The Temple in the Days of our Savior Described, Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV. The Holy place.
SECT. 1. The Temple dore.
THe entrance out of the porch into the Temple was through two gates, and either gate had 2 dores or folding leaves: for the better underſtanding of which, let us firſt looke upon the dimenſions of this paſſage as wee have done upon the others.
The Talmud and Joſephus do ſeeme at the firſt ſight exceedingly to differ, about the meaſure of this gate the[a]Mid. per. Sect. 1. Talmud reckoning it but twenty cubits high, and ten broad; and[b]Ioſeph. de bell. lib. 5.6.14. he five and fifty cubits high and ſixteene broad. In which diverſity, if we take the proper meaning of either party, the difference between them will not be ſo vaſt, as at the firſt skanning it doth ſeeme to be. It is the manner of the Talmud in meaſuring of the gates to ſpeake onelyonly of the open ſpace through which the paſſage was, but Joſephus, as hath beene obſerved before, meaſures foreign the whole front of the gate both above the open ſpace and the ſpreading of the poſts on either ſide it: and after this their uſuall manner they both of them meaſure this gate through which wee are going: The very open ſpace that gave the paſſage was but twenty cubits high and ten broad, and of this meaſure were the two dores: but the front of the gate was three cubits (curiouſly wrought and richly gilt) on either ſide, and five and thirty cubits above the gate to the roofe or firſt floore of the entry of the porch: and this is the meaning of Joſephus as it appeareth plainly enough by theſe his two paſſages. For as to the firſt he ſaith foreign foreign That the gate of the houſe (meaning this that we are about) was gilt all over, and ſo was the wall all about it: And as to the ſecond, he hath this ſaying ſomewhat difficult, but well underſtood reſolving the matter according as hath been ſpoken. foreign But the Temple having two floores, or being double roofed, that within was lower then that without and had gilded dores of 55 cubits high, and 16 broad.
Now by what he ſaith that the Temple was foreign, or double floored or roofed, his meaning is, that as you ſtood in the Temple there was a firſt floore over your head, and a roome above that which was called foreign of which wee have ſpoken before, and above that there was the roofe; Had all the houſe been open to the very roofe as our churches are, there could have been no difference between the height of the holy and moſt holy place to the roofe, but both had beene alike.
But both places being floored over, and having an ſupper chamber above them, there was a difference made in the height of this firſt floore: for in the holy place it was five and fifty cubits from the ground, but in the moſt holy place it was but twenty, as ſhall be ſhewed. Now the porch had its floor lay at the leaſt as high if not higher then the floore of the holy place: and ſo the ſpace above the gate to the firſt floore was a goodly ſpace, and made a faire front: It ſeemeth by our Author that the firſt floore of the porch was 90 cubits high, yet doth he reckon the height of the gate but five and fifty, becauſe he reckons only to the height of the floore of the holy place, and the height of the front of the gate of the Oracle, for he ſpeaketh of them both alike.
Thus much being obſerved concerning the height and breadth of this gate, it is alſo to be remembred that the wall of the Temple was ſix cubits thick, as was obſerved when we meaſured the breadth of the building.[c]Mid. ubi ſupra. Ezek. 4.14. The two leaves of the gate therefore which were five cubits broad apeece, were hung up a little within the thickneſſe of the wall from the porch, ſo that when they were opened they covered the whole thickneſſe of the wall on the right hand and the left, that as you paſſed thorough you could not ſee it.
Now at the very furtheſt of the thickneſſe of the wall towards the holy place, there was a two leaved doore likewiſe paralleld to this that we have ſurveyed, which when the leaves opened, they fell back to the wall which was at the lower end of the houſe, and covered a place which was unguilded: for all the walls were guilded but onelyonly the places where the leaves of the doores fell back.
And thus had you two ſeverall doors of two folding leaves apeece to go through betweene the porch and the Temple, the one ſtanding within a cubit of the porch, and the other at the very edge of the Wall within, and ſo when they were both ſhut there was a five-cubits ſpace betwixt them, which was ſo much ſpace in the thickneſſe of the Temple wall.
