Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem: description and photo. Palace of King Solomon What temple did Solomon build

King Solomon's Temple

Although the First Temple of Jerusalem was built by King Solomon, preparations for its construction had begun in the previous reign. King David purchased a site for the temple, made extensive preparations for building materials, drew up a plan for the temple, and saved up funds.
Jerusalem at that time was much smaller than today; of its four hills, only one was inhabited - Mount Zion. After occupying the city, David surrounded it with a wall. The rather high Mount Moriah adjoined Zion on the eastern side. It was occupied by the field of one local resident, the Jebusite Orna. In the middle of the field, on the upper ridge of the mountain, a threshing floor was built. King David bought this mountain from Orna for 50 shekels of silver (according to other sources, for 600 shekels of gold). It is quite possible that the mountain was bought in parts: first, a small part of it for 50 shekels of silver, and then other areas adjacent to it - for only 600 shekels of gold.

After purchasing the site, David immediately dedicated it by building an altar. According to legend, this was the very place where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac.

The building materials prepared by King David for the temple are gold, silver (although it is not mentioned in the decoration of Solomon's Temple), copper, precious stones, iron, cedar beams, marble, stone. The Jerusalem Temple was the only one for the entire kingdom of Israel and therefore required all kinds of splendor.

David fulfilled the plan of the Temple in general and in particular, which he handed over to his heirs in a solemn will and with an insistent demand that it be fulfilled.

Despite the abundance of building material prepared by David, it was not enough even to begin work; there were especially few stones and timber. Therefore, King Solomon, starting the construction of the Temple, entered into an agreement with the Tyrian king Hiram, according to which he agreed to supply Solomon with cedar and cypress wood, hewn ready-made stones from the Lebanese mountains; the cutting down of timber and the processing of stones should be left to the people sent by Solomon, but for guidance, Phoenician craftsmen should also be placed over them, as they were more experienced in the matter; wooden beams should be delivered from Lebanon by sea on rafts to Jaffa, the pier closest to Jerusalem. For his part, Solomon had to supply wheat, wine, and oil to Tire. There is evidence that King Solomon concluded a similar agreement with the Egyptian king.

At the construction site of the Temple, no ax, no hammer, or other iron tool was heard: wood and stone finishing work was carried out in Lebanon, foundry work was performed in the Jordan Valley.

Before starting to build the Temple, it was necessary to find a place for it that would correspond to the plan. In its original form, the ridge of Mount Moriah was very steep; the body of the temple and the altar could barely fit on it. There was no room at all for the courtyards that were supposed to surround the Temple on all sides.

In addition, in its original direction, the ridge of Mt. He walked diagonally - not straight from north to south, but from northwest to southeast. And the Temple and its courts had to be clearly oriented (like the tabernacle) in the correct relationship to the four cardinal directions. Therefore, in preparation for the construction of the Temple, it was necessary: a) to expand the upper part of the mountain to the dimensions provided for by the plan of the Temple, b) to change or align the direction of the ridge so that the area prepared for the Temple was, perhaps, more accurately facing the four cardinal directions.

And King Solomon came up with a wise plan: to build along the eastern side of the mountain, starting from its base, among the Kidron Valley passing here, a large and solid stone wall in the direction that the wall of the Temple courtyard should have had (that is, straight from north to south), and fill the gap between the wall and the mountainside with earth.

In general, Solomon's Temple was built according to the plan given for the tabernacle of Moses, only on a larger scale and with such adaptations as were necessary in a rich, immovable sanctuary. The temple was divided into the Holy of Holies, the sanctuary and the vestibule, but it was larger and more magnificent than the tabernacle. Around the inner compartment of Solomon's Temple, a large area was built - sections for the people (or a large courtyard). The second courtyard, or courtyard of the priests, was twice the size of the tabernacle. Corresponding to the laver of the tabernacle, at the altar of the Temple there was a whole system of washing vessels: 10 artistically made lavers on stands and a large pool for water, in size called the sea. The vestibule of the temple was a corridor 20 cubits long (the width of the Temple body) and 10 cubits deep. In front of him stood two large copper columns.

The internal size of the Temple was partly double, partly triple the size of the tabernacle.

The Holy of Holies and the sanctuary were separated by a stone wall with an olive door. The walls of the Temple itself were lined with massive cut stone, lined with white marble on the outside, but, like the doors of the tabernacle, inside they were covered with wooden lining, and then lined with sheet gold. The doors, the ceiling, and the cypress floor of the Temple were covered with gold.

On the walls of the tabernacle were depicted the same cherubim as on the embroidered cloth that draped its interior walls. And on the walls of Solomon’s Temple cherubs were depicted, only an ornament in the form of plants was added. Externally, the Temple was striking in its grandeur, massiveness and strength, and inside - in wealth and splendor, unheard of even in the ancient world. The entire interior of the Temple was lined with wood - the walls and ceiling were cedar, and the floor was cypress, so that the stone inside the Temple was not visible. The wall boards were decorated with carvings of reliefs cut inward (rather than protruding forward); the deeply carved main subjects of the paintings never protruded above the plane of the wall.

The paintings again depicted figures of cherubs, but they were also supplemented by images of palm trees, coloquintes (a genus of wild cucumbers) and blossoming flowers. The choice of palm tree is explained not only by the fact that it was the most beautiful and useful tree - a symbol of beauty, greatness and moral perfection. According to the ancients, the birthplace of the palm tree was Palestine, from where it spread throughout the ancient East. The palm tree in the Jerusalem Temple was a symbol of the triumph of God in the Promised Land. There were no images of palm trees in the tabernacle, since it was a desert sanctuary, built only on the way to Palestine.

The wooden planks that covered the stone walls (bars in the windows, the ceiling, the floor, the steps leading to the Holy of Holies) were in turn covered with gold leaf.

Each nail with which the gold sheets were nailed was also gold. Along the gold there were also multi-colored precious stones for decoration. In its external forms, the Temple resembled a ship expanding towards the top, or Noah's Ark. The internal platforms, rising one above the other, extended outwards from the lower main part of the walls and by three projections. These projections required special supports, which were three rows of columns with a fourth row of cedar pilasters. Thus, along the three walls of the Temple (northern, southern and western) colonnades (or covered alleys) were formed under wide canopies protruding from the upper parts of the wall.

When the Temple was ready, King Solomon called all the elders and many people to consecrate it. With the sound of trumpets and the singing of spiritual songs, the Ark of the Covenant was brought in and placed in the Holy of Holies under the shadow of two new colossal cherubim, stretching out their wings so that the ends of the outer wings touched the wall, and the inner wings bent over the Ark. The glory of the Lord in the form of a cloud filled the Temple, so that the priests could not continue their worship. Then Solomon ascended to his royal seat, fell to his knees and began to pray to God that in this place He would accept the prayers of not only the Israelis, but also the pagans. At the end of this prayer, fire came down from heaven and burned the sacrifices prepared in the Temple.

The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem, plundered it, burned it and destroyed Solomon's Temple to the ground. Then the Ark of the Covenant also perished. The entire Jewish people were taken into captivity (589 BC), only the poorest Jews were left on their land to cultivate the vineyards and fields. In destroyed Jerusalem, the prophet Jeremiah remained, who wept on the ruins of the city and continued to teach goodness to the remaining inhabitants.

The Jews were in Babylonian captivity for 70 years. The Persian king Cyrus, in the first year of his rule over Babylon, allowed the Jews to return to their fatherland. Such prolonged captivity led them to the realization that only Jerusalem and the entire kingdom of Judah could stand as the Temple of Jehovah. This conviction was so strong in them that they left Babylon only after securing royal permission to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.

Forty-two thousand Jews went to their land. Those who remained in Babylon helped them with gold, silver and other property and, in addition, rich donations for the Temple. The king gave the Jews the sacred vessels that were taken by Nebuchadnezzar from the Temple of Solomon.

