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The History Of The Temple
By Rob & Louisa Forrest
Table Of Contents
History Of The Temple - Part 2
History Of The Temple - Part 3
History Of The Temple - Part 4
History Of The Temple - Part 1
"Lord, Remember David, and all his afflictions: how he sware unto the Lord, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob; Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed; I will not give sleep to mine eyelids, until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob." (Psalm 132: 1-5)
The temple has been at the heart of the religious life of Israel, since David dreamed of building a permanent dwelling place for the Lord. The people of God had always longed for the Lord to dwell amongst them. We see this desire, running throughout time. The temple was the embodiment of this hope for Israel. Eventually, the temple building came to be a reality, with the construction of Solomon's temple, the rebuilding of the temple by Zerubbabel , and later Herod's Temple. Even now, there are many in the land of Israel, and around the world, that desire to rebuild the temple once again, on Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount. Some even believe that the Shekinah (Divine Presence) of God, has never left the Mount, and still dwells on the Temple Mount today (1). Whether or not Christians will see another temple building in Jerusalem remains a matter of time. As for David, the Lord did not allow him to build a temple (1 Chronicles 22:8), but He did give David this promise:
"Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days. He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever." (1 Chronicles 22:17)
History Of The Temple - Part 2
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Solomon, whose name is derived from the Hebrew word Shalom (peace, prosperity) (2), was to be that temple builder. However, David was allowed to prepare for the building of the temple. David had established the building site on Mount Moriah with an altar to the Lord. (1 Chronicles 2:1) He planned the temple structure, and gathered its materials. Then David gave Solomon his throne, his counsel and his blessing to help in the awesome task that was now his (1 Chr. 22: 1-16):
"Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the Lord an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto. Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber, and all manner of cunning men for every manner of work. Of the gold, the silver, and the brass, and the iron, there is no number. Arise therefore, and be doing, and the Lord be with thee." (1 Chronicles 22:14-16)
"Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite." (2 Chronicles 3:1)
So it was that the first temple was built by King Solomon, during a time of peace and prosperity for the nation of Israel. The temple took seven years to build, and it was built from stone to withstand the effects of the passage of time. Its foundation was laid very deep in the earth, the first stone laid being the cornerstone. It was immovable and majestic. Solomon's temple was "made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building." (1 Kings 6:7) The temple stones were cut to specifications at the nearby quarry. Once the cut stones were brought to the construction site, the walls were assembled according to plan. Cedar from Lebanon was floated down by sea to Israel for use in the temple roofs, interior beams and wall surfaces. The ceiling and roof beams rested in grooves built into the walls, as if naturally fitting together. Solomon's temple was not a large structure, it measured only 30 feet wide, 90 feet long and 45 feet high. Nevertheless, this temple commanded attention as it stood there on its nine foot high platform atop Mount Moriah. The Israelites could approach this temple and remain in the court areas outside, but they could never enter in. Entrance into the temple could only be made by the priests.
The beauty of Solomon's temple was not in its size, but in its magnificent details. In the court area outside stood the huge "sea" made of brass that held "two thousand baths" (1 Kings 7:26), or an estimated 10,000 gallons. This massive pool of water was about fifteen feet in diameter and seven and a half feet high. This "sea" was set atop the backs of twelve brass bulls, that faced out in all four directions. It was used for the ceremonial cleansing of the priests. There were ten lavers of brass, five on each side of the "sea". These were used to wash the offerings before they were brought to the altar for burning. The brass altar of burnt offering, was near the "sea", (II Chron. 4:1) and it served as the central place for public ceremony. That altar is believed to have stood on the rock that is today enclosed by the Dome of the Rock Mosque on the Temple Mount.
Ten steps led up to the temple's entrance, which was framed on either side by a free-standing brass pillar. Each pillar was a massive eighteen feet in circumference and 27 feet high. These two columns were adorned with lilies and palms, and were crowned with brass capitals engraved with lilies and hundreds of pomegranates. (1 Kings 7: 19-20). The temple doors were made of cypress, which were carved and inlaid with gold cheribum, flowers and palm trees. Behind the doors was the vestibule, or Ulam. It served as the entrance to the Holy Place, or Hekhal. Cedar paneling with gold inlaid designs of flowers and gourds covered the walls inside. Boards of fir were laid on the temple floors. Although high, narrow windows provided the light by day, one gold lampstand was lit in the daytime. Ten gold lampstands provided the lighting in the temple by night. There were also twelve tables for the twelve loaves of showbread in the Holy Place. This grand hall was 60 feet in length, and led to the Holy of Holies, or Devir. The Holy of Holies was a 30 ft cubicle, plated completely in gold, with an incense altar near its entrance. (1 Kings 7:48) There were no windows in the Holy of Holies, for it was the holiest place in Israel, and was also the most unapproachable. It was here that the Ark of the Covenant was kept, within it, the tablets given to Israel by Moses. It was here that the "Shekinah" of God was believed to dwell. Only the high priest could enter inside the Holy of Holies, and then only on the Day of Atonement to sprinkle the sacrificial blood on the mercy seat for the forgiveness of the sins of the people.
