Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-04-02

| llerod the Great assembled the throne
/ IN the year " u. {. His first royal act
/ was to Kill the members OF the Sanhe-
| dim, except two. Then he had bis
brother 'in'law. Aristobulus, drowned In
| y bath, and The eighty-ycar.old
| llytcauus, who had lied To Babylon. was
! cnticed to come back 10 Jerusalem,
where he was killed, the bloodthirsiy
/ iyraut pretending to fear that the aged
exile was plotting against his crown.
! The next victim was his Young. beauii-
iul wife Marianne, whose lie was taken.
because the king thought she would
! certainly revenge the murder OF her
| relatives. Ills thirst for blood was not
! yet satisfied. Several OF his children
! were next executed, and among them
hil oldest son Antipater Many Of his
| subjects suffered the same fate. During
| us reign the nation was continually kept
| "a state Of alarm. Such was the man
! who undertook the building or rather
restoration Of the last temple Of the
| Jews.
ANcr q lapse OF FIVE centuries, the
| Temple Of Kcfuhbabcl was much de-
cayed. and licrod conceived the idea OF
rcconstncting "a. q work which was
| commenced about sixteen years before
the birth Of Christ For nine years and
a hall 5000 wofkmen were employed
thereon, ard no cost was spared TO
make Il magnificent The work went
on alter the death of Hefod. and had
been 20 years IN building shortly before
the .cruclhNion John u, sol, and Il is
doubtful whether II was ever entirely
completed.
IN the construction Of this temple
stones OF great size were used Joscphus
asserts that some were as much as
seventy eight feet long, eight high and
ieu broad. But let Us enter the sacred
precinct
The inst or outer court was called the
Count Of the Gentles, because no
/ stranger wa allowed TO pass beyond it,
u was enclosed by a wall over 30 feet
high, on the inside OF which were
galleries supported by marble pillars.
Here was Sulumon's piazza, probably
remnant Of the FIRST temple. Here the
money changers and dealers in cattle
had established themselves when the
Lord drove them out. Concerning these
mathlc pillars loSephus says "Their
effect was incredible to those who never
saw them, and an amazcment to those
who did. Each pillar was six cubils
labout 10 feet in diameter, and the
width OF the cloistcrs, or open work was
] N'llll NNullh Ihf ltttIs
This court was separated from the
court OF The women by termce, called
the I'LL. II feet wide, the outer wall OF
which was q fence feet high. Six steps
led up to this court. ON the east side of
| this enclosure was the Beautiful Gate.
Next was the Court OF Israel. This
was fifteen steps higher than the Court
oiWomen, and u was enclosed by wall
as feet high, The principal entrance to
this court was by the gate Nicanor under
a stately tower. The gate Is described as
being so heavy that Il took twenty men TO
open and shut IL. The court itself was a
narrow piazza, and was separated from
the court Of the Priests by a row OF
pillars, Here the people stood while
their sacrifices were burning on the
altar.
The court Of the Priesthood was with
IN that Of Israel and about feet higher.
TOit led steps on which Il Is supposed
the musicians had their place on certain
occasions, The altar Of burnt.oderng
was erected In this court Immediately
before the main entrance to the ediGce.
Il was very large ~ the time OF Herod.
being over IS Get square ~ the base
and ~ feet high, Part OF II was cut
away at tie southeast corner even with
the boundary line between Judah and
Benjamin, inorder that the whole Of the
altar might stand in the country OF the
former lHbe.
The space between the altar and the
temple was considered peculiarly
sacred,
We now stand IN front Of the porlco.
This was a structure as feet long, al4
high, and IS broad. II was entered by
steps. The ascent from the outer court
TO this place was gradual, aud a person
standing In the poriico was at least ~
feet higher than the one IN the first court
The portlco had no doors, but stood al.
ways open, being, as luscphus remarks,
IN emblem OF heaven. From the
porlico ihistemple itself was entered.
A further description OF the temple is
unnecessary IN this place, II was divided
similar to that Of Solomon, by double
veil OF exceedingly costly material. This
was rent at the crucihNi0n Of the Lord.
The height OF the building was twice
that OF the first temple, and the outer
walls were white marble, presenting the
appearance OF pure snow IN the brilliant
rays ofthe oriental sun, and the guided
roof wa dazzling 10 the spectators.
The luws had q wonderful opportunity
OF preserving themselves Us u nation and
al ihe same time this building, which
might have been purified and dedicated
to Jehovah had they embraced the
message delivered to them by the Son
az God. but they rejected Him, aud
! God rejected them. In the wear 70 A-D