Returning to Jerusalem, the Jews first rebuilt the altar to the Lord God, and the next year laid the foundation of the Temple. Nineteen years later, the construction of the Temple was completed. The New Temple was not as rich and magnificent as Solomon's Temple, and the elders, who remembered the splendor of the former Temple, cried that the Second Temple was poorer and smaller than the previous one.

But during the reign of Herod (37–4 BC), who made a lot of efforts to expand and decorate it, the Temple reached a special prosperity and splendor. Josephus Flavius left the following description of the Temple: “The Temple shone so brightly, reflecting the rays of the sun, that no one could look at it. And from a distance it looked like a mountain peak sparkling with snow. The terraces of the Temple consisted of huge granite blocks up to 20 meters long. These stone blocks were carefully fitted to each other so that even an earthquake would not move them.

In some places they rose as a solid wall up to 150 m in height. The wall ended in a double colonnade that surrounded the Temple Court for non-Jews. Stairs rose from it to nine golden and silver gates. They led into courtyards for Jewish women and men. Above them was the Courtyard for the priests, and the 50-meter facade of the Temple itself rose even higher. All the buildings were decorated with white marble and gold, and even the spikes on the roof of the Temple, made specifically to prevent pigeons from landing on it, were golden.”

During the Jewish War, the Jerusalem Temple was destroyed for the second time in 70 AD, and the destruction of the Second Temple occurred on the “ninth Ab” according to the Jewish calendar, on the day of the destruction of the First Temple - more than 500 years later.

Today, only the preserved part of the western wall that surrounded the Temple Mount Moriah, on the top of which stood the Jerusalem Temple, reminds us of the majestic structure that was the center of the spiritual life of the Jewish people. This part of the wall, made of huge stone monoliths, is 156 meters long.

It is called the Western Wall (or Western Wall) and is the national shrine of the Jewish people.

Solomon's Temple was called in ancient times one of the 7 wonders of the world. It amazed eyewitnesses with its grandeur and enormous size. In the 10th century BC. Solomon's Temple was built by King Solomon. This was the heyday of the State of Israel, and the Temple itself began to be considered the main shrine of the Jews. While they walked all over the earth, looking for the Promised Land, and fought with their neighbors, while the Jews did not yet have their own state, God wandered with his chosen people. The Ark of the Covenant served as a guarantee of chosenness. However, the Jews eventually decided to settle in Palestine. Then they built King Solomon's Temple, which became a symbol of the unity of Israel, a god-ruled kingdom.

Jerusalem under David

Jerusalem became the capital under King David. He brought the Ark of the Covenant here. The Ark was in a special Tabernacle. The territory of Jerusalem lay between the allotments of the tribe of Benjamin (the first king of Israel, Saul, was from it) and the tribe of Judah (David came from it). The city, thus, turned out to not belong entirely to any of the tribes. However, it became the main place of religious life for all 12 tribes of Israel.

David's contribution to the construction of Solomon's Temple

David bought Mount Moriah from Orna the Jebusite. Here, on the site of the former threshing floor, he erected an altar to the god Yahweh in order to stop the epidemic that struck the people. Mount Moriah is a special place. Abraham, according to the Bible, wanted to sacrifice Isaac, his son, to God here. David decided to build a Temple on this site. However, only his son, Solomon, carried out the plan. David, however, did a lot for its construction: he prepared vessels made of copper, silver and gold, received as a gift or obtained in wars, as well as reserves of metals. Lebanese cedars and cut stones were transported from Phenicia by sea.

Construction progress

Solomon began construction in the 4th year of his reign, in 480 after the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, i.e. in 966 BC He turned to Hiram, king of Tire, and he sent artisans, carpenters, and also the architect Hiram Abiff.

The most expensive materials of that time - cypresses and cedars from Lebanon - were used in the construction of such a majestic building as the Temple of King Solomon. Sandstone was also used. It was hewn by stonemasons from Gebal, a Phoenician city. The finished blocks were delivered to the construction site. Copper mined in Edom from Solomon's copper mines was used for utensils and temple columns. Also, the construction of Solomon's Temple took place using gold and silver. About 30 thousand Israelis worked on its construction, as well as about 150 thousand Phoenicians and Canaanites. 3.3 thousand supervisors, specially appointed for this important task, supervised the work.

Description of Solomon's Temple

The Jerusalem Temple of Solomon amazed with its splendor, wealth and grandeur. They built it according to the model of the Tabernacle of Moses. Only the dimensions were increased, and the devices necessary for worship were also used. The structure consisted of 3 parts: the porch, the sanctuary and the Holy of Holies. A large courtyard intended for the people surrounded it. The tabernacle contained a laver intended for ritual washing. A whole system of vessels existed at the altar of this temple: 10 washstands on stands, artistically made, as well as a large pool, called the Copper Sea because of its size. The corridor, 20 cubits long and 10 cubits wide, was a vestibule. Two copper columns stood in front of him.

The Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies were separated from each other by a stone wall. It had a door made of olive wood. The walls of the Temple were made of massive hewn stone. They were lined with white marble on the outside, and on the inside with gold leaf and wood. Gold also covered the ceiling and doors, and the floor was made of cypress, so no stone was visible inside the Temple. Ornaments in the form of various plants (colocynths, palm trees, flowers), as well as images of cherubs decorated the walls. In ancient times, the palm tree was considered the tree of paradise. She was a symbol of greatness, beauty, and moral perfection. This tree in the Temple became a symbol of the triumph of God in the Jewish land.

Consecration of the Temple

The construction of the Temple lasted seven years (957-950 BC). In the 8th month of the 11th year of Solomon's reign the work was completed. On the Feast of Tabernacles the consecration took place. Accompanied by Levites, priests and crowds of people, the Ark of the Covenant was solemnly carried inside to the Holy of Holies. Entering the Temple of Solomon (a photo of its model is presented below), the king who led the construction fell to his knees and began to pray. After this prayer, fire came down from heaven and burned the prepared sacrifices.

The celebration of the consecration of the main temple continued for 14 days. This event was celebrated by all of Israel. There was not a single person in the country who did not visit Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem at that time and did not sacrifice at least one sheep or ox.

The Greatness of Solomon's Temple

The Bible tells about the services held here, which could not be compared with anything in grandeur, solemnity and grandeur. When the people gathered for the holidays and filled the courtyard, the Levites and priests, dressed in special clothes, were in front of the altar. Choirs of singers sang, musicians played and blew the shofar as the Temple was filled with the Glory of the Lord, appearing in the form of a cloud.

Worship in the Holy of Holies

King Solomon built the Temple not only for Jews. He wanted all the peoples of the world to come to the One God. And the Temple is the place where he lives. We can observe today how hundreds of thousands of people from all over the globe come to the Western Wall every day. This is the place where the famous Temple once stood. However, even priests were strictly forbidden to approach the Holy of Holies. A terrible punishment awaited the violators - death. Only on the Day of Judgment, that is, once a year, did the high priest - the main priest of the temple - enter here in order to pray for the forgiveness of the sins of the entire people of Israel.

This priest had a special cape over his long linen robe - the ephod. It was woven from 2 panels and gold threads woven into fine linen. On top was also a breastplate with 12 stones, representing the 12 tribes of Israel. A crown with the name of God (“Yahweh” in the Russian Bible) adorned the head of the high priest. On the inside of his breastplate there was a pocket with a gold plate on which was written the name of God consisting of 70 letters. It was by this name that the priest addressed the Almighty during prayer. According to legend, a rope was tied to the minister. One end of it remained outside in case something bad happened during prayer and his body remained in the room, which no one had the right to enter except him.

How did God answer the Jews?

