scribed in the body of this book. Nearly opposite it, at the north, was the old palace of the Asmonean kings, occupied by Antipas on his annual visits to the city (Geikie). The palace of Caiaphas cannot be located at this period. It is supposed to have been situated west of the Tyropean, and probably within the triangle of the temple, Herod's palace, and the western gate. It was most probably set on the eastern slope of the hill rising from the foot of Zion, westward, and not far from it. It was built around a court, the latter being below, as the palace was on a hillside. (See illustration -Peter's Denial.) Annas may have occupied one wing, and Caiaphas, his son-in-law, the other.

WHAT MECCA was to the Mohammedan, Jerusalem was to the Jews-a holy city. Like Mecca it had its "Beit Allah," or House of God. The former city was superior in population, in the number and quality of its houses and adornments, and her temple more capacious, accommodating 35,000 pilgrims at once.. It had nineteen gates and numerous rows of pillars of marble, granite, and porphyry.

compare with Jerusalem. Its "Without her gates all else

But to the Jew no place could sanctity was peculiarly its own. were dogs, sorcerers, fornicators, murderers, idolaters, and liars." Within all was holiness and purity! No leper was allowed within her gates; no dead body could be brought therein, or, there dying, could remain unburied over night. No gardens were cultivated (except for roses), lest they also cultivate worms! No poultry were allowed, because they would scratch up the earth and defile passing offerings.— Geikie, from Lightfoot.

Superstition had invented the most amazing fancies as

THE TEMPLE OF HEROD.

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proofs of the passing holiness of the city, which were implicitly believed.

"No scorpion or serpent ever harmed one there, no flies were ever seen about the places of slaughtering the sacrifices (no carrion bird ever hovered over the housetops), no rain ever put out the altar-fires, no wind ever blew aside its pillar of smoke," "and its fountains could not be cut off or corrupted."

All because the Holy Temple was here situated.

Since all this sacredness, real and imaginary, originated in the presence and holiness of the Temple, we turn to a more minute description of that edifice.

The temple, at the time of Christ, was that built by Herod the Great. It occupied the whole of Mount Moriah, at the eastern extremity of the city, over the valley Kidron. Herod was very fond of architectural display, as shown in the construction of his own palaces, on Zion's hill and at Cæsarea (B. C. 22), and this fact, coupled with a cunning desire to become to the Jews a second Solomon, if not the real Messiah, caused him to undertake the reproduction of the temple, after Solomon. (See article " Herod," herein.)

TIME OF BUILDING.-The temple was begun by Herod, A. U. C. 734, or 21 B. C. To the original plan, courts and outbuildings were continually added, and we learn by Josephus that works were in progress long after the death of Herod and his several successors, to Pilate's time; hence the Jews said, "Forty and six years was this temple in building." temple of Diana, at Ephesus, was 220 years in building.

The

Size of the TEMPLE OF HEROD.-The whole structure, embraced in what was called "the temple," was four stadia-onehalf of a Roman mile-in circumference. (Diana's temple covered four acres of ground.)

The hill upon which Herod's temple was built was not leveled, but the building was erected to suit the southern and eastern slope of the ground. "The plateau of the successive courts was only secured by building up a wall, from the valley on the south side, of solid masonry over 600 feet in length, and almost equal in height to the tallest of our church spires"

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HOW THE TEMPLE WAS BUILT.

(Geikie). This was also the case, to some extent, on the eastern side, where its foundation constituted a portion of the wall of the city, over the valley Kidron.

Upon this uneven surface the structure rose, terrace upon terrace, to the centre building, each higher and higher, the last crowning Mount Moriah, white as Lebanon; hence, presenting an imposing appearance when viewed from a distance. Beneath the temple were numerous cells, arches, and aqueducts supplying the various pools in the vicinity.—Recovery of Jerusalem.

SOLOMON'S PORCH.-On the east side there was a straight line of 625 feet, built up from the Kidron valley. On this stone foundation was that part of the temple called "Solomon's Porch." It was twenty-six feet wide, with double rows of white marble columns, forty-three feet high, extending the entire length, supporting a pavilion of cedars, with a floor of Mosaic stone-work.-Condensed from Josephus.

