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Biblical Data
Biblical
Data In the midst of great prosperity in the land of Israel, King
Solomon built a temple for the name of the Lord God. 'And Solomon
reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines,
and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served
Solomon all the days of his life.' 1 Kings
4:21
Size
The size of the temple is about 90 feet long, 30 feet wide and 45
feet high. 1 Kings 6:2 Solomon erected
it on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem'in the place that David had prepared
in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.' 2
Chronicles 3:1 In building the temple only blocks dressed
at the quarry were used, no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool
was heard at the temple site while it was being built. 1
Kings 6:7
Material
The material used to build the temple was stone, cedar, pine, olive
wood, silver, bronze and gold. The stone walls were over-laid with
cedar planks and then covered with gold; the floor, ceiling and
walls were all covered with gold. Upon the walls and doors skilled
artisans carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers. Only the
carved cherubim and palm trees on the doors were covered with gold.
It must have been beautiful to behold. In addition to the main structure
of the temple, which included the entrance hall, main hall and Holy
of Holies, there was a storehouse built onto the temple on the south,
west and north sides. It was a three story structure with numerous
chambers likely used for storing the utensils and objects used in
the temple.
Archaeological
Light
Replica
of the Temple
Temple Steps
Dome of the Rock
There is little, if any, evidence of the remains
of Solomon's temple in Jerusalem today. The recent work of Kathleen
Kenyon in Jerusalem has revealed a few structures in the northern
part of the city which may be Solomonic but there is no certainty.
If there are any remains left, they would be under the sacred enclosure
of the Muslims known as the Dome of the Rock. Enclosed within this
structure is a very large rock protruding out of the ground. This
sanctuary is forbidden ground to the archaeologist. This rock may
be the foundation upon which the Holy of Holies was built. This
would be a natural foundation upon which to built. Another problem
in the location of any ruins is that the temple was destroyed by
the Babylonians in 587 B.C. Then Herod built an extension to the
south onto the foundation which existed. The existing foundations
are those built by Zerubbabel after the return from the Babylonian
exile. There is no way of determining what is Solomonic, if anything.
Phoenician
Influence
From
the Biblical account it is evident that Solomon had Phoenician help
from Hiram, King of Tyre. A mutual contract was agreed upon, and
King Hiram supplied lumber and craftsmen in return for food for
the royal household. 1 Kings 5 The biblical record is accompanied
by Phoenician records written by a priest named Sanchuniathan. He
wrote of how Hiram would provide the ruler of Judah with building
supplies in return for seaport facilities. Sanchuniathan states
that the lumber was transported by 8,000 camels.
Also 1 Kings 9:27 speaks of 'shipmen that
had knowledge of the sea', and the Phoenician priest gives the names
of these mariners as kedarus, Jaminus and Kotilus. Solomon had a
master builder from Phoenicia whose name was Hiram. His mother was
from the tribe of Naphtali and Father was a man of Tyre and a craftsman
in bronze. Hiram was 'a worker in brass: and he was filled with
wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass.'
1 Kings 7:13 Hiram made all the bronze furnishings for the temple
including two pillars and the sea. There was so much bronze used,
Solomon left it all unweighed. 1 Kings 7:40-47
Temple at Tell Tainat
It is abundantly clear
that there was a powerful Phoenician influence in the construction
of the temple. Therefore, the most reliable archaeological evidence
concerning Solomon's temple can be determined from a comparative
study of contemporary temples. The most interesting discovery was
the sanctuary at Tell Tainat in Northern Syria. The interesting
features of this structure is the rectangular shape and its division
into three area. The Jerusalem temple contained the entrance hall,
main hall and the Holy of Holies. The pillars are under the roof
of the Syrian sanctuary which was 2/3 smaller than Solomon's temple
was primarily a royal chapel attached to the palace, much as were
the royal temples of Nineveh and Khorsabad. From 1 Kings 9:15 we
find that Solomon also built the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezar.
From the remains of a large building at Megiddo, samples of ashes
were taken and analysed to be cedar, indicating that the super structure
was built with a half timber type construction like Solomon's buildings.
