The Key of the Revelation, Part 2 · Section 2
The meaning of the outer Court with the holy Citie trod…n under foot by the Gentiles, and thereupon left unmeaſured and caſt out.
The outer Court trodden under foot by the Gentiles, and rejected Verſ. 2.by God from being meaſured, doth ſet forth the holy Citie of God or the Chriſtian Church, by and by from the end of the times of the meaſured Court (to which it next ſucceeded) to be given to new Idolaters, and (the affaires thereof, being eſtabliſhed now Chap. 11.by the utter caſting downe of Gentile worſhip under the ſtate of the former Court) to be prophaned with the contagion of renewed Idolatrie, as it were heatheniſme brought to life againe: in one word, Antichriſtian Apoſtacie to reigne in the Church fortie two moneths of yeers. Which ſhall be fully and particularly handled in the hiſtory of the Beaſt, contemporiſing with this Court, and being a viſion of the like matter. But let us conſider the words of the Text, the interpretation whereof we have in hand.
And there was given me, ſaith he, a reed like unto a rod, and the Angel ſtood, ſaying: Riſe and meaſure the Temple of God, and the Verſ. 1.Altar, and them that worſh…p therein.
But the Court which is without the Temple, caſt it out, and meaſure it not. For it is given to the Gentiles, and they ſhall tread under Verſ. 2.foot the holy Cittie forty two moneths.
The meaning of which words that we may rightly conceive, we muſt know, that foreign IEPON (by which name I comprehended the whole building of the Temple) was diſtinguiſhed by a double Court; one inner in which was placed foreign, or the Temple it ſelfe (together with the Altar of burnt offering at the entry thereof) and was open onelyonly to the high Prieſts and Levites: Another outer, which 2 Chron. 4. 9. is called the great Court; in Ez…ch. more then twelve times foreign that is, foreign or foreign, the Court without, or the outer Court. This belonged to the Iſraelites or to the people of Iſrael, and therefore not unproperly to be called the Court of Iſrael, although that part of this Court which belonged to the men was ſo ſpecially called by the Iewes. The former Court is ſet forth by the names of Temple, and foreign. Ariſe, ſaith he, meaſure the Temple of God (foreign) & Thyſiaſterium: where foreign expreſſeth not onelyonly the Altar of ſacrifice, which was placed there, but the pl…ce lying about alſo, that is, the whole place of the Altar and ſacrificing; as is to be gathered out of the words next in coh…rence foreign, and thoſe that worſhip therein, that is, foreign in the ſacrificing place. Alſo how foreign is taken in the 14. Chap. verſ. 18. and Chap. 16. 7. ſee Beza. Whence the old Greeke and Latine Lexicon doth interpret foreign, Altarium, the Altar place Sacrarium, the holy place; and changing the order the Gloſſary of Philoxenus hath it thus, Sacrarium Chap. 11.foreign, the holy place of the Gods is Thyſiaſterium. But this foreign together with the Court-yard of the Temple, that is, foreign, I learne out of the deſcription of the Tabernacle to be comprehended rightly by the name of the Inner Court: where likewiſe all that incloſure which compaſſed foreign the Tabernacle, and the Altar of Sacrifice, is reckoned by the name of one Court: as it appeareth, Exod. 40. 33. So much, of the firſt Court which Iohn was bidden to meaſure. But the later Court is ſet forth plaine enough by the name thereof: foreign, that is by the defect of the former ſubſtantive, foreign, The court which is without the encloſure of the Temple and Altar. In this ſince the Gentiles, being admitted without right or reaſon, were harboured, it is commanded at no hand to be meaſured, but to be caſt out and accounted for prophane.
But thou wilt ſay that not the outer court is ſaid to be troden under foot by the Gentiles, but the holy citie. I anſwer, that the outer court and the holy citie, doe mutually expound themſelves, ſince the outer court is the place of aſſembly for divine exerciſes for the holy citie or for the people of Iſrael; yea, in the deſert, the Tabernacle having only one court (into which it was not lawfull for any but the Prieſts and Levites ordinarily to enter) there was no outer court, but the campe of Iſrael or the holy citie. Thereupon therefore the ſence is, as if he ſhould have ſaid, The court which is without the Temple caſt out, and meaſure it not: for it is given to the Gentiles, and they ſhall tread (that) underfoot 42. moneths. But for the relative (that) there is placed a ſubſtantive, and ſurely the ſame which declareth the thing deſigned by the antecedent; the holy citie, ſaith he, they ſhall tread underfoot fortie two moneths. For the enallage of the ſubſtantive for the relative is very uſuall, as well in this booke as elſe where; to wit, when either the ſubſtantive which went before, is repeated inſtead of the relative, or the Synonimie thereof is put inſtead of the relative. An example of the later manner thou haſt here, and Acts 25. 21. And ſurely what elſe ſhall we ſay, is it to be given to the Gentiles, that is, leave to be given them to take it, then to be trodaen under foot? and what at length ſhould the Gentiles tread under foot, except that which was given them? that theſe words alſo, no leſſe then of the Court, and of the holy Chap. 11.Citie, may ſeeme mutually to expound themſelves.
A plot foreign that is, of the Temple and the Courts thereof.
The plot
The Inner Court
The outer Court
foreign or the Temple
The Holy of Holies
The Holy Place
The offering Altar
Thyſiaſterium the Altar place
To theſe two Courts (which and no more the Scripture mentioneth) a third was added in after ages, to wit, in the Herodian Temple by the building of another wall more compaſſing the Temple, which was called the court of Gentiles or of thoſe that were uncleane; but was not accounted for holy. Moreover there was written upon pillars there ſet, as well in Greeke as in Latine letters; foreign. In Atrium ſanctum Chap. 11.tranſire alienigenam non debere, that a ſtranger ought not to enter into the holy Court. Ioſephus de bello Iudaico, lib. 6. Graec 18.