According to the Talmud, the high priest "read" the Lord's answers from the 12 stones on the breastplate. These were usually the answers to the most important questions for the people and the king of Israel. For example, will this year be fruitful, is it worth going to war, etc. Usually the king asked them, and the high priest looked at the stones for a long time. The letters engraved on them lit up in turn, and the priest added up answers to questions from them.

Destruction and restoration of the Temple

Solomon's Temple, grandiose and majestic, stood for only about three and a half centuries. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, in 589 BC. captured Jerusalem. He plundered the city, destroyed and burned the Temple. The Ark of the Covenant was lost, and nothing is known about it to this day. The Jewish people were taken into captivity, which lasted for 70 years. Cyrus, the Persian king, allowed the Jews to return to their native country in the first year of his reign. And they set about rebuilding Solomon's Temple. Silver, gold and other property were collected by those remaining in Babylon. They sent all this with the repatriates to their homeland and then continued to send rich donations to Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. Its restoration took place not without the participation of King Cyrus, who made his contribution by returning the sacred vessels to the Jews, taken from the First Temple by Nebuchadnezzar.

Second Temple

The Jews, returning to their native Jerusalem, first of all restored the altar to God. Then, a year later, they laid the foundation for the future Temple. Construction was completed after 19 years. According to the design, the Second Temple was supposed to repeat in its outlines the forms of the First. However, it was no longer distinguished by such splendor and wealth as the Temple of Solomon. The elders, who remembered the greatness of the First Temple, cried that the new building was smaller and poorer than the previous one.

Jerusalem Temple under King Herod

King Herod in the 70s BC put a lot of effort into decorating and expanding the new building. Under him, the Jerusalem Temple began to look especially magnificent. Josephus wrote about him with delight, noting that he shone so brightly in the sun that no one could look at him.

Meaning of the Temple

The Jews had felt the presence of God before, when he walked in a pillar of fire through the desert ahead of the people, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai and his face shone like the sun. However, the Temple became a special place for the people, symbolizing the presence of God. At least once a year every pious Jew had to come here. From all over Judea and Israel, and from all over the world where Jews lived in dispersion, people gathered at the Temple on major holidays. This is stated in chapter 2 of the Acts of the Apostles.

Of course, the Jews, unlike the pagans, did not believe that God lived in man-made temples. However, they believed that it was at this place that his meeting with the man took place. The pagans also knew about this. After all, Pompey, who was sent during the Jewish War to command the Roman cohorts that pacified Jerusalem, it was no coincidence that he sought to get into the Holy of Holies of this temple in order to understand what or who the Jews worshiped. How great was his surprise when, pulling back the curtain, he discovered that there was nothing there. No statue, no image, nothing! It is impossible to enclose the God of Israel in a statue; it is impossible to depict him. Jews once believed that the Shekinah resided between the wings of the Cherubim guarding the Ark of the Covenant. Now this Temple began to serve as a meeting place between man and God.

Destruction of the Second Temple, Western Wall

Jerusalem Temple in 70 AD. Roman troops wiped it off the face of the earth. Thus, more than 500 years after the destruction of the First Temple, the Second was destroyed. Today, only part of the western wall that surrounded Mount Moriah, where Solomon’s Temple stood in Jerusalem, reminds us of the great shrine. Now it is called the Wailing Wall. This is the national shrine of the people of Israel. However, not only Jews come to pray here. It is believed that if you stand facing the wall and close your eyes, you can hear thousands of musicians and singers praising God, the shofar blowing, and the glory of the Lord descending from heaven onto those praying. Who knows, perhaps the Third Temple of Solomon will one day be built on this sacred site...

Tradition of building Christian churches

It is known that the apostles and Christ visited the Jerusalem Temple. After its destruction and the resettlement of Christians throughout the earth, they could not build other temples for almost 300 years. People performed divine services in the catacombs, in their homes, at the graves of martyrs due to the cruel persecution of Rome. Constantine of Milan, Emperor, in 313, granted religious freedom to the Roman Empire by his edict. So Christians finally got the opportunity to build churches. All over the world, from the 4th century to the present day, Christian shrines of all kinds of styles and forms are being built, but they go back, one way or another, precisely to the Temple of Jerusalem. They have the same three-part division - an altar, a naos and a vestibule, repeating the main features of the Ark of the Covenant. However, the Eucharist now serves as the place of God's presence.

Building styles changed over time, each nation built temples in accordance with their own ideas of greatness and beauty, in the spirit of asceticism and simplicity or, conversely, wealth and luxury. However, painting, architecture, sculpture, music in all of them serve one purpose - the meeting of God and man.

Also, the temple often acted as an image of the Universe in its transformed state. However, theologians and the Universe are often compared to a temple. The Lord Himself in the Bible is called the Artist and Architect, who created this world according to the laws of harmony and beauty. At the same time, the Apostle Paul calls man a temple. Creation, thus, acts as if it were a nesting doll: God creates the entire Universe as a temple, man builds a temple inside it and enters it, himself being a temple of the spirit. One day these 3 temples must unite, and then God will be in everything.

Opening of the Brazilian Temple of Solomon

A year ago, in 2014, the Temple of Solomon in Brazil was opened, the largest among all neo-Protestant temples in this country. The height of the structure is about 50 meters. Its area is equivalent to the area of five football fields. Stones were brought from Hebron to build the walls. The evening lighting, which costs around 7 million euros, imitates the evening atmosphere of Jerusalem itself. What is happening inside the temple is demonstrated by 2 huge screens located to the left and right of the altar. The building itself is designed for 10 thousand people.

The first Jerusalem temple or Solomon's Temple (950 - 586 BC).

The creation of the central Temple in ancient Israel represented unification and could only occur during the consolidation of this unity.

Indeed, according to the Bible, the Temple was erected during the period of the highest manifestation of the national unity of the Jewish people, during the reign of Solomon. Solomon managed to carry out a plan to build a grandiose Temple, to which Jews from all over Israel would flock to worship.

By transferring the Ark of the Covenant - a symbol of the presence of God - to a city that did not belong to any of the tribes and was in the personal possession of the king, David thereby turned his capital into a holy city around which the religious life of all twelve tribes of Israel was concentrated.

In Jerusalem, David bought Aravna from the Jebusite, where he erected an altar to the God of Israel on the site of the threshing floor to stop the epidemic that had struck the people.

According to the Bible, this is Mount Moriah, where the sacrifice of Isaac took place. David intended to build a Temple on this site, however, heeding the words of the prophet Nathan (Nathan), he left this mission to his son.

Construction of Solomon's Temple

During his reign, King David made significant preparations for the construction of the Temple. He dedicated the metals and vessels made of gold, silver and copper he received in wars, as well as the metals and vessels he received as gifts, to God.

He left Solomon huge reserves of gold and silver and countless amounts of iron and copper. From the remains of the original inhabitants Canaan he formed a cadre of workers to mine and deliver cut stones for the Temple. The famous Lebanese cedars were brought to him by sea by the Phoenicians.

Transferring the kingdom to Solomon, David bequeathed to him the construction of the Temple and ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his successor in carrying out this great work.

Before his death, David called together representatives of all the tribes and all the leaders and invited them to make donations for the benefit of the construction.

David also handed over to Solomon the plan for the Temple that he, together with the Supreme Court (Sanhedrin), developed. David concluded his description of the Temple project with the words:

“All this (was said) in the scripture from the Lord, who taught me about all the works that were ordained.”

Solomon (970 - 930 BC) began construction of the Temple in the fourth year of his reign, in 480 after, at the beginning of the second month. For assistance, he turned to Hiram, the king of Phoenician Tire. He sent an experienced architect named Hiram-Abif, carpenters and other artisans.

Cedars and cypresses, the most expensive materials of the time, were also brought from Lebanon by Hiram.

