Herod's Temple
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Herod's Temple in Jerusalem was a massive expansion of the Second Temple along with renovations of the entire Temple Mount. Herod the Great's expansion project began around 19 BC. The renovation by Herod began with the building of giant underground vaults upon which the temple would be built so it could be larger than the small flat area on top of Mount Moriah. Ground level at the time was at least 20 ft. (6m) below the current level, as can be seen by walking the Western Wall tunnels. The edge of this platform remains everywhere; part of it forms the Western Wall.
In 1948, Jordan destroyed the Jewish Quarter and much more of the wall was revealed along the southern side. In 1967, Israel took control of Old Jerusalem (and the Temple Mount) from Jordan. It was found that the wall extended all the way around Temple Mount and is part of the city wall near the Lion's Gate. Thus, the Western Wall is not the only remaining part of the Temple. Currently, "Robinson's arch" remains as the beginning of an arch that spanned the gap between the top of the platform and the higher ground farther away. This was used by the priests as an entrance. Commoners entered through the still-extant, but now plugged, gates on the southern side which led through beautiful colonnades to the top of the platform. One of these colonnades is still extant and reachable through Temple Mount.
The Temple itself was allegedly located on the site of what today is the Dome of the Rock. The gates let out close to Al-Aqsa. The Temple was destroyed by Roman troops under Titus in 70 CE. (The most complete ancient account of this event is The Jewish War, by Flavius Josephus.) The Roman Umayyad and Byzantine governors built palaces out of the rubble, as well as a Temple of Jupiter and a Church, but it was not until the Dome of the Rock was built between 687 and 691 that the last remnants of the Temple were taken down.
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[edit] Construction
Herod's Temple was one of the biggest construction projects of the first century BC, comparable to some of the seven wonders of the world.
Herod was interested in perpetuating his name for all eternity through building projects, and his construction program was extensive. He had magnificent palaces in Masada, Caesaria and Tiberias. Herod built temples for various pagan gods to serve the gentile populations, which were paid for by heavy taxes on the local Jewish population.[1]
But his masterpiece was to be the Temple of Jeruselem. The old temple, built by Zerubbabel nearly half a millennium before, despite frequent renovation, most notably by the Maccabees in the century before, was still run down and rather small. (The precinct at the beginning of the Second Temple period is said to have been 50 meters by 150 meters, an area comparable to or smaller than an American city block.)[citation needed] So in 20 BCE, Herod announced that the old temple would be torn down and replaced with something truly magnificent. The Cohanim, or Jewish priesthood, as well as the rest of the population, were skeptical, requiring Herod to quarry all the stones required for the project before the deconstruction of the Post-Exile structure could begin.
An agreement was made between Herod and the Jews--the sacrificial rituals, called korbanot, were to be continued unabated for the entire time of construction, and the Temple itself would be constructed by the Cohanim.
Mt. Moriah had a plateau at the northern end, and steeply declined on the southern slope. It was Herod's plan that the entire mountain be turned into a giant square platform. To do this, a trench was dug around the mountain, and huge stone "bricks" were laid--the largest measuring 44.6 feet by 11 feet and weighing 628 tons[2], while most were in the range of 2.5 by 3.5 by 15 feet. It is believed that the stones were transported from the quarry on specialized carts. As the mountainside began to rise, the western side was carved away to a vertical wall and bricks were carved to create a virtual continuation of the brick face, which was continued for a while until the northern slope reached ground level. Part of the Antonian hill to the north of Moriah was annexed to the complex and the area between was filled up with landfill.
The Southern wall was designed as a grand entrance. Recent archeological digs have found thousands of "Mikvas" (ceremonial bathtubs) for the ritual purification of the worshippers, as well as the grand stairway leading to the now blocked entrance. [Karen Armstrong, in her book on Jeruselem, complains bitterly of these excavations].[3]
Inside the walls, the platform was supported by a series of vaulted archways, now called "Solomon's stables" which still exist and whose current renovation by the Palestinian authority is extremely controversial.
As for the temple itself, it was made, not of local stone, as was the rest of the complex, but imported white marble, which was in sharp contrast to the entire city and gleamed in the daylight.
Legend has it that the construction of the entire complex lasted only three years, but other sources such as Josephus say that it took far longer, although the Temple itself may have taken that long. It is possible that the complex was only a few years completed when the future Emperor Titus burnt the place to the ground in 70 CE.
[edit] A Tour[4]
In the decades after the suppression of the Bar Kochba revolt, the great 2nd century CE sage Judah ha-Nasi, fearing that a Third Temple may not be built in his lifetime, wrote the Mishnah in order to keep the "oral law," the rules pertaining to the functioning of the temple ceremonials and precincts, intact for that day when the sacrifices might begin again.
The Gemara, or Talmud is a commentary on the Mishnah, and fills in many details of both the architecture and general goings on of Herod's temple. In fact, Herod's temple and what generally went on there 2000 years ago is better known than the much of what went on elsewhere in the world at the time, with the possible exception of the politics of Imperial Rome.
Therefore, it's easier to imagine what the Temple Mount was like during the time of Christ than it is to accurately describe other parts of the ancient world at that time.
[edit] Getting there
Jerusalem around the years one (BCE/CE) was primarily a tourist town. There was the Temple, its priesthood, and those subsidiary industries serving both them and the thousands of pilgrims who would arrive every day of the year.
At the time, Jewish scholars distinguished between two groups, the Yishuv, which lived in what is now Israel, and the Diaspora, which lived everywhere else. For the Yishuv, attendance at the Temple was an obligation of once or twice a year, mainly for Passover and Yom Kippur.
