Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-09-28
Discoveries at Jerusalem.

Mount Moriah has been found to be
upon the top as scarcely to afford room for
temple of small dimensions. On all
| sides it fell off rapidly and very steeply,
except from northwest to southeast, the
direction in which the ridge rims.
The area on the summit was enlarged by
walls built along the declivities, the out
side walls deep down the valleys, from 100
to $50 feet below the area on which the
temple buildings stood. One hundred
feet again below this lay the original bed
of the temple, therefore, were 250 feet
above the deep defiles around. This area
| originally built by Solomon and enlarged
| by Herod, still exists, running on the
south along the valley of Hinnom, 1000
feet, and along the Kidron 1900 feet.
This Enclosure was originally covered
with splendid edifces. First were the
porticos or covered walks, built along the
outer walls, and overlooking the Kidron
and Hinnom. They were magnificent
structures, resembling the nave and aisles
of Gothic cathedrals. The middle
walk or nave was forty-fve feet
broad, and the two aisles thirty
feet. The aisles were 80 feet high, and
the nave, rising like a cleve-story, between
the two, was more than 100 feet high.
Add now terrace walls to the height of
the porticos, and we have a solid and con-
,iuuous wall of masonry $50 feet high
But these were only the outer buildings
of the temple area. The porticos opened
inwardly upon court paved with mar
BILE, and open to the sky. Steps led up to
second court. Beyond this again,
through beautiful gateways, was third,
and rising above them all was fourth,
in which stood the temple proper, ascend
ing story above story, and said to have
been 100 or even $50 feet high. These
horizontal measurements have been veri-
| fed. OF course, we eannot vouch for the
correctness of the reputed hight of these
immense structures. We have the less
reason, however, to doubt the last, as we
have established the first. If one looked
upon Mount Moriah from the Mount OF
Olives opposite, coming round the brow
of Olives on the way from Betheny, ss
our Lord did when beholding the city, it
must have been a sight which, for archi-
tectaral beauty and grandeur, perhaps,
has never been equaled, certainly not sur
passed. 1t was an artificial mountain
from the deep rsvines below, wall, column,
roof, pinnacle, eliminating in the temple
within and above all, and probably meas
uring between 500 and 600 feet.
The palace of Solomon, too, added to
the impressiveness of the sight. 1t is
settled by recent discoveries that this pile
of buildings was on the southeast corner
the area, joining on the House of the Lord
above, and extending below to the Kings
gardens, where the two valleys met and
the waters of Sloan go softly All
these buildings. porticos, columns. pima
oles, altar and temple have perished.
" Not one stone remains upon another
which has not been thrown down" The
area alone remains, and the massive SUBJ
structures that for 5000 years have been
sleeping in their courses. The preserva-
tiou has been due to the ruin. Buildings
80 vast have been toppled down the slopes
of the Moriah that the original defiles and
valleys have been almost obliterated.
What had been regarded as the original
surface has been found to be debris from
20 70 80 feet deep.
With pick-axe and shovel British ex-
plorers have been down to the original
foundations. Fallen columns have been
met With, and avoided, or a way blasted
through them. The cinders of burnt
Jerusalem have been cut through and
turned mp to the light-rich models de-
posted by the treasures of Jewish
pride The seal of Haggai, in ancient
Hebrew characters, was picked up out of
the siftings of this deposit. The first
courses of stones, deposited by Pt@aician
builders, have been reached, lying on the
living rcck At the southwest corner of
the area, debris hss accumulated TO a
depth of not less than 125 feet-the ac.
cumulation Of ages. made up of the ruins
of successive Jerus ,lcms snd here some
of the moat interesting discoveries have
been made. Here ia thr famous Arch OF
Robinson, shown not to be an arch, ss be
coniectured. by the discovery Cf the pier
upon which the first sp'n rested Ii il
the remains Of bridge which crossed the
valley on sarches, and connected Mount
Moriah with the mountains opposite-the
modern Zion. 1t is the shewback or
abutmsnt that slopes to receive the end Of
the arch Three courses rem4in. The
stones are i've or six feet thick. and 90 oil
25 long The valley here i $50 feet wide
and tbi- must have been the length OF
the bridge connecting the temple with
the rnNhi pbihtc Otl ittt bABtI riOFs NJ
depth of 80 feet a worn pavement was
found. worn by feet that passed ovor /
, in our Lords time. Lying on this pave
= mont were the voussoirs, or wedge-lik
stones, belonging to the arch. Breakins
through this pavement, and through q
feet of debris beneath, they found ,
still more ancient roadway, and resting
upon this the key-stones of still more
; ancient bridge. The explanation Is prob
: ably reached: Robinson's arch is the re
mains of the bridge that was standing a
: the seige of jerusalem, upon which, at tht
l eastern end of it, stood the Roman gen
9 eral Titus, holding a parley with tn
Jews, occupying the other end of III
: bridge The older bridge, the remain
:. of which were found beneath the pave
ment, belonged to the palmy days Of Sol
omou.
o The whole of Mount Moriah has beer
u found to te fairly honey -combed with cis
, terms and passages. One of the cisternf
+ known as the Great Sea, would contain
'' two millions of gallons, and all togethe
q not less than ten millions. The remain
u of towers and houses have been lighte
o upon, belonging to the age of the kings c
n Judah. The pool of Bethesda has bee
y in all probability, identified-an intermi
. ting fountain, which explains the populs
,, legend of the troubling of the water b
q an angel Underground passages, prot
- ably of the age of Hezekiah channel
70 too, have been opened, down which th
refuse of the altar, water, and the bloc
of the victim seem to have passed. IN
, tracing of these channels will probabl
lead up to the Identification of the exac
at spot where the altar of sacrifice stood.
~ HINT TO RAILWAY DIRECToRs.-Rai
way directors may get valuable hir