Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-08-30
A Southern Pilgrim
In Eastern Lands

While as I have shown there is grave
doubt about the genuineness of the
places usually pointed out as the loca-
ton OF Calvary and OF the Tomb. there
Is and can be no doubt as to the authen-
tfcity OF the temple area.
IL is on Mount Moriah, on the eastern
side OF Jerusalem. The whole enclosure
has an area OF IS acres. about one-sEAth
OF the entire space inside the walls OF
the city. Yenerated alike by Jew, Mo-
hammedan and Christian. and with it's
genuineness absolutely assured, il is the
greatest OF all holy places. Up to so
years ago, however, IL being in Noham-
med&n possession. no Christian was al
lowed 10 enter IT. Even now ii is not
safe for one TO do so-except under mil
itary guard. As we were going TO the
temple area a dignified Turkish officer
with fez. pantaloOns. gOld-braided jack
ct and long sword trailing at his side
stepped out I'm the street near the Da-
mzscus gate and Joined us I was a lit
tie surprised, but soon learned that IL is
necessary precGutiOn, 70 prevent any
trouble with MOslem fanatics, who are
disposed to resent any intrusion into
their sacred shrine by those whom they
consider ''infidel dogs. AS we entered
the enclosure one Of the boys In our
party though tlessly stepped into a small
Aohammedan shrine, or place Of prayer.
Come out Of that" our guide called
out Immediately and peremptOriiy. DO
sou want to get US eli into trouble?'
He came out at once Inside the temple
area one OF the main places or interest
IS
THE MOSQUE OF OMAR.
This is the name usually given 10 IL.
But as a matter OF fact. IL is neither
mosque nor was il built by the Caliph
Omar whose name IL bears. II Is more
appropriate. therefore. TO call it tie
DOME OF THE ROCK
IL is a large dome built over the rock
where Abraham offered up Isaac As
we shall see later. the Samaritans claim
that this was on Mount Gerizim, in
which claim they are supported by some
scholars But the whole religious world,
Jews, Mohammedans and Christians, are
practically united in considering Mount
Moriah as the place Il
II was here that the threshing floor
OF Araunah, the Jebusite. stood, which
David bought for so shekels OF silver,
where he built an altar TO the Lord and
Offered on II burnt offerings and peace
offerings @ sam. 24:1S-25l.
David wanted TO erect a temple here,
hat the Lord forbade him TO do so, be-
cause he was a man OF war. but told him
that HIS son Solomon should erect the
temple. which he did on this spot IL
was the most magnificent building in the
may be found in Chronicles. third and
fourth chapters This temple was dedi-
Gated TO God with solemn and elaborate
ceremonies. II was pillaged by Shishak'
nag OF Egypt q Kings. las. IS; Chron-
afD: repaired by Joash q Kings, R;5, IL
3 c.hron-. 24;4-10; purified by Hezekiah q
cAron-. $3.50: polluted by Manasseh q
kings. 1:4. 4; Chron-. S5:4 5. az re-
matted by Josiah q Kings. ISL; Chron-'
S4S-Isl: pIlIaged and burned by the Baby
lonians G Kings. 25.e. I3-IT; Chron-'
ss.ls 49, Some 70 years afterwards the
temple was erected by Ezra, after the
Babylonisn captivity through the decree
Of Cyrus and Darius. ZEE, So. I'D. This
temple was much smaller than that OF
Solomon. -Four hundred years later Herod
the Great repaired. beautified and en-
iarred this temple. II was As years in re-
building. and was more magnificent even
than Solomou's temple. This was the
temple in which our Lord walked and
taught IL was the pride OF the Jews,
but in less than a century. when Jerusa-
lem was destroyed by Titus, in the year
n. the temple was sacked and burned
According to the opinions OF Biblical
scholars the temples OF Solomon and OF
Herod occupied the exact spot where the
MOSQUE Of Omar now stands. With their
enclosing colonades, courts and cloisters
they occupied a space go feet from east
10 west and so feet from north TO SOUTH
II Is also believed that the eastern walls
OF the enclosure were laid in Solomon's
tine
FOUNDATION STONES
In fact. what are believed to have been
the foundation stones OF Solomon's tenn
ME have been found by Sir Charles War
ren. Their discovery makes an interest
ing story He was not permitted to dig
down BY the walls Of the mosque OF
Omar for that was called proclamation
Of the sacred mosque. So shafts were
sunk at a distance from the mosque OF
Omar 70 the depth OF from 50 10 l2o feet;
then lateral tunnels and shafts were shot
out. under ground and out OF sight, to-
ward the foundations Of the old temple
and there he found the stones When the
turkish INSPECTOR went down the shaft
20 inspect the work and guard the mos
cue. the rope which lowered him was
deity twisted by the superintendent SO
that BY the time he reached the bottom
his head was turned and he had lost all
his bearings and could not tell in what
direction the underground chambers ran
In sinking these shafts and running the
hidden chambers alongside the temple
wall. two remarkable things were dis
covered:
/. Around the stones were layers OF
clay and soft mold. but no stone chips,
bits OF broken lamps and potsherds on
which were Phoenician inscriptions
2 on the stones were marks made
with red paint, which the explorers
copied and photographed by means OF
MAGNESIUM wire These characters were
Phoenician- They were numerals. spe-
cfal mason marks and quarry signs.
Marks OF this kind hitherto had been
found only in Sldon. What Of these
things? They are confirmation OF the
BIble. In / Kings ST. IL is said, in de-
scrfbing the building Of the temple:
and the house. when il was In building,
was built OF stone made ready at the
quarry: and there was neither hammer
nor axe nor any tool OF iron heard In
the house. while IL was in building" II
the stones had not been prepared be-
fore they were brought, stone clippings
would have been found in the black
mold The stone clippings have been
found in abundance in SOlomon's quarry.
showing that the work Of cutting the
stones and preparing them for the tenn
ple was done there. The Phoenician
MARKS on the fragments Of pottery and
on the stones also confirm the record in
kings 7, which tells how Hiram.
phoenfcian master builder-not King
F4trar,-urepared the stones Tor the tenn
ria ana ala the building for Solomon.