The Temple in the Days of our Savior Described, Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. The Tower ANTONIA. foreign
VPonUpon the North ſide[a]Ioſeph. Antiq. lib. 15. c. 14. & de Bell. lib. 5. cap. 25. and joining up to the Weſterne angle (but on the outſide of the wall that we have ſurveyed) ſtood the Tower of Antonia, once the place where the High-prieſts uſed to lay up their holy garments, but in aftertimes a Garriſon of Roman Souldiers for the awing of the Temple. When it ſerved for the former uſe, it was called Baris, (it may be from foreign ad extra becauſe it was an outer building) but when for the latter, it bare the name of Antonia: Herod the great having ſumptuouſly repaired it, as he did the Temple, and called it after the name of the Roman Prince Antony. It ſtood upon the North-weſt point of Moriah, and was a very ſtrong and a very large pile: ſo ſpacious a building with all its appurtenances, that it took up two furlongs compaſſe. The rock it ſtood upon, was fifty cubits high and ſteep, and the building it ſelfe was forty cubits above it, it was 4 ſquare, incompaſſed with a wall of 3 cubits high, which encloſed its courts, and had a Turret at every corner, like the white Tower at London, but that it was more ſpacious, and that the Turrets were not all of a height, for thoſe at the North-eaſt and North-weſt corners were 50 cubits high, but thoſe on the South-eaſt and South-weſt were 70 cubits high, that they might fully over-looke the Temple. It had cloiſters or walkes about it, and baths and lodgings and large roomes in it, ſo that it was at once like a Caſtle and like a Palace. There was a paſſage out of it into the North and Weſt cloiſters of the Mountain of the Houſe (of which we ſhall ſpeak next) and by that the Roman Garriſon Souldiers went downe at every feſtivall of the Jewes, to take care againſt tumults and ſeditions in thoſe great concourſes of the people: And the Governour of this Tower is called the Captaine of the Temple, Acts 4.1. Luke 22.52.
[b]Id. Ant. lib. 18. c. 6.Hyrcanus the High-prieſt the firſt of that name, tooke up this place for his Manſion, and for the laying up of his holy garments, and ſo did his ſucceſſors after him: And Herod when he repaired it and called it Antonia, he ſuffered the High-prieſts to lay up and to have the keeping of the robes here ſtill, and ſo did Archelaus his ſonne after him. But when the Romans put Archelaus from his Kingdome, they tooke the cuſtody of theſe garments into their owne power, but yet they let them lye in the ſame place, till Vitellius the Pro-conſul of Syria (in the time of Tiberius) coming to Jeruſalem, and well pleaſed with his entertainment there, upon the Jewes Petition reſtored the keeping of thoſe robes to them againe. Howbeit they injoyed not that priviledge very long, but in the time of ſucceeding Emperours and Governours the cuſtody of them was taken from them againe.
And now that we have ſeen Antonia on the outſide of the North wall, let us come in againe at the North gate Tedi, and look a little more upon that, as we come through it. We obſerved before, the name of this gate to ſignifie Hiding or obſcurity, and as for the nature of it, we ſaw that it was in a manner altogether unfrequented: Now two things may be conjectured toward the reaſon and cauſe of both theſe; as 1. The inſolency of the Roman Garriſon might make the people have but little minde to come that way, and it might bee to them, Porta Taedii, a gate of grievance; for let us caſt out a Latine Etymology, ſo neare a Latine Garriſon. And 2. a reaſon why it carrieth hiddenneſſe in its name, Joſephus ſeemeth to give in this paſſage foreign.[c]Id. de Bell. lib. 5. cap. 15. becauſe the hill Bezetha did ſhadow the Temple on that North ſide, and ſpoile its proſpect, whereas no other ſide of the ſquare had any ſuch cloudings.