The Temple in the Days of our Savior Described, Chapter 27
CHAP. XXVII. The gate foreign Hadlak, or of Kindling, or of the burning fire.
IT is eaſie to juſtifie and aſſert the tranſlation of foreign by kindling, but is not ſo eaſie to give a reaſon why this gate which ſtood moſt weſt on the South ſide did beare this name. The common opinion of gloſſaries upon it is plauſible enough, but onelyonly for one objection that may be made againſt it[a]Bartenor. & C. Lemp. in Mid. & gloſſ. in Shekalim per. 6. They hold that it was called the gate of kindling or Burning, becauſe through it wood was brought to the Altar to keepe the fire continually burning according to the law Lev. 6.12. But why this way? ſince they might have gone a nearer way to the Altar by far, either through the water-gate or the gate of the Firſtlings, ſeeing the Wood-roome was betweene them two, as hatg been ſhewed: and it is probable enough that the wood out of the wood-roome was not brought through any of the Court gates at all to the Altar, but out at a doore which went out of the roome it ſelfe in to the Court.
To find out therefore a reaſon of the name, I cannot but look over to the other ſide of the Court, from this gate that we are about, to that gate there, that was over againſt it, and there I obſerve the gate to be called Beth Mokadh, or the Gate of the burning fire, as well as this is called the Gate of kindling. And the reaſon of that name was, becauſe a fire was kept there continually for the ſenior prieſts, as ſhall be ſhewed anon, and ſo it may be well conjectured, a fire was kept here for the Levites: And though I finde not mention either in the Talmud or Joſephus of any building that joined to this gate, yet ſince there is mention in the treatiſe Middoth of the Levites keeping a guard, foreign [b]Mid. per. 1.In the chamber of the vaile, I finde not where to allot that place better then to this gate we are about: For when it ſpeaketh of the chamber of the vaile, it meaneth not either any chamber joyning to the body of the Temple it ſelfe, nor any chamber in the Court (for the Levites kept not their guards within the Court but without) but ſome chamber without the Court, which was over againſt the place of the vaile, which divided betwixt the holy and moſt holy place. And as there was a long building that ran along from that oppoſite north gate up toward the weſt to the very corner of the wall of the Court that way: ſo from this gate weſtward there ran a long building to the corner of the Court on this ſide, in which large peece of building having partitions within, there were two guards of Levites almoſt joyning together: So there were three of thoſe guards very neare together: one joyning to the gate on the Eaſt ſide,[c]Ibid. (for at five of the gates of the Court the Levites guarded, and this was one of the five) another joyning to the gate on the Weſt ſide, which was called the guard over againſt the vaile, and the third at the corner of the Court: Now as there was a common fire kept for the Prieſts on the other ſide of the Court, in a large building oppoſite to this, from whence the gate joyning to it tooke the name: ſo is it very likely, there was a common fire kept for the Levites which gave this gate the denomination of the gate of kindling.
Thus have we ſurveyed the gates and buildings on the ſouth ſide of the Court, their orderthus, comming up from the Eaſt towards the Weſt: Firſt the room Gazith at the Southweſt corner: then the roome of the Draw-well: joyning to that the Watergate, and over that the roome Abhtines: Joyning to that gate on the other ſide, the Wood-roome, and over that the Councell chamber: then the Gate of the Firſtlings, with a Levites ward joyning to it on one ſide: then the Gate of kindling and a Levites ward on either ſide it, and that building on the Weſt ſide of it running up to the Weſt corner of the Court. Now Aha Joſe a ſpokes man in the Talmud, nameth yet one gate more, and more Weſt then theſe that we have named, on this ſame ſide which he calleth the upper gate, and over againſt it on the North ſide he nameth a gate more then the common account and calleth it the gate of Jechoniah: But he goeth alone in his opinion as to the number of the Gates of the Court: yet thus farre doe other of his nation goe with him, that they ſay there were three gates on the North ſide of the Court, and that there was beſides them, a paſſage through Beth Mokadh large building out of the chel into the Court, which I ſuppoſe is that which he calleth the gate of Jechoniah: and the reaſon of the name is given, becauſe Jechoniah went out at that gate into his captivity: And ſo it may be that in this large building on this ſide which ran betweene the Gate of kindling and the Weſt corner, there was a paſſage thorough, which he ſtiles with the title of the upper gate.
