The Temple in the Days of our Savior Described, Chapter 31
CHAP. XXXI. The Roome of Salt: of Parvah, and of the waſhing.
AS there were three roomes betweene the middle gate Corban, which was alſo called the gate of the women, and the more weſtward gate Corban, which was alſo called the gate Beth Mokadh, namely two treaſuries and a Levites ward betweene the two: So were there three roomes alſo betweene the fame middle gate Corban, and the gate more Eaſtward which was called the gate Nitſots, and thoſe were[a]Mid. per. 5. The roome of the Salt: the roome of Parvah, and the roome of the Waſhers: The roome of the Salt was the moſt Weſtward of the three, and joyned to the gate of the women, and it was ſo called, becauſe they there laid up the Salt for the uſe of the Temple. For howſoever Salt and Wine and Oile and ſuch things were ſold in the Tabernae, for the uſe of particular perſons offerings, yet for the publick offerings and ſervice, theſe things were ſtocked up at the publick charge in ſeverall roomes appointed for them.
The uſe of Salt at the Temple was exceeding much,[b]Maym. in Iſſure mizbeah per. 5. for nothing was laid on the Altar unſalted, but onelyonly the wood, the blood and the Wine of the drink-offering: and how much Salt might be ſpent upon all their ſacrifices, let any one imagine, for this was the Law, with all thine offerings thou ſhalt offer Salt, Lev. 2.13. And they had not this way onelyonly for the ſpending of Salt, but they alſo ſalted the skins of all the ſacrifices when they had flayed them off. For the skins belonged to the Prieſts as their Fee: the courſe therefore of the Prieſts that was in ſerving, did ſtill ſalt the skins of what ſacrifices they offered, that they might not be offenſive, and kept them till the end of the weeke of their ſervice: and on the Eve of the Sabbath, towards night they divided them to every one his ſhare.
The place where they ſalted and laid up the skins till that time, was in the roome of Parvah which joyned to this roome of the Salt, on the Eaſt; and which is the next piece of building that we are to ſurvey: The reaſon of the name is ſomewhat doubtfull: the Gemarites in the treatiſe Joma debating it, conclude in this tradition: foreign [c]Joma per. 3. halacah. 6.what is meant by Parvah? Rab Joſeph ſaith, Parvah was a Magician; [d]Aruch in foreignthe meaning of foreign (ſaith Rabbi Nathan) is to this purpoſe: Parvah is the name of a man who was a Magician: And there are ſome of the wiſe men that ſay that he digged a vault under ground, till he could come to ſee what the High-prieſt did on the day of Expiation. And the wiſe men were aware of this vault that he had made, and they found him in it, and they called this chamber by his name. The ſhort gloſſe upon the Miſhnaioth in octavo goes yet further. A Conjurer (ſaith he) whoſe name was Parvah built this roome by Magick: And ſome ſay that he digged through the wall to ſee the ſervice of the High-prieſt, and there he was ſlaine Magick was a matter more in uſe at the Temple among ſome of the Grandees there, then one could have poſſibly thought that it could have beene: for the[e]Talm. Jeruſ. in Joma per. 3. Jeruſalem Talmud relates that ſome of the High-prieſts uſed to deſtroy one another with it.[f]R. Shemaiah in Mid. But others deduce the reaſon of the name Parvah from Parim which ſignifieth Bullocks, becauſe of the many hides or skins of bullocks that were laid up there: About which matter we ſhall not be curious to ſway the ballance one way or other: but ſhall leave the reaſon of the name to be diſputed by them that have a mind to ſuch a buſineſſe, it is enough to our ſurvey to take notice of the place, and name and uſe of it without more circumſtances.
At the Eaſt end of this building of Parvah, there was another piece of building which was called foreign The roome of the Waſhers: And the reaſon of the name was foreign [g]Mid. ubi ſupra.Becauſe in this roome they waſhed the inwards of the ſacrifices according to the law, Lev. 1.9. It hath been a very generall conceit, of waſhing the beaſts that were to be offered in the poole of Betheſda, of which there is mention, Joh. 5. If that opinion meane, the waſhing of the beaſt whileſt he was alive, I know not where the leaſt footſtep of any ſuch cuſtome is to be found, either in Scripture or in Jewiſh monuments of antiquity. And if it meane the waſhing of the inwards after the beaſt was ſlaine, the roome that we are about was the place where that was done, and they went no further: and when they had firſt waſhed them here, they did it againe upon the marble tables, of which we ſhall ſpeak ere it belong.
[h]Ibid.Out of this roome of waſhing, there was a paire of winding ſtaires, to the top of the roome Parvah, [i]Joma per. 3.and on the top of that roome there was a bath, where the High-prieſt did bath himſelfe on the day of expiation, the ſeverall bathings that he was to bath on that day, but only the firſt which was in the bath on the top of the room Abhtines, as hath been obſerved before. It appeareth that here was a great iſſue or running cock of water, in this waſhing roome, which ſerved for the waſhing of ſo many intrailes as there was occaſion to waſh continually: and that there was a conveyance of water to the roofe of the adjoining roome, where alſo a cock ran to ſupply the bath.