Karnak.we have the two obelisks at the portal like the pillars Jachin and Uoaz. These coincidences cannot have been accidental. Nor is this general adoption of a plan already familiar to the Hebrews inconsistent with t'he divine prescription of the details of architect- ure (Exod. XXV, 9; 1 Chron. xxviii, 12). See Egypt.
V. Detailed Desniption of Solomon's Temple. — 1. An- cient Accounts. — The Temple itself and its utensils are described in I Kings vi and vii, and 2 Chron. iii and iv. According to these passages, the Temple was 60 cubits long, 20 wide, and 30 high. Joscphus, however (Ant. viii. .3. 21, s.ays, '-The Temple was fiO cubits high and 00 cubits in length, and the breadth was 20 cubits ; above this was another stage of equal dimensions, so
that the height of the whole structure was 120 cubits," It is dithcult to reconcile this statement with that given in 1 Kings, unless we suppose that the worils Zaot; roig fi'trpoii;, equal in measures, do not signify an equality in all dimen.sions, but only as much as ecpial in the number of cubits; so that the porch formed a kind of steejile, which projected as much above the roof of the Temple as the roof itself was elevated above its founda- tions. As the Chronicles agree with Josephus in assert- ing that the summit of the porch was 120 cubits high, there remains still another apparent contradiction to be solved, namely, how Josephus could assert that the Tem- ple itself was GO cubits high, while we read in 1 Kings that its height was only 30 cubits. We suppose that in the book of Kings the internal elevation of the sanctu- ary is stated, ami that .Josephus describes its external elevation, wliich, including the basement and an upper story (which may have existed, consisting of rooms for the accommodation of priests, containing also vestries and treasuries), might be double the internal height of the sanctuary. The internal dimension of the " holy," which was called in preference 'S'^v', was 40 cubits long, 20 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. The holy was sep- arated from the "holy of holies" ("i''2'n) by a partition, a large opening in which was closed by a suspended curtain. The holy of holies Avas on the western extrem- ity of the entire building, and its internal dimensions formed a cube of 20 cubits. On the eastern extremity of the building stood the porch, cb^lX, Trpovaoq. At the entrance of this pronaos stood the two columns called Jachin and Boaz, which were 23 cubits high.
The Temple was also surrounded by a triple i'"^"', story of chamhers, each of which stories was five cu- bits high, so that there remained above ample space for introducing the windows, somewhat in the man- ner of a clear-story to the sanctuary. Now the state- ment of Josephus, who says that each of these sto- ries of chambers (rirb") was 20 cubits high, cannot be reconciled with the Biblical statements, and may prove that he was no very close reader of his authori- ties. Perhaps he had a vague kind of information that the chambers reached half-way up the height of the building, and, taking the maximum height of 120 cubits instead of the internal height of the holy, he made each storj' four times too high. The windows which are mentioned in 1 Kings vi, 4 consisted probabl}' of lattice- work. The lowest story of the chamlters was five cu- bits, the middle six, and the third seven cubits wide. This difference of the width arose from the circumstance that the e.xternal walls of the Temple were so thick that they were made to recede one cubit after an eleva- tion of five feet, so that the scarcement in the wall of the Temple gave a firm support to the beams which supported the second storj', without being inserted into the wall of the sanctuary; this insertion being perhaps avoided not merely for architectural reasons, but also because it appeared to be irreverent. The third story was supported likewise by a similar scarcement, which afforded a still wider space for the chamber of the third story. These observations will render intelligible the following Biblical statements: "And against the wall of the house he built stories round about, both of the Temple and of the oracle ; and he made chambers round about. The nethermost story was five cidjits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad ; for without in the wall of the house he made narrowed nests (n""i573, narrowings or re- batements) round about, so that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house. The house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither; so that there was neither ham- mer, nor axe, nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was building. The door of the middle story was in the right side of the house ; and they went up with winding stairs into the middle story, and out of
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the midille into the third. So he built the house, and linished it; and covered the lumse witti beams and boards of cedar. And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high; and they rested on the house with timber of cedar" (1 Kings vi,7). From this description it maybe inferred that the entrance to these stories was from without ; but some architects have sup- posed that it was from within ; which arrangement seems to be against the general aim of impressing the Israelitish worshippers with sacred awe by the seclusion of their sanctuary.