The Temple in the Days of our Savior Described, Chapter 36
CHAP. XXXVI. The ſpace betwixt the Altar and the Porch.
THe Altar ſtood before the gate or entrance of the Porch, that gave acceſſe into the Temple, and the ſpace between the foundation of the Altar and the foundation of the Porch[a]Mid. per. 3. was two and twenty cubits: But there was not ſo much cleare ground or plaine pavement and paſſage betweene them, for the ſtaires of the Porch being in number twelve and every ſtep a cubit broad beſides the halfe pace or inlarging at every third ſtep, cauſed that theſe ſteps lay downe a great way in the Court towards the Altar: and took up a good ſpace of theſe two and twenty cubits. Every one of theſe ſteps was halfe a cubit high, and thereupon the whole riſe ariſeth to be ſix cubits from the ground to the landing in the porch, ſo that he that ſtood in the Porch gate, his feet ſtood even and levell, with his feet that ſtood upon the Circuit of the Altar:[b]Tamid. per. 7. Upon theſe ſteps of the Porch the Prieſts ſtood when they came out from burning incenſe and bleſſed the people.
As concerning the ſpace betwixt the Porch and Altar, theſe things are remarkable about it.
1.[c]Kelim. per. 1. That no man might come upon this ſpace that had any blemiſh upon him, nor any man might come here bare headed. the reaſon of the former reſtraint is eaſie to be apprehended, becauſe of the holineſſe of the place, being ſo near both to the Altar and the Temple: and the reaſon of the latter is, becauſe in their greateſt devotions they uſed to cover their head, and therefore none might come bare headed into ſo dovout a place.
2. That no man might ſtand upon this ſpace, or ſtay within it, while the Prieſt was burning incenſe in the holy place.[d]Maym. in Tamid. in per. 3. For whileſt they burned incenſe in the Temple every day, all the people departed from the Temple, ſo that betweene the Temple and the Altar there was not a man till he that burned incenſe came forth. And ſo at the time that the High-prieſt went in with the blood of the ſin-offering, which was to be ſprinkled within, all the people withdrew from between the Altar and the Temple, till he came forth againe: And becauſe they might know the time when to withdraw from this ſpace at the daily incenſe, the Sagan or Preſident of the ſervice called to the Prieſt that was within the holy place with a loud voice and gave him notice when he ſhould begin with the incenſe, ſaying to him, Offer the intenſe, and as he ſpake thus, the people withdrew: The reaſon of this cuſtome I ſhall not be curious to looke after, but whether the Cerimony did not fitly reſemble, how far diſtant all men are from having any ſhare with Chriſt in his interceſſion, which the offering of the incenſe reſembled, be it left to the reader to conſider.
3. In this ſpace between the Temple and the Altar, was the murder committed upon Zacharias the ſon of Barachias, as our Saviour mentioneth, Mat. 23, …5.
Now there are various conjectures who this Zachary ſhould be: ſome thinke of Zachary the prophet whoſe booke of prophecy we have in the old Teſtament. Some ſuppoſe it might be John Baptiſts father, and ſome conceive that Chriſt ſpeaketh there predictively, foretelling that they ſhould ſlay Zachary the ſon of Baru…h in the Temple, the ſtory of which Joſephus giveth in lib. 4. de bel. cap. 19. But the Talmudiſts doe help us to underſtand it of Zacharie the ſon of Jehoiada, who was ſtoned by the people in this place in the daies of King Joaſh, 2 Chron. 24. Why he is called the ſon of Barachias and not the ſon of Jehoiada is not a place here to diſpute: the Jeruſalem Talmud hath this ſtory concerning his ſlaughter, which may give us cauſe to thinke, that our Saviour ſpake according to the common received opinion: and was underſtood to meane Zachary the ſon of Jehoiada, though for ſpeciall reaſon he calleth him the ſon of Barachias [e]Talm. Jeruſ. in Taanith. fol. 69.Rab. Jorhanan ſaith, eighty thouſand young Prieſts were ſlaine for Zacharies blood. R. Jodan asked R. Aha, where ſlew they Zacharias? In the Court of the women, or in the Court of Iſrael? He ſaith to him, not in the Court of Iſrael, nor in the Court of the women, but in the Court of the Prieſts, &c. And ſeven tranſgreſſions did Iſrael tranſgreſſe that day: They ſlew a Prieſt, a