The outer door, is called commonly by the Jewes the great doore of the Temple, not but that the inner doore was as big, but becauſe of the great front that this gate had, which the other had not: And of this outer doore there are theſe memorials or remarkeable things recorded among them. Firſt that the morning Sacrifice was never killed till this doore was opened: And ſo it is recorded in the Treatiſe Tamid or concerning the dayly ſacrifice foreign [d]Tamid. per. 3. Maym. in Tamid per. 6.That he that was to ſlay the Sacrifice, killed him not till he heard the noiſe of the great gate opening.
And there they relate that the noiſe of this gate might be heard to Iericho, and ſo the noiſe of divers other things there mentioned, in which they do hyperbolize for the glorifying of the matters of the Temple. And a ſecond thing for which this doore is renowned among them, is, for that it had two wickets in it, in either leaſe one, one in the North leafe and another in the South: And that through that in the South no man paſſed, but that that was it of which Ezekiel ſaith,[e]Ezek. 44.2. This gate ſhall be ſhut, it ſhall not be opened and no man ſhall enter in by it, &c.
Now for the opening of theſe doores every morning, the way was thus: One tooke a key and opened the wicket in the North leaſe of the doore and went in, into the five cubit ſpace between the two doores: and there he went in at a doore into the very wall where there was a hollow paſſage into the holy place, comming forth in the place where one of the leaves of the inner doore fell to the wall.
Being come in he opened that inner doore, and then hee came and opened the outer doore, at the noiſe of the opening of which the killer of the morning Sacriſice went about that worke:[f]Sotah per. 2. In this five cubits ſpace between the two doors even behinde the leafe of the doore on the right hand, there was a marble flag of a cubit ſquare lay looſe in the floor with a ring faſtned in it to pull it up, and when the Prieſts tryed any ſuſpected wife, they came hither and pulled up this ſtone, and tooke duſt from under it, to put into the water to make her drinke as was injoined Numb. 5.17. &c.
SECT. 2. The Veile.
BEtween theſe two doores alſo in this five cubits ſpace, there hung a veile anſwerable to the veile at the doore of the Tabernacle, Exod. 26.36. And ſo it is teſtified by Joſephus, [a]Joſeph. de Bell. l. 5. c. 14.who ſpeakes of two veiles, one at the entring into the holy place, and another to diſtinguiſh betwixt the holy and the moſt holy. And he deſcribes the veile to have been of the meaſures that hee had newly ſpoken of before, namely 55 cubits deep and 16 cubits broad (yet the gate where it hung was but ten) and that it was foreign, (foreign Joſh. 7.21.) Babylonian tapiſtry worke, of blue purple ſcarlet and fine owined linnen, which hee reſembles to the foure elements.
Other Jewes likewiſe give us intimation of ſuch a veile hanging at the entrance into the holy place. For the Talmudick treatiſe[b]Tamid. per…q. Tamid, mentioned but a little before, ſpeaking of the High prieſt going into the holy place to worſhip, ſaith, there were three that held him, one by his right hand and another by his left hand, and a third by the precious ſtones in the breſt plate: And when the preſident heareth the ſound of the High prieſts feet comming out, hee lifteth up the veile for him: and then himſelfe goeth in and worſhippeth, and after him his brethren the Prieſts go in and worſhip.
[c]Maym. in Kele Mikdaſh per. 7.There were 13 veiles in all about the Temple: namely, 7 for the ſeven gates of the Court: one at the gate of the porch, one at the gate of the Temple, and two betwixt the holy and the moſt holy place, and two juſt over them in the roome above:[d]Shekalim Per. 5. And there was an overſeer of the veiles, that tooke care for the ſupply and the right ordering of them: and if they were defiled by any common uncleanneſs, they were taken downe and waſht and hung up in the foreign chel to dry: And when new veiles were made, they were hung up on the gallery in the Court of the women, that they might be viewed by all the people to ſee that they were right.
SECT. 3. The holy place it ſelfe.
[a]1 King. 6.2, 17.THis place was fourty cubits long and twenty broad: and in Solomons Temple it was thirty cubits high, having no floore at all on this ſide the roofe,[b]Joſeph. ubi ſupr. but in Herods Temple it was ſixty: For the children of the captivity building their Temple ſixty cubits high, they floored it not over but left it open to the roofe in the holy place as Solomons Temple had been, and according to the ſame height was the floore laid, when it was floored over in the time of Herod.