For the Diaspora, pilgrimage was perhaps a once in a lifetime affair, and therefore much more significant.
A Jew from distant parts of the Roman Empire would arrive by boat at the port of Joppa (now part of Tel Aviv), where he or she would join a caravan for the three day trek to the Holy City, an hour's trip by car today, and would then find lodgings in one of the many hotels or hostelries. Once lodging was secured and money changed, the pilgrim would purchase a sacrificial animal, usually a pigeon or a lamb, in preparation for the next day's events.
[edit] Arriving
The gleaming white marble of the edifice was visible from well outside the walls of the city. The scale of the building was deliberately designed to impress, and it dominated the landscape to such an extent that it was the single unchallenged visual focal point of Jerusalem. Even the three great towers that Herod had built near his palace (one of which still exists) would seem small.
The first thing he/she would do would be to head to the public entrance on the south side of the complex. He/She would check their animal and then go to a convenient Mikva, where he/she would ritually cleanse and purify themselves.
Once this was finished, the pilgrim would pick up their livestock and head over to the Huldah gates, walk up three stories worth of stairs and enter to the "Court of the Gentiles."
[edit] The Court of the Gentiles
This is where the "Show that never ends" begins. This was mostly a bazaar, selling souvenirs, sacrificial animals, lunch, and if you had forgotten, you could change money from Roman coin to ritually pure Jewish money for slightly higher rates than in town. This is what got Jesus so angry, remember). Here also, you can find a guide, who will take you on a tour of the premises, and assuming you're Jewish and male, this means almost going all the way inside the Temple itself.
The Cohanim, in their white linen robes and tubular hats, are everywhere, consulting with the pilgrims on where one is to go and what kind of sacrifice is to be performed.
Behind you as you enter the Court of the Gentiles, is the Royal Portico, which is a cross between a market, an office building and a synagogue. On the upper floors, the great sages hold court, Cohanim and Levites do various chores and tourists gawk.
To the right is the Portico of Solomon, and right in front is the Soreg, which is a giant stone structure dividing the places anyone could go from the places only Jews were allowed. Within, is the temple itself.
[edit] Inside the Soreg
According to Josephus, there were ten entrances into the inner courts, four on the south, four on the north, one on the east and one leading east to west from the Court of Women to the court of the Israelites, called the Nicanor Gate[5] They are called on the south side (going from west to east) the Fuel Gate, the Firstling Gate, the Water Gate and the north side, from west to east, are located the Jeconiah Gate, the Offering Gate, the Women Gate and the Song Gate. On the Eastern side is, of course, the Nicanor gate, which is where most tourists, assuming they're Jewish, and They DID check, enter.
A couple of pieces of the Soreg have actually survived to the present day, and there is a photograph on the right.
[edit] A Word of Warning
Up to this point, there is nothing really strange to 21st century eyes. Going to St. Peter's basilica in Rome, for example is really no different except for the ritual bath and the carrying around of livestock. But within the Soreg, things are very different. The temple's courts are a place where animal sacrifice takes place. This is a giant charnel house where animals are killed, disemboweled and sliced up before being barbecued on an industrial scale.
The smell of blood is everywhere. The Levites try their best to clean up the mess, but the ground is always sticky in certain areas. It is not a place for the weak of heart.
[edit] The Court of the Women
The reason this place is so named is obvious: every Jew is welcome here, man, woman, boy and girl. Even if a Cohen is ritually unclean, he is allowed in - there is wood to be fetched and entrails to dispose of. There is even a place for lepers who are considered especially unclean and a ritual barbershop for Nazirites, a sort of temporary vegetarian monks known for their long hair.
Here in the largest of the temple courts there is constant dancing, singing and music.
[edit] The Court of the Israelites
Here, it is men only.
[edit] The Court of the Priests
From here on in, it's only Cohanim and Levites. The main altar is here and it is in constant use. The smoke can be seen for miles in all directions.
[edit] The Temple itself
Between the entrance to the building and the curtain leading to the Holy-of-Holies were the famous vessels of the temple, the menorah, the incense burners and various other implements, some of which are purified with blood. On the other side of the curtain is...nothing, the Ark of the Covenant having disappeared long before.
[edit] The Ninth of Av, 70 CE
On this date, the future Emperor Titus ordered his men to set fire to the temple. Knocking down the porticoes was difficult, but doable; however, tearing down the vast temple platform Herod had built a century before was impossible.
The sages kept the memory alive by rote, then when it seemed that no temple would be rebuilt, they set the memory of the temple to writing, and thus it has remained ever since.
[edit] External links
- Resources > Second Temple and Talmudic Era > Second Temple Jerusalem The Jewish History Resource Center, Project of the Dinur Center for Research in Jewish History, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Resources > Second Temple and Talmudic Era > Herod and the Herodian Dynasty: The Jewish History Resource Center - Project of the Dinur Center for Research in Jewish History, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Jewish Encyclopedia: Temple of Herod
- PBS Frontline: Temple Culture
[edit] References
- ^ Flavius Josephus: The Jewish War
- ^ Dan Bahat: Touching the Stones of our Heritage, Israeli ministry of Religious Affairs, 2002
- ^ Armstrong, Karen: Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths (1996), ISBN 0-00-255522-0
- ^ Ariel, Israel and Richman, Chaim:Carta's Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Holy temple in Jerusalem Carta Publishing, Jerusalem, Israel. 2005
- ^ Josephus, War 5.5.2; 198; m. Mid. 1.4