Stones (sandstone) were mined there on the mountain, where they were hewn by the stonemasons of Solomon and Hiram and the inhabitants of the Phoenician city of Gebal.

Already in finished form, they were delivered to the construction site, so that “neither a hammer, nor an adze, nor any other iron tool was heard in the temple during the construction.”

The need for copper for temple columns and utensils was apparently supplied from Solomon's copper mines in Edom. David's war spoils and Solomon's trading enterprises provided silver for the construction. All workers were 30 thousand Israelis and 150 thousand. Canaanites and Phoenicians, 3.3 thousand specially appointed overseers supervised the work.

The construction of the Temple itself lasted 7 years: from 957 to 950. BC. (according to other sources, from 1014 to 1007 BC). The work was completed in the eighth month of the 11th year of Solomon's reign.

The celebration of the dedication of the Temple took place the following year, in the seventh month, before the holiday of Sukkot (Tabernacles), and was celebrated with the greatest solemnity, with the participation of the elders of Israel, the heads of the tribes and clans.

The Ark of the Covenant was solemnly installed in the Holy of Holies, and Solomon offered a public prayer, the beginning of which reads:

“The Lord said that He delights to dwell in darkness; I have built a temple for You, a place for You to dwell forever” (1 Kings 8:12,13).

At the same time, Solomon emphasizes:

“Truly, shall God live on earth? Heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You, much less this temple that I have built” (1 Kings 8:27).

The celebration of the consecration of the Temple lasted 14 days and its description indicates that the construction of the Temple was a matter of the greatest importance for the entire people.

The temple was part of the royal palace complex and undoubtedly dominated the surrounding buildings. The palace, which was probably built by the same Phoenician architect Hiram, was located next to the Temple and communicated with it through a separate entrance.

Not far from the Temple, Solomon also built his summer palace and a palace for the daughter of the Egyptian pharaoh, whom he took as his wife. Construction of the entire temple complex lasted 16 years.

In all religions, the temple is considered a sacred place where the Divine manifests his presence to people in order to accept their worship expressed in cult and make them partakers of his grace and life. His usual abode does not belong to the earthly world, but the temple is to some extent identified with it, so that through the temple man comes into contact with the world of the gods. We find such initial symbolism in the Old Testament. The Jerusalem Temple marks the presence of God among people. But this is just a sign of a temporary nature, which will be replaced in the New Testament by a sign of a different kind: the Body of Christ and His Church.

The Jews of patriarchal times did not know the temple. They had sacred places where they "called on the name of Yahweh." Then Israel has a portable sanctuary, thanks to which God can constantly dwell among His people, led by Him through the desert. The Tabernacle of the Covenant, of which we see an idealized description, partly inspired by the future temple, in Exodus 26-27, is the meeting place of the people with God. God dwells in it between the cherubim, above the purification covering the Ark of the Covenant. God prophesies there: hence the name given to the tabernacle: “Tabernacle of Testimony.” God's presence there is both tangible and hidden: behind the cloud is His shining glory. In this way, the memory of the Sinai Covenant is maintained in the central sanctuary of the entire Israelite community. When he established himself in Canaan, the sanctuary common to the tribes of Israel was established successively on Ebal, in Shechem, and in Shiloh. This sanctuary retained its ancient character from the very beginning, which sharply distinguished it from the Canaanite sanctuaries, which were usually stone temples: the God of Sinai does not want any contact with the pagan culture of Canaan. David establishes a sanctuary common to all the tribes of Israel in Jerusalem after he transferred there the Ark of the Covenant, captured and returned by the Philistines (2 Sam. 6). Jerusalem, which he conquered, became not only the political capital, but also the religious center of Yahweh. Having organized the monarchy on the model of neighboring kingdoms, although without compromising the uniqueness of Israel, David planned to make the place of traditional cult more modern.

It is difficult to judge from fragmentary data about the construction activities of the Israelites in the first half of the 10th century BC. It seems that its principles were only developed using the traditions of predecessors, neighbors and opponents. Probably, the scantiness of construction evidence from the time of Saul and David may be associated with unrelenting military tension, which in no way contributed to either the creation or preservation of architectural complexes. The more stable time of Solomon (965-928 BC), marked by the establishment of broad trade and cultural ties that extended to Cilicia, Egypt, Mesopotamia and South Arabia, could have led to a noticeable intensification of both construction activities and other crafts. In confirmation of this, it is appropriate to recall the words of Solomon addressed to David’s friend Hiram, king of the Phoenician city of Tire, in a message about the plan to build a temple in Jerusalem: “You know that David, my father, could not build a house for the name of the Lord his God, because wars with the surrounding nations, until the Lord subdued their feet. Now the Lord, my God, has granted me peace from everywhere: there is no enemy and no more obstacles. And behold, I intend to build an house for the name of the Lord my God...” (1 Kings 5:3-5).

The idea of the construction and urbanization process of Solomon's time is noticeably more specific and chronologically defined. But even here the archaeological evidence is far from complete. The main buildings of Jerusalem are better known from narrative sources, primarily from biblical texts, than from their actual remains. First of all, this concerns the legendary temple and palace on the Temple Mount, the top of the ridge north of Ophel. The description of the temple and its construction in the Bible (1 Kings 5:16; 6:14-38; 2 Chronicles 4) is quite specific and detailed. Its main provisions are as follows: the temple stood on a podium and was a rectangular structure 25 by 50 meters with a height of about 15 meters and a wall thickness of up to 6 meters. The tripartite temple layout with all three components located on a single long axis has been known in Palestine since the end of the Middle Bronze Age and can be considered traditional for Canaanite and later Phoenician temple architecture. Mazar, who gave a laconic and extremely clear description of the temple based on an exhaustive analysis of the biblical text, emphasizes the continuity of building traditions, noting that even the thickness of the walls of Solomon’s temple was the same as that of the Middle Bronze Age temple at Shechem. In terms of overall dimensions, the temple exceeded known examples of both Canaanite and Phoenician temple architecture. The interior, according to the biblical description, consisted of a portico, a sanctuary and a davir - a room for the holy of holies; the entrances to all three parts lay on a single central axis. At the same time, the Holy of Holies was not separated by a wall from the sanctuary - here a curtain or wooden partition is assumed. In addition, the Holy of Holies was raised onto a podium, and several steps led up to it. Along the longitudinal sides of the temple there were three-story auxiliary rooms, which could serve as a royal treasury and at the same time provided additional support for the heavy roof to the walls of the main hall. In front of the temple - along its entire width - a porch 5 meters wide was built. The appearance of a similar plan for temple buildings is associated with buildings of the 2nd millennium BC in Canaan and Northern Syria. Mazar points to the clear prototypes of Solomon's Temple in the Middle Bronze Age at Ebla, Megiddo, Shechem, and to the continuation of the same plan in the subsequent period, as documented by the 8th century BC temple at Tell Tainat. He rightly points out that the abundant use of imported cedar wood recorded in the biblical description during the construction of Solomon’s Temple corresponds to the use of the same material by the creators of the Canaanite and Philistine temples. Gold was also used quite generously, primarily for lining the interior of the temple, lining the wooden altar that stood in front of the Holy of Holies, and also for the production of numerous religious accessories.