And here two things are to be remembred; 1. that whereas the lower leads of the building which were over the ſide chambers, were but 50 cubits high, as hath beene deſcribed, and there was a paſſage off thoſe leads into the upper chamber over the holy place, and it was by ſteps of ten cubits high, partly without the wall, and partly within the thickneſſe of the wall it ſelfe. a That there was an inequality of the height of the floores in the three parts of the houſe, the porch, the holy place and the moſt holy. The firſt floore of the porch was 90 cubits high, the holy place 60, and the moſt holy but 20. And therefore whereas there was a floore over the moſt holy place, even with the floore over the holy place, viz. at 60 cubits height, that was not the firſt floore over it, but there was another floore 40 cubits beneath that.
The beauty and richneſſe of this place was exceeding great: The floor of it upon which they trod was planked with firre boards, and they gilt with gold; and the walls were alſo fieled or wainſcoted with cedar, and that gilt likewiſe: This gilding was from the ground floore, even to the floore over head, all the 60 cubits high up the wals; and this is meant when the Text ſaith foreign He built the walls of the Houſe within with boards of Cedar from the floore of the houſe to the walls of the covering: that is, up to the very wals of the floore over head, as it is well expounded by the Rabbins upon that place.
For fifty cubits height of the walls was the imbroidery of branches and open flowers, &c. and for the ten cubits above, it was the place of the windowes: for the ſide chambers without the houſe, in three ſtories, did take up the height of fifty cubits high, ſo that for ſo high no windowes could be made into the houſe, but the ſpace of ten cubits above, was the place for the windowes which were made narrow without and broad within.
The deckage or carving of the wainſcot of the walls is ſaid to be foreign The carving of knops and open flowers as our Engliſh renders it: but the Hebrew Doctors are ſomewhat nice about the conſtruction of theſe words. The Chaldee expounds it, the ingraving of the likeneſſe of egges (ovalls) and wreathes of Lillyes: as if he meant that he wrought the walls with the worke of Lillie garlands, and an ovall in the middeſt of a garland:[c]Levi Gerſ. … King. 6. Levi Gerſhem underſtands foreign ovalls as the Chaldee doth, but he takes them to be ſuch ovalls as are the buds of flowers, and that out of them came foreign the flowers ſpreading and opening as in their maturity.[d]Kimch. i… David Kimchi takes foreign for wild gourds, and ſo our Engliſh hath it alſo in the Margin; and this I take to be the proper conſtruction of the words and this the imbroidery of the wals: That there was the carving of Cherubims and palme trees and the carving of gourds and open flowers interchanged thus: firſt a border of gourds or pompions or ſuch like apple-faſhioned ſculpture intermixed with marigolds, gilliflowers, and ſuch opening flowers, and this border or wreath went round about the houſe: upon this wreath as upon a baſe, were ſet the feet of Cherubims, and the rooting of palme trees both which ſtood up from this wreath[e]1 King. 6.29 Ezek. 41.18, 19. a Cherub and a Palme tree, a Cherub and a Palme tree round about: above the heads of the Cherubims and Palme trees was ſuch another wreath, and Cherubims and Palme trees ſet upon that againe, and ſo interchangeably to the top. By all which was ſignified the atendance of Angels, Heb. 1.14. and flouriſhing condition, Pſal. 92.12, 13. of thoſe that ſerve the Lord and wait upon him. Every one of the Cherubims was pictured with two faces, one of a man that looked toward the Palme tree on one hand, and the other of a Lion that looked towards the Palme tree on the other.
Whereas it is ſaid that twenty cubits were built on the ſides of the houſe with boards of Cedar from the floore to the walls, 1 Kings 7.16. the Jewes do expound theſe twenty cubits by way of breadth and not of height, as thinking that they meane, that beſides the ſides of the houſe on either hand, which were 40 cubits long, he alſo made the like worke upon either end of the roome, which was twenty cubits broad: But the Text doth ſpeake it more peculiarly of the moſt holy place, and ſheweth what was the height of that, which was different from the outer roome or holy place, as we ſhall ſee hereafter.