Lining the walls of buildings with wood was a very common practice
in the Iron Age.
The Pillars
In
the Biblical account we have two pillars described as Jachin ( probably
means 'he establishes') and Boaz (probably means 'in him is strength').
1 Kings 7:21; 2 Chronicles 3:17 There has been a great deal of speculation
concerning these two pillars as to their position with respect to
the temple, their purpose and the meaning of their names.
Position
The placement of pillars before temples was a common practice in
this time period. The problem comes when the position of the pillars
with respect to the temple is looked at. Do the pillars come underneath
the roof as a supporting structure or are they free standing? And
if they are free standing, what is their purpose? In the temples
of Solomon's day, pillars could be found in both positions, either
free standing or supporting the roof of the portico. From 2 Chronicles
3:15-17, we find that the two pillars were erected 'in the front
of the temple '. On the top were placed capitals with chains hanging
with pomegranates attached. It seems most reasonable that theses
two pillars were free standing before the temple.
Use
But a more perplexing question arises in what were they used for?
Some say they represent sacred obelisks or masseboth of the Canaanite
religion. Others say they are cosmic pillars representing two mountains
between which the sun rises. It is true that they faced east and,
therefore, would receive the sun between them. Others think they
represent sacred trees. Still others say they are gigantic cressets
and fire-alters. They would be grounded in the historical culture
of the Israelites when they travelled in the wilderness led by the
pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. At night the
burning wicks of the gullah and in the day the smoking incense.
Although there is no conclusive evidence and the evidence presented
is weak, the most likely possibility presented is that they represented
giant incense burners.
Names
The names of these two pillars, Jachin and Boaz, may have been the
first words of a covenantal dedication inscription on the face of
the pillars. This can further be substantiated from the meanings
of these Hebrew words. Jachin probably meaning 'he establishes'
and Boaz probably meaning 'in him is strength'. It may also have
been the first words of dynastic oracles which were inscribed upon
them.
The
Furniture
Bronze Sea
The furniture within the temple can be illustrated
from Phoenician art of their day. The cherubim have been compared
to winged sphinx (human-headed lion) which have been found decorating
temple furniture and chairs. Whatever their appearance, they were
instituted by God in the tabernacle and are not of cultic innovation,
or borrowed from the Phoenicians. The sea was constructed by Hirum
out of bronze. 1 Kings 7:23-26 It is interesting to note that the
bronze work was done at the mines of Ezion-Geber which was reported
to have the best smelting facilities in the ancient neareast as
well as the most important seaport. The sea has been given a cosmic
significance, giving it an interpretative meaning. This has gone
to such an extreem that the twelve oxen upon whose back the bronze
laver was placed were said to represent the twelve signs of the
Zodiac.
However the Babylonian Zodiac had seventeen
signs and not twelve. The oxen were more likely to be decorative
in origin and practically to hold up the laver in purpose. There
was a danger of religious syncretism in relying so heavily on Phoenecian
help in building the temple. There was a spiritual weakness in the
new temple caused by Israel's heavy dependence on Phoenician practices.
In Solomon's latter life he introduced this syncretism in building
a temple for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molech
the detestable god of the Ammonites, to please his wives, and follow
Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians. 1 Kings 11:4-8 However,
it is evident that God was pleased with Solomon's temple for His
glory dwelt once again over the ark of the covenant. 1
Kings 8:10,11; 9:3
Conclusion
From
the evidence shown, the architecture described within scripture
is compatible with the archaeological discoveries. God's word is
in perfect harmony with the study of archaeology. The archaeologist
searches for the truth found within scripture. God used architects
from the nations which surrounded Israel to serve His purposes.
God sometimes uses that which is ungodly for benevolent ends, as
is evident from the Roman cross upon which Christ died. However,
religious syncretism was the farthest thought from His mind when
employing Syro-Phoenician artisans. One can only imagine the beauty
of this structure. But perhaps the most beautiful of all was God's
promise, 'I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to
put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be
there perpetually.' 1 Kings 9:3
Copyright © 1995 David Graves
& Jane Graves, Electronic Christian Media
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