The Ark of the Covenant was carried from the city of David to Solomon's Temple and placed in the Holy of Holies, where it was flanked by the outstretched wings of two cherubim, carved from olive wood and overlaid with gold. The cherubim were like the sphinx: they had the body of a lion or bull, the wings of an eagle and the head of a man. This ornamental motif was widespread in the art of the Canaanites, Phoenicians and Syrians of the Bronze and Iron Ages, like other temple decorations, such as ornamental grilles, palmettes, fruits and flowers, chains, borders, images of fantastic and real animals. Undoubtedly, the use of the famous Phoenician ivory carving. Two ornamented copper columns - Jachin and Boaz - standing at the facade of Solomon's Temple and flanking the entrance to it, were purely decorative and did not serve a constructive function. But they bring to mind two column bases, also of no structural significance, discovered in the Late Bronze Age temple at Hazor. Absolutely the same columns flanking the entrance with a volute completion are presented on the clay model of the sanctuary from Tell el-Farah. Let us note that the manufacture of these large copper products is associated in the biblical narrative with the master Hiram from Tire, who “possessed the ability, art and ability to make all sorts of things from copper. And he came to King Solomon and did all kinds of work for him” (1 Kings 7:14). This is another confirmation of close ties with the Phoenician craft centers, famous, among other things, for copper products. A number of the latter are listed in the biblical description of the temple, and then of Solomon’s palace - stands for ritual bowls with large wheels, decorated with images of lions, oxen and cherubs, washbasins, shovels, decorative images of fruits, a “cast copper sea” - a large round pool with a diameter of about 5 and about 2.5 m deep with relief ornaments, standing on 12 figures of oxen. All objects of the liturgical cult, like the temple itself, are deeply symbolic and representative in the New Testament sense. For example,The brass sea (laver) signifies Christ’s sanctification and the rebirth of humanity by the Holy Spirit. The golden altar (censer) symbolizes Christ in heaven, the Mediator and Intercessor. The tables for showbread represent Christ as the Origin and Author of the fellowship of the faithful. The golden one testifies to Christ and the Church of the redeemed as the light of the world. The wood used in the construction of the temple: shittim, cedar, cypress symbolize humanity, incorruptibility and resurrection, respectively. The altar of burnt offerings is Christ and His atoning death, the propitiation for our sins.

So, a detailed description of the construction, layout and appearance of the Temple is given in 1 Kings. 5-7. Solomon spared neither money nor people - after all, this was the Temple of God. The stones were cut only in the quarry, so that no hammer, no adze, or any other iron tool could be heard in the Temple during construction.” When the construction of the Temple was completed, the consecration ceremony took place. The cloud of God's presence filled the temple; The service was conducted by the king himself: “The Lord said that he is pleased to dwell in darkness; I have built a temple for You, a place for You to dwell forever.” The Jerusalem Temple became the center of worship of God, although the ten seceding tribes erected their own sanctuaries in other places. According to Western scholars, the temple was supposed to be only the first and best of the many sanctuaries scattered in the country, only especially sacred due to the possession of the national palladium, the ark of the covenant; Moreover, it was a royal sanctuary, to which the splendor emanating from the king spread. It was in this sense that it received the greatest importance for Israel as the central point of its political and religious life, the significance of which went far beyond all human calculations.

Solomon's Temple especially increased the prestige of the Jerusalem sanctuary, although some prophets (notably Nathan) believed that the temple was a dangerous innovation compared to the ancient tradition. The Lord appeared to Nathan and said that He lived in a tent, and He did not need any house. Although the existence of other sanctuaries was still admitted, the connection which gradually unites the faith of Israel with Jerusalem is affirmed. Jerusalem was a Canaanite city, but here it is woven into the chain of sacred promises and becomes a sacred center, a status it retains to this day. The temple was both the national sanctuary of the people of Israel, which kept the ark, and a royal building.

So, the religion of Yahweh is so strong that it can even be enriched by the achievements of Canaanite culture without changing the Sinai tradition, especially since the center of the temple represented a symbol of this tradition. This tradition is clearly established in the temple; thus the Jerusalem sanctuary is the successive center of worship of the tribes of Israel. Moreover, by displaying His glory there in the cloud, God clearly shows that the temple is pleasing to Him as a place where He “allows His name to abide.” Of course, God himself is not connected with this visible sign of His presence: the heavens of heaven do not contain Him, much less an earthly house; but in order to enable His people to meet Him more tangibly, He chose this location, of which He said: “My name will be there” (1 Kings 8:29). From now on, without canceling all other sanctuaries, the Jerusalem Temple becomes the center of worship of Yahweh. Pilgrims flock there from all over the country “to appear before the face of God,” and for the faithful the temple is an object of touching love. Everyone knows that God is “in heaven.” The temple is, as it were, a semblance of His heavenly palace, which to some extent is located in this world. Consequently, the worship that takes place in the temple takes on the significance of an official cult: it is in it that the king and the people serve the national God.

After the end of the era of the prophets, despite the attachment to the stone temple, a new trend of thought began to take hold. The dire predictions concerning the temple, and then its destruction and the experience of captivity, clearly demonstrated the need for a more spiritual cult, corresponding to the requirements of the religion of the heart, proclaimed by Deuteronomy and Jeremiah. In the land of exile they better understood that God is everywhere, wherever He reigns, wherever He is worshiped. For His glory was revealed to Ezekiel in Babylon. And so, towards the end of the captivity, some prophets warn the Jews against excessive attachment to the temple of stone, as if the spiritual worship required by God, the worship of the “humble and contrite in spirit,” was better combined with the spiritual presence of God, detached from external signs. Yahweh resides in heaven and from there he listens to the prayers of his faithful, no matter where they ascend.

Jesus Christ, like the prophets, deeply reveres the Jerusalem Temple. The Mother of God brings Him to the temple. He comes there for the celebrations as a meeting place with His Father. He approves of religious services, but condemns formalism that distorts their meaning. The temple for Him is the House of God, the house of prayer, the house of His Father. He is indignant because it is being turned into a house of trade, and with a prophetic gesture he expels the dealers in sacrificial animals from the temple in order to cleanse it, and at the same time He announces the destruction of this magnificent building, from which not one stone will be left upon another. When He was tried, He was even accused of saying that He would destroy this sanctuary, created by the hands of men, a temple made with hands, and in three days He would erect another, not made by hands; the same accusation is mockingly repeated during His death throes on the cross (Matt. 27:39). We are talking about words whose meaning will only be clarified in the future. But with His last breath, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, and this means that the ancient sanctuary lost its sacred character: the Jewish temple ceased to fulfill its purpose, that is, to be a sign of the presence of God. This purpose is now being fulfilled by another sign by the Body of Christ itself. In the Gospel of John, the mysterious words about the temple being destroyed and rebuilt in three days are given in the story of the cleansing of the temple (John 2:19). But John adds: “He spoke of the temple of His body,” and the disciples after His resurrection understood this. Here is the new and final temple, a temple not made by hands, where the Word of God dwells with people, as it once did in the Tabernacle of the Covenant. But in order for the temple, created from stone, to lose its significance, the death and resurrection of Jesus were necessary: the temple of His Body was destroyed and rebuilt - such is the will of His Father. After the resurrection of Christ, this Body, a sign of the presence of God in this world, was transformed so that it is possible for Him to dwell everywhere and at all times in the sacrament of the Eucharist. The ancient temple can only disappear. During the transition period, Christians continue to go to the Jerusalem Temple. Until Judaism has completely lost its connection with the new cult, which was started by Jesus Christ; if the Jewish people were converted, they could play a role in the conversion of the entire world. But signs of a break were already clear. Stephen, praising the worship of God in spirit, as if foreshadows the destruction of the temple made with hands, and these words are considered blasphemous and lead to the death of Stephen. A few years later, the destruction of Jerusalem, during which the temple was also destroyed, led to an even greater ossification of Judaism. But even before that, Christians do not realize that they themselves constitute a new temple, a spiritual temple, a continuation of the Body of Christ. Paul teaches: The Church is the Temple of God, built on Christ, the foundation and cornerstone (1 Cor. 3:10-17; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:20), a glorious temple where “they have access to the Father in one Spirit,” Jews and Gentiles alike (Eph. 2:14-19). Every Christian himself is a temple of God, for he is a member of the Body of Christ, and his body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Both statements are mutually related: the body of the resurrected Jesus, in whom “all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily” (Col. 2:9), is the temple of God par excellence, and Christians, members of this body, together with it constitute a spiritual temple. In faith and love they must cooperate to build it. So, Christ is a living stone, rejected by people, but chosen by God. The faithful, being also living stones, form together with Him a spiritual building for the holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices (1 Peter 2:4). This is the final temple - a temple not made by hands. This is the Church, the Body of Christ, the meeting place of God with people, a sign of the presence of God in this world. The ancient sanctuary was only a prototype of this temple, bright, but imperfect, temporary, a thing of the past.

