The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1830-07-21
DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE
OF JERUSALEM.

- n'0ht Is extracted from the Sd VI
:, JeaoS. "
rs High above the whole CITY rose the Ter
ID pie, uniting the COMMANDING strenotb If
9 citadel with the splendor of sacred ed;6c
> AIcoriihg 10 Josephus, the esplanade G
); which IL stood had been considerably Ell
r; iargeu oy the accumulation of fresh sol
s. s. since the days of Solomon. particularly O
y, the north side. 1t now covered a SQUARE :
!, Iuriong each side. Solomon had face
f. the Preclpltous sides of the rock on the eas
i ana perhaps on the south, with huge block
!. OF stone the other sides likewise had bee
punt up with perpendicular walls to an eoua
Y helgh These walls in no part were lowe
than 525 teek, but their whole height wa
j; not seen, excepting pm the eastern and per
maps on the southern sides. as the earth wa
4 neaped up to the level of the streets of III,
CITY. Some Of the stones EMPLOYED in tbi
work were 20 feet square.
On this gigantic foundation ran on eacl
'front.' strong and lofty wall without, within
spacious double portico or cloister 52I fee
proad, supported by 1872 columns. which
supported a cedar ceiling of the most ex.
q1lslte workmanship. The pillars were
eatlre blocks hewn ont of solid marble. oil
oazzilng whlteness, 433 feet high; on the
so1,l SIDE the portico or cloister was triple.
Inc open courts were paved with various
ihitld marbles. Between this outer court
OF The Gentiles, and the second court of the
Israelltes, ran rails of stone, but of beautiful
workmanship, rather more than 5 feet hipb
Along these, at regular intervals. stood nil
idrs win inscriptions in Hebrew. Greek
ahu hatin; warning all strangers and Jews
MnH were unclean, from entering into the
10Y Oourt beyond. An ascent of IA steps
leu 70 terrace I73 feet wide, beyond which
arose the vail of the Inner Court. This
wal appeared on the outside 20 feet, on the
INSIDE 434 for besides the ascent of IA
Steps 10 Inc terrace, there were more I'D
" the gates The Inner Court had no gate
Ut opening to the west, but four on the
horth' and four on the south. two to the
east, one OF which was for the women. for
"hom part of the Inner Court was set
aPart-and beyond which they might not
advance to this they had access likewise
ny one OF the northern, and one of the
southern gates, which were set apart for
thelr use. Around this court ran another
splendid range of porticoes or cloisters
the columns of which were quite equal in
beauty and workmanship, thong h not in size. I
10 those OF the outer portico. Nine of these
gates, or rather gateway towers, were rich /
y adorned with gold and silver, on the
noors, the door-posts and the Gntels. The
|. .oors OF each OF the nine gates were 521
eet hlgh, and half that breadth. Within. l.
he gateways were 524 feet wide and deem.
win rooms on each side, so that the whole |,
. IaI ~, oo";""es: the height from
But tTfur which excited the !
greatest admiration was the tenth, usually
called the Beautiful Gate of the Temple.
It was OF Corlnthian brass, of the finest
workmanship. The height of the Beautiful
late was 673, its doors 20 feet. The father
VI Tlberus Alexander had sheeted these
rates with gold and silver; his apostate son
vas to witness their ruin by the plundering
lands and fiery torches Of his Roman friends.
Within this quadrangle there was a further
separation, low wall which divided the
PRIESTS from the Israeltes: near this stood
he great brazen altar. Beyond, the TEN
'le Itself reared its glittering front. The
yreat porch or Popylean, according to the
ieslgn OF the last, or Herod's Temple, ex-
ended to much greater width than the
Temple itself; in addition to the former
width OF los feet, it had two wings of IS
'ach making in the whole IT'S. The great
gate of this last quadrangle, to which there
vas an ascent of IL steps, was called that
If Nicanor.
The gateway tower was 1921 feet high,
l33 wide. 1t had no doors, but the frontis
'iece was covered with gold, and through
ts spacious arch was seen the golden gate
If the Temple, glittering with the same pre-
'arlous metal, with large plates of which it
vas sheeted all over. Over this gate hung
he celebrated golden vine. This extraor,
tlnary piece of workmanship had punches,
according TO Josephus, MS large as man.
The Rabbns add, that, "like a true natural
ZINE, it grew greater and greater: men
would he offering, some gold to make
leaf; some grape, some bunch: and
these were hung up upon it, and so it was
increasing continually" !
The Temple ITSELF excepting in the extern
SONS OF the wings OF the Propyleon, was
the same in It's dimensions and
distribution with that of Solomon. 1t con-
the same holy treasures, if not of
equal magnihrence, yet by the zeal of sue
cesslve ages, the frequent plumber to which
it had been exposed, was constantly replac-
ed and within, the golden candestick
spread out its Towering branches, the gol-
len table supported the show bread, and
the altar Of incence famed with its costly
perfume. The roof Of the Temple had been
set all over on the outside with sharp gol-
den spikes, to prevent the birds from set
Ting, and defiling the roof; and the gates
were still sheeted with plates of the same
splendid metal. At distance, the whole
Temple looked literally like ga mount of
snow, fretted with golden pinnacles."
Looking down upon its marble courts, and
on the Temple ITSELF when the sun arose
above the Mount of Olives, which it directly
faced, it was impossible, even for Roman,
not to be struck with wonder, or even for
stole, like Titus not to betray his emotion.
Yet this was the city, which, in a few
months, was to lie a heap of undistinguish-
ed ruins and the solid Temple itself, which
seemed built for eternity, not "to have one
In