But howſoever it was in his account in the ſecond Temple, the very title of the upper gate may not undeſervedly call upon us, to looke after that which is called the upper gate of Benjamits in the houſe of the Lord, in the times of the firſt Temple Jer. 20. 2. It is ſaid there that Paſhur ſmote Jeremy and put him in the ſtocks that were in the high gate or upper gate of Benjamin, which was in the houſe of the Lord. Our Engliſh hath made it ſhie to render is in the houſe of the Lord, it may be becauſe they thought it improper to have a paire of ſtocks in the Temple: and therefore they have tranſlated it which was by the houſe of the Lord, as reputing it not a gate of the Temple but ſome other: but the words in the originallare ſo plaine, and the conſent of tranſlaters ſo unanimous that it meaneth in the houſe of the Lord, that to ſwarve from it were but to ſtraine a plaine and a facile text, and to obſcure a place which is not obſcure of it ſelfe. The mountaine of the Temple lay in the lot of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin as hath been obſerved before, & the line that divided between the lots came along at the Southeaſt corner of the Altar as we ſhall obſerve anon, ſo that the Temple and Altar were in the tribe of Benjamin according to Moſes prophecy that God ſhould dwell between Benjamins ſhoulders, and ſo was the South wall of the Court till you came downe over againſt that point of the Altar, and then came in the lot of Judah. It appeareth therefore that there were but two gates on this ſide of the Court in the times of the firſt Temple, and they were called the upper and the lower gate of Benjamin, becauſe they ſtood in his lot: And there were two gates on the North ſide of the Court, and they were called, The gate of the Altar, which was Northward, and the gate of the Lords houſe which was Northward, as we ſhall ſhew by and by.
And for this place or engine of correction (were it a dungeon as the …xx. ſeemes to hold it, or a pillory as David Kimchies father, or a paire of ſtocks as our Engliſh) it is no ſoloeciſme to hold that it was in the houſe of the Lord (namely in that part of this gate that ſtood out of the Court in the Chel) ſince there was judging, ſcourging, mawling, and ſtoning, even in the Temple it ſelfe, as hath been toucht before.
And now to be going over from the South ſide to the North, along the wall of the Court at the Weſt end, there was no gate upon that quarter at all, but the wall was plaine without any gates or openings in it. And ſo Joſephus makes it cleare when he ſaith foreign [d]Jo…. de bell. …. 5. cap. 14.That part that was on the Weſt had no gate at all, but the wall that way was an intire continued building: which relation is alſo agreeable to the generall conſent of the Hebrew auhors, Aba Joſe onelyonly excepted whom we mentioned even now, who ſpeaketh of two gates here, but neither nameth them, nor telleth for what uſe they ſerved: and indeed what needed any gate here at all, ſo farre from the ſervice, and behind the Temple? There was indeed at the backe of the Court wall in the middle betwixt the North and South corners of it, a building ſtanding in the foreign Chel, where the Levites kept a guard, which was called foreign The guard behind the mercy ſeat: but there is no evidence that there was any doore out of it into the Court, and if there had been it was but a doore and not a gate. Of the guards of the Prieſts and Levites about the Temple the record is thus[e]Mid. per. 1. In three places the Prieſts kept guards in the Temple, in the chamber of Abhtines, in Beth Nitſots and in Beth Mokadh. And the Levites in one and twenty places: five at five gates of the mountaine of the houſe: Foure at the foure corners of it within: Five at five gates of the Court, and foure at the foure corners of it without: One in the chamber of Corban: One in the chamber over againſt the Vaile, and one behind the place of the Mercy ſeat.