History Of The Temple - Part 3
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And
so began the claim of Israel to the temple on the mount. Solomon's Temple stood
from 960 B. C. until it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian army in 587 B.C.
The Babylonian army flattened the walls surrounding Jerusalem and pillaged the temple.
The temple vessels, pillars, lampstands and the "sea", being of worth, were carried off
to Babylon, as were the people of Jerusalem. Jerusalem became a deserted city of devastation.
But it was not forgotten.
In exile, some of the Jews (those from Judah) again
dreamed of their city, Jerusalem, and their temple on the mount. One of these dreamers was
Nehemiah, cupbearer to the Persian king, Artaxerxes. Since the Jews captivity, the Persian
military had defeated the Babylonians, and taken control of all lands and people that had
belonged to the Babylonian Empire. Nehemiah had sought the Lord about returning to Jerusalem,
and his prayers were heard. He pleaded with Artaxerxes to let him return to, "the place
of my fathers' sepulchers" (Neh. 2:3). The emperor agreed to Nehemiah's request. Under
the authority of Artaxerxes, Nehemiah traveled to Jerusalem to rebuild the city's walls and
gates. Once in Jerusalem, Nehemiah was opposed by three men of power: Sanballat, (governor
of the province that was part of the northern kingdom of Israel and its transplanted people),
Ammonite Tobiah (governor of the province that is present day Jordan), and the Arab chieftain
Geshem (a Moabite, probably governor of the area south of Judah). These men were unnerved by
the news of Nehemiah's mission to rebuild Jerusalem's defenses:
"When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant,
the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the
welfare of the children of Israel." (Nehemiah 2: 10)
These three men challenged Nehemiah, accusing him of
rebellion against the empire. In response Nehemiah declared, "The God of heaven, he will
prosper us; therefore, we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right,
nor memorial, in Jerusalem." (Nehemiah 2:20) Nehemiah reminded these unbelievers that they
had no part in God's plan for Jerusalem. Despite their continuing threats, the walls and gates
of Jerusalem were quickly rebuilt in fifty-two days. The city was now secure. Ezra, a priest
from the line of Aaron, brought the books of the Law to Jerusalem, with the help of Nehemiah.
Together, Nehemiah and Ezra gathered all the Scriptures together for posterity.
Not all of the Jews returned back to their homeland.
Some exiles had chosen to stay in Babylon. Those that had chosen to return to Jerusalem came
back in successive waves, starting in 537 BC. Nehemiah and Ezra came in the first waves. Zerubbabel,
a descendant of King David and the appointed governor of Judah, as well as Jeshua, the high priest,
came to Jerusalem later. It was Zerubbabel and Jeshua that oversaw the rebuilding of the temple and
the commencement of its services. The laying of the temple foundation was witnessed by people who
had seen the magnificence of the first temple, and by people, born in exile, that had only heard
stories of that glorious structure. For all of them, the rebuilding of the temple was the
culmination of a dream, born out of a deep and abiding faith in the God of their fathers.