Prophet, a Judge, ſhed innocent blood and defiled the Court, and the Sabbath, which was alſo the day of expiation. And when Nebuzaradan came thither he ſaw the blood bubling. He ſaith to them, what meaneth this? They ſaid to him, it is the blood of bullocks and rams and lambs which we have offered upon the Altar. Preſently he brought bullocks and rams and lambs and killed them, and as yet the blood bubled or reeked above theirs. And when they confeſſed not, he hanged them up. They ſaid, the Lord is pleaſed to require his blood at our hands. They ſay to him, it is the blood of a Prieſt and Prophet and Judge, who prophecied to us concerning all that thou haſt done to us, and we ſtood up againſt him and ſlew him. Preſently he brought eighty thouſand young Prieſts and ſlew them: And ſtill the blood bubled: Then he was angry at it: and ſaid to it, what wouldeſt thou have? that all the people ſhould periſh for thee? Preſently the holy bleſſed God was filled with compaſſion and ſaid: what? is this m…n that is but fleſh and blood, filled with pity towards my children, and ſhall not I be much more? of whom it is written For the Lord thy God is a mercifull God, he will not forſake thee nor destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers: Preſently he gave a ſigne to the blood and it was ſwallowed up in the place. R. Jochanan ſaith the 80000. young Prieſts fled to the midſt of the chambers of the Sanctuary, and they were at burnt, and of all them, none was left but Joſhua the ſon of Jozedeck, as it is written, It not this a brand pluckt out of the fire? Zech. 3.2.
In this ſpace between the Altar and the Porch, there ſtood the Laver, but not directly before the Altar, but removed towards the South, ſo that it ſtood betwixt the riſe of the Altar and the porch, as we ſhall obſerve in the viewing of it by and by. But the Talmud ſpeaketh of a Veſſel, which by its relation appeareth to have layn directly betwixt Porch and Altar, which it calleth Migrephah, but what to engliſh it, is not very ready.
The Treatiſe Tamid ſpeaketh thus of it,[f]Tamid. per. 5. They (that were to goe into the Temple to burne incenſe, and to dreſſe the lamps) came between the Porch and the Altar, one of them taketh the Migrephah and rings it between the Porch and the Altar; one man could not heare another ſpeake in Jeruſalem, becauſe of the ſound of the Migrephah. It ſerved for three things: The Prieſt that heard the ſound of it knew that his brethren the Prieſts were gone in to worſhip, and he ran and came. A Levite that heard the ſound of it, knew that his brethren the Levites were gone in to ſing, and he ranne and came. And the chiefe of the ſtationary men brought them that had been uncleane and ſet them in the gate of Nicanor. Now what kinde of thing this Migrephah was, I finde but little light towards an exact reſolution.[g]Gloſſ. in Miſhnaioth ibi. Some ſay it was a great veſſell which they rung to make a ſound, but of what faſhion, and whether for any other uſe alſo, they leave uncertain.
The Chaldee renders foreign by foreign in Exod. 38.3. &c. which ſeemeth to be the ſame word with this that wee are about, and ſo he underſtands it to meane ſome of the fire-ſhovels that belonged to the Altar, which being either rung upon, or ſhoved upon the pavement, would make a loud noiſe being of braſſe, and very big.
The Jewes upon the ſound of this and divers other things at the Temple do hyperbolize thus,[h]Tamid. per. 3. Even from Jericho they heard the noiſe of the great gate of the Temple when it opened. From Jericho they heard the ringing of the Migrephab. From Jericho they heard the noiſe of the Engine that Ben K…ttin made for the Laver. From Jericho they heard the voice of the cryer that called them to their ſervices. From Jericho they heard the ſound of the pipe. From Jericho they heard the ſound of the Cymbal. From Jericho they heard the ſound of the ſong. From Jericho they heard the ſound of the Trumpets. And ſome ſay alſo, the voice of the High prieſt when he uttered the name Jehovah on the day of expiation, &c. The truth of which things is not to be pleaded, ſeeing it is apparent that they are uttered by way of hyperbole, onelyonly it may not be improper to obſerve how common the phraſe was, From Jeruſalem to Jericho, which is alſo uſed in Luke 10.30.