The Harrison times., 1908-12-12
Solomon Dedicates
the Temple
Sunday School Lesson for Dec. l3, 1908
Specially Arranged for This Paper

LESSON TEXT Kings Sill. Mem
| )ry verses, 10, II.
GOLDEN TEXT was glad when
! hey said unto ne, let us go into the
| house Of the Lord Psalm 122:1.
THE TEMPLE.-The temple was be-
gun in the fourth year of Solomons
'eign, B. C. 1912, and completed seven
years later B. c. 1904, according to the
| Assyrian Canon about 45 years later. The
| dedication was In Solomon's twelfth
year.
| CONTEMPORARY HISTORY. The
| ungdom was now at its largest extent,
| rom the Lebanon mountains to the Red
| sea, from the Mediterranean to the Syri-
| IN desert on the east Tyre fourishing
| lnder King Hiram. The Sabaean king
log of Yemen, the queen of which came
! % see Solomon. Commerce extended to
| Europe, Africa and India.
| Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The Temple-The situation was on
the eastern hill Of Jerusalem, called
| sometimes Mount Moriah, overlooking
the valley Of the Kidron and the
Mount of Olives.
Modern authorities are inclined to
| think that the temple platform was
a part of Mount Zion; and that Zion
was the name Of the eastern hill Of
Jerusalem, and not Of the western
hill, as has been the general opinion
THE rugged top Of Moriah was lev
| eled with immense labor; its Sides
which to the east and south were pre-
| cipitous, were faced with a wall Of
stone, built up perpendicular from the
| bottom Of the valley so as to appear
to those who looked down of most
| terrifying height "a work Of pro-
digious skill and labor, as the i'm
mense stones were strongly mortised
| together and wedged into the rock. -
Milman.
The platform, according to Jose
phus, was square, three-quarters of
mile in circuit WARS, 5:5 p, in the
time of Herod, but he also says that
Herod doubled the original inclosure,
Probably, therefore, the platform
constructed by SOlomons engineers
was an area of about 12 acres, or a
quadrangle of 900 by 600 feet
James Sine.
Alone and isolated in its grandeur
stood the Temple Mount. Terrace
upon terrace its courts rose, till high
above the city, within the inclosure
of marble cloistera, the temple itself
stood out mass of snowy marble and
of gold, glittering in the sunlight
against the half encircling green back
ground Of Olivet. Nor has there
been in ancient or modern times
sacred building equal to the temple,
whether for situation or magnifcence."
--Edersheim.
The Size and Plan of the Temple
THE best model of the temple | have
ever seen," declares DR.. F. n Peloubet,
lis the one sent from England to Mr..
Dwight l.. Moody, and placed in his
school at Northfeld, Mass. 1t is
said to have cost $4,000, A similar
one belonged to Mr. Thomas New
berry, Alexander Villa, Weston-Super-
Mare, England"
Counting a cubit as 1S inches, the
main building was as follows: Porch,
| 80 feet broad 10 feet deep, 1870 feet
high; holy place, 60 feet long, 30 feet
wide, 80 feet high; holy Of holes, 80
feet long, 80 feet wide, 80 feet high;
chambers, 10 feet wide on the two
sides and rear.
In front of the porch were two
great pillars,
The whole was situated according
to the points Of the compass, the
front entrance being toward the east.
The Courts,-There were two courts
G. Chron. $3.50. The outer court was
surrounded by q wall partly of stone,
partly Of cedar; on the eastern bor'
der was a cloister or colonnade. This
court was adorned with trees, and
free to all the people. Within this
quadrangle was a smaller court, the
court of the priests on the highest
ridge of the HILL inclosng the temple,
and the great brazen altar and brazen
sea, and the LAYERS.
In the inner court were the great
brazen altar Of sacrifice, Is feet high
and 80 feet square, in sight Of all the
worshipers Of the outer court, and the
molten or brazen sea supported by IL
huge oxen, each " feet high.
V. 10. "The cloud filed the house OF
the Lord" The article before cloud
denotes that it was the well-known
cloud which betokened the divine
presence "The cloud was the veil
that hid '(V. ID "the glory of the
Lord" for that glory was too bright to
be seen by mortal eyes This was the
same as the pillar. Of cloud and 'of fire
that guided the people through the
wilderness, which had rested on the tab
ernacle on the day 1t was dedicated
lex. 40:34), "and had apparently been
specially displayed at certain juno
lures in the history Of Israel Mum
1875, 10; 1912; Deut. 31:15), 1t was
thus the acknowledged symbol of Gods
presence, and as such was visible
sign that he now accepted the temple,
as he had formerly accepted the tab
ernacle. as his shrine and dwelling
plac:."