"THE COURT OF THE HEATHEN," or the "mountain of the house," came next, within. This extended entirely around three sides of the building. A strong wall separated it from Solomon's Porch, perforated by five gateways. Gentiles could enter no farther than this court. Here were the cattle and sheep-traders, dove-sellers, and money-changers cast out by Jesus, and, on one of the two occasions, the cattle also. It was roofless.

"THE COURT OF THE WOMEN" came next, extending across the eastern side only. It was a terrace (14 steps) above the last court. "The Beautiful Gate" (Acts 3: 2-10) opened into it. Here were the treasury boxes, and here the "widow cast in her mite," for women were here permitted.

*

The Beautiful Gate."-This is the gate so magnificently described by Josephus (Wars 5: 5, 3). After describing nine, covered with silver and gold, he says, "But there was one gate which was of Corinthian brass, and greatly excelled those which were only covered with silver and gold. It was fifty cubits high (eighty-seven feet), and its doors were forty cubits (seventy feet). It was adorned after a most costly manner, as having much richer and thicker plates of silver and gold than the others." It required twenty men to open and close the (two?) doors. No beggar, cripple, blind, or any way diseased or deformed person could pass through this gate.

DESCRIPTION OF THE TEMPLE.

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"THE COURT OF ISRAEL" came next above, 15 steps-a circular flight-leading up to it from the "Court of the Women." This was the court of the men; only the holiest of male Israelites could enter. If any one should enter, after thorough ablution, and should recall any trifling unfitness to so do, such as having neglected to wash the hands in a certain way, he must go to the priest and make a "trespass-offering" in atonement. Beyond this court were the halls of the priests, or forecourts, each place more holy than the last, following which were, first, the "Holy Place," and the "Holy of Holies "-or "Most Holy Place "—and between the two was the veil of the temple, rent at the crucifixion. Into this last the high-priest only could enter, and he but once a year.

The temple, in ancient warfare, was considered impregnable. On the east and south the granite of the foundation wall began where the marble of the temple wall left off, and the whole terminated in a rocky, precipitous bank in the deep ravines below. On the north there was another precipitous ravine, but too narrow for complete defence, while the west side was only protected by the thick temple wall; hence at the north and west corner of the temple was erected the tower of Antonia.

"The whole area enclosed within the temple bounds formed a square of 600 to 900 feet, and over the highest level of this rose the gilded walls of the sanctuary, a building about 90 by 150 feet, the whole surmounted by a roof glittering with gilded spikes to prevent pollution from unclean birds."-Dict. Bib. G. 96.

For a description of the riches and magnificence of the internal temple, the reader is referred to Josephus' Wars, 5: 5, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc.

THE HOUSES OF JERUSALEM

Are built of limestone, the cheapest material in the country, and set upon "mountains of rubbish, twenty or thirty feet high above the natural level." In fact, almost every present city in Palestine is built upon the debris of older, broken-down houses,

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THE HOUSES OF JERUSALEM.

temples, and walls. Certainly the whole of ancient Jerusalem is in Hades,* as much as Capernaum (Matt. 11: 23). The Palestine Exploring Expedition has done much towards establishing many facts respecting the topography of Jerusalem, one of which is that her streets and houses of to-day are very similar to those of 2,000 years ago.

These houses present on the front a rough, uneven wall, mostly without windows, the apartments receiving light from lattice windows or door, from the open court within. "The ground plot is usually surrounded by a high wall enclosure, forming the house, and sometimes embracing a court, or garden. The streets between these enclosures are very narrow, seldom exceeding eight or ten feet in width, and sometimes the houses meet at the top; others are floored over, excluding sun and light from the roughly paved street below. In some instances a building occupies both sides of a narrow street, which runs under a succession of arches, barely high enough to permit a donkey and his rider to pass under. Stone is employed for all possible building purposes; walls, floors, stairs, shelves, and even the ceilings are sometimes formed of flat stones, covered with plaster, for timber is very rare in all Palestine. Doors and sashes are about all that can be afforded of a material so expensive as wood."-Bib. Encyclo.

THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. TIME-April-August, A. D. 70.

'When you see Jerusalem compassed with armies," said Jesus to His four confidential disciples, "then know that her desolation is at hand." . . . "For these are days of vengeance, that all things written may be fulfilled," i. e., written by the prophets.-Luke 21: 20-22.

*

Literally "covered over," or "in darkness." See Kitto, Bib. Encyclo. See also "hell," Smith's Bib. Dict., "the grave "--buried.