A reconstruction of The was placed in the Holiest Place of the Temple. The Ark, the only major item surviving from Moses’ Inside the Holy Place were ten ’s Temple , still contained the tablets of the golden lampstands – five on each Law, but the pot of manna and Aaron’s rod side – which had to be trimmed had disappeared. regularly by the priests to ensure David purchased the site for a temple for 50 silver shekels that they were never extinguished. from Araunah the Jebusite. This site is identified with Mount Moriah – today the , Jerusalem – where Abraham had years before been told to sacrifice his son Isaac. The building of the Temple began in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, about 959 b c , and took seven years to complete. It was a national project of immense size. To preserve the holiness of the Temple site, and minimize noise, most of the masonry and carpentry was completed elsewhere, before the components were assembled on the actual site. Detailed accounts in the of the Temple’s construction enable us to make a quite accurate reconstruction of Solomon’s Temple.

One of the most impressive objects outside the Temple was the “molten sea”, a huge, round tank made of bronze which stood opposite the great altar. This tank was supported on the back of twelve bronze oxen, three at Bronze tanks on each point of the compass, wheeled stands. and held about 40,000 litres (10,000 US gallons) of water. It was used by the priests for ceremonial washing.

The High Priest had a breastplate, inlaid with twelve precious stones, each symbolizing one of the tribes of Israel. His most solemn role was to enter the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement to present the blood of a sacrifice for the people’s sins. The huge altar of sacrifice where animals were offered daily. King Solomon, David’s son and successor, built the first . Famed for his wisdom, later in his reign he turned away from God, gathered an enormous harem and built pagan temples for the use of his foreign wives. 10 11 A great project Hiram, king of Tyre, to buy materials. The chief architect What did the The Temple was a huge project: Solomon wrote to King Hiram asking for help: King Hiram replied, “I am sending “Solomon . . . . assigned 70,000 men to carry “Years ago, when my father David was building his Huram Abi to you. . . . Not only is Temple look building supplies and 80,000 to cut stone palace, you supplied him with cedar logs. Now will Huram an expert at working with gold, from the hills. And he chose 3,600 men to you send me supplies? I am building a temple . . . silver, bronze, iron, stone and wood, like? “Send me a worker who can not only carve, but Solomon’s but he can also make . . . cloth and fine The Bible describes the supervise these workers.” Temple (2 Chronicles 2:2) who can work with gold, silver, bronze and iron . . . linen. . . building of the Temple “I know that you have workers who are experts at in detail (see for example Despite all David’s careful preparations, ?Mount This Huram became the chief architect cutting trees in Lebanon. So would you please send M oriah 1 Kings 5:1 – 9:10 and 2 Solomon needed still more timber to build and designer of Solomon’s Temple. me some cedar, pine and juniper logs?” Chronicles chapters 2–7). It his temple. He reached an agreement with King Hiram continued: gives us enough detail to Palace “I will tell my workers to start cutting y y make quite an accurate e down trees in Lebanon. They will cut l l e l model of the Temple. l e l as many as you need, then tie them a h a But of course the Bible V V p together into rafts, and float them down O doesn’t give us architect’s An artist’s impression of n Gihon Spring along the coast to Joppa. Your workers o Gate drawings. There is a Solomon’s Temple, with the e CITY can take them to Jerusalem from there.”

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o lot we still don’t know. great laver, or bronze ritual OF (2 Chronicles chapter 2) o p

r For instance, we don’t

washing basin. The capitals o DAVID

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r Solomon didn’t want a lot of noise on

of the pillars on either side i know how thick the y

K the site of the temple. So he ordered the of the Temple doorway were T Temple walls were. each decorated with 200 workers to shape the blocks of stone at N And we’re not sure pomegranates. the quarry before bringing them to the Bird’s-eye view of Jerusalem in Solomon’s day showing exactly how the altar location of Temple (far right). Kidron Brook temple building-site. was constructed. H i n n o m V a l l e y Archaeology doesn’t help much, since Extension of Jerusalem during Solomon’s reign Line of city wall most temples of this time have long since been razed to The Temple site. the ground.

An artist’s impression of the High Priest’s costume.

The Temple Mount, Jerusalem, site of Solomon’s Temple, viewed from the Mount of Olives.

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