Sect. 4. The Candleſtick.
THere were three remarkable and renowned things in this roome of the holy place, which next come to our obſerving, and thoſe were the Candleſtick, the Table of Shew-bread, and the Altar of Incenſe, the firſt of gold, and the other two gilded, ſo that here in this roome could nothing be ſeen but gold.[a]Joſeph. ubi …upr. Joſephus ſets out theſe three things with this Encomium. foreign That they were three moſt wondrous workmanſhips, and to be renowned amongſt all men: And that the ſeven Lampes in the Candleſtick reſembled the ſeven Planets: And the twelve loaves upon the Shew-bread table, the twelve ſignes in the Zodiack or the yeare: And the Incenſe Altar, whereon incenſe was offered, which came partly out of the Sea, and partly from land, denoted that all things are of God and to him.
[b]Maym. in beth habbech. per. 3.The Candleſtick was eighteen hand bredth high, which according to the cubit of ſix hand breadth was a yard and an halfe: It had three feet, which almoſt lay flat upon the ground: At three hand breadth height, there was a flowring of a coronet work curiouſly ſpreading out, then went the ſhaft up, two hand breadth high; and there was a diſh, a boſſe, and a flowring above the boſſe, and all in a hand breadth compaſſe: thence the ſhaft went up again, plaine for two hand breadths, and then was there a boſſe of a hand breadth, and there went out two branches, which were carried out, bowed on either ſide, till they were to be brought up ſtraight to an equall height to the top of this middle ſhaft out of which they proceeded. Then was there an hand breadth of the ſhaft plain, and a boſſe of an hand breadth, and then came out two branches more on either ſide: And again, one hand breadth of the ſhaft plain, and a boſſe again of an hand breadth, and then came out two branches more: Above them was two hand breadth of the ſhaft plain: And for the three hand breadths above, there were three cups, and three boſſes, and three flowrings in that ſpace, and ſo the lamp ſtood in a flowring.
In every branch that came out of this middle ſhaft, there were three cups at a handſome diſtance one from another, and above the higheſt a boſſe, and above that a flowring, and in that flowring the lamp ſtood: And before the Candleſtick there was a ſtone with three ſteps cut in it, on which he that mended the lampes ſtood, and on which he ſet downe his diſhes whilſt he was about that worke.
This Candleſtick of ſeven branches (to which alluſion is made, Apoc. 1. Zechar. 4.2. Apoc. 11.4.) was ſet on the South ſide of the houſe, but ſo as that the armes or branches of it ſpread North and South: All the lampes or lights that were ſet in the ſix branches that came out of the ſhaft, were turned bending, and looking towards the lamp which was in the middle in the ſhaft it ſelfe, and the lamp in that, was turned bending towards the moſt holy place, and therefore it was caſled foreign The Weſtern lamps: Theſe ſeven lamps (which denoted the ſeven Spirits of God, Re…. 4.5. & 5.6. which the Jews call, the Seven Spirits of Meſſias, from Eſay 11.1, 2, 3.) did burn continually, or if any of them were gone out, every morning and evening they were lighted again, and their perpetuall light reſembled the word and doctrine of Salvation, the light of the Lord, in which we ſee light.
Theſe lampes were called the candle of the Lord, 1 Sam. 3.3. where it is ſaid, before the candle of the Lord went out, the Lord called to Samuel, &c. upon which words, David Kimchi giveth this gloſſe: If this bee ſpoken concerning the lampes in the Candleſtick, this was ſomewhat before day: for the lampes burnt from even till morning, yet did they ſometimes ſome of them goe out in the night. [c]Kimch. in 1 Sam. 3. Vid. Lev. Gerſ. ibid.They put oil into them by ſuch a meaſure as ſhould keep them burning from even till morning; and many times they did burn till morning; and they alwaies found the Western lamp burning. Now it is ſaid, that this prophecy came to Samuel, before the lamps went out, while it was yet night, about the time of cocks crowing, for it is ſaid afterward, that Samuel lay till morning. Or allegorically it ſpeaks of the candle of Prophecy; as they ſay the ſun ariſeth, and the ſun ſets: Before the holy bleſſed God cauſe the ſun of one righteous man to ſet, he cauſeth the ſun of another righteous man to riſe. Before Moſes his ſun ſet, Joſhua's ſun aroſe; before Elies ſun ſet, Samuels ſun aroſe, and this is that which is ſaid, Before the candle of God went out.
