REBUILDING THE TEMPLE

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 583, 11 August 1909, Page 7

REBUILDING THE TEMPLE

A MASONIC MOVEMENT (By Tel«Ernph.-Prefla AV-'irtlatlou.i-OiWrliht.l , London, August 3 The "Jewish World'Estates'that the. Froemovement, to rebuildSolomon's temple at Jerusalem: Freemasons'"! 1 throughout the world aro to.be' askod to cooperate. ' "" • ' . ■■■•■ '• '; •> ii'-.'. '■ ' -\. : :X ■ .'<• FOURTH' OF THE TEMPLES. • Tho first Temple at Jerusalem was erected by Solonjonr^His!father'David, Jwho'had intonded building'one; but had 'been -'prevented by the prophet s Nathan, had 6till >made: certain ;pre- \ parations forytho work .by laying - up' treasure collecting materials. -.The; si|e': was'. Mount'. Moriah, „ tho. top of .which, .however, .was insufficient, and had . to. be.; enlarged' by ■ masonry "• on tho precipitous sides of t}?e hill.' The''build--' .ingswas. begun foursyears-after '"the death "'of ® a T'4 .(about ; 1012' b.6;), 'The ; stoiie " and (timber employed brought fromi Phoenicia under l a contract .'made by; Solomon with Hiram, king of Tyre, who also supplied: a'large number of , .workmen ~for,'d ressing: the'•£ materials. ,The ; dimensions of the..Temple were .exactly, double, those of ■ the' .Tabernacle, on the model of which it: was constructed,.'with .'the exception of the - height,- ;which ' was l 30 oubits, or three times that of ; the Tabernacle; - 'Only, a third-part of this would be the height of the sloping roof; at any. rate,' the' inside; of the' holy. of' holies : was ja:cube of oubits. .. The . inside of. the \ stone / walls v was' lined with oedar-wobd, which again' was;overlaid with- gold. On th'e. outside' • Of .the, walls- \v;ere a number of chambers, in thre? stories, ..which; served- as houses for : the '. priests, ' '/magazines, .-'.bakehouse, l ;i and - work- - shops. ■ , The v first ; Temple' was destroyed by :,Nebuchadnezzar ' (d.o. 588), and' a second ■ was; built on-.the same site by ,-the Jews on their .return from; the. Babylonian .captivity (d.0.'536, EzTa l. vi:; begun 534. interrupted through the Samaritans till 520, and finished 51G). Pillaged by . Ahtiochus Epiphanes (b.o. liO), it afterwards became so. desolate, that it was overgrown.with shrubs; but it was purified and ,re-dedicated by • Judas r.Maocabaeus .(b.o. 165). ft was taken by Pompey (b.c. 63), and stormed : and partly, destroyed. by Herod: the > Great (b.c. 37). .- ' : The third Temple was \built- by Herod, whicn. was an entirely new structure, and tho largest and,most magnificent of the "three. -Begun: about 20. n.0.,:, the .Temple itself was fin■snsd. 'i l . about a.' year; and a half, and the outer , buildings .in eight years,' although there ■ were ,operations;: carried ."on 'under Herod s successors.:-'.-This' Temple'was comi' pletely destroyed' at the capture of Jerusalem •by tho--Romans (a.d. 70). A splendid': mosque .was built, on -the site by the Caliph Omar after (63 e 6) COBqUeSt ' of Jorusalom by, the'.Saracens