TEMPLE
the
west
was
by
the
gate
of
Kiponos
(Midd.
i.
3),
the
approach
to
which
was
by
a
bridge
over
the
Tyro-poeon,
now
represented
by
Wilson's
arch.
On
the
south
were
the
two
gates
represented
by
the
present
'double'
and
'triple'
gates,
and
named
the
Huldah
(or
'mole')
gates,
because
the
visitor
passed
into
the
court
by
sloping
tunnels
beneath
the
royal
porch.
These
ramps
opened
upon
the
Court
of
the
Gentiles
about
190
ft.
from
the
south
wall
(see
plan
and,
for
details,
BxpT,
I.e.).
(6)
The
inner
courts
and
their
gates.
—
The
great
court
was
open
to
Jew
and
Gentile
alike,
and,
as
we
learn
from
the
Gospels,
was
the
centre
of
a
busy
life,
and
of
transactions
little
in
accord
with
its
sacred
purpose.
The
sanctuary
in
the
strict
sense
began
when
one
reached
the
series
of
walls,
buildings,
and
courts
which
rose
on
successive
terraces
in
the
northern
half
of
the
great
enclosure.
Its
limits
were
marked
out
by
a
low
balus-trade,
the
soreg,
which
ran
round
the
whole,
and
was
provided
at
intervals
with
notices
warning
all
Gentiles
against
entering
the
sacred
enclosure
on
pain
of
death
(cf.
St.
Paul's
experience,
Ac
212M').
From
the
sSrig,
flights
of
steps
at
different
points
led
up
to
a
narrow
terrace,
termed
the
chM
(XYZ
in
plan),
10
cubits
wide,
beyond
which
rose
a
lofty
retaining
wall
enclosing
the
whole
sanctuary,
to
which
Jews
alone
had
access.
The
great
wall
by
which
the
sanctuary
was
converted
into
a
fortress,
was
pierced
by
nine
gateways
—
h
1-9
on
the
plan
—
over
which
were
built
massive
two-storeyed
gate-houses
'like
towers'
(Jos.
BJ
v.
v.
3),
four
in
the
N.,
four
in
the
S.,
and
one
in
the
E.
wall.
The
most
splendid
of
all
the
gates
was
the
last
mentioned,
the
eastern
gate,
which
was
the
principal
entrance
to
the
Temple.
From
the
fact
that
it
was
composed
entirely
of
Corinthian
brass,
and
had
been
the
gift
of
a
certain
Nicanor
of
Alexandria,
it
was
known
as
'the
Corinthian
gate'
(Jos.),
and
the
gate
of
Nicanor'
(Mish.).
There
is
little
doubt
that
it
is
also
'the
Beautiful
Gate
of
the
temple
'
(Ac
3^-
'"),
as
shown
by
Scharer
in
his
exhaustive
study
(ZNTW,
1906,
51-58).
The
other
eight
gates
were
'covered
over
with
gold
and
silver,
as
were
the
jambs
and
lintels'
(Jos.
BJ
v.
v.
3),
at
the
expense
of
Alexander,
the
Jewish
alabarch
of
Alexandria
(c.
a.d.
20-40).
All
the
gates
were
20
cubits
high
by
10
wide,
according
to
the
Mishna
(Josephus
says
30
by
15).
Entering
by
the
'
Beautiful
Gate,'
H
5,
one
found
oneself
in
the
colonnaded
court
of
the
women
—
so
called
because
accessible
to
women
as
well
as
men.
This
was
the
regular
place
of
assembly
for
public
worship
(cf.
Lk
1'°).
The
women
were
accommodated
in
a
gallery
which
ran
round
the
court
(Midd.
11.
6),
probably
above
the
colon-nades
as
suggested
in
the
plan.
Along
by
the
pillars
of
the
colonnades
were
placed
thirteen
trumpet-shaped
boxes
to
receive
the
ofEerings
and
dues
of
the
faithful.
These
boxes
are
'the
treasury'
into
which
the
widow's
mites
were
cast
(Mk
12<2).
The
west
side
of
this
court
was
bounded
by
a
wall,
which
divided
the
sanctuary
into
two
parts,
an
eastern
and
a
western.
As
the
level
of
the
latter
was
consider-ably
higher
than
that
of
the
eastern
court,
a
magnifl-cent
semicircular
flight
of
fifteen
steps
led
up
from
the
one
to
the
other.
At
the
top
of
the
steps
was
an
enormous
gateway,
50
cubits
by
40,
allowing
the
wor-shippers
an
uninterrupted
view
of
the
altar
and
the
Temple.
The
leaves
of
its
gate
were
even
more
richly
plated
with
silver
and
gold
by
Alexander
than
the
others,
and
hence
many
have
identified
this
gate
with
'the
gate
that
was
called
Beautiful'
(but
see
Schllrer,
loc.
cit.
and
ExpT,
xx.
[1908]).
(c)
The
court
of
the
priests
and
the
great
altar.
—
There
Is
some
uncertainty
as
to
the
arrangements
of
the
western
court,
which
we
have
now
reached,
owing
to
the
divergent
data
of
our
two
authorities,
Josephua
and
the
Mishna.
The
simplest
solution
is
perhaps
to
regard
the
whole
western
court
as
in
one
sense
the
court
of
the
priests,
'
the
court
'
par
excellence
of
the
Mishna
i.Midd.
v.
1,
etc.).
Alexander
Jannseus,
we
learned
(§
9),
railed
TEMPLE
oft
the
Temple
and
altar,
and
restricted
the
male
Israelites
to
the
outer
edge
of
the
then
inner
court.