The Lord needed no light of candles (no more then he needed bread which was ſet upon the Shew-bread table) nor the Prieſts needed no candles in this roome neither, for the windowes though they were high, yet did they give light into the roome abundantly, but God by theſe candles did as it were enlighten the people to teach them ſpirituall things by theſe corporall, and to acquaint them with the neceſſity of the light of his word, and the bread of Salvation which came downe from heaven. And therefore when Solomon did make[d]2 Chr. 4. ten candleſticks, and ten tables, and ſet them intermixedly by five and five on either ſide the houſe, he added nothing to God, but he added only more ſplendor to the ſervice, and more luſtre to the Doctrin, of the neceſſity of the light of the word, and of the bread of life.[e]Beal Hatturim in Lev. 24. Our wiſemen ſay (ſaith Baal Hatturim) that the Weſtern lamp (which never went out) was a teſtimony that the Divine glory dwelt amongſt Iſrael.
SECT. 5. The Shew-bread table.
ON the Northſide of the houſe which was on the right hand, ſtood the ſhew-bread table of two cubits long, and a cubit and a half broad,[a]Exo. 25.23. in the Tabernacle of Moſes, [b]Maym. ubi ſup.but wanting that halfe cubit in breadth in the ſecond Temple (the reaſon of the falling ſhort not given by them that give the relation.) It ſtood length ways in its place, that is Eaſt and Weſt, & had a crowne of gold round about it, toward the upmoſt edge of it, which[c]Vid. Baal hatt. in Ex. 25. the Iews reſemble to the crown of the Kingdom.
Upon this Table there ſtood continually twelve loaves, which becauſe they ſtood before the Lord, they were called foreign [d]Mar. 12.4.foreign, The bread of ſetting before, for which our Engliſh hath found a very fit word, calling it the Shew-bread: The manner of making and placing of which loaves was thus.
[e]Maym. in Tamidin. per. 5.Out of four & twenty foreign Sata (three of which went to an Ephah) that is, out of eight buſhell of wheat being ground, they ſifted out[f]Lev. 24.5. foure and twenty tenth deales[g]Ex: 16.36. or Omers of the pureſt flowre; and that they made into twelve cakes, two Omers in a cake; or the fifth part of an Ephah of come in every cake: They made the cakes ſquare, namely to hand breadth long, and five broad, and ſeven fingers thick: They were made and baked in a roome that was in the great building Beth mokadh, on the Northſide of the Court, as we ſhall ſhew anon, and they were baked on the day before the Sabbeth.
On the Sabbath they ſet them on the table in this manner: Four Prieſts went firſt in, to ſetch away the loaves that had ſtood all the week, and other four went in after them to bring in new ones in their ſtead; Two of the four laſt, carried the two rowes of the cakes, namely ſix a peace: and the other two carried in either of them in a golden diſh, in which the frankincenſe was to be put to be ſet upon the loaves, and ſo thoſe four that went to fetch out the old bread, two of them were to carry the cakes, and the other two the diſhes: Theſe foure that came to fetch the old bread out, ſtood before the table with their faces towards the North, and the other four that brought in the new ſtood betwixt the table and the wall, with their faces toward the South; thoſe drew off the old cakes, and theſe as the other went off ſlipt on the new, ſo that the table was never without bread upon it, becauſe it is ſaid, that they ſhould ſtand before the Lord continually.