Zerubbabel's temple was finished in 515 B.C. Although
this new temple was roughly the same size as first temple, there were differences. The courtyard
outside of this temple was divided into a Court of Women, and a Court of Men. Inside the temple,
there were curtains, not doors, separating the Ulam, from the Hekhal, and the Devir. Although many
of the first temple vessels that were taken by the Babylonians were brought back to Jerusalem,
only one lampstand, and one table for the showbread were among them. More importantly there was
no Ark of the Covenant, no Urim, and no Thummin. This prompted some Babylonian Jews, to renounce
this new temple. A Talmud (Jewish commentary) from Babylon in those days declared that this new
temple was not blessed with the Shekinah of God. However, the Scriptures show that this was not true:
"In the seventh month, in the one twentieth day of
the month, came the word of the Lord by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel
the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest,
and to the residue of the people, saying, Who is left among you that saw this house in her
first glory? And how do you see it now? Is it not in your eyes in comparison of nothing? Yet
now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith the Lord; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the
high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am
with you, saith the Lord of hosts: According to the word that I covenanted with you when ye
came out of Egypt, so my spirit remaineth among you: fear ye not." (Haggai 2:2-5)
History Of The Temple - Part 4
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Although Zerubbabel's temple was modest in comparison to Solomon's, it was an extremely important structure in the religious life of the faithful Jews of those days. Once again, the Jews had become established in their land. The Jewish faithful grew in numbers. This caught the attention of Antiochus Epiphanes, a Syrian king, who was determined to exterminate the Jewish faith, and establish the worship of Greek gods in its place. In 168 B.C., Epiphanes raided Jerusalem and the temple. He desecrated the temple by forcing the High Priest to sacrifice a pig on its altar. Epiphanes suspended the temple sacrifices for over three years. He forbade any worship of the Lord, even forbidding circumcision. Many of the men, women and children who disobeyed were slaughtered. Although Antiochus' goal was the extermination of the Jewish faith, what he got instead was the Hasmonean (Maccabean) revolt of the Jews. In 165 B.C. these Jews took back Jerusalem and the temple. The temple was cleansed and rededicated to the Lord. The Jewish holiday, Hanukkah, celebrates this rededication and cleansing of the temple in Jerusalem.
In the days of Herod the Great, Zerubbabel's temple was replaced with a larger, more impressive temple complex which was built atop a massive stone platform - the Temple Mount. Herod had been declared king of the Jews by the Roman Senate. This king had been busy rebuilding many cities and structures in his domain, for his own glory. He considered a new temple in the capital city of Jerusalem to be his crowning achievement. Although the actual temple building was about the size of its predecessors, the whole Temple Mount was twice as large as that of the previous temple. The building site had to be enlarged, then raised with fill and leveled, The site was supported underground by arches placed inside a cavern. This underground area is known today as Solomon's Stables. Retaining walls were built around the entire Temple Mount site to hold in the fill. The "Wailing Wall" is a section of this retaining wall, and it stands today as a monument to that third temple.
Although construction began around 20 B.C, the temple with all of its surrounding courts, was not completely finished until 64 A.D. A high wall encompassed the temple, and its courts. Entrance to the Temple Mount was made through gates, located on each wall. Porches ran around the inside of the outer walls. After the porches came four, successive courts, each with its own wall, each progressively more restricted. The first was the Court of the Gentiles, which was not considered to be holy ground. But, it was here that Christ chased out the money changers, cleansing the temple, because of the zeal He had for his father's house. (John 2:13-17) The next level was considered to be holy ground, and it contained the Court of Women, where the money offerings were given. This is where Jesus gathered His disciples, and explained that the poor widow "cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury." (Mark 12: 43b) Above it, stood the Court of Israel, where only the men of Israel were allowed. The men of Israel watched the offerings of sacrifice from this court. Above it, was the Court of Priests with its laver for cleansing and its altar for the burnt offering.
The temple building stood above the Court of the Priests. Herod had constructed the temple in sections, gradually replacing the older temple, so that the temple services would not be disrupted. The temple was built of white marble, with its eastern front plated with gold. It too had curtains separating the vestibule, the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. We know from the Scriptures, that the veil of this temple was "rent in twain from the top to the bottom" when Christ was crucified. ( Matthew 28: 51). Access to the living God was now within the grasp of not only the High Priest, but those who served in the Court of the Priests, and those who gathered in the Court of Israel, those who came to the Court of Women, and even those 'strangers' in the Court of the Gentiles.
This was the temple where Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to be presented to the Lord. This was the temple where Simeon declared,
"Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hadst prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel." (Luke 2: 29-32)
Today, the world wonders at why Jerusalem and the Temple Mount are so precious to the Jewish people. Are they worth the price of war and suffering? Why can't the Israelis just let it all go? Wouldn't that appease Israel's tormentors, silence her critics, and bring peace? Perhaps their answer is found in these verses:
"For the Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is my rest for ever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it. I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread. I will clothe her priests with salvation: and her saints shall shout aloud for joy." (Psalm 132:13-16)
References
Jewish Temple, p. 827-829, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. ? 1968
The Living Bible Encyclopedia, vol. 16, p.2003 - 2008, H.S.Stuttman Co., Inc
Josephus, ? 1960, 1978, 1981 by Kregel Publications
(1) Endowed with a Pure Spirit by the Temple Mount, p. 14, The Voice of the Temple Mount Faithful, Summer 2001
(2) Solomon, p.404, Who's Who in the Bible,? 1994 The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.
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