This
arrangement
was
retained
when
the
courts
were
laid
out
anew
by
Herod.
In
Middoth
ii.
6
a
narrow
strip
by
the
entrance
—
only
1
1
cubits
in
width,
but
ex-tending
the
whole
breadth
of
the
court
from
N.
to
S.
—
is
named
the
court
of
Israel.
Josephus,
however,
is
probably
right
in
representing
the
latter
as
running
round
three
sides
of
the
western
court
(as
on
plan
bbb).
.
Its
small
size
was
a
reminder
that
the
laity
—
apart
from
those
actually
taking
part
in
the
sacrifices,
who
had,
of
course,
to
be
allowed
even
within
the
still
more
sacred
precincts
of
the
priests'
court
—
were
admitted
on
suff
ranee
to
the
western
court;
the
eastern
court,
or
court
of
the
women,
was,
as
has
been
indicated,
the
proper
place
of
worship
for
the
laity.
Along
the
N.
and
S.
walls
of
the
enclosure
were
built
chambers
for
various
purposes
connected
with
the
Temple
ritual
(.Midd.
v.
3,
4),
chambers
and
gatehouses
being
connected
by
an
orna-mental
colonnade.
Those
whose
location
can
be
de-termined
with
some
degree
of
certainty
are
entered
on
the
plan
and
named
in
the
key
thereto.
The
inner
court
is
represented
in
the
Mishna
as
a
rectangle,
187
cubits
by
135,
the
outer
or
women's
court
as
an
exact
square,
135
cubits
by
135
(and
so
on
most
plans,
e.ff.
DB
iv.
713).
But
the
rock
levels
of
the
Haram,
the
oblique
line
of
the
E.
side
of
the
platform
—
due
probably
to
the
lie
of
the
rock
required
for
the
foundation
of
the
massive
E
.
wall—
and
the
repeated
appearance
of
1
1
and
its
multipliea
(note
that
187=11X17)
in
the
details
of
the
totafe
in
Middoth
v.
1,
all
combine
to
justify
a
suspicion
as
to
the
accuracy
of
the
figures.
On
the
accompanying
plan
the
whole
inner
court,
B
and
c,
is
entered
aa
170
cubits
long
from
E.
to
W.,
and
160
broad.
The
outer
court.
A,
has
a
free
space
between
the
colonnades
of
136
by
an
average
of
about
110.
The
total
dimensions
of
the
sanctuary,
including
the
surrounding
buildings
and
the
terrace(cAeOare
as
follows:
(1)
length
from
W
to
E.
across
the
rock,
315
cubits
or
462
ft.;
(2)
width
from
N.
to
S.
250
cubits
or
367
ft.
The
data
on
which
these
meaaurements
are
based
will
be
found
in
the
essays
in
the
Exp.
Times,
already
fre-quently
referred
to.
In
the
latest,
and
in
some
respects
the
best,
plan
of
Herod's
Temple
by
Waterhouse
in
Sanday's
Sacred
Sites
of
the
Gospels,
the
data
of
the
Mishna
are
set
aside,
and
a
large
'court
of
men
of
Israel'
is
inserted
in
the
western
court
in
addition
to
those
above
described.
Against
this
view
it
may
be
urged,
(1)
that
it
requires
its
author
to
remove
the
eastern
court,
which
was
an
essential
part
of
the
sanctuary,
from
a
place
on
the
present
inner
platform
of
the
Haram;
(2)
the
consequence
of
this
is
to
narrow
unduly
the
space
between
the
Beautiful
Gate
and
Solomon's
Porch.
If
there
is
one
statement
of
the
Mishna
that
is
worthy
of
credit,
it
is
that
'
the
largest
free
space
was
on
the
south,
the
second
largest
on
the
east,
the
tlnrd
on
the
north,
and
the
smallest
on
the
west'
(Midd.
ii.
1).
But,
as
the
plan
referred
to
shows,
this
is
not
the
case
if
the
court
of
the
women
is
removed
so
far
to
the
east
by
the
insertion
of
a
large
'court
of
Israel.'
The
plan
is
also
open
to
criticism
on
other
grounds
(cf.
G.
A.
Smith,
op.
dt.
ii.
508
ff.).
The
altar
of
bumt-ofiering,
D,
was,
like
that
restored
by
Judas
the
Maccabee,
of
unhewn
stone,
and
measured
at
the
base
32
cubits
by
32
(47
feet
square,
thus
cover-ing
almost
the
whole
of
the
sacred
rock,
see
§
6
(6)),
decreasing
by
three
stages
till
the
altar-hearth
was
only
24
cubits
square.
The
priests
went
up
by
an
inclined
approach
on
the
south
side
in
accordance
with
Ex
20".
To
the
north
of
the
altar
was
the
place
where
the
sacri-ficial
victims
were
slaughtered
and
prepared
for
the
altar.
It
was
provided
with
rings,
pillars,
hooks,
and
tables.
A
layer,
O,
for
the
priests'
ablutions
stood
to
the
west
of
the
approach
to
the
altar.
12.
The
Temple
building.
—
A
few
yards
beyond
the
great
altar
rose
the
Temple
itself,
a
glittering
mass
of
white
marble
and
gold.
Twelve
steps,
corresponding
to
the
height
(12
half-cubits)
of
the
massive
and
prob-ably
gold-covered
stereobate
on
which
the
building
stood,
led
up
to
the
porch.
The
porch
was
probably
96
cubits
in
height
and
of
the
same
breadth
at
the
base.
The
Mishna
gives
its
height,
including
the
6
cubits
of
the
podium
or
stereobate,
as
100
cubits.
