on the outer (south) side of the “balustrade”. (see middle
of drawing)
-29-
) c) “Qorban” (“Sacrifice”) Stone
)
-30-
2. Indirect
Evidence:
a) Inscription: “Simon, the Builder of the Sanctuary”
b) Menorah from Arch of Titus, Rome
The relief of a triumphal
procession in which Roman soldiers carry the looted Temple treasures from
Jerusalem, showing a detailed representation of the Menorah.
Menorah, in greater detail (from Arch of Titus)
c) Jerusalem
Menorah and Cultic Objects Graffito
Location:Jewish Quarter, Jerusalem
Period:Herodian period, 1st century BCE
Registration No.: IAA 1982-1055
This sketch was incised into a thick layer of plaster on the wall of an affluent home in Jerusalem’s “Upper City.” Dating from the time of Herod, it was apparently made by a priest who lived in the vicinity, and was familiar with the Temple vessels, including the menorah. The shape of the menorah is almost completely preserved; to the right, the showbread table can be seen below the incense altar. This moving and personal depiction is one of the few that have survived from the time the vessels still stood in the Temple. “Three most wonderful works of art, universally renowned: a lampstand, a table, and an altar of incense” (Flavius Josephus, Jewish War, V, v, 5)
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-31-
d) Ancient Coins
1) Mattityahu-Antigonus: Menorah
2) Simon bar Kokhba: Temple Facade
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-32-
3)
Great Revolt: Sheqels « Jerusalem
the Holy »
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4) Yohanan Hyrcanus High Priest
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5) Mattityahu Antigonus High Priest / King
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6) Bar Kokhba Revolt: "Eleazar the Priest"
77 7) Bar Kokhba Revolt, Bronze Coin: Amphora
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8) Bar Kokhba Revolt, Bronze Coin:
9) Bar Kokhba Revolt, Silver Denarii: Jug / Trumpets / Lyre
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-36-
e) Zoar Tomb Inscription: “346th Year of Hurban" 
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APPENDIX A: MAPS
1. Jerusalem—First Temple Period
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2. Jerusalem at the end of the Second Temple Period
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3. Jerusalem During the Second Temple Period
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-40-
APPENDIX B: DIAGRAM OF SECOND TEMPLE
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-41-
APPENDIX C:
LITERARY SOURCES FOR DETAILS OF THE TEMPLE RE CON RECONSTRUCTION
=============================================
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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תם ונשלם תהילה לאל בורא עולם