They ſet the cakes in two rowes, ſix and ſix, one upon another, and they ſet them, the length of the cakes croſſe over the breadth of the table (by which it appeares, that the crowne of gold about the table, roſe not above the ſurface of it, but was a border below edging even with the plain of it,[b]R: Sol: in Exod. 25. (as is well held by Rabbi Solomon) and ſo the cakes lay two hand bread the over the table on either fide; for the table was but ſix hand breadth broad, and the cakes were ten hand breadth long: Now as for the preventing that, that which ſo lay over ſhould not break off, if they had no other way to prevent it (which yet they had, but I confeſſe that the deſcription of it in their authors I doe not underſtand, yet their manner of laying the cakes one upon another, was ſuch, as that the weight reſted upon the table, and not upon the points that hung over.
The loweſt cake of either rowe they laid upon the plaine table: and upon that cake they laid three golden canes at diſtance one from another, and upon thoſe they laid the next cake; and then three golden canes again, and upon them another cake, and ſo of the reſt; ſave only that they laid but two ſuch canes upon the fifth cake, becauſe there was but one cake more to be laid upon. Now theſe which I cal golden canes (and the Hebrews call them ſo alſo) were not like reeds or canes, perfectly round and hallow thorow, but they were like canes or kexes ſlit up the middle, and the reaſon of laying them thus betwixt cake and cake, was, that by their hollowneſs air might come to every cake, and all might thereby bee kept the better from moldineſſe and corrupting; and thus did the cake lie hollow, and one not touching another, and all the golden canes being laid ſo, as that that they lay within the compaſſe of the breadth of the table, the ends of the cakes that lay over the table on either ſide, bare no burden but their own weight.
On the top of either row was ſet a golden diſh with a handfull of frankincenſe, which when the bread was taken away, was burnt as incenſe to the Lord, Lev. 24.7. and the bread went to Aaron and his ſons, or to the Prieſts as their portions to be eaten.
What theſe loaves did repreſent and ſignifie, is variouſly gueſſed: the number of twelve in two rowes ſeem to referre to the twelve tribes, whoſe names were ſo divided into ſix and ſix in the two ſtones on the high Prieſts ſhoulders: And as bread is the chief ſubſiſtence and ſtaffe of our mortall life, ſo the offering of theſe might denote an acknowledgement of the people, of their receiving of all their ſubſiſtence from the Lord, to whom they preſented theſe as their tribute: and theſe aſwell as the lamps ſtanding before the Lord, might ſhew, that their ſpirituall and temporall ſupport were both before him. But our purſuit is to looke after the things themſelves, leaving the allegorizing of them unto others: for in ſuch things men are moſt commonly more ready to give ſatisfaction to themſelves, then to take it from others, for as much as the things themſelves may be bended and ſwayed to various application.
Sect. 6. The Altar of Iucenſe.
THe Candleſtick ſtood on the one ſide of the houſe, and the Table on the other, and this Altar in the middle: not juſt betwixt them, but ſomewhat higher in the houſe toward the moſt holy place then they were: Theſe three ornaments and furnitures of the holy place foreign [a]Maym in Beth habbec. per. 3.were ſet in a third part of the houſe; that is, whereas the houſe (meaning the holy place) was forty cubits long, when you had gone up ſix and twenty cubits, and two third parts of a cubit into the room, there ſtood the table and candleſtick, and ſomewhat further higher towards the vail ſtood this Altar.
[b]Ex: 30.1, 2. Maym. ubi ſup.It was a cubit ſquare, and two cubits high, had foure horns at the foure corners of it, and a crown about the brim or edge of it, which the Jews ſay denoted the Crowne of the Prieſthood: It ſtood not ſo nigh the vail of the moſt holy place, but that one might goe about it; and ſo how the Prieſt did on the day of Explation, and beſprinkled the horns of it with blood, we obſerve elſewhere.
On this Altar (commonly called the golden Altar) incenſe was offered morning and evening every day: a figure, if you apply the action to Chriſt, of his mediation; and if to man, a reſemblance of the duty of prayer. The twelve cakes which reſembled the ſuſtenance and ſuſtentation of the twelve Tribes, which was ever before the Lord, were renewed only once every week, but the lampsdreſt, and the incenſe offered twice every day, for we have more need of the light of Gods word, and of prayer, then of our dayly food. And if we will apply all the three to Chriſt, The Kingly office of Chriſt provided bread for his people, his Prophetick office provided the light of his word, and his Prieſtly office the incenſe of mediation.