In the New Testament the symbolism of the ancient temple is applied in a different way and in a different direction. Judaism already saw in it a kind of reproduction of the heavenly abode of God, which in the apocalypses began to be presented as a model of an earthly temple. In this sense, the Epistle to the Hebrews describes the sacrifice of Christ the Priest through death, resurrection and ascension. At the end of His earthly life, He entered the heavenly sanctuary, stained not with the blood of animals sacrificed, as in the symbolic cult, but with His own blood (Heb. 9:11-14:24). He entered there as a forerunner so that we could come to God: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). United with this one Priest, we can, in turn, rejoice in the presence of God, penetrating by faith into this holy of holies where God dwells: “Which is like an anchor to the soul, safe and strong, and enters into the interior behind the curtain” (Heb. 6:19). In the Apocalypse of John, the image of the heavenly temple is compared with the image of the earthly temple, that is, the Church, where the faithful offer worship to God. The pagans trample the outer court of the temple: this is an image of the fierce persecution of the Church clearly expressed in (Rev. 11: 1-2): “And a reed like a rod was given to me, and it was said: Arise and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it. But leave out the outer court of the temple and do not measure it, for it was given to the pagans: they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.” (This fragment is associated with the dual meaning of Old Testament symbolism. When the clairvoyant is given the command to measure the temple of God with a reed, as in the East they measured a building with marked sticks, this is connected with the symbol used in the fortieth chapter of the prophet Ezekiel, in the second chapter of Zechariah. The measurement meant the near end : God measures in order to break. This is how the Jerusalem temple was measured before its fall. “Measure so that you remember what it was.” But at the same time this symbol says: measure, save the measurement so that you can restore it later. The command has two meaning: the death of the Temple and, at the same time, its revival. We are talking about the era of the war between Judea and Rome, when the temple was already on the verge of falling, and the apostle here says that the time of its destruction has come, it has been measured and will soon be destroyed , and after it there will already be a New Jerusalem, a heavenly City and a heavenly Temple.) But there is also a temple in heaven, where the slain Lamb abides on the throne, and where the service of prayer and praise is performed: (Rev. 7:15): “For this reason they are now present before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple, and He who sits on the throne will dwell in them.” The Old Testament Temple may be destroyed, but John the Seer tells us that there is a Temple , that this is a heavenly Temple, and that all who have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb, that is, accepted baptism and the redemptive power of Christ’s suffering, will serve the One sitting in the Temple day and night. This Temple is already a heavenly Temple, a universal Temple, a universal Church.

In the end, this time will no longer exist. When the heavenly Jerusalem - the bride of the lamb, adorned for eternal marriage - descends from heaven, there will be no more need for a temple, for God Himself and the lamb will be the temple: “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple, and the Lamb "(Rev. 21:22). Then the faithful will have access to God without needing any sign, or rather, they will see him face to face in order to be fully involved in His life.

Priest Maxim Mishchenko

"Dictionary of Biblical Theology". Publishing house "Life with God". Brussels, 1974. Pp. 1210.

"Dictionary of Biblical Theology". Publishing house "Life with God". Brussels, 1974. Pp. 1211.

The provision of building materials by David, described (in 1 Chronicles 22:14): “And behold, in my poverty I have prepared for the house of the Lord an hundred thousand talents of gold and a thousand thousand talents of silver, but there is no weight of brass and iron, because they are in abundance; I have also prepared wood and stones, and you can add more to this.” This passage symbolizes Christ and His works on earth: “I have glorified You on earth, I have finished the work that You gave Me to do” (John 17:4).

(1 Chronicles 29:2): “With all my might I have prepared for the house of my God gold for gold items, silver for silver items, brass for items made of brass, iron for items of iron, and wood for items of wood, onyx stones and stones inset, beautiful and multi-colored stones, and all sorts of expensive stones, and a lot of marble.” The foundations “beautiful and colorful stones” typify the revelation of the Word of Christ of redeemed and regenerate sinners: “being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.” stone, in which the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in which you also are being built into a habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Eph. 2:20-22). Men A. “Appendix to the Bible. Commentary on the Old Testament." Publishing house "Life with God". Brussels, 1989. Pp. 2442.

Merpert N. “Essays on the archeology of biblical countries.” BBI, M., 2000. Pp. 240.

Merpert N. “Essays on the archeology of biblical countries.” BBI, M., 2000. Pp. 242.

5 (Rev. 3:12): “He who overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will no longer go out; And I will write on it the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” In the Temple of Jerusalem, sacred names were inscribed on two copper columns, Jachin and Boaz, standing in front of the entrance. Faithful people and churches will have the name of God written on them, that is, they will become sacred, as part of the temple of the Kingdom of God, the New Jerusalem, descending from heaven.

Merpert N. “Essays on the archeology of biblical countries.” BBI, M., 2000. Pp. 244.

Men A. “Appendix to the Bible. Commentary on the Old Testament." Publishing house "Life with God". Brussels, 1989. Pp. 2442.

"Bible Encyclopedia". RBO. M., 2002. Pp. 125.

"An Illustrated History of Religion." Reprint. M., 1993. Volume 1. Page. 294.

"Dictionary of Biblical Theology". Publishing house "Life with God". Brussels, 1974. Pp. 1214.

"Dictionary of Biblical Theology". Publishing house "Life with God". Brussels, 1974. Pp. 1216.

Men A. “Commentary on the Apocalypse of John the Theologian.” Riga, 1992.

Since the time of Solomon, there have been three temples in Jerusalem, one after another, which need to be distinguished. The first temple, built by Solomon, existed from 1004 to 588 BC. When David decided to build a house for Jehovah, God, through the prophet Nathan, kept him from doing so; then David collected material and jewelry to build the temple and bequeathed this work to his son Solomon when he reigned. The value of the property collected and prepared by David for the construction of the temple reached 10 billion rubles. Solomon immediately set to work upon his accession; He entered into an alliance with the Tyrian king Hiram, who brought him cedar and cypress wood and stone from Lebanon, and also sent the skilled artist Hiram to supervise the work, so that the temple began to be built already in the 4th year of Solomon’s reign, 480 years after the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, or in 1011 BC, on the hill of Moriah in the eastern part of Jerusalem, in the place that David, after the end of the pestilence, designated for this purpose, erecting an altar there and performing a sacrifice.

