The Temple in the Days of our Savior Described, Title page – To the reader
THE TEMPLE: ESPECIALLY As it ſtood in the dayes OF OUR SAVIOVR.
Deſcribed by JOHN LIGHTFOOTE.
LONDON Printed by R. C. for Andrew Crook at the Green-Dragon in Pauls Churchyard, 1650.
CLARISSIMO HONORATISSIMOQUE VIR O Dno. GƲILIELMO LENTHALLO Summi Senatus Parliamentarii PROLOCUTORI Digniſſimo.
HANCCE QUALEM QUALEMCUNQUE TEMPLI HIEROSOLYMITANI DESCRIPTIONEM J. L.
GRATITUDINIS AT QUE OBSERVANTIAE ERGO HUMILLIME D. D. D.
To the Reader.
I Could with as little paines and travail have journyed to Jeruſalem to have taken a view of the Temple, had it now ſtood, as this hath coſt me to ſurvey it by the eyes of others in their writings, as I have done: And for all my labour, how I ſhall ſpeed in the acceptance of the Reader, I muſt leave it to the common doubtfull fate of Books, being neither willing to beg it, nor to deſpair of it. If I have come ſhort either of the worth of the matter treated of, or failed the expectation of the Reader, the difficulty of the Subject may plead my Apology, and my deſire to benefit, may lighten my cenſure.
There is hardly a harder taske in Study then to deſcribe ſtructures and places not ſeen, and at diſtance; and the Scripture hath hardly a more obſcure deſcription of any thing then of this fabricke. In that I have added ſo much of Jewiſh intelligence about it, it is becauſe I finde not where better information (after the Scriptures) is to be had. I know they hear as ill as any men for their writings, and that very oft not without very good cauſe, yet give them leave to tell the ſtory of their own cuſtoms and antiquities aſſoone as another man, and if you will not beleeve them what they ſay, to produce others that ſpeak more credibly, in the matter in hand I beleeve will be next impoſſible.
I ſhall not plead for them in all they write, leſt I ſhould be like unto them; in things of hiſtoricall nature, I cannot but give ſome credence to them, as being likely to be the beſt recorders of their owne Antiquities.
It is well knowne to the ſtudious how much light hath been held out by ſome learned men towards the explication of abundance of difficulties in Scripture, by the diſcovery of the Jewiſh cuſtomes and Antiquities, to which the New Testament ſpeaketh and alludeth exceeding copiouſly and frequently: I need not to goe far for examples of learned men that have been choicely happy in ſuch illuſtrations: A matchleſſe paire in our owne Nation, ſecond to none in any Nation whatſoever, Mr. Hugh Broughton in the laſt generation, and Mr. Selden in this, may be inſtances ſufficient. Now though it is farre enough from my thoughts and hopes to dream of atchieving to the leaſt degree and meaſure of their skil in theſe ſtudies, and their happineſs in ſuch explanations: yet can I not but from ſuch incouragements of experience in others, go on with the more delight in the peruſall of ſuch Monuments my ſelfe, not without hope that I may reape ſome profit by them to my ſelfe, and hold out ſomething from them which may not be altogether uſeleſſe to others.
What may redound of this kinde out of this preſent volume, I muſt leave to the Readers cenſure, and not be my owne judge: This I hope I may ſay of it without arrogance or falſhood, that this Subject hath ſcarcely been ſo largely handled in our Engliſh tongue heretofore, and that what is here produced out of Jewiſh records, doth for the moſt part carry ſo faire poſsibility and probability with it, and is ſo little diſſonant either to Scripture or reaſon, and ſo conſonant to Joſephus, whoſe credit is commonly reputed above Talmudicall, that if on the one hand there is not undeniable ground to beleeve it, neither is there on the other hand, undeniable ground to gainſay it.
I had undertaken a taske of a far larger time, toile, and volume, and the ſame way of workmanſhip that I have done this; namely, from Scripture, and from Talmudicall and Jewiſh writers, to have given a deſcription of the land of Canaan, ſo far am I ſatisfied of the benefit of theſe Authors if dexterouſly managed. And certainly if my judgement do not much faile me, exceeding ſingular uſe might be made of them in ſuch a worke, and hundreds or rather thouſands of learned rarities as to that Subject produced out of them, not to be found in any Authors but themſelves, which tend not a little to the illuſtration of the chorography and ſtory of that Land: But when I had ſpent a good large time and progreſſe in that worke, I found that I was happily prevented in that Subject by a more learned and acute pen;*Mr. Tho. Fuller, B. D. which though it went not the ſame way in that worke that I had done, yet was it ſo farre before me both in progreſs and in accuracy, that I knew it would be loſt labour for me to proceed further. Hereupon I left off that taske, leſt I ſhould actum agere, and diverted my thoughts to this ſurvey, becauſe of a promiſe which had a tie upon me for ſomething of this nature.
With the working up of this piece, I alſo drew up a large Map of the Temple structures, according to the verball deſcription of them in this volume, the ſight and comparing of which would have made the things here deſcribed a great deale more eaſie and pleaſant to be understood, could it have been publiſhed; but I have not yet met with the faculty and fortune of bringing it to that iſſue: and I thought to have ſuppreſſed this Tract till that alſo might have come forth with it; but I have been overcome to let it out, partly by the importunity of others, and partly by this Reaſon of mine owne, that it might not be amiſſe to try what acceptance this Treatiſe will finde, before I adde more paines and charge for the ingraving of the Map. If any of my learned friends upon peruſall of this Tract, ſhall thinke the publication of that may be materiall, I ſhall be ready to embrace ſuch animation, and uſe my beſt endeavour to effect the thing if it will be effected.
Much-Mundon in Herfordſh Aprill 3. 1650.