an inhabitant of Teman.
Temeni
son of Ashur the father of Tekoa, by his wife Naarah. (1 Chronicles 4:6) (B.C. about 1450.)
Temple
There is perhaps no building of the ancient world which has excited so much attention since
the time of its destruction as the temple which Solomon built by Herod. Its spoils were considered
worthy of forming the principal illustration of one of the most beautiful of Roman triumphal arches,
and Justinian’s highest architectural ambition was that he might surpass it. Throughout the middle
ages it influenced to a considerable degree the forms of Christian churches, and its peculiarities
were the watchwords and rallying-points of all associations of builders. When the French expedition
to Egypt, int he first years of this century, had made the world familiar with the wonderful
architectural remains of that country, every one jumped to the conclusion that Solomon’s temple
must have been designed after an Egyptian model. The discoveries in Assyria by Botta and Layard
have within the last twenty years given an entirely new direction to the researches of the restorers.
Unfortunately, however, no Assyrian temple has yet been exhumed of a nature to throw much light
on this subject, and we are still forced to have recourse to the later buildings at Persepolis, or to
general deductions from the style of the nearly contemporary secular buildings at Nineveh and
elsewhere, for such illustrations as are available. THE TEMPLE OF Solomon.—It was David who
first proposed to replace the tabernacle by a more permanent building, but was forbidden for the
reasons assigned by the prophet Nathan, (2 Samuel 7:5) etc.; and though he collected materials and
made arrangements, the execution of the task was left for his son Solomon. (The gold and silver
alone accumulated by David are at the lowest reckoned to have amounted to between two and three
billion dollars, a sum which can be paralleled from secular history.—Lange.) Solomon, with the
assistance of Hiram king of Tyre, commenced this great undertaking int he fourth year of his reign,
B.C. 1012, and completed it in seven years, B.C. 1005. (There were 183,000 Jews and strangers
employed on it—of Jews 30,000, by rotation 10,000 a month; of Canaanites 153,600, of whom
70,000 were bearers of burdens, 80,000 hewers of wood and stone, and 3600 overseers. The parts
were all prepared at a distance from the site of the building, and when they were brought together
the whole immense structure was erected without the sound of hammer, axe or any tool of iron. ( 1
Kings 6:7)—Schaff.) The building occupied the site prepared for it by David, which had formerly
been the threshing-floor of the Jebusite Ornan or Araunah, on Mount Moriah. The whole area
enclosed by the outer walls formed a square of about 600 feet; but the sanctuary itself was
comparatively small, inasmuch as it was intended only for the ministrations of the priests, the
congregation of the people assembling in the courts. In this and all other essential points the temple
followed the model of the tabernacle, from which it differed chiefly by having chambers built about
the sanctuary for the abode of the priests and attendants and the keeping of treasures and stores. In
all its dimensions, length, breadth and height, the sanctuary itself was exactly double the size of
the tabernacle, the ground plan measuring 80 cubits by 40, while that of the tabernacle was 40 by
20, and the height of the temple being 30 cubits, while that of the tabernacle was 15. [The readers
would compare the following account with the article Tabernacle] As in the tabernacle, the temple
consisted of three parts, the porch, the holy place, and the holy of holies. The front of the porch
was supported, after the manner of some Egyptian temples, by the two great brazen pillars, Jachin
and Boaz, 18 cubits high, with capitals of 5 cubits more, adorned with lily-work and pomegranates.
(1 Kings 7:15-22) The places of the two “veils” of the tabernacle were occupied by partitions, in
frankie
(Frankie)
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