it was ready seven and a half years later in the 11th year of the reign of Solomon, i.e. in 1004 BC, after which the temple was consecrated with great celebration. The celebration in honor of the opening of the Temple lasted 14 days and the heads of all the tribes of Israel were invited to it. At the opening ceremony, King Solomon (and not the high priest, as was customary) said a prayer and blessed the people. For the construction of the temple and its parts, David left Solomon, given to him by God, a model: “all these are in writing from the Lord” (1 Chron. 28:11ff.): in general, the temple was built according to the model of the tabernacle, but only in much more size, as can be seen from the detailed descriptions in 1 Kings. 6; 7:13ff; 2 Par. 3:4ff.
The temple itself was a rectangular building made of hewn stones (30 m long, 10 m wide and 15 meters high in its inner part, with a flat roof made of cedar logs and boards. Using an intermediate partition made of cedar wood, the house was divided into 2 rooms: the outer one - the Holy , 20 m long, 10 m wide, 15 m high and inside - the Holy of Holies, 10 meters long, wide and high, so that on top of the Holy of Holies there were 5 meters left to the ceiling of the temple, this room was called upper rooms. The inside walls were lined with cedar wood with with carved images of cherubs, palms, fruits and flowers, all overlaid with gold. The ceiling was also lined with cedar wood, and the floor with cypress: both were overlaid with gold. A door with doors of olive wood, decorated with images of cherubs, palms, flowers and overlaid gold, represented the entrance to the Holy of Holies.In front of this entrance hung, like in the tabernacle, a veil of skillfully made multi-colored fabric, attached, perhaps, to those golden chains that were stretched before the entrance to the Holy of Holies (Davir). The entrance to the Holy Place was a double door made of cypress with olive wood jambs, the doors of which could be folded and were decorated like the door to the Holy of Holies.
In front of the temple building there was a porch 10 meters wide and 5 meters long, in front of it or at the entrance to it stood two copper pillars named Jachin and Boaz, each 9 meters high, with capitals skillfully made with recesses and bulges, and decorated with pomegranates , woven nets and lilies. The height of these pillars was 18 euros. cubits, not counting capitals of 5 cubits (2.5 m); their height, not counting the capitals, was 35 cubits. The height of these pillars was probably the same as the porch; it is not mentioned in the book of Kings, but in 2 Chronicles 3:4, it is listed as 120 Hebrews. elbows (60 m); some see in this an indication of a tower rising high above the pillars; others suggest a typo here. Around the longitudinal rear wall of the temple itself there was an extension of three floors with rooms for worship supplies and supplies; it was connected to the temple in such a way that the ceiling beams of the extension were fixed on the ledges of the temple walls; these projections on each floor made the walls of the temple a cubit thinner, and the rooms just as wide; therefore the lower floor of the extension was five cubits wide, the middle six and the upper seven. The height of each floor was 2.5 m; therefore, the walls of the temple itself rose significantly above the side extension and there was enough space on them for windows through which light penetrated into the Holy Place. The Holy of Holies, like the tabernacle, was dark. The side extension was entered through a door on the south side, from where a winding staircase led to the upper floors.

Temple Plan

Next, porches were built around the temple, of which the closest to the temple, the courtyard for the priests, was built from 3 rows of flagstone and one row of cedar beams; around it there was an outer vestibule, or a large courtyard for the people, closed by gates lined with copper. It is believed that this is the porch with which Jehoshaphat was enlarged and is called the new courtyard. From Jeremiah 36:10, where the inner court is called the “upper court,” it is clear that it was located higher than the outer court; in all likelihood, the temple itself was located above the upper courtyard, so that the entire building was built in terraces. From 2 Kings 23:11 and the book of the prophet Jeremiah 35:2,4; 36:10 it is clear that the large courtyard was furnished with rooms, porticoes, etc. for various needs. The Bible says nothing about the size of the outer court; it was probably twice the size of the courtyard, which was 500 feet. 100 m long and 150 ft. (50 m) wide, therefore the yard was 600 feet. long, and 300 ft. Width (200 by 100 meters).
In the Holy of Holies of the temple, the Ark of the Covenant was placed between the images of cherubs, which were 10 cubits (5 m) high and made of olive wood overlaid with gold, with wings 2.5 m long, spread out so that one wing of each cherub touched the side walls, two the other wings were connected at their ends above the ark. The cherubim stood on their feet with their faces turned to the Holy One. The Holy Place contained the following items: an incense altar of cedar wood overlaid with gold, 10 golden lampstands, each with 7 lamps, 5 on the right and 5 on the left in front of the rear compartment of the temple, and the table for the showbread with its accessories. According to some, there were 10 tables for the showbread in the temple.

