The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-12-24
an INTERESTING RELIC.
altered Tablet from the Ancient Tenn
pie of Herod.

altered Tablet from the Ancient Tenn
pie of Herod.
tiq the interesting museum of ar
ths lties at Constantinople the object
tel struck me most was hoary, bat
tios II tablet, with d long Greek inscrip-
disll cut on it in seven lines. 1t was
of lowered in Jerusalem about the end
gist May, 1871, by the French archaeolO-
abb Il ClermOnt-sianneau, at a consider
fop depth below the ground, in the
frS Adations of an Arab house, not far
mf IN the mosque of Omar, on what
of Aht have been the site of the temple
Herod.
tl1 shis is one of the very few relics of
) kat magnificent structure which have
lHIrviyed to our day. The inscription
r. in capital monumental letters and
clay be translated thus: NO stranger
| .l2n enter within the balustrade round
eva sanctuary and Enclosures. Who
| hin is caught will be responsible to
al sell for his DEATH" Josephus gives
| r. faphic description of Herod's tenn
| G and mentions that the court of the
| tn Piles was separated from the part
pa was restricted TO the Jews by two
on llel walls, about Is feet apart The
Z ter wall was about AZ feet high.
1T was an elaborate carved stone balus-
lErade with % doors in it. each of which
yhad a pillar in front of it, bearing an
1 inscription in Greek and Latin, forbid
Fding any foreigner to enter the inclo-
-, -'-e on pain of death. Josephus mem
Il tons that the Romans respected this
II law and no Gentle ever ventured to
intrude beyond this point.
The prohibition in question, how
ever. was long regarded as apocryphaI
even although Philo spoke of the in
Scription and corroborated the state
ment of the Jewish historian. But the
discovery of Clermont-Ganneau has
placed the matter beyond dispute. The
tablet which he found was part of one
of the columns guarding the inner
sanctuary from the approach of un.
hallowed feet. and the connection be
tween the insert ption carved on it ant
the passage in Josephus is most strik
ing. The expressions and forms are
almost identical. There is indeed 3;
curious variation IN the trcek WCEt
for "balustrade,' or partition wall. II
the passage in Josephus it is druphak
tos, whereas in the inscription it i,
, truphaktos; but this variation may
be accounted for by the fact that 10
scphus used the correct classical term
; while the inscription spelled the Wor;
according to the Jewish method o
=. pronouncing it, changing d into
Josephus twice refers to the inscriP
ton. once in his antiquities; and tn
parallel passages are differently word
ed. showing that he did not intend t.
give the exact phraseology of the ston
> monument. but only the sense; and
, therefore. that the tablet should Civ
, the sense of Josephus' words, without
! his exact expression, is just what nigh
have been expected in such a discoy
cry. According to CiermontGanneau
the tablet is the most ancient, as wei
as the most interesting Greek inscrip
, .tion which archaeological investiga
a ton in Jerusalem has produced. 1t
= bearings are most important. 1t SUP
rifles standard of comparison b,
!, which to distinguish the IIerodia
sculpture and photographic work
from those of previous or later days
, Sunday at Home.