Western Wall in Jerusalem

In the inner courtyard stood a copper altar of burnt offering 5 meters high with its accessories: basins, spatulas, bowls and forks; then a large copper sea, or reservoir, standing on 12 copper waters and on 10 skillfully made stands with 10 copper lavers for rinsing the sacrificial meat.
When the temple was ready, it was consecrated with a magnificent solemn sacrifice. Since the brass altar was not enough to accommodate the sacrifices, Solomon dedicated the altars in front of the temple as a larger place for sacrifice. The king sacrificed 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep here. Kneeling on a dais made of copper, he invoked God’s blessing on the temple and on all those praying in it. After the prayer, fire came down from heaven, consumed the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the house.
The Temple of Solomon was plundered already during the reign of his son Rehoboam by the Egyptian king Shusakim, and King Asa sent the rest of the silver and gold as a gift to the Syrian king Benhadad in order to persuade him to enter into an alliance with him against Baasha, the king of Israel. Thus the glory of the temple, both internal and external, disappeared. Subsequently, the destruction of the temple alternated with its restoration: by the Jewish king Ahaz to bribe Tiglath-pileser, then by Hezekiah to pay tribute to Sennacherib. The restorations were carried out by Joash and Jotham. Manasseh finally desecrated the temple by placing in it an image of Ashtoreth, idol altars and horses dedicated to the sun, and settling harlots there; all this was removed by the pious Josiah. Soon after this, Nebuchadnezzar came and carried away all the treasures of the temple, and finally, when Jerusalem was destroyed by his troops, Solomon's temple also burned down to its very foundation in 588 BC, after 416 years of existence.
Temple of Zerubbabel.
When the Persian king Cyrus in 536 before Christmas decided to the Jews living in Babylon to return to Judea and build a temple in Jerusalem, he gave them the sacred vessels that Nebuchadnezzar brought to Babylon; in addition, he promised them support and ordered his subordinates to assist the Jews in this matter in every possible way. Then Tirshafa, i.e. The Persian ruler of Judah, Zerubbabel and the high priest Jesus, immediately upon returning to devastated Jerusalem, began building the altar of burnt offering in its original place and restored sacrificial worship. They got workers, brought cedar wood from Lebanon, and thus laid a second foundation for the temple in the second month of the second year after returning from Babylon, 534 BC. Many of the old people who saw the first temple cried loudly, but many also exclaimed joyfully. At this time, the Samaritans intervened and with their intrigues ensured that work on the restoration of the temple was suspended for 15 years, until the second year of the reign of Darius Hystaspes in 520 BC. This king, having familiarized himself with the command of Cyrus, gave a second order regarding the construction of the temple and the necessary material support. Encouraged by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, the princes and people hastened to continue the work, and the temple was ready in the 12th month of the 6th year of the reign of Darius 516 BC, after which it was consecrated with a burnt offering consisting of 100 oxen, 200 rams and 400 lambs, and a sin offering of 12 goats. After this they slaughtered the Passover lambs and celebrated
According to the command of Cyrus, this temple was supposed to be 60 cubits high and 60 wide, therefore significantly larger in size than Solomon’s temple, however, from Ezh 3:12 and Hag. 2:3 it is clear that he seemed insignificant to many in comparison: first, although it should not be understood that this refers to his external size. In terms of luxury and glory, it could not compare with the first temple, for it did not have the ark of the covenant and, therefore, there was also no “shekinah” as a visible sign of the divine presence. The Holy of Holies was empty; In place of the ark, a stone was placed on which the high priest placed the censer on the great day of atonement. In the Holy Place there was only one golden candlestick, a table for the showbread and an altar of incense, and in the courtyard there was an altar of burnt offering built of stone. Haggai consoled the people that the time would come and the glory of this temple would surpass the glory of the former, and that here the Lord would give a moment; this prophecy came true in the third temple (which was an enlarged copy of the second. The second temple also had vestibules with rooms, colonnades and gates.
This temple was plundered by Antiochus Eliphans and desecrated by idolatry, so that even the “abomination of desolation” - the altar dedicated to Jupiter Olympus, was placed on the altar of burnt offering in 167 BC. The brave Maccabees fought for freedom, expelled the Syrians, restored the Sanctuary, after 3 years of humiliation, re-consecrated the temple and strengthened the temple mount with walls and towers. In memory of the restoration of the temple there was
established on December 25, 164 BC by the Maccabees and the Israeli society, a new feast of renewal (of the temple), Heb. Hanukkah, and it was supposed to be celebrated within 8 days after December 25th. It was celebrated back in the time of Jesus Christ and is mentioned in John. 10:22.
Subsequently, this temple suffered new blows, for example, when Pompey, after a three-month siege, took it on the very day of the cleansing and carried out terrible bloodshed in its courts, although without looting; or when Herod the Great with Roman troops took it by storm and burned some of the outbuildings.
Temple of Herod.
The temple of Zerubbabel seemed too small to the vain Herod the Great, and he decided to rebuild it, giving it a larger size. He began this work in the 18th year of his reign, approximately 20 years BC, or in 735 Rome. The temple building itself was ready after a year and a half, and the courtyards after 8 years, but the external extensions were built over a number of years. During the nationwide speech of Jesus Christ, the construction period for the temple was determined to be 46 years, i.e., from 20 BC. to 26 AD). The entire work was completed only during the time of Agrippa II (64 AD) - therefore, only 6 years before the final destruction. Since the Jews did not allow the temple of Zerubbabel to be immediately destroyed, Herod, yielding to their wishes, removed parts of the old temple as new ones were built, which is why this temple was for a long time called the “second temple,” although enlarged and decorated. This temple of Herod, however, requires special attention, since it adorned Jerusalem in the days of our Savior. He taught in its courts and foretold its destruction when the disciples pointed out to Him the luxury and jewels of the temple. This temple, which with its courtyards occupied an area equal to one stage or 500 square meters. cubits, i.e. 250 m2 (Talmud), i.e. almost the same space as the present area of the Temple, was built in terraces, so that each of the inner courtyards was located higher than the outer one, and the temple itself rose on the western side and , viewed from the city and its environs, presented a majestic spectacle. “Look at the stones and the buildings,” one of His disciples said to Jesus. The outer courtyard, which was also accessible to pagans and the unclean, was surrounded by a high wall with several gates; it was paved with multi-colored slabs; on three of its sides there was a double column, and on the fourth, southern side there was a triple colonnade under a cedar roof, which was supported by marble columns 25 cubits high. This southern colonnade, the best and largest, was called the royal portico. The eastern one was called Solomon's porch, probably as it had been preserved from more ancient times. In this outer courtyard, oxen, sheep and doves were sold, and money changers sat offering money for change. On the inside, this courtyard was separated from the inner courtyards of the temple by a stone parapet 3 cubits high and a terrace 10 cubits wide. On this parapet, in several places, boards with Greek and Latin inscriptions were placed, which prohibited non-Jews - under penalty of death - from passing further. Such a plaque from Herod's Temple was recently found in Jerusalem with the following Greek inscription; “No foreigner has access inside the fence and stone wall around the temple. Whoever is caught violating this rule, let him bear responsibility for the death penalty that follows.” Even the Romans themselves respected this prohibition. The extent to which the Jews showed fanaticism towards those who violated this prohibition is indicated by the case of Paul and Trophim. The very place of the temple inside this barrier was surrounded on all sides by a wall, which on the outside was 40 cubits (20 meters) high, and on the inside only 25 cubits (12.5 m) due to the slope of the mountain, so that there should
The main gate that led to the women's courtyard was the eastern or Nikanor gate, covered with Corinthian copper, which was also called the Red Gate. (Some believe that this gate was in the outer eastern wall). From the courtyard, women entered through several gates into a large courtyard located higher around the temple building - 187 cubits long (from east to west) and 135 cubits wide (from north to south). Part of this courtyard was fenced and was called the courtyard of the Israelites; its inner part was called the courtyard of the priests; here stood a large altar of burnt offering 30 cubits in length and width, and 15 cubits in height and a laver intended for the priests, and further, in the western part with an entrance from the east, was the temple building itself. The size and splendor of these courtyards with their extensions, walls, gates and colonnades, in addition to the Talmud, were brilliantly described by Josephus. Of the royal portico, which ran along the southern edge of the temple mount from east to west, he says: “It was the most wonderful work of art that ever existed under the sun. Anyone who looked down from its top was dizzy from the height of the building and the depth of the valley. The portico consisted of four rows of columns, which stood opposite each other from one end to the other, all of the same size. The fourth row was built halfway into the wall surrounding the temple and, therefore, consisted of semi-columns. Three men were required to encircle one column; their height was 9 meters. Their number was 162 and each of them ended with a Corinthian capital, amazing work. Between these 4 rows of columns there were three passages, of which the two outermost ones were of the same width, each 10 meters, having 1 stage in length and more than 16 meters in height. The middle passage was half as wide as the side passages and 2 times higher than them, rising high above the sides.” It is assumed that Solomon's porch in the east is meant in Matt. 4:5, as “a wing of the temple.”
The outer wall, which surrounded all the courtyards and rose high above ground level, presented, especially on the western and southern sides, a most remarkable view of the deep valleys at the foot of the mountain. Excavations in recent years have shown that the southern wall of the temple, which rises 20-23 meters above the current surface, stretches through the masses of ruins to 30 meters deep underground - therefore, this wall rose 50 meters higher than the mountain on which it was built . It is quite clear how much work it took to build such walls and lay out the temple mount, especially when you think about how huge the stones from which these walls were made are. If you look at the large stone slabs, for example, in the “Weeping Wall” or on the “Robinson’s Arch” and think that here the wall descends deep underground until it reaches a monolithic rock, then you are not surprised at the amazement that Josephus and his disciples express Christ.

Mosque of Omar on the site of the Jerusalem Temple

The care and protection of the temple was the responsibility of the priests and Levites. At the head of the guard was a highly respected person called the “chief of the guard” at the temple. Josephus reports that 200 men were required daily to close the temple gates; of these, 20 people were only for the heavy copper gate on the eastern side.
Fortress Antonia (Acts 21:34), located in the north-eastern corner of the temple, exactly where the northern and western colonnades connected, also served to protect and guard the temple courtyards. According to Josephus, it was built on a rock 50 cubits high and lined with smooth stone slabs, which made it difficult to take and gave it a magnificent appearance. It was surrounded by a wall 3 cubits high and equipped with four towers, 3 of which were 50 cubits high, and the fourth in the southeast was 70 cubits high, so that from there the entire location of the temple was visible.
This luxurious temple, in the vestibules of which Jesus and the apostles preached, was not allowed to retain its glory for long. The rebellious spirit of the people filled its courts with violence and blood, so that the Jerusalem Temple was a veritable den of thieves. In 70 after R.H. it was destroyed during the capture of Jerusalem by Titus. Titus wanted to spare the temple, but Roman soldiers burned it to the ground. The sacred vessels were taken to Rome, where their images can still be seen on the triumphal arch. On the former site of the temple, the Omar Mosque now stands, approximately where the royal portico was located. The Mosque of Omar is a luxurious octagonal building, about 56 m high and 8 sides of 22.3 m in circumference with a majestic dome; it is also called Qubbet-as-Sakhra (mosque of the rock), after the fragment of rock located inside it, about 16.6 m long and wide, which, according to legend, was the threshing floor of Orna, the place of Melchizedek’s sacrifice, the center of the earth, etc. Underneath with the base of the temple below the surface of the earth, you can still walk along huge corridors with arches and colonnades of ancient times; but not a single stone remained from the temple itself.